Baklava - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb. walnuts or pecans, finely chopped
1/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 lb. phyllo
1 lb. butter, clarified, melted and warm
whole cloves (optional)

Preparation

Combine nuts, sugar and spices. Trim phyllo to pan size. Place 6 phyllo sheets in a buttered 13 x 9-inch pan, brushing each sheet generously with butter. Sprinkle a thin layer of nut mixture evenly over the phyllo. Cover with 4 buttered phyllo sheets. Continue alternating phyllo, butter and nut mixture until all nuts are used. Top with 8 buttered phyllo sheets. Cut into diamonds or squares. If desired, stud each piece with a whole clove. Bake at 325\u00b0 for 30 minutes, lower oven to 300\u00b0 and bake 30 minutes longer or until golden brown. Pour warm syrup over hot Baklava.