Candied citrus and ricotta kunafa cigars

To make the filling, mix the ricotta, sugar, cinnamon and candied citrus peel together in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To make the syrup, combine the sugar, water and squeeze of lemon juice in a saucepan. Heat gently while stirring until the sugar has dissolved completely, then bring to a rolling boil and stop stirring. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the orange blossom water. Set aside to cool.

Working with small pieces of the kunafa (cover the rest with a damp tea towel) and kitchen scissors, cut strands 5cm x 12cm wide to form a rectangle. Remove 1cm from the rectangle and lay it across the other so it forms a ‘T’ shape. Place 1 tsp of the filling in the middle and roll the pastry up tightly so the filling is encased in the pastry. Place the kunafa roll, seam-side down, in a greased rectangular cake tin. Repeat until all the filling has been used. Allow it to stand at room temperature so the pastry dries out.

Preheat the oven to 200˚C, gas mark 6.

Pour the melted ghee all over the kunafa rolls until saturated.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the kunafa is deep, golden brown in colour, flipping the rolls once or twice to the other side during baking

Remove from the oven, and using tongs, transfer the kunafa cigars to paper towels to drain the excess ghee. While still piping hot, place them in a clean pan and pour the cooled syrup over each one. Allow the syrup to soak in, then transfer to a serving platter.

Sprinkle each kunafa cigar with pistachio slivers and serve.