Recipe - Kataifi (Shredded Nut Pastries)

Karen Mintzias
500 g Kataifi pastry
1 cup Butter; melted

NUT FILLING
1 cup Coarsely ground walnuts
1 cup Coarsely ground almonds
One half cup Caster sugar
1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
One fourth teaspoon Ground cloves
1 Egg white; lightly beaten
1 tablespoon Brandy

SYRUP
2 cup Sugar
1 One half cup Water
1 teaspoon Lemon juice
1 Thin strip of lemon rind
4 Cloves
1 Piece cinnamon bark
1 tablespoon Honey

Makes: 40 pieces Oven temperature: 180 C (350 F) Cooking time: 5055
minutes

Take an eighth of the pastry strands and spread out on a board to a 18 x 25
cm (7 x 10 inch) rectangle with strands running roughly lengthwise. Using a
pastry brush, dab some butter over strands. Combine nut filling ingredients
and spread about 2 tablespoons of filling along one narrow edge. Roll up
firmly into a neat roll. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Place rolls
close together in a 20 x 30 cm (8 x 12 inch) slab cake pan or baking dish.
Brush top with remaining butter. Bake in a moderate oven, one shelf above
centre, for 5055 minutes until golden brown.

Meanwhile, dissolve sugar in water over heat, add lemon juice and rind,
cloves and cinnamon. Bring to the boil and boil over medium heat for 10
minutes. Stir in honey, strain and cool. Pour cooled syrup over hot
pastries and place a folded cloth on top. Leave until cool. Cut each roll
into 5 pieces diagonally if preferred.

ALTERNATIVE SHAPING: Take a small handful of pastry strands and spread out
fairly compactly on board. Have strands running towards you as much as
possible and dab with butter. Mould a tablespoon of nut filling into a
short sausage shape and place on one end. Roll up firmly into a neat roll
and place in baking dish. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Makes about 30
rolls each about 5 cm (2 inches) long. Bake as directed above, prepare
syrup and finish as in previous recipe.

From: "The Complete Middle East Cookbook" by Tess Mallos ISBN: 1 86302 069
1

Typed for you by Karen Mintzias

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini