Knafeh is an essential part of any celebration in Palestine, and it’s hard to imagine a festive gathering without it. This iconic dessert, beloved throughout the Middle East, finds its roots particularly in Nablus. There, it boasts layers of shredded filo pastry filled with the region’s unique firm, white, and slightly salty nabulsi cheese. If nabulsi cheese isn’t available, a blend of firm mozzarella and ricotta makes a great substitute. You might also come across knafeh Arabiyeh, which is a variant filled solely with nuts and cinnamon.
A crucial component of this dish is kaitaifi, a pastry that looks like vermicelli. It’s known for soaking up melted butter, oil, or sugar syrup, giving it a delightful crunchy texture once baked. While you may not find kaitaifi in every grocery store, it’s typically available in the frozen section of well-stocked Greek, Arab, or Turkish markets.
For the best experience, it’s ideal to enjoy knafeh on the same day it’s drizzled with sugar syrup. That said, you can prepare it up to two days in advance. Just hold off on adding the syrup until you’re ready to serve. When it’s time, reheat the knafeh in the oven at 180°C (fan) or gas mark 6. Once warmed, generously pour syrup over the top and serve while it’s still warm. You can make the sugar syrup ahead of time too, as it keeps well in the fridge for weeks. The recipe yields around 400ml of syrup—250ml is for serving, and the extra is handy for those moments when you want a little more sweetness.
Let’s dive into the recipe:
**Ingredients:**
– 375g kataifi pastry, defrosted and roughly pulled apart
– 200g unsalted butter, melted, with extra for greasing
– 200g firm mozzarella, coarsely grated
– 100g ricotta
– 150g feta, finely crumbled
– 25g caster sugar
– Zest of 1 lemon (about 1 tsp)
– ⅓ tsp sea salt flakes
– 1 tsp orange blossom water
– 35g pistachio kernels, roughly blitzed or finely chopped
**For the sugar syrup:**
– 400g caster sugar
– 2 tbsp lemon juice
– 1½ tbsp orange blossom water
**Instructions:**
1. **Make the Syrup**: In a medium saucepan, mix 245ml of water with sugar. Heat over medium-high until it boils, then add the lemon juice, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, stir in the orange blossom water, and let it cool completely.
2. **Prepare Baking**: Preheat your oven to 175°C (fan) or gas mark 5½. Generously grease a baking tray (about 30cm x 20cm and 4cm deep).
3. **Prepare Kataifi**: In a food processor, break the kataifi pastry into smaller strands and pulse until they are about 2cm long. Transfer it to a bowl, pour in the melted butter, and toss until evenly coated.
4. **Prepare Cheese Mixture**: In a separate bowl, combine the mozzarella, ricotta, feta, sugar, lemon zest, salt, and orange blossom water. Mix until everything is well incorporated.
5. **Assemble**: Firmly press about two-thirds of the kataifi mixture into the bottom of the greased tray, making sure it reaches about 2cm up the sides. Spread the cheese mixture evenly over this layer, taking care not to disturb the kataifi beneath. Finally, cover with the remaining kataifi, pressing down firmly. Smooth the top, then cover with parchment paper and place another baking dish on top for compression.
6. **Bake**: Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the top dish and parchment. Continue baking for another 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
7. **Serve**: Let the knafeh cool for about 5 minutes, then flip it onto a serving platter. Drizzle with 250ml of syrup (keeping the rest for later), allowing it to soak in for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with pistachios and serve warm or at room temperature.
This delightful recipe is adapted from “Falastin” by Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley. Indulge in the rich flavors of this cherished Palestinian tradition!
