{"id":4142,"date":"2018-02-23T09:00:23","date_gmt":"2018-02-23T16:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/villasentieri.com\/?post_type=recipe&p=4142"},"modified":"2026-09-02T10:58:46","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T17:58:46","slug":"baklava-with-walnuts-and-almonds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/2018\/02\/23\/baklava-with-walnuts-and-almonds\/","title":{"rendered":"Baklava with Walnuts and Almonds"},"content":{"rendered":"

February 23, 2018<\/span><\/p>\n

Syrup desserts are popular from the Eastern Mediterranean through the Arabian Peninsula.\u00a0 Among syrup desserts, baklava is one of my favorites.<\/p>\n

I rarely make baklava but the first time I did was junior year in college.\u00a0 That same recipe is the one that I still make.<\/p>\n

Styles of baklava vary.\u00a0 More nuts.\u00a0 Less nuts.\u00a0 More syrup.\u00a0 Less syrup.\u00a0 Different aromatics.\u00a0 While I like them all, I tend towards the more Arabic preparations which, in my experience, include more nuts and syrup than their more restrained Greek counterparts.<\/p>\n

Perhaps that\u2019s why a friend, of Greek heritage, said that my baklava didn\u2019t look like anything a Greek ever made!\u00a0 Admittedly, however, the recipe came from a Greek and I think I have been true to the recipe but, hey, I\u2019m not Greek so who am I to say what could have come out of a Greek kitchen.<\/p>\n

\n

Click HERE<\/a> to join our mailing list and you\u2019ll never miss a recipe again!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

I spent much of 2010 living in Dubai.\u00a0 The consulting company that I started in the mid 1990\u2019s landed a contract with the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Health in late 2009.\u00a0 In January 2010 I moved to Dubai.<\/p>\n

\"\"
A view of one part of the kitchen in my Dubai apartment<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shopping for food in Dubai is just amazing.\u00a0 The sheer number of expats (at the time it was estimated that 95% of the people living in Dubai were expats!) means that the supermarkets are truly multinational affairs, even the relatively small ones.<\/p>\n

It was rare that I could not find brands with which I was familiar.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure expats from almost every country had the same experience.\u00a0 The supermarkets were stocked with brands from around the world.\u00a0 It truly was the most amazing grocery shopping I have ever experienced outside of the food halls at Harrods and KaDeWe.\u00a0 But remember, Harrods and KaDeWe are most decidedly upscale affairs.\u00a0 In Dubai I was just going to the (plain, ordinary) supermarket!<\/p>\n

\"\"
A small section of the food hall at KaDeWe in Berlin<\/strong> (By Blorg (Own work) [GFDL (http:\/\/www.gnu.org\/copyleft\/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/)], via Wikimedia Commons)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>I spend a week in Germany during the summer of 2010, right in the middle of my Dubai experience.\u00a0 I found shopping in German supermarkets to be a much more \u201cforeign\u201d affair than shopping in the supermarkets in Dubai.\u00a0 Rarely was there a brand I recognized in Germany.\u00a0 Shopping involved intense reading of labels because I was not familiar with the products and their contents\u2026or their quality.<\/p>\n
\"\"
A view of the Arabian Gulf and the man-made Palm Jumeriah Island in the distance from my apartment<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Produce in Dubai could be hit or miss due to the distance most of it traveled.\u00a0 Although there was a nascent horticultural industry in Dubai, I could never find truly local produce.\u00a0 On several occasions I tried to find a store that purported to sell local produce but my driver could never locate it, even with the address!<\/p>\n

\n

Follow us on your social media platform of choice<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/a> \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

The closest we had to \u201clocal\u201d produce was from Iran, the source of Romaine lettuce and cauliflower, as I recall, among other produce.\u00a0 Considering that Iran and the United Arab Emirates are only 90 miles away at their closest point, and considering how far produce can travel in North America from fields in California to the Northeast, 90 miles really counts as local, even if there is an international border among two not-so-friendly countries involved!<\/p>\n

\"\"
Another view from the apartment looking at Dubai Marina<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the supermarkets, prepared food counters overflowed with Middle Eastern items and my fridge was always stocked with hummus, pita with zatar, olives, and other meze.<\/p>\n

I also had access to world-class syrup desserts, including baklava!!!<\/p>\n

Another fascinating aspect of most of larger supermarkets in Dubai was the existence of a room at the back that was usually labeled with something like \u201cPork for Non-Muslims.\u201d\u00a0 In this space once could find the most amazing cured pork products from Italy, Spain, and Europe in general!<\/p>\n

\"\"
Dubai Marina at ground level<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Alas, items containing alcohol were difficult to obtain.\u00a0 This included vanilla extract.\u00a0 The available non-alcohol-based \u201cextract\u201d was just not the same.\u00a0 Luckily vinegar was just as good, even if it was labeled \u201cGrape Vinegar\u201d rather than \u201cWine Vinegar!\u201d<\/p>\n

I hope you enjoy this baklava.\u00a0 Just don\u2019t make it for a Greek friend!<\/p>\n

\n

If you have a favorite family recipe and a bit of a story to tell, please email me at santafecook@villasentieri.com<\/a> and we can discuss including it in the blog. I am expanding the scope of my blog to include traditional recipes from around the country and around the world. If you haven\u2019t seen Bertha\u2019s Flan<\/a> or Melinda\u2019s Drunken Prunes<\/a>, take a look.\u00a0 They will give you an idea of what I\u2019m looking for.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>
\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n
\n \n <\/div>\n

Baklava with Walnuts and Almonds<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\n \n
<\/div>\n
Try to find phyllo that is either 9\u201d x 13\u201d or 18\u201d x 13\u201d. If it\u2019s the latter, cut the stack of sheets in half to make them all 9\u201d x 13\u201d. I have found that covering the stack of phyllo with a damp towel, as some authors recommend, after you remove every sheet isn\u2019t necessary if you move quickly. However, before you start, moisten a dish towel and keep it handy in case there are any breaks in the action, in which case you should definitely cover the stack of unused phyllo. While it is not essential to clarify the butter, removing the milk solids will prevent uneven browning of the top of the baklava.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n Print Recipe<\/a>\n Pin Recipe<\/a>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
Prep Time <\/span>1 hour<\/span><\/span> hr<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Cook Time <\/span>1 hour<\/span><\/span> hr<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Total Time <\/span>1 day<\/span><\/span> d<\/span> 2 hours<\/span><\/span> hrs<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Servings: <\/span>40<\/span> pieces<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/g>\n\n\n\n<\/clipPath>\n<\/defs>\n<\/svg>\n<\/span> Ingredients<\/a>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/g>\n\n\n\n<\/clipPath>\n<\/defs>\n<\/svg>\n<\/span> Method<\/a>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span> Notes<\/a><\/div>\n
\n
\n

Ingredients
<\/div>