`Pistachio and Olive Oil Baklava - Olive Oil Times
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enEnglishfrFrançaiselελληνικάdeDeutscheitItalianozh-CN中文ptPortuguêsesEspañoltrTürkçehrHrvatskija日本語hiहिंदी

Pistachio and Olive Oil Baklava

Each country seems to have its own version, substituting in their nut of choice and local spices. This version leans a little further east, using pistachios, cardamom and lemon.
Pistachio and Olive Oil Baklava
Pistachio and Olive Oil Baklava
By Patterson Watkins
Oct. 22, 2020 20:05 UTC

Depending on where you stand in the Mediterranean — Greece, Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, etc. — you’ll find all man­ner of baklava. Each coun­try seems to have its own ver­sion, sub­sti­tut­ing in their nut of choice and local spices. This ver­sion leans a lit­tle fur­ther east, using pis­ta­chios, car­damom and lemon. 

Either way, it’s a deli­cious dessert and a great way to hap­pily feed a crowd.

pistachio-and-olive-oil-baklava-olive-oil-times-pistachio-and-olive-oil-baklava

Pistachio and Olive Oil Baklava

5from9votes
Course: DessertCuisine: Mediterranean, GreekDifficulty: Easy
Servings

12

serv­ings
Prep time

45

min­utes
Cooking time

40

min­utes

Baklava is best pre­pared the day before, giv­ing ample time to cool and absorb all that deli­cious honey syrup. As much as you may be tempted, do not wrap or cover your baklava (espe­cially dur­ing that cool­ing down phase), phyllo is very sus­cep­ti­ble to mois­ture and you want that top layer to have a bit of crispi­ness. 

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2lbs. pis­ta­chios, shelled

  • 1/4 cupgran­u­lated sugar

  • 1/2table­spoonground cin­na­mon

  • 1tea­spoonground car­damom

  • 16oz16oz (1 pack­age) phyllo dough (if frozen, thawed)

  • 1 1/2cupsmild to medium-inten­sity extra vir­gin olive oil 

  • Honey Syrup

  • 3/4cupgran­u­lated sugar

  • 2/3cupwater

  • 2/3cuphoney

  • 1eachlemon, juiced

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine pis­ta­chios, sugar, cin­na­mon and car­damom in a food proces­sor and pulse until well chopped and crumbly. 
  • Brush a 13x9 inch casse­role dish with a thin layer of oil. Layer phyllo, approx­i­mately 8 sheets for the bot­tom layer, brush­ing each sheet with a lit­tle oil before adding the next. Sprinkle about 1/2 – 2/3 cup of pis­ta­chio mix evenly over the base.
  • For the cen­ter lay­ers, repeat this process using only about 5 phyllo sheets, before adding the sea­soned pis­ta­chios. For the final layer, repeat the same process for the bot­tom layer, adding about 8 sheets. 
  • Score the top of the baklava in a criss-cross dia­mond pat­tern, cut­ting through to the bot­tom of the pan. Place in the oven and bake for 40 – 50 min­utes, or until golden brown and crispy.
  • While the baklava is bak­ing, com­bine sugar, water, honey and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a sim­mer over medium heat. Once the sugar dis­solves, increase heat to medium-high and boil, stir­ring occa­sion­ally, until syrupy, about 15 – 20 min­utes. Remove from the heat and set aside. 

Discover more recipes with extra virgin olive oil.

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