Patsavoura
A recipe by Jenny Tsirekas
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes for baking, 30 minutes to make syrup
Serves 12
- 400g-500g/1 pound packet fresh filo pastry
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- canola oil
- 2 cups crushed walnuts
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup canola oil
- 5 eggs
- 3/4 cup yogurt
- 2 tablespoons apricot jam
- 1 heaped teaspoon vanilla sugar
- 1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
For syrup
- 700g/24.73ozs sugar
- 700ml/24.73 fl ozs water
- 2 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- zest of 1/2 lemon (you can also use mandarin or orange)
Step 1 - Make the syrup by boiling the sugar, water, cloves, cinnamon stick and zest for 30 minutes. Allow to cool and refrigerate. Jenny makes a triple batch of this so that she has it to hand.
Step 2 - Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Take out the filo pastry and line a baking tray of the same size with two sheets brushing them with canola oil in between. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. This prevent the bunches of pastry from sticking to the bottom.
Step 3 - Roll out a sheet of pastry and lightly brush it with oil. Sprinkle it with a small handful of crushed walnuts. Bunch it up into a rough rosette shape and place on top of the two sheets. Repeat with the rest of the dough until you have filled the whole tray.
Step 4 - Meanwhile mix the 1 cup sugar, 1 cup of oil, eggs, yogurt, apricot jam, vanilla sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and ground cloves. Pour this mix evenly over the pastry and bake for 25 minutes or until golden. Whilst still hot, pour the chilled syrup over the pastry - it will make a crackling sound. Allow to rest and absorb the syrup.