Pistachio baklava

Remove as much skin from the pistachios as possible by scrunching them, so the baklava is not sandy.

Chop the nuts, by hand or carefully in a food processor, not too small; sift in a coarse strainer to remove fine pieces and skin.

Cut the sheets to the rectangular dish. Butter the base and walls heavily, then lay in sheets without buttering between them, pressing out folds and air bubbles, to 50 layers; trim the excess.

Spread the chopped nuts evenly and add some ground pistachio; top with 25 more unbuttered sheets.

Cut into squares with a ruler and a serrated knife; squares puff higher than diamonds.

Warm the clarified butter and pour it over every square, tilting the tray to spread it; brush the edges and recut along the cuts to give a convex, cushion shape.

Bake in an oven preheated to 180C for about 45 minutes until golden; it puffs by about 30 minutes.

Pour steaming-hot syrup evenly over the tray as soon as it comes out. Cool at least an hour, ideally a full day, and decorate each square with ground pistachio.