Chef Linda
Linda Soper-Kolton, Chef, came to the Sanctuary as a guest chef to share her love of compassionate cooking in our then-fledgling culinary program. Lured by the magic of the Sanctuary, her love of animals and the urgency of our mission, Linda stayed on to lead and grow the culinary program, inspiring and educating with love, patience, and delicious food.
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Baklava

By Chef Linda

Baklava is a rich, sweet pastry made of layers of filo filled with chopped nuts and held together with a sugary syrup. Today there are dozens of types of Baklava using different types of nuts and filling ingredients as well as a variety of methods to assemble this sweet dessert. Filo dough can be found in most grocery stores today and while it may be intimidating to work with due to it's delicate layers, you can easily become the master of your filo by using patience and a damp kitchen towel to lay over the whole batch while you are working with an individual sheet. This recipe uses a rolling method to assemble, but you can also layer in a flat pan as well. I think the method used here is easier…but that's how I roll!

Ingredients

For the Filling
 2 cups walnuts
 1 cup pistachios
 1 teaspoon cinnamon
 ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
 1 box of filo dough (1 pound), thawed in refrigerator overnight
 ½ pound vegan butter (like Earth Balance), melted
For the Syrup
 1 cup of water
 1 cup of organic cane sugar
 1 tablespoon lemon juice
 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. In a food processor, pulse the nuts, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

Place two sheets of thawed phyllo dough on a cutting board or clean countertop. Cover remaining phyllo with a clean, damp towel. Lightly brush the top sheet of phyllo dough with melted vegan butter.

Starting at one side, sprinkle about 1/4 cup of nut filling on the filo dough. Fold in about an inch on each side to prevent the nuts from falling out when rolling. Roll away from yourself, keeping a fairly firm grip so the filling is tightly packed.

Place the roll, seam-side down, on the prepared baking tray. Repeat until all the filo is gone and you have several rolls on the baking tray. With a sharp knife, cut the rolls diagonally into 2-inch pieces. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Baklava should be golden brown when done.

While the baklava is baking, prepare sugar syrup: Place a small pot over medium heat and mix together a the sugar and water. Simmer until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Keeping heat at a low simmer, add the lemon juice and vanilla. Let cool before using.

While the baklava is still hot, spoon syrup over all the pieces and and let the dough absorb it. Sprinkle a bit of leftover nuts on each piece for decoration and let rest for 45 to 60 minutes prior to serving. Best if you can let it sit overnight, but that may not be possible! Baklava can be stored at room temperature (in an air-tight container) for 2 to 3 weeks.

Baklava

Baklava

DifficultyModerate
YIELDS

INGREDIENTS

For the Filling
 2 cups walnuts
 1 cup pistachios
 1 teaspoon cinnamon
 ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
 1 box of filo dough (1 pound), thawed in refrigerator overnight
 ½ pound vegan butter (like Earth Balance), melted
For the Syrup
 1 cup of water
 1 cup of organic cane sugar
 1 tablespoon lemon juice
 1 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS

1

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. In a food processor, pulse the nuts, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

Place two sheets of thawed phyllo dough on a cutting board or clean countertop. Cover remaining phyllo with a clean, damp towel. Lightly brush the top sheet of phyllo dough with melted vegan butter.

Starting at one side, sprinkle about 1/4 cup of nut filling on the filo dough. Fold in about an inch on each side to prevent the nuts from falling out when rolling. Roll away from yourself, keeping a fairly firm grip so the filling is tightly packed.

Place the roll, seam-side down, on the prepared baking tray. Repeat until all the filo is gone and you have several rolls on the baking tray. With a sharp knife, cut the rolls diagonally into 2-inch pieces. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Baklava should be golden brown when done.

While the baklava is baking, prepare sugar syrup: Place a small pot over medium heat and mix together a the sugar and water. Simmer until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Keeping heat at a low simmer, add the lemon juice and vanilla. Let cool before using.

While the baklava is still hot, spoon syrup over all the pieces and and let the dough absorb it. Sprinkle a bit of leftover nuts on each piece for decoration and let rest for 45 to 60 minutes prior to serving. Best if you can let it sit overnight, but that may not be possible! Baklava can be stored at room temperature (in an air-tight container) for 2 to 3 weeks.

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