Savory baklava, you ask? YES, we answer! Anna Franklin dreamed up this truly delicious recipe with layers of Romesco and sausage, and a drizzle of hot honey to top it off. If you’re expecting a crowd, get the party started with this recipe and perhaps a crisp, well-chilled Retsina wine from Greece. This inventive twist on a classic dessert layers buttery phyllo with smoky Romesco, Italian sausage, and almonds for a rich, savory bite. Try using fresh red peppers from your local farmers market and sausage from your local butcher and taste the difference.

Savory Romesco Baklava with Hot Honey

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• Author: Anna Franklin

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Description

Finishing with a drizzle of hot honey makes this dish simply perfect.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the romesco:

• 1 16-oz jar of roasted red peppers, drained (or a 6–8 freshly grilled, peeled red peppers)
• ½ cup raw or roasted almonds
• ½ cup canned fire-roasted tomatoes
• ¼ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and drained
• 2 medium-to-large cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp fine sea salt, to taste
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

For the phyllo dough:

• 1 box frozen phyllo dough
• 1 cup chopped almonds
• ½ lb crumbled Italian sausage, cooked and drained
• ¾ lb butter, melted
• ½ cup hot honey

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9 x 13-inch pan.
2. Mix Romanesco in a food processor until smooth. Set aside.
3. Unroll phyllo dough. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Spread ½ cup Romesco mixture and ½ cup chopped almonds. Sprinkle with half of the cooked sausage. Top with 5 sheets of dough, layering with butter as you go. Add ½ more of Romesco mixture, ½ cup almonds, and the rest of the sausage. Then the top layer should be about 6-8 sheets deep.
4. Using a sharp knife, cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into 4 long rows the make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.
5. Remove baklava from oven and immediately drizzle with hot honey. Let cool. Serve in cupcake papers. This freezes well. Leave it uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped up.

Recipes and Styling by Anna Franklin
Story by Keith Recker
Photography by Dave Bryce

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