Greek Week Two or Have Baklava Will Gain Weight!!!

Welcome back to part two of Greek week. Today Aliza will show us how to make Baklava. It was so easy to do, that I was amazed. Aliza certainly demystified Fillo dough for me! I had to wear my chef's hat again, I just love the pattern of hot peppers, don't you??? I know Anne, I should be cooking Mexican food with this hat on...soon!

As promised, I will tell you a little more of Aliza's story. If you missed the beginning, check back on our spanakopita post. As I told you Aliza was born in Athens, Greece during the World War II years. At that time, Jews were already beginning to be sought out and mistreated. Her mother was having difficulty feeding her. A group was set up to help Jewish families, and some families from America were sending packages to assist in this effort. Aliza's father received a message that there was a box that arrived with baby formula, and other things that were geared to a family with a young infant from a Larsen family in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her father went to pick up the box, and returned with the formula that saved Aliza's life.

As her father unpacked the box, he found a note from the family, telling whoever received the box who they were, and a little about themselves. Aliza's father was multilingual, speaking over six languages. He proceeded to write them a note in English, to thank them for their generosity.

This began a lifetime relationship between the two families. The family continued to send baby clothing, and age appropriate toys, and other clothing as time went on.

Aliza's family was then forced to leave Greece when she was six, and they fled to Israel. There, Aliza became fluent in Hebrew. The Larsen family continued to keep in touch with Aliza's family. At the age of 13, her family returned to Greece, but conditions were not much better. Just before her 16 birthday, the family came to America. In order to leave Greece, they had to be sponsored by an American family. Her family had no relatives in the United States, so once again, Aliza's family turned to the Larsens who happily agreed to sponsor them.

Her family emigrated to Minneapolis. Aliza said that they came totally unprepared for the brutal winters of Minnesota. There was an organization that was set up that gave them money to purchase winter coats. They came around Thanksgiving time, and once again, the Larsens invited them to their first Thanksgiving dinner. Aliza and her family didn't even know what Thanksgiving was. The foods were totally alien to them, Aliza referred to the cranberry sauce as marmalade. She said, she had never combined sweets with meat before and hated the turkey and cranberries that first year. Now, she said it is her favorite meal.

Upon hearing that there was a new Jewish family in town with some teenagers, a group contacted Aliza to bring her into the Jewish community, but it was difficult because she only spoke Greek and Hebrew, and no English. A friend invited her to go to Temple with her, and when they got there, her girlfriend turned to a young man who was also in the same place and said, "Hello Stan, when did you get home?" It was Stanley Gerstein, who had just come back from having spent a year in Israel. Of course, he was fluent in Hebrew and began speaking with Aliza. He invited her to a dance at the Hillel at his college, and they have been together ever since. He is the love of her life...


They have two beautiful children David and Ariana, and five grandchildren and one on the way. Recently, he was involved in a terrible accident when riding his bike and Aliza told me it was the worst time of her life as he was not expected to live. She couldn't imagine life without him as they have been together and inseparable for all these years since she was 16 and he 19, and he is still the love of her life!

Aliza and Rabbi Stan should serve as a role model for all of us as to what true love really is...
This generation should learn what making a commitment really is and take their lead.

Thankfully, Rabbi Stan has recovered and we wish them many, many, more years together in good health!

Thank you Aliza for sharing this beautiful story with me, and allowing my readers to be a part of it as well! You are one of the most beautiful, kindest, and caring people I have ever met, and a great cook as well...

Thank you for being my friend!



BAKLAVA
(Nut and Fillo Greek Pastry)

Aliza Gerstein

Note: If your Fillo dough is frozen, place it in the refrigerator the night before you want to use it.


Nut Mixture:

3 cups very finely chopped Walnuts (We used 1 (10 ounce) bag Finely Diced Diamond Walnuts)
2 cups very finely chopped almonds (We used 2 (8 ounce) bags Blue Diamond Slivered Almonds)
(Note: Aliza says you can use pistachios or pecans, or any nut that you like, just make the total equal 5 cups. We added about 1/2 cup of pecans to the above mix)
4 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cloves
4 Tablespoons melted sweet (unsalted) butter

Place the nuts in a food processor. Chop nuts in a food processor until they are very fine by using the pulse button. Be careful not to over process or you'll have nut butter. Combine nuts, sugar, and spices in the processor and pulse once more. Put everything in a large bowl.

Stir 4 tablespoons melted butter into the mixture and set aside.

1 package (16 ounces # 4 Phyllo) Apollo Fillo dough
Note: # 4 Fillo Dough has fillo sheets that are 12 x 17-inches and about 28 sheets to a package)
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted (melt them 2 at a time, you may not need all four sticks
Syrup (recipe below)

Place plastic wrap over fillo sheets to keep them from drying out.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Brush bottom and sides of an 18” x 12” baking pan, (or any similar pan you have) with melted butter. Layer 10 sheets of fillo on bottom of pan, brushing each sheet with melted butter (you will be laying these in two directions so see pictures below.) Pour 2 1/2 cups of nut mixture on the dough and spread gently. Repeat layering with three more sheets of fillo dough and a second layer of 2 1/2 cups of nuts.
Top pastry with remaining fillo dough and brush generously with melted butter.

Score through top layers of pastry with very sharp knife. Make 3-6 strips lengthwise, depending on the size of your pan. Then cut 10 strips diagonally to form diamond shape pieces. Pour remaining melted butter over pastry. Bake 325 degree oven for 45 minutes to one hour until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes. Carefully ladle syrup over pastry. Allow to stand 3 hours or overnight. Cut through the scored pieces and enjoy!

While Baklava is baking prepare the syrup.

SYRUP
(Siropi)

2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup honey
2 cups water
2-inch piece of lemon rind
Juice of half a lemon
2-inch piece of orange rind
Juice of half an orange
2 long stick cinnamon
10 whole cloves

In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a full boil, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Lower the heat to maintain a rolling boil and cook an additional 10 minutes to allow the syrup to thicken slightly. Let it cool. After you remove the baklava from the oven, let it sit 5 minutes and then gently ladle the syrup over it. Baklava absorbs the syrup best when it is hot.

After three hours, cut the baklava along the scored lines to cut it all the way through.

What you will need for the recipes:

For the Nut Filling

For the Syrup

Closeup of the Spices

BAKLAVA
(Nut and Fillo Greek Pastry)

Aliza Gerstein

Note: If your Fillo dough is frozen, place it in the refrigerator the night before you want to use it.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees

Nut Mixture:

3 cups very finely chopped Walnuts (We used 1 (10 ounce) bag Finely Diced Diamond Walnuts)
2 cups very finely chopped almonds (We used 2 (8 ounce) bags Blue Diamond Slivered Almonds)
(Note: Aliza says you can use pistachios or pecans, or any nut that you like, just make the total equal 5 cups. We added about 1/2 cup of pecans to the above mix)
4 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cloves
4 Tablespoons melted sweet (unsalted) butter

Place all the nuts in a food processor


Chop nuts in a food processor until they are very fine
by using the pulse button


Be careful not to over process or you'll have nut butter
(this is not fine enough yet, because you have to pulse it as
you add the sugar and spices


Add the sugar,



cinnamon,



freshly grated nutmeg if you have it
(if not ground is fine,)


and cloves


pulse once more to blend


This is the consistency you are looking for


We did it in two batches
Here are the pecans and almonds


Put nut mix in a large bowl



Place 4 (four) tablespoons of butter into a microwavable dish


Microwave about 30 seconds to melt the butter


Pour the 4 tablespoons melted butter

into the mixture and set aside




Stir the butter into the nut mixture

and blend well



Place another two sticks of butter cut in pieces
in a microwave safe bowl


Microwave the butter to melt it about 45 seconds


Place plastic wrap over fillo sheets to keep them from drying out.

Brush bottom and sides of an 18” x 12” baking pan,
(or any similar pan you have) with melted butter




Place a sheet of fillo dough lengthwise on the
bottom of the pan and brush with butter


Layer another 7 sheets of fillo on bottom of pan,
brushing each sheet with melted butter




After you've done about 8 sheets,
place two sheets adjacent to each other widthwide
again, you will have an overhang
Brush with melted butter, don't forget to brush the overhang



Repeat this again
don't forget to brush with butter



Your pan should look something like this



Now place another sheet lengthwise and brush with butter




add another sheet and brush with butter


Pour 2 1/2 cups of nut mixture on the dough


and spread gently




Place another sheet on top of the nuts lengthwise
and brush with butter (melt more butter as needed)


repeat adding two more sheets, each time brushing with butter




Add a second layer of nuts ( 2 1/2 cups)


Place another sheet of Fillo over the nuts
and brush with butter


Repeat again with another 3 sheets of Fillo dough
brush butter between all layers


Layer one more sheet across the nuts lengthwise
brush with melted butter


Fold in the piece that were overhanging the pan


Layer with another sheet of Fillo lengthwise
and brush with butter


Layer a few more sheets but don't put the last sheet on yet


Brush generously with butter


Fold in all edges to make very neat




Brush with butter and top pastry with remaining fillo dough
trim neatly with a scissor



and brush generously with melted butter.



Score through top layers of pastry only with very sharp knife
Make 3-6 strips lengthwise, depending on
the size of your pan



Then cut 4-5 strips widthwise



Then cut each square diagonally to form two triangle shaped pieces




Pour remaining melted butter over pastry

Bake 325 degree oven for 45 minutes to one hour

until golden brown


Cool for 5 minutes
Carefully ladle syrup over pastry







Aliza said in Greece they sometimes put a clove in each piece
as a decoration,
but cautions not to eat the cloves



Aliza enjoying a piece of the orange peel
she said it tastes like candy


After it sits about 3 hours,
cut through the scored pieces



Allow to stand 3 hours or overnight

Carefully remove the pieces



Dig in and enjoy!

While Baklava is baking prepare the syrup

SYRUP
(Siropi)

2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup Honey
2 cups water
2-inch piece of Lemon rind
Juice of half a lemon
2-inch piece of Orange rind
Juice of half an orange
2 long stick Cinnamon
10 whole cloves

Place the sugar in a medium saucepan


Add the honey

the water


Cut a nice piece of lemon rind from a
fresh lemon and add it to the mix



Do the same with a piece of fresh orange



Cut the lemon in half and use a juice
and add the juice from the lemon half


and the orange half



add the fresh cloves



and a whole cinnamon stick



Stir to blend everything together

Bring to a full boil, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved


Lower the heat to maintain a rolling boil and
cook an additional 15-20 minutes to allow the
syrup to reduce and thicken slightly




Let it cool
After you remove the baklava from the oven, let it sit 5 minutes
and then gently ladle the syrup over it.

After about three hours,
cut the baklava along the scored lines to cut it all the way through