MOROCCAN BASTILA

Bastilla is a cherished dish in Moroccan cuisine, renowned for its unique blend of flavors and textures. This delicious pastry is traditionally made with a flaky dough and is typically filled with pigeon, though you can also find variations that use chicken, turkey, or even seafood.

Whether served at special occasions or enjoyed as a flavorful treat, bastilla is a true representation of Morocco's rich culinary heritage. If you’re looking to explore Moroccan cuisine, this dish is definitely a must-try!

Ingredients

For the chicken:

*1 chicken weighing 1.75 kg, cut into four pieces and skinned

*2 kg finely chopped onion (thinly chopped)

*1 bunch of chopped parsley

*Half a bunch of chopped coriander

*3 cinnamon sticks

*10 strands of saffron

*2 teaspoons ginger

*1 teaspoon black pepper

*3 pinches of ras el hanout (optional)

*1 teaspoon ghee

*8 cl oil

*Salt

*1 tablespoon honey

*4 eggs

*For the almonds:

*650 g peeled almonds

*100 g fine sugar (classic) (or to taste)

*1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

For the bastilla:

*400 g bastilla leaves (click on the link in the preparation method)

*80 g butter

*Cooking oil

*1 egg yolk

*For decoration:

*Fine sugar (classic)

*Ground cinnamon

Method

In a thick-bottomed pot, place the chopped onion, chicken, spices, ghee, oil, coriander and parsley.

Cover the pot and cook everything on low heat until the onion releases its natural water and the chicken absorbs it, stirring it from time to time.

When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the broth, remove its bones and chop it.

Add honey to the onion broth and leave it to honey on low heat while stirring.

When the onion honeys, remove the excess oil and keep it for folding the bastilla.

Add the chicken pieces to the onion broth, then add the eggs.

Cook the filling on low heat for 2 to 3 minutes while stirring gently.

Remove everything from the heat and let the filling cool slightly.

Fry the peeled almonds or roast them in the oven until they take on a beautiful golden color.

Crush the almonds and mix them with powdered sugar and cinnamon.

Mix the onion broth oil with the melted butter to brush the bastilla sheets while folding.

Fold the bastilla or small bastillas according to the technique shown in the live video.

Cook the bastilla in a frying pan with hot oil or in the oven heated to 180 degrees until it takes on a beautiful golden color.

Serve the bastilla hot decorated with powdered sugar and cinnamon.

Bastilla sheets 

Method

In an electric mixer, mix flour, salt and water to obtain a homogeneous liquid dough without grains.

Place a non-stick pan over a pot of boiling water. Using a brush, brush the pan with the dough twice until the bottom of the pan is completely covered to form a bastilla sheet. Leave the sheet to cook for a few seconds and when the sides of the sheet are cooked, gently remove it from the pan and keep it away from the air. The bastilla sheet is used according to the recipe you want to prepare.

For information: Place the bastilla sheet on a sheet of food plastic and then brush it with oil so that the sheets do not stick together. Use the same cup to measure the ingredients.

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