 |  | | | Baklava | 25 Jan 2006 | | |
Anissa Helou explains how to prepare the traditional dish
Before the First World War, it was the custom for the great houses of Istanbul to keep two cooks whose sole responsibilities were to make filo pastry. One made a stronger sort, used to wrap savoury pies. The other was in charge of making a finer, thinner version necessary for the preparation of that popular sweet flaky sweetmeat, baklava.
Lucky for us, if we want filo pastry today we don’t even need to employ one cook. Instead you can get a workable version at most grocery stores, and according to food writer Anissa Helou, it is good enough to make classic baklavas at home.
Baklava recipe
Anissa Helou's books:
Mediterranean Street Food, published by Harper Collins - ISBN 0-06-019596-7
Lebanese Cuisine, published by Grub Street - ISBN 1898697639
Street Café Morocco, published by Conran Octopus - ISBN 1 85029 958 7
The Fifth Quarter: An Offal Cookbook, published by Absolute Press - ISBN 1904573215
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