Phyllo pies
The best phyllo pies are crispy, buttery, and stuffed to the edges with savoury and flavourful filling. The crust of a phyllo pie is a good counter balance to a rich filling, think of a salty spanakopita. I’ve cooked phyllo pies from different books and I can say unequivocally this is the best one. Basteeya is not a difficult dish but it is time consuming. You need to make the individual components first, and then layer phyllo pastry with butter, which is, again, not technically hard but laborious. The result of your labour, though, is worth the labour entirely. Mourad writes that he makes this and then keeps it in the fridge for a few days, sneaking slices until it’s gone. I can vouch that this made absolutely excellent leftovers. Ottolenghi makes a basteeya (Chicken Pastilla) in the Nopi cookbook that is also delicious, but this one is better!
BEST PHYLLO PIE
Basteeya
From Mourad: New Moroccan by Mourad Lahlou
Set aside ¼ tbsp ground coriander, 2 tbsp ground ginger, 1 tbsp ground white pepper, 1 tbsp ground turmeric, one 3-inch cinnamon stick, 2½ tsps saffron, 1½ tsp kosher salt, 2bsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley, 2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro.
For the almond mixture, set aside 67g sugar, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, 1/8 tsp grated nutmeg, pinch of ground cloves.
Dice 1 kilo onions (sorry). Mince 1/2 cup garlic. Finely chop 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley. Finely chop some cilantro.
Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Heat 212ml of grapeseed or canola oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until they have release some liquid, and then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 15 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the spice mixture and cook for another 8-10 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan often to save from burning them. Spread the onions on a flameproof baking dish (I actually use my dutch oven) with high sides. Arrange 6 chicken thighs and 6 chicken drumsticks on top. Pour 293ml water over top and bring to a simmer on your stovetop. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil, put in the oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours or until the chicken pieces are tender enough to pull easily from the bone.
Meanwhile, spread 385g almonds on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the centres are golden brown (crack one open to see). Working batches, pulse the nuts in a food processor until finely ground. Toss with the sugar mixture from your mise en place, then stir in 4 tbsp (48g) butter and 1½ tsp orange blossom water. Add up to 2 more tbsp butter as needed.
Once the chicken it cooked, remove the chicken from the onions and set aside. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick. Scoop out and strain 135 g of the braising liquid. Set the pan of onions on the stovetop and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce to maintain a gentle simmer. Beat 4 eggs with an immersion blender and then quickly strain them into the onions, using the immersion blender to mix in the eggs and thicken the sauce, 3 to 4 minutes. Continue blending and whisking even after the eggs are cooked. After about 5 minutes, after the eggs and fat have separated, remove from the heat and drain in a fine mesh strainer. Put the egg and onion mixture in a bowl and stir in 1tbsp of parsley. Taste the mixture and season to taste with cilantro, additional parsley, and salt. Set aside.
Working over a bowl, remove the skin from the chicken and pull the meat off the bones in as large as possible pieces. Discard the skin. Stir in the reserved braising liquid and 1 tbsp parsley. Store the chicken and egg mixtures and almond mixture separately.
Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Take the fillings out of the fridge and bring to room temp. Melt 1 cup of clarified butter. If you have a spray bottle, put it in there. Otherwise, get a pastry brush out. It is important to keep the phyllo sheets covered with a damp towel or they will dry out. Put a lemon half at your workstation and run your fingertip over the cut lemon before you life each phyllo sheet to help them separate.
Fold 1 piece of phyllo in half and place the fold in the centre, or slightly off centre, of a 9” french skillet (with gently curved sides), to give you about 3 inches of overhang. Continue to work around the bottom of the pan. It should take 4 sheets of phyllo to cover the pan. Spray or brush the layer with butter. Repeat with the remaining 5 sheets but this time, place the sheets of phyllo closer to the edges so that the overhanging phyllo will reach the centre of the basteeya once it is filled and the phyllo is folded over. Spray or brush the layer with butter.
Put 1 ½ cups of the egg mixture in the centre of the pan and spread it in an even layer. Top with chicken. Sprinkle and spread around 2 cups of the almond mixture over the chicken. Spread the remaining egg mixture on top. Starting with the last sheet of phyllo you added fold over the sheet toward the centre, folding in the edges as needed so the sheets lie evenly over the top. Spray or brush with butter. Continue in the same manner with all of the sheets until the basteeya is completely encase in phyllo. Spray or brush with butter.
Bake for 1 hour-1 hour 15 minutes, or until the phyllo is golden brown and crisp. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Carefully invert the basteeya onto a baking sheet then, using two spatulas, transfer to a serving platter. Blot the surface with paper towels. Lay a mesh cooling rack over top of the basteeya and spoon the powdered sugar into a mesh strainer. Dust the basteeya with an even layer of powdered sugar, cut the basteeya and serve with a fresh green salad.
