Friday, August 7, 2009

Flavorgasm

I made my own version of Moroccon B'stilla. I need to prepare myself for Morocco, right? I had an idea of how it was supposed to taste, and although I didn't have all the right ingredients, it came out wonderfully well! I'm proud of myself!

So this is what I did:

1 big, fat and juicy chicken
2 carrots, 1 onion, 1 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, a dash of salt, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of harissa

3 carrots, peeled and finely cubed
1 onion, diced
1 teaspoon of oil

1/2 cup of pine nuts (I didn't have any blanched almonds, sorry)
1 tablespoon of sugar

2 sheets of puff pastry
1 egg yolk

coriander
2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and diced

Give the chicken a new home in your largest cook pot. Cover it with water and the seasonings, to make a wonderful chicken stock. Don't bother to peel the carrot nor the onion. They are only meant for the stock. You won't eat them afterwards. Cook the chicken for about 45 min until tender.

Stir fry the carrots with the onion in the oil. They don't have to be tender all the way. Some crunchiness is required. Let the carrot mix sit on a plate until you need it further on.
Throw the pine nuts in the pan you used for the carrots. Let them toast until golden. Don't walk away, because you might get surprised! Sprinkle the sugar over the nuts and toss, so they all get a sugar coating. Let the nuts rest on a plate.

Once the chicken is cooked, it's time to get it out of its pot. Be careful not to burn yourself, removing the skin and bones. Tear the chicken into small strips. Grab a bunch of coriander and chop it. Mix it under the chicken strips. Don't forget to feed your taste buds! Add some chicken stock, if you think the filling is too dry. Add the chopped eggs and give it a last stir.

Now it's about time to preheat the oven, to 200° Celcius, or 400° Fahrenheit.
Unwrap the puff pastry. Lay one sheet in front of you. Spoon the chicken mixture out onto the circle of dough, leaving some space to seal afterwards. Spoon the carrots on top of the chicken and sprinkle the sugar coated nuts over the carrots.
Take the second sheet of puff pastry and cover the first one. Press well to seal in all the flavors!
Brush egg yolk over the top for a golden and tasty B'stilla!

NOTE:

* the original recipe asks for phyllo pastry instead of puff pastry
* the original recipe asks for blanched almonds, but pine nuts or even pistachios will do
* next time, I think I will add some snipped, dried apricots as well!
* In Morocco, the locals sprinkle powdered sugar and cinnamon over the baked B'stilla. I skipped that part. I would want to try it though. I'm sure it tastes wonderful!


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