Moroccan Chicken Pie

tablespoons olive oil large onions, peeled and sliced teaspoon ras el hanout (page 32) free-range chicken (about 21/4 lbs/1kg), quartered 1 cup (250 ml) water 1/ cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice 4 1 small bunch fresh coriander leaves (cilantro), chopped 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped Almond Paste 11/2 cups (225 g) blanched, peeled almonds 2 tablespoons oil 1/ cup (100 g) sugar 2 1/ teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 1 tablespoon orange flower water Pastry 12 sheets filo pastry or Warka Pastry Leaf (page 35) 3/ cup (180 g) butter, melted 4 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten Toppings (optional) 3/ cup (100 g) confectioners sugar 4 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3 4 1 1

Bstilla
1 Preheat the oven to 350F (175C). Heat the oil over mediumhigh heat in a large Dutch oven. Add the onions, the ras el hanout and mix well. Add the chicken and brown it on all sides. Add the water, cover and bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. 2 Remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside to cool. Add the lemon juice to the sauce and reduce it on top of the stove over medium heat for 10 minutes. While the sauce is cooking, strip the meat off the bones, cut it into small pieces and set it aside. 3 To make the Almond Paste, heat the oil in a skillet and fry the almonds until golden, taking care not to burn them. Remove the almonds from the pan and process them in a food processor until finely ground. Combine the almonds with the sugar, cinnamon, and orange flower water in a bowl. Stir or knead until the mixture is a thick paste. 4 Grease a 9-in (23-cm), round baking dish with butter. Lay one sheet of pastry in the center of the dish and brush with butter. Fan additional sheets of pastry out from the center of the dish and brush each sheet with butter. Layer half of the Almond Paste in the dish, cover with the chicken, then the sauce. Top with the remaining Almond Paste. Layer three sheets of pastry over the top and make a seam by tucking the overhang under the edge of the inside of the dish. Brush the top of the pie with the remaining melted butter and brush the pastry seams with beaten egg yolk. 5 Bake for 1 hour at 400F (200C). Serve the pie sprinkled with confectioners sugar and cinnamon, if desired.
Serves 68 Preparation time: 11/2 hours Cooking time: 11/2 hours

42 Breads, Pastries and Appetizers