SC - filo pastry

[david friedman]

At 3:48 PM +0000 2/17/98, RMcGrath at dca.gov.au wrote:
>Is filo pastry period?

Not so far as I know. There is a 13th c. Andalusian recipe that gives a
pastry with lots of thin layers, however: Here is the recipe:

- --
Preparation of Musammana [Buttered] Which Is Muwarraqa [Leafy]
Andalusian p. A-60 - A-61

Take pure semolina or wheat flour and knead a stiff dough without yeast.
Moisten it little by little and don't stop kneading it until it relaxes and
is ready and is softened so that you can stretch a piece without severing
it. Then put it in a new frying pan on a moderate fire. When the pan has
heated, take a piece of the dough and roll it out thin on marble or a
board. Smear it with melted clarified butter or fresh butter liquified over
water. Then roll it up like a cloth until it becomes like a reed. Then
twist it and beat it with your palm until it becomes like a round thin
bread, and if you want, fold it over also. Then roll it out and beat it
with your palm a second time until it becomes round and thin. Then put it
in a heated frying pan after you have greased the frying pan with clarified
butter, and whenever the clarified butter dries out, moisten [with butter]
little by little, and turn it around until it binds, and then take it away
and make more until you finish the amount you need. Then pound them between
your palms and toss on butter and boiling honey. When it has cooled, dust
it with ground sugar and serve it.

2 c semolina flour	1/4 c clarified butter for frying	1/4 c
butter at the end
aprox 5/8 c water	1 T+ sugar	1/4 c honey at the end (or more)
1/4 c = 1/8 lb butter, melted

Stir the water into the flour, knead together, then gradually knead in the
rest of the water. Knead for about 5-10 minutes until you have a smooth,
elastic and slightly sticky dough that stretches instead of breaking when
you pull it a little. Divide in four equal parts. Roll out on a floured
board, or better floured marble, to at least 13"x15". Smear it with about 4
t melted butter. Roll it up. Twist it. Squeeze it together, flatten with
your hands to about a 5-6" diameter circle. If you wish, fold that in
quarters and flatten again to about a 5-6" circle. Melt about 1 T of
clarified butter in a frying pan and fry the dough about 8 minutes, turning
about every 1 1/2 to 2 minutes (shorter times towards the end). Repeat with
the other three, adding more clarified butter as needed. Melt 1/4 c butter,
heat 1/4 c honey. Beat the cooked circles between your hands to loosen the
layers, put in a bowl, pour the honey and butter over them, dust with
sugar, and serve.  If you are going to give it time to really soak, you
might use more butter and honey.

For regular flour, everything is the same except that you may need slightly
more water. You can substitute cooking oil for the clarified butter (which
withstands heat better than plain butter)  if necessary.

- ---

>I've heard conflicting answers, and wondered if filo pastry were only from
>the Middle East in period.

So far as I know, not even from the Middle East--the recipe above is the
closest I have come across, and not very close.

>And do I still get to play with baklava?

You get to do whatever you like--but you don't get to truthfully say that
you have good reason to believe it is period unless someone else has found
better evidence than we have.

David/Cariadoc
http://www.best.com/~ddfr/


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