Mike Wolfberg's Recipe for Baked Cigar Pastries with Walnut Filling
This is one of several recipes developed by Mike and his late wife, Julie,
for a Concord/Carlisle Massachusetts Newcomers Gourmet Group
dinner which
took place in the first half of the 1970s.
This is an Arab States dish called Boughasha in Arabic.
- 6 oz. walnuts
- 4 TBL. sugar
- 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 1/2 sticks non-salted butter, clarified
- filo (or phyllo) pastry sheets
- Chop the walnuts (a blender can be used). Mix the walnuts, sugar, and
cinnamon and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Clarify the butter (Melt over medium heat; remove from the heat and let
it rest for 5 minutes. Skim the white foam off the top and discard.).
- Assemble the "cigars": Lay one sheet of filo on a piece of waxed paper.
Brush it evenly with butter. Fold the sheet in half crosswise, making a
two-layered rectangle about 12" long and 8" wide. Brush the top with butter.
Make a 1" wide fold on the closed side of the pastry and brush the fold lightly
with butter. Sprinkle about 2 TBL. of filling in an even row along its length
about 1" from the folded edge. Roll the filo jelly-roll fashion into a tight
cylinder about 1" in diameter. You may find that the waxed paper is helpful
in rolling the filo. Gently transfer the rolls to a baking sheet and
brush the top with butter (do each one as it is finished; otherwise it will
dry out). Assemble the remaining sheets of filo in a similar fashion.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 20-30 minutes or until lightly
browned. WATCH CAREFULLY THAT THEY DO NOT BROWN TOO MUCH.
- To serve: heat the "cigars" about 10 minutes in a 325° oven.
Cut each roll into 6 pieces, each about 2" long and arrange on a serving plate.
Pass the syrup separately.
SYRUP for the Boughasha
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1 TBL. fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp. bottled rose water
- Combine sugar, water, and lemon juice in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil
over high heat, and boil about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and
add the rose water.