The Friends of ... series by the Canberra embassies heads to Turkey: here's their baklava recipe

In February Austrian Ambassador His Excellency Wolfgang Strohmayer kicked off the series with a very successful Friends of Apple Strudel event which raised much needed funds for MyHome in Canberra, a charity which aims to provide safe and secure accommodation for vulnerable people.

Now the Turkish Ambassador, His Excellency Korhan Karakoc, steps in, sharing the secrets of the pistachio-laden sweet which was most likely developed in the kitchens of imperial Constantinople.

For this event it's being made in the kitchens of the embassy by chef Mesut Avci who's been cooking for the Ambassador since 1998.

"Baklava is an essential part of traditional Turkish cuisine which enriches the food culture with its sweetness so each step is very important," Avci says.

"The pastry has to be very thin, cooking time has to be exact, the butter has to be pure, the syrup has to be at the right temperature."

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Avci started cooking in his father's restaurant in Istanbul as a teenager. The family was originally from Mengen in the Bolu province of Turkey, famous for its food festivals and a cookery school which trained the best chefs in the country.

"My father is still my role model," says Avci, who went on to work at hotels in Antalya. He was working at the Gloria Golf Resort in Belek when H.E. Karakoc was holidaying there and was so impressed by the food he offered Avci a job.

Avci won't divulge the Ambassador's favourite meal.

"For Turkish people it's all about gathering around the table, we generally don't have a favourite meal," he says.

He enjoys cooking other world cuisines and the opportunity to cook for special occasions at the Embassy.

At home, his wife Sonay, who is also a chef, shares in the cooking for their family. They enjoy eating out at Pomegranate in Kingston and different Asian restaurants around Canberra.

Avci has shared his baklava recipe with The Canberra Times as well as one of his other meals which is always well received, a lamb stew with velvety eggplant puree, or "hunkarbegendi" which is also known as Sultan's Delight.

The Friends of ... Baklava event will take place at the Ambassador's residence in Red Hill on May 20.

We're interested to see what country will be featured next. All in the spirit of charity and the sharing of food.

1. Place sugar and water in a saucepan and heat over stove-top, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Add lemon juice and bring to a boil. Lower heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove syrup from heat and let it cool completely.

1. Put the pistachios in a food processor and pulse a few times to finely chop the pistachios.

2. Melt butter in a saucepan and discard the froth until butter looks clear. Let it cool.

3. Take a sheet of filo pastry and spread a handful of chopped pistachios on the sheet. Then roll it with the help of the wooden stick and then gradually push the pastry with your hands, creasing the pastry together until the pastry is half its size. Repeat process until you have used all 40 sheets.

4. Brush the tray with some of the melted butter.

5. Place each of the individually creased pastry rolls side to side in the tray.

6. Brush on all the melted butter and then using a good sharp knife, cut the pastry into 150-160 pieces.

7. Preheat oven to 170C.

8. Place the tray on the middle rack of your heated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top of the baklava turns golden.

9. As soon as you remove the baklava from the oven, discard excess butter from the tray and then pour in the cool syrup all over the hot pastry. Let it cool for approximately three hours. You can serve it with icecream and fruits. Enjoy.

Makes 50 servings.

1. Heat the butter in a saucepan, add the meat and saute for eight to 10 minutes until juices are released and absorbed.

2. Add the onions and garlic. Saute for another two minutes before adding the tomato paste. Then add the black peppercorns, salt and water.

3. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes and add the tomatoes. Simmer until the meat is tender.

4. To prepare the puree, trim the leaves around the stems of the eggplants, then lightly pierce the eggplants in a few places using the tip of a knife. Place the eggplants over hot coal, on the chargrill or on a hot stovetop burner and rotate until they are completely soft. Transfer these onto a plate.

5. Hold the eggplant by the stem and peel off the skin from top to bottom without removing the flesh. Cut off the stems and carefully remove any remaining burnt sections. Chop the flesh with a knife.

6. Melt the butter in a sauce and add the flour. Saute for two minutes over a medium heat constantly stirring with a whisk, then remove from the heat. Leave to cool for about five minutes, then add boiling milk. Whisk continuously over low heat for two to three minutes before adding the skinned, chopped eggplant.

7. Mash while whisking, add the salt and cook for five minutes. Add the cheese, remove from the heat and keep hot. Place the slow-cooked meat and the juices on the top of the eggplant puree and serve.

Serves 6.