Nov 20, 2009
Lazy Pahlava
The best Pahlava I have ever tried was in Turkey: it was soaked in honey, golden, and crunchy. Tatar Pahlava in the Crimea is also good, usually made in two ways: with minced walnuts and without them, just of thin, glossy honey filo pastry. Here in Riga you can find Pahlava in, say, Armenian restaurants or even buy some in a supermarket, but of course it’s not as fresh and good as it is in those Southern parts of the world, where the sun makes honey melt, and your fingers stick together as you take another piece of delicious Oriental dessert.
Dreaming about all that warmth and sunshine and summer laziness, we cooked this “Lazy Pahlava” today. It’s really lazy as we didn’t make any filo pastry. And we didn’t add any rosewater or other special flavourings that are added to traditional Pahlava. But, I think the result was very good nonetheless! Lazy Pahlava is quick and easy to make, it doesn’t require a lot of ingredients, the crust is soft and the filling is pleasantly moist. Actually, we used fresh organic walnuts from Slovakia, so the filling is incredibly juicy!
If you try this, you might want to substitute at least half of the sugar for honey I guess. It’s just that not everyone in our family likes honey in baked goods.
Ingredients
- For crust:
300g wheat flour
200g butter (room temperature or slightly melted)
200g smetana/sour cream/wholemilk yogurt
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
- For filling:
250g walnuts
230g sugar
1 egg
+ 2 tbsp sugar to sprinkle on top
Makes a 30×24 cm Pahlava
Mince the walnuts. Add egg and sugar (230g), and stir well. Set aside.
Mix together butter, Smetana/sour cream/yogurt, and 2 tablespoons sugar, chopping the butter with a knife if necessary. Add flour in two-three batches, add baking powder, and stir thoroughly.
Divide the pastry in two, roll out the two pieces to fit a 30×24 baking pan or a pan similar in size.
Place one of the pastry sheets into prepared pan.
Spread the walnut filling over the pastry base, then cover it with another pastry sheet and seal the edges.
Sprinkle 2 tablespoons (or more, if you like) sugar on top of the Pahlava.
Bake over a low heat (approximately 180 C) for 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool and cut into square bars.
Okay, I’m off for a cup of rose-scented green tea with a piece of Lazy Pahlava!
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very delicious looking !!!! thank you :)
Looks divine!
can’t wait to try this!
There’s nothing lazy about this recipe, it’s fabulous! Great photos, too..I will make these for Christmas.
This looks so moist and delicious. And it looks like a good family project. We’re going to give Pahlava, lazy-style, a go this weekend.
This looks amazing! thanks for sharing :)
Thank you very much for all the comments! I’d be happy if you tried this recipe some time in future and let us know how you liked it! ^_^ Thank you!
I so wish we could print these recipes out better..I tried cutting and pasting it into an email to myself, but I can’t seem to grab it, is there a way we could get this recipe with an easier method? I so like these recipes, as they are different from those we are used to and look so good and worth trying. thanks alot, happy holidays,
Heyoka Lynn, ooops! I never realized this template didn’t really have a decent printing option! I’m sorry, I’ll try to look for a Print page plugin or something like that! I have it on my immediate to-do-list. It’s a shame you didn’t leave any contacts, I could let you know when it’s ready.
Anyway, Thank you so much for dropping by!