Kunafa
Kunafa is a Middle Eastern desert, popular especially in the Eastern Mediterranean region. It is made using a thin, string like pastry known as kataifi. It usually consists of a stuffing, usually nuts & raisins or cheese, sandwiched between 2 layers of the pastry.
Kataif / kadayif can be found in most middle eastern stores. I prefer the cheese version, known as Kunafa bil Jibn, in Arabic. It is usually made with a Palestinian cheese called Nablusi, or sometims Akkawi. These are salty cheeses, so if you are using them, you need to slice and place in water for atleast a few hours in order to remove the salt. You can also use ricotta cheese.
Ingredients:
for the syrup:
Method:
Separate all the pastry strands out, mix with the melted butter. Make sure all the strands are coated.
Place half the pastry onto a baking tray and flatted out, making sure all the tray is covered.
Spread the cheese over the pastry, making sure all the pasty is covered. Now place the remaining pastry over the cheese and press down firmly. Place in a pre heated oven (180-200 degrees C), and bake for around 40 mins, or until the pastry is golden.
Meanwhile, place the sugar, water and lemon juice in a pan, bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off and add the rose water. Once the kunafa is cooked, remove from the oven. At this point, you can sprinkle over nuts. Now pour over the syrup evenly and allow to cool. Cut into squares and serve with a hot drink!
Kataif / kadayif can be found in most middle eastern stores. I prefer the cheese version, known as Kunafa bil Jibn, in Arabic. It is usually made with a Palestinian cheese called Nablusi, or sometims Akkawi. These are salty cheeses, so if you are using them, you need to slice and place in water for atleast a few hours in order to remove the salt. You can also use ricotta cheese.
Ingredients:
- 500g kataifi pastry
- 500g ricotta cheese
- 1 block of unsalted butter, melted.
for the syrup:
- 2 cups of sugar
- 2 cups of water
- juice of half a lemon
- a few drops of orange blossom water/ rosewater
- some nuts to sprinkle on top - optional
Method:
Separate all the pastry strands out, mix with the melted butter. Make sure all the strands are coated.
Place half the pastry onto a baking tray and flatted out, making sure all the tray is covered.
Spread the cheese over the pastry, making sure all the pasty is covered. Now place the remaining pastry over the cheese and press down firmly. Place in a pre heated oven (180-200 degrees C), and bake for around 40 mins, or until the pastry is golden.
Meanwhile, place the sugar, water and lemon juice in a pan, bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off and add the rose water. Once the kunafa is cooked, remove from the oven. At this point, you can sprinkle over nuts. Now pour over the syrup evenly and allow to cool. Cut into squares and serve with a hot drink!
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