Tupishti: Crisp Honeyed Pastry
Kind of like a light, honey shortbread (although no butter)
"quick and easy"
from Cooking the Sephardic Way (1971: Sephardic Sisterhood, Temple Tifereth Israel, LA, California)
-Recipe from Rosina Haim, from mother-in-law, Rachelle Haim, Salonika, Greece
350 degrees, 35-45 minutes
Ingredients
3 c. flour
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. water
3/4 c. nuts, chopped
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Syrup ingredients (note: we cut the original amounts here by half because we had excess syrup):
1/2 c. honey
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. water
Mix oil, water, chopped nuts, sugar and cinnamon together; add flour gradually, kneading by hand.
When well blended, roll with rolling pin to make a dough about 1/2 inch thick and stretch with fingers to fit an 8x13" greased pan. (Note: useful for the dough to reach the edges, so the syrup doesn't get wasted around the edges.)
Cut in diamond shaped pieces and bake in oven preheated to 350 degrees until brown (40-45 minutes).
(Note: In Dad's Mexican oven, more like 37 minutes.)
Meanwhile, combine syrup ingredients; bring to a boil and continue boiling for 5 minutes over low flame.
Turn oven off, remove pan and pour syrup over pastry.
Return pan to turned off oven for about 2 minutes.
Remove and cool.
Yields approximately 30 pieces.
Note: we used walnuts, which were good. I bet pecans would be good, and we also thought about sesame seeds, including subbing some of the oil with sesame oil.