Armenian nazuk (filled pastries)

These Armenian pastries have a filo-like pastry and a sweet nut and dried fruit filling.

Armenian nazuk. Credit: Freshly Picked with Simon Toohey

• serves

  10

• prep

  6 minutes

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 150 g margarine or coconut oil
• Crushed pistachio, to garnish, optional

​​Dough

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• ⅛ cup olive oil
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• Pinch of salt
• 65 ml cold water
• ½ orange, zested

Filling

• 150 g any nuts or mix of nuts (I used almonds, cashews and peanuts)
• 30 g caster sugar
• 50 ml maple syrup
• 50 g dry apricots and dry figs (or dates)
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Rolling mixture

• ½ cup plain flour
• ½ cup corn starch

Syrup

• 1 orange, juiced
• Peel of ½ orange
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 1 cardamom seed, crushed
• 1 star anise

Resting time: about 20 minutes total.

Instructions

1. Mix all the dough ingredients except the water. Then add the cold water a third at a time to bring the dough together. It might take all if it, it might take a bit less, depending on flour type and humidity.
2. Knead the dough on a clean surface to bring it together. The dough should be soft but not sticky. Rest the dough for 10-15 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 180°C.
4. Portion into 10 equal pieces and make small balls. Rest for another 10 minutes (while you make the filling).
5. Place all the filling ingredients in a blender and blend until coarse sticky, crunchy paste forms.
6. Mix the ingredients for the rolling mixture together and dust the bench with it.
7. Roll each dough piece to about 10cm (about 4 inches) across. Stack up all the 10 open rolls on top of each other by dusting with a generous amount of rolling mixture. Roll all 10 dough pieces together into one large square (about 1-2 mm thickness).
8. Roll up the open dough like a roulade. Cut into 1cm pieces (makes about 20). It will have lots of layers.
9. Lightly dust each cut piece and lightly roll with a rolling pin to an oval shape. (don't apply too much pressure, otherwise it will affect forming layers).
10. Place one tablespoon (approximately) of filling inside.
11. Brush the edges with a little melted margarine or coconut oil. Secure the edges and form them as you please.
12. Melt 150 g margarine or coconut oil. Generously coat each pastry with the oil (drench it) and bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
13. Meanwhile, add all of the ingredients for the syrup to a small pot, bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer until the sugar has dissolved.
14. When the pastry is out of the oven and is still hot, ladle syrup on each pastry. Garnish with crushed pistachios.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.