Urania, my childhood neighbour made the best baklava, so much so that my sister and I pressured our mum into mastering her recipe. She was very particular about using only the freshest of ingredients and about the process. The walnuts had to be crushed with a glass bottle rather than chopped as she believed the flavour was better, she also insisted that stale homemade bread be used rather than processed white bread.

I’m not exactly sure which part of Greece Urania was from as she is no longer with us, all I know is that she was from a village near Athens. What’s obvious about this recipe, is that it’s a genuine village recipe as it calls for stale breadcrumbs, probably because it was cheaper than adding extra nuts. The breadcrumbs are genius, as they help to absorb the syrup, making this baklava the perfect balance of flaky pastry, crunchy nuts and sugary heaven.

Making baklava
……………………………………………………………………………………

Recipe

Makes 45

Ingredients
2 tablespoons (20g) sesame seeds
500g walnuts
2 slices day old white bread, crusts removed use ciabatta or similar)
1/3 cup (70g) caster sugar
3-6 tablespoons (25-50g) ground cinnamon
250g unsalted butter, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable oil (e.g. canola or sunflower)
500g filo pastry sheets, thawed at room temperature for 2 hours
(this is approx. 1.5 x 375g packets)

Syrup
3 cups (660g) caster sugar
2 cups (500ml) water
Lemon wedge
3 tablespoons (65ml) honey

Method
1) Preheat oven to 150°C and toast sesame seeds on a tray for 5-10 minutes or until lightly golden and fragrant, cool.

2) Crush walnuts using a bottle or rolling pin (you can also finely chop).

3) Crumb stale bread in a food processor or by rubbing between hands.

4) Increase oven temperature to 180°C.

5) In a bowl combine sesame seeds, walnuts, bread crumbs, caster sugar and cinnamon, mix well and set aside.
Note: Depending on personal taste, you may prefer to add only 3-4 tablespoons of cinnamon.

6) Heat butter and oil in a saucepan over a low heat until butter is melted, set aside and keep warm.

7) Brush a large rectangular baking tray (or two smaller trays) with butter and oil mix. If necessary cut filo sheet length to fit into tray snugly and cover with a damp tea towel to prevent from drying out.

8) Lay a sheet of filo on clean work surface with the longest edge facing you. Working quickly, brush all over with butter and oil mix, top with another sheet of filo and brush again, repeat 2 more times (you should have 4 sheets). Cover remaining filo with a tea towel. Scatter evenly with a 2 handfuls of the nut mixture then roll lengthwise into a long cylinder, if necessary brush the exposed pastry edge with extra butter/oil to seal, then place in baking tray. Repeat with remaining filo and nut mix and brush top with butter/oil.

9) Refrigerate until firm (15 minutes), then cut on a diagonal into 5cm diamonds with a sharp knife. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until lightly golden. Cover loosely with foil partway through cooking if top browns too quickly.

10) Meanwhile, for syrup, combine sugar and water in saucepan and bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until syrup thickens. Take off heat, add lemon wedge and stir in honey. Allow to cool to lukewarm (blood temperature).

11) Cool baklava slightly (2-3 minutes), remove lemon wedge from syrup and evenly pour over. Allow to stand for at least 2 hours (preferably overnight) before refrigerating.

12) Serve at room temperature with an espresso or Turkish coffee.

Tips:
- Baklava will keep refrigerated in it’s tray for up to 2 weeks.
- Baklava also freezes well for up to 3 months.
- Freeze fresh walnuts in an airtight bag for up to 3 months.

I love Easter for a number of reasons. I love the message, I love time spent with family and I love the Orthodox tradition of breaking Easter eggs with family and friends.

After a week of fasting and not eating meat, dairy and even oil, the fast ends on Easter Sunday with the celebration of breaking colourful boiled eggs. It’s a competition, one person holds an egg, while the other person tries to break it by gently hitting with the tip of their boiled egg. The person with the egg that doesn’t break is the winner! The competition has been known to get fierce, there are even stories of people using painted wooden eggs to trick their family and friends. It’s a lot of fun and something we all look forward to every Easter Sunday.

Note: This is a basic recipe and based on the recipe on the back of the dye packet and found on Taste.
……………………………………………………………………………………

Recipe

Makes 12

Ingredients
12 medium free-range or organic eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon salt

1 x packet red dye powder (available from select delicatessens)
6 cups (1.5 litres) warm water
1/2 cup (125ml) white vinegar
Olive oil, to grease

Method
1) Place eggs in a single layer in a large saucepan. Pour over enough cold water to completely cover and 1 teaspoon of salt (the salt is thought to help stop the eggs from breaking), cover with lid and bring to the boil. Once to the boil reduce heat to low and simmer for 8 minutes. Remove from water with a slotted spoon and drain.

2) Place dye powder and 2 tablespoons of the warm water in saucepan or glass bowl and stir until the dye dissolves. Add vinegar and remaining warm water, stir to combine. Add the hard-boiled eggs to the dye mixture and soak for 3-4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the eggs to a plate or cake rack and set aside for 40 minutes to dry.

3) To polish the eggs, place a little oil on paper towel and wipe each egg until shiny. Refrigerate until required.