Baghlava ba Pesteh

Ingredients:
4 ounces filo dough
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp ground cardamon
1 1/2 cups unsalted pistachios ( 3/4 cup ground and 3/4 cup chopped)
1/2 cup honey mixed with 1 TBS lemon juice and 2 TBS rosewater (the rosewater is optional)

Directions:
1. Thaw the filo dough.
2. Melt butter over low heat.
3. Mix together the sugar, cardamon, and nuts.
4. Using a pastry brush, butter the bottom and sides of a 13x9x2 glass baking pan.
5. Cut the dough with scissors so that it fits the shape of the pan.
6. Place on layer of the dough on the pan, and brush with melted butter. Repeat this with 3 or 4 layers.
7. Sprinkle a few spoonfuls of the nut mixture over this.
8. Continue building up the layers of dough brushed with butter and sprinkled with nuts until the pan is full. Top with 2-3 layers of dough. Pour remaining butter over the top.
9. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 1 hour or until dough is crisp and flaky. Remove from oven. Cool. With a sharp knife criss cross cut diagonally into 2x2 "diamonds".
10. Pour the honey (mixed with lemon and rosewater if you like) slowly over the pastry, in the cracks, around the edges and over the top too.

~*~ From Suzy ~*~