Γιαννιώτικο // Yianniotiko
Γιαννιώτικο // Yianniotiko
‘Yianniotiko’, is a somewhat unknown baklava version, traditionally made in Central and Northern Greece at Christmas time. Using both Fillo and Kataifi Pastry, as well as nuts and aromatic spices, it is a delicious and highly addictive dessert.
Simple in the making but it demands the best quality ingredients.
Do make it for the holidays and I am sure you will love it as my family does.
Ingredients
- 375 g Kataifi fillo pastry
- 375 g Fillo pastry
- 1 cup almond meal
- 1 cup hazelnut meal
- 2 cup walnuts roughly chopped
- 1 &1/2 tbs caster sugar
- 1 &1/2 tbs ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp ground clove
- 600 g butter melted
- whole cloves for decoration
Sugar Spiced Syrup
- 3 cup water
- 3 cup sugar
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 pieces of lemon peels
- 1 piece of orange peel
Instructions
- Thaw both pastries according to packet instructions. Untangle and fluff up the kataifi pastry. Then place in a bowl and cover with a damp towel.
- Preheat your oven to 190C In another bowl combine the spices with the sugar, then butter the bottom of a rectangular baking tray.
- Place 1 fillo pastry flat on your work surface with short edge towards you and brush it well with melted butter, place another fillo pastry on top of it and brush with butter as well. Then take a handful of kataifi and spread it to cover 1/3 of the short edge of the fillo pastry infront of you, follow with a tablespoon pour some melted butter over the kataifi then scatter enough spice and nut mixture on top of the kataifi.
- Take the short edge and fold it over once, then fold the long sides to prevent any fallout, butter the dry part and continue rolling to create a sausage roll. Keep buttering the dry part that gets exposed then place it in your tray and repeat the process.
- Place each roll close to each other until you have filled up the tray. Take a sharp knife and cut the rolls into equal pieces (6cm or 5cm), stud each piece with a whole clove and brush with butter again over the Yianniotiko rolls. Bake until golden brown.
- In saucepan put the water, sugar, cinnamon sticks, orange and lemon peels on medium heat, stir to dissolve the sugar, then boil for 5 minutes. Pour the lemon juice and boil for 3 more minutes.
- Allow for the syrup to cool a little bit then pour over the Yianniotiko, let it soak up in the syrup and serve at room temperature.
