Tuesday night I was having trouble figuring out what to have for dinner on Wednesday. There was a head of red cabbage in the refrigerator, and I wondered if I could somehow pair it with the filo. The internet was full of recipes for the two ingredients, but most of them were variations of the same recipe, which I decided was too much work for me. I decided to recreate the baklava with a different filling. The filo needed to thaw in the refrigerator for 12 hours, so I did that on the way to bed.
I chopped vegetables in the morning before I left for the gym, then waited until mid-afternoon to start cooking. The original recipe had two different mixtures but I chose to mix everything together. After sauteing the onion and garlic I added chopped cabbage, broth, and spices (cumin, chili powder, and salt/pepper) and simmered until the cabbage was soft. I drained the cabbage, then tossed in a can of black beans, some chopped walnuts, golden raisins, and breadcrumbs. When the mixture cooled I added some crumbled feta.
I figured out that half of a filo sheet was large enough to cover a 13x9 pan. The secret to
wonderful layers of filo is melted butter in between each sheet. After the base was in
pace I dumped half of the filling on top, then repeated the process of filo and filling, adding a top layer of filo sheets. The final step was to cut the baklava into pieces and sprinkle with sesame seed. After 45 minutes in the oven dinner was
ready.
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Six servings equals three meals |
This batch of baklava was a little crumbly, but it still tasted wonderful. We had leftovers tonight and I froze the last two pieces for an easy dinner down the line.
Five years ago: Digital Dactylogram
I’ll have to check that out.
ReplyDeleteMy sister was married to a Persian man and she learned how to cook Persian and middle eastern dishes that were out of this world. Persian food is delicious using a lot of saffron for savory dishes and rose water in desserts. gosh I loved going there on Persian new year with all the deliciousness! There was a dish that used the filo dough - using meat - minced lamb or minced beef. Yum. Your dish reminded me - wish I had my sister’s recipes. She was quite the cook!
After reading your comment I'm hungry :-)
Delete"in the morning before I left for the gym"
ReplyDeleteIn the what before you left for where?!
I guess once a lark always a lark.
DeleteVery creative and looks good! -Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteThat sounds wonderful. You are so well organised - I am impressed.
ReplyDeleteI figured out when I cooked at the church I have a knack for combining ingredients in interesting ways.
DeleteIt looks delicious! The only thing I make with filo pastry is spanakopita.
ReplyDeleteMy dish was a first cousin to spanakopita-just different filling.
DeleteYou were so creative in putting this dish together. Looks delicious and now you have a new dish for future meals.
ReplyDeleteI love leftovers!
DeleteThat looks so good! I never would have thought of that pairing.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea how I come up with ideas-maybe from all of the years I watched cooking shows?
DeleteGreat way to use what you have. I'd skip the raisins for my family, but other than that, we'd enjoy this meal.
ReplyDeleteThe golden raisins I bought for the original recipe are much milder-tasting than conventional ones, but I would think that sauteed diced apple would give the same pops of sweetness.
DeleteYummy.
ReplyDeleteAnd you're the reason I knew about the dish in the first place :-)
DeleteLooks great and I admire your resourcefulness.
ReplyDeleteI love the challenge of using things up.
DeleteI've only ever had Dessert Baklava, so a Dinner Savory one sounds really interesting.
ReplyDeleteAfter having done this twice I can see how the dish could be adapted to so many different fillings.
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