Onboard cuisine - just upped the ante :O)

I decided to make Baklava today - I found a recipe posted by an Iranian lady and went to buy pistachio nuts and rose water. As I started to chop the nuts, one on the plate caught my eye, it looks like a little heart - see photo :O) The rose water I bought in a little Indian shop and it is the best I have found anywhere. It's called Dabur Red Rose Water and made from handpicked roses ( it says) and I believe it because it smells like heaven.

Anyway, enough waxing lyrical and down to the nitty gritty - here's the recipe - you won't be disappointed...

Baklava

Ingredients:

1/2 pound skinless almonds, lightly toasted, finely ground (I used slivered almonds)
1/2 pound shelled pistachios, finely ground - I chopped mine.
1 package of phyllo (thawed overnight if frozen), I used 20 pieces of 9" x 14" phyllo pastry sheets
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup of unsalted butter, melted

Syrup:

1 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons honey *optional (I used orange blossom honey)
1 cup of water
1/2 cup rose water
1/8 teaspoon powdered saffron

Method:

1. In a medium sized bowl combine the chopped almonds, pistachios, two tablespoons sugar and the ground cardamom. Mix well and set aside.
2. Combine sugar and water in a small pot and bring to a boil on medium heat for about 15 minutes until sugar is completely dissolved.
3. Add the saffron to the syrup, lower the heat, simmer for an additional 5-7 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, add the rose water and allow to cool.
5. Lightly butter the inside of the baking pan.
6. Place the first phyllo dough sheet down and lightly brush the melted butter across covering the entire surface.
7. Add four more pieces of phyllo dough and lightly brushing each with melted butter.
8. Add a layer of ground almond/pistachios.
9. Add five more pieces of phyllo dough sheets lightly brush each sheet of phyllo dough with melted butter.
10. Add another layer of the chopped nuts covering all areas.
11. Place five more pieces of phyllo dough, lightly brushing each with butter.
12. Cover the phyllo dough sheets with another layer of the crushed nuts.
13. Place the last five layers of the phyllo dough sheets and brush the surface with butter.
14. With a sharp knife cut across diagonally to make diamond shapes.
15. Place the baking pan on the center rack of the 350 degrees Fahrenheit pre-heated oven for 30 minutes or until the top is golden.
16. Take the tray out of the oven and turn the oven off.
17. Pour half of the cool syrup all over the baghlava and place it back in the oven for 5-7 minutes.
18. Remove the pan from the oven and pour the remaining syrup over the baghlava and let cool for at least a couple of hours before serving. (It tastes much better the next day so you may want to make it ahead of time).
19. To sum it all up, this recipe has 4 layers of 5 phyllo dough sheets and 3 layers of ground almonds and pistachios. It keeps well for a few days but more than that I couldn't tell you!

*STOP PRESS*

We will not be sailing tomorrow as planned. Last night we heard from family in Norfolk, they will be coming to Gibraltar to sail at the end of next week. We have decided to wait and sail with them - not everyday that family turn up :O) So, we will be heading east but not until the end of March. If anyone fancies some sun and sea with us in April we will be sailing to Cartegena and on to the Balearics... let us know!

Sun and blue sky back again - walked over to Le Linea today. At the border crossing this shot of the Western tip of the Rock with the Gibraltarian, Union and EU flags :O) Good wind too!

Preparations well underway for easterly migration

In other words, we hope to leave Gibraltar Thursday 14th March as the winds are forecast westerly and fair. To trial the boat, the engine and ourselves after the winter layup we'll be sailing 25 miles to Estepona. You can follow us on www.marinetraffic.com as before. If you've forgotten how to do that just go to the website, click on the 'all vessels' button, type in Lerryn Lady and click 'search'. Easy-Peasy :O)

I'm still coming to terms with the whizz-bang techno of my new camera - here's one of the first tentative shots:

A slam-dunk winter wave at Catalan Bay.

Realised later that I could have taken this shot from the cafe - forgot about the zoooooooooooooooom :O) 

MY NEW CAMERA :O)

My new camera is winging its way from the UK - Chosen a Fuji FinePix HS EXR Bridge camera. I'll have a ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOM lens soon  with lots of wonderful new photos to share with you. Planning to walk to the top of the 'Rock' just as soon as this cold disappears and the new camera arrives - hope that happens on the same day. The views from the top are stunning and I am not leaving Gibraltar till I've got them.

Positive thinking wins the Day :O)

Have a cold *sniff*. So do I lie back and feel sorry for myself?  Tested my little cooker again by making scones this afternoon. A couple of guys on a Yachtmaster course came by and commented on the lovely smells coming from our galley - they agreed to test the first scones out of the oven which were eaten and seconds accepted as well so I guess they passed the taste test :O)

Was feeling a smidge sorry for myself earlier but then I came upon this quote: 

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain

Oh Dear! What can the matter be?

This is going to sound really dodgy. Yesterday, caught short, dashed into public toilet, camera on wrist. Quick pee, turned to flush and camera slipped off wrist into public toilet bowl. What to do? Some of you may be aware of my aversion to toilets, loo brushes et al. Well it's my camera down there waterlogged, my Blog faithful, been round the world with me and makes me look like a half decent photographer ( all credit to my EX- FujiFinepix Digital). So holding my breathe, steeling myself, plunged my right hand down into the dodgy depths but the damn thing was wedged in there. My friend Lin was in next cubicle and could hear me shouting expletives! After a few wriggles unwedged the camera but the damage was done :O(
I left the cubicle with this 'thing' dangling as far from myself as possible; threw it under the tap and friend says: 'Put soap on it then under the drier'. In desperation I followed orders but you can see this is going only in one direction can't you?  Soaped my hands as if scrubbing up for surgery - my stomach flipping - trying NOT to remember I had my hand down a public toilet bowl... Well the long and short of it is, I'm now researching a bridge camera in earnest and until that is done and I've purchased said camera my Blog is going to be 'pictureless'. Yesterday we took Lin and Rob Briggs to the top of the Rock ( our first trip up there as well) fabulous views - no camera :O(    Sorry!

Looking down to the Marina

 

Here we are only halfway up the Rock of Gibraltar - looking forward to the views from the top next week. That's one end of the runway, the western approach. In the foreground our Marina - Ocean Village - we're on the middle pontoon. In the background the Bay of Algeceiras and Le Lenia.

Looking down on Queensway and the Dock beyond.

A sight for sore eyes.

After slipping and sliding up a shale path, a back road.

A closer view of our Marina from halfway up the Rock :O)