Nuts, Raisins and Shredded Coconut Pastry

This sweet and very easy to make pastry is filled with raisins, chopped nuts, and shredded coconuts, a mixture laced with orange blossom or rose water. The folded triangles are then baked to a crispy gold in the oven and then dipped in sugar syrup. They are crisp, crunchy and the perfect accompaniment to the essential post-iftaar cup of Arabic coffee.

 Ingredients 

Filling

1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1/2 cup roasted almonds, roughly chopped
1/2  cup sultanas and raisins
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 tbsp orange blossom water/ rose water
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp sugar

Sugar Syrup 

2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 tbspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon rose or orange blossom water

Ready-made phyllo pastry (found at any Greek or Middle Eastern shop)
1/2 cup vegetable oil, mix with a couple tablespoons of melted butter

Place the sugar, water and lemon in a saucepan and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the rose or orange blossom water at the end. Set aside. 

Mix the ingredients of the filling - you can add more cinnamon, raisin, coconut or add other nuts, according to taste.

 Cut the phyllo pastry into three finger wide strips. Keep them covered with a towel so they don't dry out. Brush with the oil and butter mixture onto each strip before you add the filling.

 Put a spoonful of filling in one of the strips.

 Fold the strip over the filling, folding towards the opposite corner as you go.

 Continue folding until the end of the strip, cut away any excess.

Place the triangles on a greased baking tray or baking sheet. Put in the oven at 250 C until crisp and golden brown.

Allow to cool before dipping in the warm syrup. They should be dipped in syrup just before eating. Place in cupcake liners. 

Serve with coffee and other Ramadan sweets, such as Qatayef,  Fritters or, as here, Knafa fingers. 

Cherry Cheesecake

Obviously, not Libyan! But for those of us who keep to a halal diet, cheesecake is a problem, as many recipes contain gelatin, and vegetarian gelatin is often not as strong as the animal-based products. We tried many recipes before arriving at our own fail-proof recipe. This one is topped with fresh cherries, but you can substitute other summer berries, fruit or try a chocolate, caramel or marzipan topping. Try it out and let us know what you think!

Crust
75g butter
16-20 digestive biscuits

Filling
2 deciliters milk 

2 tablespoons of cornstarch
50-75g sugar
200g unflavored soft cream cheese (eg Philadelphia)
200g fresh cream
1 tspn vanilla sugar
2 eggs
A satchet of Dr. Oetker's Vegegele (or two heaped teaspoons of vegetarian gelatin)

Topping
About 250g cherries
A satchet of cherry vegetarian jelly crystals

 Put the digestive biscuits in a blender.

 Melt the butter.

 Add the melted butter onto the biscuits and blend.

 Pour the mixture onto a springform pan, about 25cm across.

 Smooth flat with the back of a spoon.

 Make sure it is evenly spread throughout the base.

 Add the gelatine to boiled hot milk, stir until dissolved. Put in the blender.

 Add the cheese and cream to the blender.

 Add the cornstarch, sugar, vanilla sugar and eggs.

 Blend well. Pour out the smoothly blended mixture onto the biscuit base.

Place in the oven at 150 C, for just long enough that the cheese filling sets, but not long enough that the surface browns! About 15 minutes should do it.

 Wash the cherries, remove the stems and stones, cut the cherries in half.

Place the half-cherries onto the surface of the cheese filling. 

 Make the jelly, pouring the crystals into boiling water and making sure all the powder has dissolved.

 Pour the jelly slowly and carefully onto the surface of the cake.

 Place in the fridge for at least four hours, longer is better.

  When the jelly has done its work, run a knife lightly around the edge of the pan, then remove the sides from the base carefully.

 Slice and serve while cold

Knafa Fingers

An alternative way of making knafa, the Ramadan pastry eaten throughout the Arab world. When making a large quantity it is perhaps easiest to make it in the oven as in the recipe I have linked to above, however these rolls with the filling in individual forms can be easier in terms of presentation. The method is almost the same.

Ingredients: 

500g knafa pastry 

 200g butter, melted 

 Syrup: 

1 1⁄2 cups Sugar 

2 cup water 

2 tbsp orange blossom water/ rose water 

1 tbsp lemon juice 

1 lemon slice 

Filling: 

1 cups walnuts, roughly chopped 

1 cup sultanas or raisins 

1cup shredded coconut 

2 tbsp orange blossom water/ rose water 

2 tbsp cinnamon 

2 tbsp sugar

Prepare the syrup by combining the water and sugar and lemon. Simmer for 15-20 min until it reaches a syrupy consistency. Add orange blossom or rosewater and set aside to cool.

Loosen the stands of kunafa pastry with your hands, then pour melted butter over it and work it in.

Mix all the ingredients for the filling, add rose water and mix well.

Place about three fingers width of strands of knafa in a line, place a teaspoon of filling at one end and roll.

Place in the oven until golden, and when cool dip into the warm syrup.

Serve with Turkish/Arabic coffee.

Qatayef - قطايف - Dumpling Stuffed with Nuts and Raisins

Qatayif are made throughout the Arab world in Ramadan, and at no other time. The origins of these  stuffed and fried pancakes, like the traditional  Ramadan lantern go back to medieval Cairo. The filling can be either sweet cheese or nuts and raisins. This is the nut filling version flavored with orange blossom water and cinnamon. 

Ingredients (makes about 12)

400ml water

200g flour

1 tablespoon dried yeast

1 tbs sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

Filling

2 cups mixed nuts (almonds, walnuts, peanuts, hazlenuts)

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup sugar

1 cup raisins

2 tablespoons orange blossom water

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Preheated a frying pan, dip a cotton pad in oil and wipe the pan then pour the batter into small pancakes about 8 cm diameter. Four small pancakes fit in a medium sized frying pan. A pancake skillet is perfect for this if you have one.

Cook the pancakes on one side only, remove from the pan when the top sets.

Pulse the nuts in the mixer until roughly chopped. Mix with the rest of the ingredients for the filling. Place a teaspoonful of filling in the center of each pancake on the uncooked side (the side with lots of small holes)

Pinch the pancake edges aroung the fillling forming a half circle or moon shape

Fry the filled pancakes, the qatayif should be crunchy but not hard so don't let the oil get too hot

Dip the pancakes in warm syrup before serving 

Baklava with Sweet Cheese Filling - Bakalawa bil Jibna بقلاوة بالجبنة

This makes a lovely change from the usual  Baklawa with nuts, with a much lighter taste making it perfect for Ramadan.

The filling of the Levantine recipe is an Arabic dessert cheese called Jibn Akawi, but in Libya we use a rosewater flavored muhallabia with some cream cheese mixed in.

The syrup poured over the cheese baklawa adds a taste of honey and more rosewater, making this a delicate dessert that does not lack in flavor.

Makes around 25 pieces

Ingredients

1 pack phyllo pastry (about 20 sheets)

2 tablespoon clarified butter 

1 cup corn oil

Filling

2 packages Philadelphia cream cheese 

100g cornflour

50g sugar

800 ml milk

1 cup double cream or qashta

1 tablespoon rosewater

Syrup

3 cups water

2 cups sugar

1 slice lemon (optional)

1 tbspoon thick honey (optional)

1 tbspoon rosewater

Pour 600 ml milk in a heavy-bottomed pan and bring to the boil with the sugar, meanwhile dissolve the cornflour in the remaining 200 ml milk. Pour the cornflour into the hot milk and whisk briskly, when a thick custard forms cook for a further 5 minutes then turn off the heat and mix in the cheese, rosewater and cream. 

Divide the phyllo in half, cover with a slightly damp kitchen towel. Melt the clarified and then mix it with sunflower oil for brushing.

Use a pastry brush to grease an ovenproof dish (around 20 x 30 cm) with the butter and oil mixture. Raise the phyllo over the edges of the dish like the sides of a pie (you may need to use 2 sheets per layer and trim the excess). Brush just a little oil and clarified between each layer phyllo pastry.

Once you have used half the phyllo or about 10 sheets, pour the cooled cheese filling onto the last layer of phyllo. Wait for the filling to set, then place a phyllo sheet on top, brush with butter and oil then add another sheet of phyllo and continue until the top layer of around 10 sheets is complete. 

Trim of the excess phyllo around the edges of the ovenproof dish

Carefully cut the uncooked balklawa into diamond shapes by scoring diagonal lines. Don't press down to the bottom layer or the filling will be squeezed out.

Cook the baklawa in the middle of the oven at 200°C until golden brown

Boil the sugar, water and lemon slice together when they reach a syrupy consistency cook for a  further 5 minutes. Add rosewater and a spoonful of honey then turn off the heat. 

Once the baklawa has cooled pour the syrup along the lines you scored, just as much as the phyllo absorbs. Too much syrup is overpowering and spoils the texture.

 Ideally wait for 6 hours before cutting and serving the cheese baklava. 

Remove the baklawa pieces from the dish, the sprinkle some finely chopped or grated pistachio in the center of each diamond.