Kataifi with halloumi and pecorino
Kataifi with halloumi and pecorino is a recipe I put together inspired by the iconic Arabic dessert, Knafeh. I will not go on to say this is a Cypriot version of knafeh (just because I added halloumi) because I think that would definititely offend Arabic people. It is rather a sweet and savoury dish that I’d serve warm as a dessert after a meal but also for an afternoon treat with coffee. If you like eating popcorn with maltesers then you’ll love this!
Knafeh or Kunafeh is an Arab sweet with a number of spellings and pronunciations around the world. There are variations to this Middle Eastern dessert across a number of cultures but also within each household. I was first introduced to knafeh by the innovative Bearded Bakers. They brought their Jerusalem family version of knafeh to the streets of Sydney and Melbourne, on a shipping container turned bakery. That version had a creamy milk pudding with crispy semolina and a sweet syrup with pistachios added on top. Following that when we visited Dubai we had the other popular version. That had a mixture of just stringy cheese with kataifi, the syrup and pistachios on top. Both equally tasty, with familiar flavours such as the fragrant rosewater.
What is kataifi pastry
For the recipe I use kataifi pastry, which up until before I started blogging I actually thought it was phyllo pastry cut in very fine strings. But that is not quite right! Kataifi is made with a batter, forming thin strings on a hot metal plate. Watch this video to see it all forming. It is a very versatile to use in sweets or savoury dishes and may also be baked or fried. Can’t believe I haven’t created more dishes with it already!
The syrup for the kataifi
The syrup is very aromatic and fragrant with the addition of lemon juice and rosewater. As it is commonly seen when adding syrup to a dessert, it is important that one element is cooler in temperature than the other. That will allow the syrup to be absorbed better. In this case cold syrup is added to the hot kataifi as soon as it comes out, since the kataifi with halloumi and pecorino needs to be eaten warm.
The filling for the kataifi
For the Arabic version of knafeh the most common cheeses used are of goat’s/sheep’s origin including Nabulsi or Akkawi. They are not very salty, are mild in flavour and have the ability to melt when heated, leading to those delicious cheese pulled photos.
For the filling in my adaptation I included halloumi for its salty and strong flavoured characteristic. To balance that saltiness and to add that stringy texture to the dish I added fresh pecorino (have also tried it with mozzarella). Fresh pecorino has a very mild tangy flavour, made from fresh curd cheese and has the ability to stretch. Fresh pecorino should not be confused with the hard yellow coloured aged pecorino, which has a crumblier texture and has distinct sour notes to it. The extra aroma added to the filling, comes from the crushed mastic drops, which is a natural resin derived from mastic trees. Very popular on the Greek island Chios, where it is traditionally largely produced.
If you choose to not add the syrup on top, to enjoy the kataifi as a completely savoury dish, that is great also. However I would increase the ratio of fresh pecorino to halloumi cheese to balance out the saltiness. That may be determined on your own likings as well as how salty the halloumi is that you are using.
How to cook the kataifi
To cook the kataifi with halloumi and pecorino you may bake or fry it until the kataifi is beautifully golden brown and the filling is warm and melts away. I chose to bake the kataifi primarily because my current frying pans are a bit too small for all the ingredients I wanted to include. Seeing the fried version on a number of different videos, the assembly process would be the same. The cooking method varies slightly with cooking time reduced by some time on the stovetop in comparison to baking. It only takes about up to 8min on each side, on a low – medium heat, just enough time for the kataifi to turn a golden brown colour and the cheese to melt.
For more sweet creations, traditional and non, check out this link!
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- 280 g caster sugar, 1 ¼ cups
- 250 mL water, 1 cup
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 slice of lemon
- 1 tbs rosewater or orange blossom water
- ½ tsp sugar
- 3 mastic drops
- 250 g halloumi, finely grated
- 200 g fresh pecorino (not aged) or mozzarella, finely grated
- 375 g kataifi pastry, at room temperature
- 150 g unsalted butter, melted
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Take out the kataifi pastry from the fridge at least two hours before you need to it, keeping it in the package, until it comes to room temperature. At the same time prepare the syrup by mixing all the ingredients together, except the rosewater, on a medium heat. Allow it to boil for 10min, take it off the heat and stir in the rosewater. Once the syrup is no longer hot, place it in the fridge so it can completely cool.
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Preheat the oven to 190°C, fan forced. Crush the mastic drops with the sugar until it is all finely ground. Mix the crushed mastic with the grated cheeses and set aside.
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Use a 26cm round springform pan which you need to line with baking paper. To do so don’t just cut out a circle but instead cut a rectangular piece, place it on top of the bottom round and then seal it with the springform (see photos above). That way the baking paper will seal the edges well in case any butter leaks out. Brush the springform all around with some of the melted butter.
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Use your hands or kitchen scissors to cut the kataifi pastry in a large bowl, in shorter strings about 5cm long. Pour the melted butter all around the kataifi and mix it with your hands to make sure all the strands are covered with butter.
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Get about ½ of the kataifi and press it down very well with your hands (I also used my potato masher to press on) so it can all hold it together and smooth out. Add the cheese mixture leaving about a 2cm diameter free around the edges. The cheese will melt and move along that way anyway, but leaving the gap it prevents the cheese from sticking to the pan from the start. Take the rest of the kataifi and press it all around the top making sure there are no gaps.
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Just in case any butter leaks out of the springform (see note1), place it on a baking tray and then put it in the oven, on the middle rack, for 35-40min or until golden brown. After that time take the tray out and increase the oven temperature to 200°C. Flip the springform carefully on the baking tray, so the kataifi is inverted out. Return the baking tray back in the oven so that the kataifi can get some colour on the bottom layer also. Allow it to bake for 10-15min or until it is golden brown.
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Place the kataifi on a serving plate while warm, pour half the cold syrup on top and enjoy immediately. Reserve the remaining syrup for individual servings. Once it gets cold the cheese hardens again but you can place it in the microwave for a short time for it to reheat again and enjoy (see note2).
1. If you choose to use a baking dish, instead of a springform, of the same size then you do not need to line it with baking paper or turn it over in the end for the bottom to get some colour. That is because the butter won’t be able to leak out and the bottom kataifi layer will get brown on its own.
2. You may prepare and assemble the kataifi with halloumi and pecorino a few hours ahead of time. You may place it in the fridge without cooking, so that when you want to serve it all you need to do is bake it.
