Baklava- HHH

So a few years ago, my mother began going on church mission trips to Europe, Africa, and South America. On one of her more recent trips to Turkey, she came home raving about baklava. After a little research, some tweaking, and a few test batches, I think I've hit gold! You can watch me make it here!






Ingredients:


1 (16 oz.) package phyllo sheets, thawed
1 lb. (about 4 cups) walnuts, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup honey
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

1. Thaw phyllo sheets. This will take some time, so I usually put them in the fridge a couple days in advance. 
2. 1. Meanwhile, using your food processor, chop walnuts into small pieces. Add cinnamon and give it another quick pulse to incorporate. Set aside.
3. 2. Combine sugar, water, and honey in a medium saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil while stirring frequently. Once mixture has come to a boil and sugar is completely melted, reduce heat and simmer mixture for 4 minutes. Remove from the stove and let cool completely.
4. 3. Melt butter. Before you're ready for assembly, butter a 9-x-13-inch baking pan and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Dampen two kitchen towels and place one onto your work surface. Remove phyllo sheets from the packaging and trim sheets according to your baking pan. My phyllo sheets were about 1/2" too long, so I just cut them every 5 layers or so. Your milage may vary. Place phyllo sheets on a damp kitchen towel and cover with a second one. (Be sure the cloths don't get actual water on the dough or it will stick and fuse together. 
5. 4. For the assembly: {Step 1} Add one sheet of the phyllo dough to the baking pan and brush with melted butter. Repeat process with another 9 phyllo sheets. Until you have a stack of 10 buttered phyllo sheets. Top with 2/3 cup of the chopped cinnamon walnuts. {Step 2} Top walnut layer with another phyllo sheet, butter and repeat until you have a stack of 5 buttered phyllo sheets. Top with another 2/3 cup of the chopped cinnamon walnuts. Repeat {STEP 2} 3 more times. Finally {Step 3}, add another 10 phyllo sheets, buttering each sheet between layering and spreading the remaining butter on top.
6. 5. Cut baklava lengthwise into 1 1/2" wide strips. Then cut diagonally to form diamond shapes. Place baking pan in the oven and bake for 1 hour 15-20 minutes or until top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and immediately pour cool honey syrup over the top, then let cool completely. 
7. Enjoy!

Broccoli Cheese Soup with Vegan Friendly Options

   My wife has developed a cartilage slip in her jaw joint, basically giving her arthritis on one side of her face. The doctor has ordered her to begin eating nothing but soup, and as she is the kind of person who doesn't like eating the same thing more than once, you can all expect quite a few soup recipes to come! You can watch me make delicious one this here!
 

Blended Broccoli Cheese Soup

     Makes about 5 servings.

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1/2 onion, chopped

• 1-2 stalks celery

• 4-5 large carrots, chopped

• 1 large potato, peeled and chopped

• 2-3 cups broccoli florets

• 2-3 cups vegetable broth

• 2 cups of milk (can sub almond milk if vegan)

• 1/4 cup cheese (or to taste, may sub nutritional yeast if vegan)

• 1 1/2 - 2 tsp. salt

1. Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. 
2. Add the potatoes, carrots, onion, and celery. Sauté, stirring every minute or so, for about 10 minutes or until softened.
3. Add broth, milk, and broccoli. Bring to a simmer until the broccoli begins to turn bright green, about 5 minutes. 
4. Once the broccoli is green and vibrant, you can move the soup to a blender, or blitz the broccoli separately so it has a chunkier texture. (I just used an immersion blender on all of it in the pot, saves dish washing and was a lot easier)
5. Once the soup is to a consistency you are happy with, you can now add your cheese, or the nutritional yeast. 
6. Salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Mississippi Delta Hot Tamales - HHH

   Up until I made these for the first time, I had only enjoyed tamales when this little Hispanic woman would stop by to sell them to my mother. The masa was tender and the meat was spiced perfectly. I enjoyed those little foil packets of joy so much, that I almost lost it when I came across a base recipe for these Mississippi Delta tamales. I tweaked the spices to my liking, and the results will make your eyes roll back in your head. If you're interested in seeing me make them, here's the video!

Mississippi Delta Hot Tamales

Makes: about 2 dozen

For the filling:

• 2 to 3 lbs boneless meat (chicken, pork shoulder, chuck roast, or beef brisket
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, minced
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 2 Tbs paprika
• 1 Tbs ground cumin
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground cayenne (or to taste)

Husks and Dough:

• about 30 dried corn husks
• 4 cups yellow cornmeal or masa flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup lard or vegetable shortening 
• 3 to 4 cups meat broth (saved from boiling the meat)

Simmering Liquid:

• remaining meat broth, plus enough water to almost cover tamales
• 2 Tbs chili powder
• 1 Tbs ground cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne

Instructions:

1. Soak your corn husks in warm water and let them soak.
2. Trim your meat of all the large chunks of fat. If you miss some, its okay, it will liquify when we boil it.
3. In a large stock pot, boil your meat of choice, cover, and let it go for about 2 hours.
4. Remove the meat from the pot, BUT RESERVE THE LIQUID! I did this by pouring the contents into a strainer over a large bowl. Return the liquid to the pot and let it sit to the side.
5. Now take your very hot meat, and remove any leftover fat globs while shredding the meat. I then cut the shreds down across the grain so it wasn't as stringy. 
6. Add the masa flour, baking powder, lard, and salt to a bowl and mix. I used an electric mixer, though if you want to do it manually, it works better by using your hands.
7. While it is mixing, add in about 2 cups of the both. Your dough should be smooth, stick to itself, but not to you when you touch it. If what you have sticks to your finger, add a little more masa and mix. If it is too crumbly, more broth. 
8. Add the oil to another pot over medium heat, and toss in the onion. Cook about 5 minutes, or until translucent. 
9. Add the spices (garlic, chili powder, paprika, cumin, pepper, and cayenne) to the onions and stir it well. 
10. When the spices are nice and fragrant, about 2 minutes later, add the shredded meat. Stir, and let simmer until the meat is coated in the spice mixture and is warmed through.
11. Add about 2 Tbs of the masa to a corn husk, and spread it out. Leave a little room on the sides and leave a little room at the top of the tamale. 
12. Add a small amount of the meat mixture to the center of your masa.
    
13. Now roll your tamale up from side to side, then tuck the "pointy end" up. You should hopefully end up with something like this:
14. Once the first one is done, rinse and repeat. 

   15. Stack all your tamales standing up in a large stock pot like so:

   16. If you have any leftover space, crumble foil or use a heat proof bowl to take up the extra room.            Just make sure they don't fall over!

   17. Take your simmering liquid that is left over and add the chili powder, cumin, and cayenne. Stir that up, and then pour into the pot, avoiding pouring it on top of the tamales. (trust me, you don't want soggy masa!)

   18. Add enough water to the pot to ALMOST cover the top of the tamales. Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour, until the masa will pull from the corn husk easily.
   19. Remove from the liquid, and enjoy with your favorite hot sauce, or saltines if you want to be authentic!