kanafeh
Next Dish: Pörkölt
Kanafeh is a traditional Middle Eastern dessert made with thin noodle-like pastry, or alternatively fine semolina dough, soaked in sweet, sugar-based syrup, and typically layered with cheese, or with other ingredients such as clotted cream or nuts. It is often flavored with rose water or orange blossom water and topped with crushed pistachios. The dish is especially popular in the Arab world, Turkey, Greece, and the Balkans. The pastry is heated in butter, margarine, palm oil, or traditionally semneh (clarified butter) and then spread with soft white cheese, such as Nabulsi cheese, and topped with more pastry.
Recipe
Ingredients:
1 pack of shredded phyllo dough (kataifi/kadaifi)
2 cups of mozzarella cheese
1 cup of unsalted butter
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of water
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of rose water
2 tablespoons of ground pistachios for garnish
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Melt the butter and pour it over the shredded phyllo dough. Mix well until all the shreds are coated with butter.
Spread half of the buttered phyllo dough into a baking pan, press it down firmly.
Spread the mozzarella cheese evenly over the phyllo dough in the pan.
Cover the cheese with the remaining half of the phyllo dough, press it down gently.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
While the Kanafeh is baking, make the sugar syrup. Combine sugar, water, lemon juice, and rose water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
Once the Kanafeh is done, remove from the oven and immediately pour the sugar syrup over it. Let it soak for a few minutes.
Garnish with ground pistachios before serving. Best served warm.