Baklava

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This is a great make ahead dessert that is so easy to make yet has everyone else thinking it's a Herculean task. Follow this simple recipe and watch the video for step by step instructions.

Ingredients
1 pkg (about 454 gms) defrosted Phyllo pastry
1 stick (1/2 cup) melted butter
1 lb walnuts
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsps cinnamon powder
1 cup sugar
1 cup honey
1 cup water
2 tbsps lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp orange essence


Process

Pulse the walnuts, 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon and keep aside

Remove the Phyllo pastry and trim it to fit your baking dish. (I'm using a 10 x 12)

Butter the dish and butter each phyllo pastry layer

Start by layering about 5 layers of pastry

Roughly divide the walnut mixture into three portions and sprinkle over the first portion.

For the next pastry layer, make sure to butter both sides as one side will touch the nuts.

Add three more layers after that only buttering one side.

Add more nuts and repeat till you have three layers of nuts.

Add about 5 layers to the final pastry layer so you have a sturdy base and top

Score the pastry - I like to cut them in diamond shapes. Hold down the pastry with your fingers as you gently cut

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 - 45 mins till golden brown

In the meantime combine the sugar, honey and water and bring to a rolling boil

Add the vanilla and orange essence.

Simmer till the syrup is of a medium consistency

Pour over the hot baked Baklava

Wait an hour or two till it's cooled and well absorbed before serving

Great make ahead dish - will last a week in a cool place

Delicious Arabic Pizza

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This is one of my all time favourite recipes. I developed this when I competed on the hit TV show, Come Dine With Me Canada. Since then I had lost the recipe due to a hard drive crash. Luckily for me one of my friends had saved the print out all these years and I was able to salvage this amazing recipe. You can prepare your own pizza dough or buy it ready prepared, but I have to tell you making a batch of dough is easy and so worth the effort. The topping is a chicken or turkey mixture and the whole pizza is cooked in an oven to middle eastern flavoured perfection!

Makes 4 medium pizzas and about 60 mini pizzas

Ingredients

Pizza Dough

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

7 tsps instant dried yeast

Pinch of sugar

Salt

Warm water

Splash of Olive Oil

Additional flour for dusting and rolling

Topping

1 pound ground chicken or turkey meat

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp sumac

1 tsp ground black pepper

Salt

1/2 red onion chopped fine

1/2 red tomato deseeded chopped fine

1/2 cup chopped mint

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1 1/2 tbsps pomegranate molasses

In a bowl add the yeast and sugar and top with a half cup of warm water. Leave till frothy

In a stand mixer add the flours and salt and mix.

Add the yeast mixture and enough water in slow additions to make a soft and supple dough.

Oil a bowl, add the dough ball, rotate to coat with oil and then cover with cling film.

The dough can take anywhere from a few hours to overnight to double in size when stored in a warm, dark oven.

Mix all of the topping ingredients well together.

It's a good practice to fry a small sample of the topping to check for salt and seasonings.

When the dough is doubled in size, remove and lightly knead using extra flour

Dust with flour and roll out into a single pizza round or cut out little mini pizzas with a cookie cutter as per your preference.

Add a teaspoon of the topping to each pizza base and smear over the surface.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 – 15 mins till cooked.

If using multiple sheets, rotate them to ensure all pizzas get cooked evenly.

Garnish with more fresh herbs.

Watch my step by step video - click here

Red Kidney Bean Hummus

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Who doesn't love a good creamy hummus. Try this Red Kidney Bean version for a healthier version that's big on taste. It's great served with pita crisps and also smeared on a sandwich or wrap.

Ingredients

Juice of  lemon

1 cup Tahini

4- 5 cloves of Spiced Garlic

19 oz can of Red Kidney Beans

2 tbsp Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

1 cup Parsley

Add the wet ingredients in the food processor first – lemon juice, tahini and spiced garlic. Add the Red Kidney beans, olive oil, salt and pepper and blend to a creamy paste. Add half the parsley that is coarsely chopped. Pulse. Garnish with the rest of the parsley. Drizzle with more Olive oil and serve.