Pastela

             PASTELA:

                      

                             HISTORY:

The dish would have been one of the favorite dishes of the Sultan of Fes in Morocco. He would have asked a famous Spanish chef if he could make the dish Judhaba more delicious for his guests. Today, the dish Bastilla is the official dish of the city of Fes in Morocco. The name of the Pie comes from the Spanish word 'pastilla' meaning in modern Spanish either pill or "small pastry" after the transformation of the phoneme "p" into "b" that is specific to the Arabic language. It is an elaborate meat pie traditionally made of squab. As squabs are often hard to get, shredded chicken is more often used today; pastilla can also use fish or offal as a filling. Pastilla is generally served as a starter at the beginning of special meals.

                             

                          INGREDIENTS:

For the filling:                                      

-150g butter                                             

- 1 Chicken

-3 onions

-1 cinnamon stick

-150g almonds (toasted and roughly chopped)

 -6 eggs

For the pastry:

- 1 kg warka pastry

-2 teaspoons icing sugar

-1 teaspoon cinnamon

                    PREPARATION:

1. In a wide pan, melt 100g of the butter, then add the chicken , onions and cinnamon stick. Cover with water, season well with salt and cook over a low heat for an hour.

2. Remove chicken and turn up the heat; reduce the mixture while you remove the meat from the bones, shred it and add back into the pan. Add the chopped almonds.

3. Break the eggs into a bowl and gently whisk, pour two thirds into the chicken mixture and stir, cooking over a medium heat until little bits of cooked egg appear. Taste and add salt to get it , savoury and exotic. Preheat oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2.

4. Melt the remaining butter in a small pan. Lay three sheets of filo pastry out on small side plates, and butter each sheet lightly with a pastry brush. Repeat to layer it three times, buttering the filo as you go.

5. Using a slotted spoon, put a third of the chicken mixture into each of the filo piles, leaving the excess liquid behind. Then fold over the sides of the pastry to make a sealed, round parcel. Paint each pastilla with any of the remaining butter and the last of the whisked egg to seal them.

5. Transfer to a baking tray and bake for 45 minutes until the filo is crisp and brown. Dust with icing sugar and cinnamon and eat while hot.