State of the Onion (30 page)

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Mix the chopped nuts with 1 cup of sugar. Set aside.

Remove fillo sheets from package to work surface and unfold. When not handling, keep covered by a damp paper towel or cloth dish towel. Fillo dries out and becomes unworkable fast.

Cut the sheets in half to fit a 9 × 13 baking dish. Cover the fillo with damp towel again. Working quickly using a basting brush, paint the bottom of the 9 × 13 pan with melted butter. Remove a sheet of fillo, place it on the bottom of the buttered pan, brush the fillo sheet well with melted butter. Repeat 6 times. Sprinkle with a thin layer of chopped nut mixture.

Place six more sheets of buttered fillo in the pan and top with chopped nut mixture. Repeat these layers with remaining fillo and chopped nut mixture, ending with 6 layers of buttered fillo.

With the sharpest knife possible, cut the layers of fillo and nuts into four to six long rows. (Piece size is a personal preference.) Turn pan and slice the fillo into diamonds by cutting diagonally across the long rows.

Bake until golden brown and toasty, about 35 to 45 minutes.

Remove from oven, cool pan on a rack.

While the pan is cooling, place remaining 2 cups sugar, water, cloves, and cinnamon in a large, heavy saucepan over medium to medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Turn heat down slightly and simmer for 20 minutes.

Pour boiling syrup gently over fillo and nuts in pan.

Cool completely. To serve, place a doily or paper cutout over a dessert plate. Dust with cinnamon. Move the pattern carefully a half inch to the right and lightly dust with powdered sugar. Remove the pattern. Serve the individual diamonds of baklava on cinnamon and sugar-dusted dessert plates.