Shared by Ruhama Shitrit
Shared by Ruhama Shitrit
Iraqi Baklava Cigars with Cardamom and Orange Blossom Water (Malfouf)
Yield: 10 cigars (20 servings)Time: 45 minutes
Iraqi Baklava Cigars with Cardamom and Orange Blossom Water (Malfouf)
Yield: 10 cigars (20 servings)Time: 45 minutesFamily Journey
IraqTirat Carmel, IsraelHaifa
Brookline, MANewton, MA
When hosting family meals, recipe writer and influencer Ruhama Shitrit’s mother Carmela would often make homemade Iraqi baklava for dessert. Filled with ground walnuts, pecans, and just a touch of sugar, she’d roll the baklava into thin cigars and douse them in a cardamom and orange blossom infused syrup. Today, Ruhama prefers to use puff pastry for her baklava, and refers to them as “malfouf,” which means both rolled and cabbage in Arabic, as a nod to their cabbage-roll resemblance.
Read more about Ruhama Shitrit’s family journey in “Cooking Is How Instagram Star Ruhama Shitrit Shares Herself With Her Kids” and get the recipes for her Iraqi T’bit and Moroccan Fish Patties.
Ingredients
For the malfouf:
- ¾ cup raw walnuts
- ½ cup raw pecans
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 package butter puff pastry, thawed (14 oz.)
For the sugar syrup:
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 3-4 cardamom pods, crushed
- 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Preparation
Step 1
Pulse the nuts, brown sugar, and cardamom in a food processor until fine, but not sandy, about 3-4 pulses. Set aside 4 tablespoons of the nut mixture for the topping.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Divide the puff pastry into 2 equal parts. On a piece of parchment paper dusted with flour, roll out both pieces of puff pastry to a rectangle about 12” by 8.5”.
Step 3
Spread the nut mixture evenly over the puff pastry dough, leaving about 1” of space on each edge. With the 8.5” side facing you, slice the pastry into 5 equal strips. Roll each strip up, encasing the nut filling within, to create 5 cylinders. Repeat with the 2nd piece of pastry dough until you have 10 nut-filled rolls.
Step 4
Nestle the malfouf (rolls) side by side in a greased, 10” ceramic pie pan. Sprinkle the reserved nut mixture on the top and sides of the malfouf. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.
Step 5
While the malfouf bakes, make the sugar syrup. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, stir together all ingredients except for the lemon juice until the sugar is melted and the syrup is lightly simmering. Add in the lemon juice and remove from the heat. Strain and let cool.
Step 6
Drizzle the syrup over the top of the malfouf immediately after removing it from the oven. Serve warm.
