Kadaifi (almond and walnut shredded wheat pastry)

Ingredients

• 1 pound Shredded wheat
• 1 cup Whole Blanched Almonds finely chopped
• 1 cup Walnuts finey chopped
• 2 tbsp Sugar
• 2 tbsp Melba toast grounded
• 1 tbsp Cinnamon
• 8 cups Sugar To make the syrup
• 6 cups Water
• 1 medium Lemon freshly squeezed
• Almond Flakes to garnish
• 1 1/2 cup Margarine (unsalted) melted for brushing

Directions

We serve the “kadaifi”, garnished with almond flakes.

Then we remove the pan from the oven and pour the syrup over. Cover the pan with a kitchen towel and leave the “kadaifi” for about 1-1 ½ hours to absorb syrup and cool off.

In the meantime we prepare the syrup: Place in a large saucepan all the syrup ingredients and boil for about 8-10 minutes, until thickened. We remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool off.

Repeat with the remaining ingredients, then place them into a greased baking pan, one next to the other. We brush them with margarine and bake in the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes, until golden.

In order to assemble the “kadaifi” we put in the center of one of the narrower ends of the strip 1 tablespoon of the nut mixture. Fold in the two opposite longer sides of the strip and then roll it up to enclose the filling.

Then we prepare the shredded wheat: Shredded wheat packages come compressed. So as to make it fluffier, lay it on a working surface and gently spread apart the strands, pulling them lightly apart with your fingers. Cut into strips of about 7 3/4 inches long and about a palm size wide.

Preheat the oven at 350º F.

We put in a bowl the almonds, walnuts, sugar, melba toast, cinnamon and mix.