Saffron and Pistachio Orange Tea Bread
Preparation time: 30 mins plus 30 mins standing time
Cooling time: 1 hour
Makes 8
Melted butter for greasing
1 orange, juiced, zest finely grated
½ tsp saffron threads
185 butter, chopped
1 cup caster sugar
4 eggs
¾ cup sour cream
1 ½ cups plain flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 cup pistachios, finely chopped
1 cup sifted pure icing sugar
2 Tbsp hot water or milk
Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Brush an 8-hole mini-loaf tin with melted butter, then line bases and sides with baking paper. Heat orange juice in microwave on high for 30 seconds. Add saffron, set aside to soak for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, blend the butter, zest and sugar in a medium bowl until light and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
Stir in sour cream. Fold through sifted flour, bicarb, ½ cup of the pistachios and saffron juice until combined. Spoon mixture into holes and smooth surfaces. Bake for 45 – 60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into cakes comes out clean. Stand for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.
Put icing in a medium bowl, and then add enough water or milk to form a thin paste. Spoon a little icing over cakes and sprinkle with remaining pistachios. Stand for 20 minutes for the icing to set before serving.
Dolmades
(adapted from The Curry Club’s Favourite Middle Eastern Recipes by Pat Chapman)
30 vine leaves (to allow for breakages)
Olive oil
Stuffing:
200g cooked and cooled rice
50g onion, chopped and fried (about ½ a small onion)
50g pine nuts, toasted and chopped
1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
1 tbsp sultanas and/or dates, chopped
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp allspice
½ tsp aromatic salt
1 tsp white sugar
¼ tsp sumac
1. Mix the stuffing ingredients together. The mixture should be cold and sticky enough for 24 vine leaves.
2. If the leaves are fresh, destalk and wash them. Blanch them in boiling water for 15 seconds. Strain and allow to cool. If the leaves are vacuum-packed or jarred in brine, you will need to wash out the brine in several cold water rinses.
3. Put the vine leaf flat on a work surface. Put a dollop of filling in the centre of the leaf part. Fold in the side leaves then roll it up like a little spring roll. It should be about 5 x 2 cm.
4. Oil an oven tray with the olive oil. Place the dolmades on it with the tip of the rolled leaf downwards. Do not squash them; just let them touch each other lightly. Brush them with olive oil and cover the tray with aluminium foil. Put into a preheated oven at 150˚C and cook for 20 minutes. Serve hot or cold.
Nadia’s Notes:
· A HUGE regional variation on this recipe. I cobbled a few recipes together to make these.
· They were pretty easy, once I got the hang of rolling them. The biggest challenge was getting the vine leaves out of the jar! They are actually tougher than they look.
· I was surprised at the oven method of cooking them. I also read instructions for simmering them in liquid and using uncooked rice or orzo as fillings – obviously the simmering method would be required to cook the rice or orzo.
· I really felt the addition of tomato ketchup was wrong however in the end, it somehow tasted really good. Still seemed strange, though.
· These dolmades tasted quite fresh and did not have that oiliness you get with purchased ones. Yummy!
Walnut Baklava
450g walnuts, finely chopped1 cup sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp lemon juice
350g butter, melted
1 cup honey
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 package phyllo pastry
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
Combine and set aside walnuts, 1/2 cup sugar, and cinnamon.
Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the bottom and sides of a 10x14" (about 1-2" deep) pan with melted butter. Open the phyllo dough and layer 6 whole leaves in the pan, buttering each layer as you go. (The edges will extend over the side.) Spread 1 cup of the walnut mixture over the sheets. Cut the remaining phyllo dough in half.
Layer 8 half sheets, buttering each layer. Each sheet will be an inch or so short, so stagger the sheets from corner to corner to cover the whole pan. Spread 1 cup of the walnut mixture. Repeat 8 sheets and walnut mixture twice. You will end up with 4 layers of nuts. Layer the remaining half sheets on top, buttering each layer. Brush the top with the remaining butter. Trim the edges off.
Score halfway through the layers with a sharp knife to form a diamond pattern. This is done now since it will be very fragile after it's been baked.
Bake 1 hour or until golden brown.
15 minutes before the baklava should be done, mix 1 cup sugar, water, and lemon juice in a sauce pan. Cook syrup over a medium heat, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, add the honey and vanilla, and stir until well blended.
Remove the baklava from the oven and finish cutting through the layers where scored previously.
Pour the syrup over the hot baklava. Cool. Let it sit for at least 24 hours (lightly covered -- but not in the refrigerator) -- longer if you can resist the temptation.
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