Katmer, Gaziantep

(Southeast Anatolia Region)

Ingredients:
1 sheet of Phyllo Pastry
Sunflower oil
Turkish clotted cream (Kaymak) (or Devonshire or Cornish cream)
Granulated sugar
Antep* pistachios, ground

Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 450° F (230° C).

To prepare the Katmer, place the rectangular sheet of phyllo pastry on a flat working surface and place it so the short sides are top and bottom. Fold one side of the short edge inside to make it square ( picture).

Brush it with a little bit of the oil. Join the opposite corners at the middle ( picture). Brush the whole surface again with some oil. Sprinkle all over with dabs of kaymak, sugar and pistachios . Again, join the opposite corners at the middle ( picture). Brush the surface again with oil.

Place it on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Then bake until the top takes on a light golden colour. Cut in 4 pieces, sprinkle Antep pistachios on top and serve while still hot.

*In 2013, Gaziantep baklava became the first Turkish product with a European protected designation of origin and geographical indication. Antep is also famous for its slender type of pistachios.

Türkiye produces two types of pistachios: Antep, which are the small, slim ones in brown shells from the area around Gaziantep in western Türkiye, and round, fatter nuts with pale beige shells from Siirt, in eastern Türkiye. The Antep pistachios are consumed both as a snack and as a major component in baklava and other sweets. The Siirt pistachios, on the other hand, are closer to Iranian pistachios in looks and flavor and sold mainly as a snack.