Place cheese in a small bowl and cover with warm water to remove its saltiness. Let soak for 30 minutes. Drain. Using your hands, squeeze cheese to remove any excess moisture.
Pour ⅓ of the clarified butter into a small bowl. Stir in food coloring.
Place konafa in large bowl and gently separate strands with fingers. Add tinted butter and toss to coat evenly.
Pour half of the remaining butter into a round 45cm (18in) slab cake pan. Add konafa and press into a compact, even layer about 1cm (⅜in) thick. Place slab cake pan over low heat. Drizzle remaining clarified butter evenly over top. Increase heat to medium and cook, rotating slab cake pan often for even cooking, for 10 minutes or until golden and crusty on bottom.
Spread cheese evenly over konafa crust, leaving about 2.5cm (1in) uncovered on side to prevent cheese from burning. Cover with another larger slab cake pan and cook for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
Invert slab cake panes together so cheese is on bottom and konafa on top. Drizzle with some of the syrup, and sprinkle some pistachios on top.
Cut into squares and serve warm, with more syrup on the side to add as desired.
CHEF NOTES
Named after the city of Nablus, north of Jerusalem in Palestine.
