ANASTASIA & LISA in MOROCCO . . . and Moroccan B'STILLA

Two intrepid adventurers!

Rick’s Café in Casablanca

Market food

Cooking with a family!

Now, for those of you who are intrigued by this amazing looking platter, here’s the recipe and you can actually make it at home! 

MOROCCAN B’STILLA 

Thanks to Anissa Helou and her article in Saveur Magazine.

3 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

4 cups chicken stock

3 eggs

½ cup blanched, sliced almonds

2 tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic

1 medium yellow onion

½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

¼ tsp saffron threads, mixed with 1 tsp water

3 tbsp minced cilantro

3 tbsp minced parsley

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

6 tbsp melted butter

Phyllo

⅛ cup icing sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

about 1 tbsp Ras el hanout:  You make this by stirring together the following spices:

¼ tsp cardamom

¼ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp coriander

¼ tsp cayenne

¼ tsp allspice

¼ tsp turmeric

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp ginger

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

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* Put chicken and stock into a large pot.  Bring to boiling and skim.  Reduce heat to simmer, covered, for 45 minutes to one hour.

Remove chicken and let cool.  Then chop the meat and put in a large bowl.  Discard the skin and bones.

Pour off some of the stock to save for another use.  Leave about 2 cups of liquid in the pot.  Simmer, uncovered, over medium heat for about 30 minutes until reduced to one cup.  Degrease and let cool.  Whisk in eggs.  Set sauce aside.

• Toast almonds in a frying pan over medium high heat for about 4 minutes.  Finely grind them in a food processor, then set aside.

• Finely mince garlic.
• Finely chop onion in food processor.
• Heat olive oil in fry pan and cook garlic and onion for about 8 minutes over medium heat until golden.
• Add all the ras el hanout, chile flakes, and saffron mixture.  Cook one minute and remove from heat.
• Stir this into the bowl of meat.
• Add almonds, the egg/stock sauce, cilantro, parsley, salt, and pepper.  
• Put bowl in fridge until you’re ready to finish assembling the pie.

• Start oven heating to 400.
• Butter a 9 inch springform pan.
• Lay one sheet phyllo on a work surface and brush with melted butter.  Lay it in the pan, half in and half hanging out.  Repeat with more sheets (about 6 to 8 sheets in all.)  
• Spread half the filling on top of the dough.
• Layer on more sheets (about 6 to 8 sheets).  
• Add the remaining filling.
• Top with more sheets of buttered phyllo. Fold in the out-hanging phyllo to encase the filling.
• Top with two more buttered sheets of phyllo, neatly tucked down.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
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• Put icing sugar and cinnamon beside your plate on the dining table so that you won’t forget to dust the pie with them before serving. You DON'T want to miss this step because it actually makes the B'stilla taste even better than fantastic!
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  (I forgot and we had to dust them afterwards.)