Traditional Shkodra shëndetlie — a pastry dessert with walnuts and sweet syrup

Shëndetlie is the emblematic dessert of Shkodra, a recipe handed down from generation to generation that is prepared especially for feasts, weddings and family occasions. Its name is linked to the wish “shëndet!” (good health!) — a good wish for those who taste it. Thin pastry sheets are laid layer upon layer, brushed with melted butter and filled with chopped walnuts mixed with sugar and cinnamon. Once baked, the hot dessert is doused with aromatic syrup, taking on the sweet, rich flavour that characterises it.

Ingredients

• 500 g thin pastry sheets for baklava (or homemade rolled sheets)
• 500 g coarsely ground walnuts
• 300 g sugar (100 g for the walnuts, 200 g for the syrup)
• 200 g melted butter
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 500 ml water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 sachet of vanilla (optional)

Preparation steps

1. Grease the baking tray with melted butter and lay 5–6 layers of pastry, brushing each layer with butter.
2. Mix the ground walnuts with 100 g of sugar and the cinnamon, and spread half of the mixture over the pastry layers.
3. Lay another 3–4 buttered pastry layers, then add the rest of the walnuts.
4. Close with 5–6 layers of pastry, each brushed with butter.
5. Cut the dessert into squares or diamonds BEFORE putting it in the oven.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 35–40 minutes, until the surface turns golden.
7. Meanwhile prepare the syrup: boil the water with the remaining sugar, the lemon juice and the vanilla for about 10 minutes.
8. Pour the warm syrup over the hot shëndetlie, spreading it evenly.
9. Leave it to cool completely so it absorbs the syrup for at least 2 hours before serving.

Preparation time: 30 minutes · Baking: 40 minutes · Total: about 1 hour 10 minutes · Servings: 12 pieces