Do You Butter Both Sides Of The Filo Pastry For The Om Ali?

Our answer

Nigella's Om Ali (from HOW TO BE A DOMESTIC GODDESS) has layers of crisp filo pastry, nuts and dried fruits that are baked in a sweetened cream. The filo pastry sheets are baked first, to make them crisp and give some extra texture in the Om Ali.

Filo is an ultra-thin pastry made by stretching or rolling a simple dough made from flour, water and a little oil. It dries out very quickly, so it is usually brushed with a fat before cooking. For the Om Ali the filo is brushed with melted butter and then put on a baking sheet and cooked in the oven until golden and crisp. The pastry is very thin and doesn't necessarily need fat to be brushed onto both sides. In the Om Ali recipe the filo is put on to the baking sheet butter side down so that the pastry doesn't stick to the baking sheet as it cooks. If you do have some melted butter left over after you have finished all of the filo sheets, then this leftover butter can be brushed or dabbed onto the unbuttered side of the filo before it is baked.