So as the festive season approaches, you’ll be wanting to cook something impressive for a dinner party, won’t you? Something which is both warm comforting and yet exotic and fragrant? Something which you can make most of in advance and then assemble on the day?
What you want is a Bisteeya. Its a Moroccan layered filo pie – crispy and brown on the outside, filled with a thick layer of delicious spicey chicken, a light centre of lemony herbed scrambled eggs and topped with a sweet cinnamony almond crunch. Yes it sounds weird – but I promise you it’s delicious!
Bisteeya
(also known as Pastilla)
Ingredients
For the Chicken layer:
5lbs Chicken parts, on the bone but skinned. Thighs are easiest. (Or use whole pigeons if you’re being really authentic…)
2 cloves garlic, crushed with salt
1 large Spanish onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 slices fresh ginger
2 cinnamon sticks
4oz of butter
For the Egg layer:
a large handful flat leafed parsley
10 eggs
4 tablespoons lemon juice.
For the Almond layer:
4 oz icing sugar
1 lb almonds, toasted and crushed or flaked
2 tsp cinnamon
For the filo pastry casing
½ – ¾ lb filo pastry leaves, defrosted
4 oz melted butter and pastry brush
(If you want to reduce the butter, you can use spray oil instead – its almost easier)
Equipment you’ll need
A 12” shallow cake or roasting tin
A pastry brush
Instructions
1.) Put all the Chicken layer ingredients in a large saucepan, with ¾ pint water. Bring to the boil, and simmer away for an hour or so, until the chicken is almost falling off the bone. Lift the meat and cinnamon sticks out and leave to cool.
2.) Boil the remaining stock down until there’s about a quarter of a pint left. Add the freshly chopped parsley, lemon juice and eggs and keep stirring while the eggs scramble in the stock and dry out. Plonk this mixture in a colander and allow to drain.
3.) Pull the cooled chicken meat off the bones and shred it. You could mix it with more finely chopped parsley or coriander for an extra punch.
4.) Mix your toasted almonds with the icing sugar and cinnamon.
Up to this point, you can prepare it all in advance, even the day before.
Remember though to defrost the filo leaves in time for the next stage…
5.) Now, an hour or two before you’re ready to serve, assemble the pie. This process sounds complicated but it’s actually just fiddly to put into words, not action. Preheat the oven to Gas 7, 220C, 425F. Brush melted butter all around the insides of a 12” shallow cake or roasting tin.
6.) Lay a sheet of filo across the tin, so that it covers the whole of the bottom and half of it is hanging over the side. Brush the surface lightly with butter, including the overhanging leaf too to keep it from drying out. Now do another, 6 like this, rotating so you have leaves hanging out round the whole dish.
7.) Fold four leaves in half and bake in the oven, just for 30 seconds or so, until brown. Take them out and have them ready.
8.) Spoon your chicken mixture into the base of the pie. Place a couple of the baked filo leaves on top. They’ll probably crack into pieces – no matter. Then layer on the scrambled egg mixture and on top of them, the remaining baked leaves. Now sprinkle the almond & icing sugar mixture over. Lay a couple more sheets of raw filo on top, lightly buttering the layers and tucking them in at the edges this time. Now fold the outer leaves from around the edge of the pie up and over the top of the pie. Put another couple of sheets on top, buttering each and tucking them in carefully. Now brush the whole pie with the remaining butter and place the pie in the oven and bake for 20 mins.
9.) Once it’s looking nice and golden, bring it out temporarily of the oven. You want to turn the whole thing over in the tin so that the bottom can be cooked. The best thing is to gently ease it out upside down onto a large plate, then slide it off the plate and back into the tin. You may need a second set of hands to assist you. Once it’s secured in place, return it to the oven to brown the base for another 10-20 minutes.
10.) Now set the pie back the right way up and if it needs a bit more bronzing, or if when you peek inside, the icing sugar in the almond layer hasn’t fully melted, stick it back in the oven for another 10 mins.
11.) Finally place it, almond layer up onto your serving dish and dust with cinnamon and a few toasted almond slivers before serving hot – perhaps with a light salad or amongst a table of arabic dips and vegetables.
