Mostarski kadaif
Ok, so we’ve all had baklava, right? But what about Mostarski kadaifi?
Well, now that I’ve visited Bosnia, how about I share a recipe for something I fell in love with as soon as I sunk my teeth into it?
Thanks to the Ottoman Empire having a huge impact on this part of Europe, edibles such as this Mostarski kadaif can be enjoyed at one of the many eateries and bakeries in this gorgeous river city – Mostar.
A golden tangle of pastry threads, layered with walnuts and raisins and doused in liquid butter. This is, apparently, how things like this are done in this town.
It doesn’t end there.
We all know that baklava has an involvement with a syrup. The same applies to the kadaif of Mostar. A heavy handed drowning in sugary syrup deliciously spiked with lemon, orange, fragrant vanilla and honey.
The result – something that’ll either make your teeth hurt, the back of your throat tingle or your brows rise with absolute pleasure.
The bottom is a dense, sopped layer of compressed kadaifi, nuts, raisins and syrup. The top is light, buttery and crunchy at the same time.
The best way to enjoy it, I think, is with coffee – or Bosanska kahva. This is a coffee preparation I’ve known my entire life, as the Croats make it the same way; in a džezva. It may have stemmed from the way the Turks make it – although done a little differently – but this strong, unfiltered coffee is enough to kick-start any slow-beating heart.
High doses of sugar and caffeine?
Good luck.
Adapted from here
| Servings |
slices
|
- 500 g kadaifi pastry
- 300 g walnuts roasted & ground
- 70 g raisins
- 250 g butter melted
- 50 g walnuts coarsely chopped
- 1 litre water
- 700 g white sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 lemon (⅓ cup juice & its zest)
- 1 orange (⅓ cup juice & its zest)
- 3 tbsp honey
Ingredients
Filling
Syrup
|
|
- Preheat the oven to 170°C.
- Grease a 37 cm x 27 cm baking tray with oil or butter.
- Gently pull the kadaifi pastry apart to separate the strands. Lay half of the pastry in the baking tray in an even layer and press it down firmly.
- Scatter the ground walnuts over the pastry evenly, followed by the raisins. Lay the remaining kadaifi over the top evenly and press down firmly. Pour the melted butter over the top of the pastry and bake it for 1½-2 hours, or until the top is golden.
- Note - I increased the heat to 220°C for the last 20 minutes as my oven can be a little temperamental.
- While the kadaif is baking, make the syrup.
- Allow the kadaif to cool completely before pouring over the syrup.
- Put all the syrup ingredients into a saucepan over medium heat, bring to the boil, then reduce to a moderate simmer. Let it simmer for 30 minutes. Strain out the zest, then pour the hot syrup over the cooled kadaif.
- Cut the kadaif into squares while it's still warm, then let it cool completely before serving. Prior to serving, scatter small mounds of the coarsely chopped walnuts on top of each square of kadaif.
Store in a sealed container in the fridge. It's best eaten at room temperature, but is still very nice eaten cold.
