Moroccan Chicken Pastilla

La storia di questo piatto

Pastilla is the gold of Fès: a Maghrebi dish whose birth sources place between Andalusia and Fès, from the thirteenth century to the Moorish exodus of 1492. Pigeon is the traditional heart; chicken is the modern, more common voice, but the sweet-and-spiced soul of the old table remains.

Ingredienti

• 900 g Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 500 g White onions
• 120 g Butter
• 1 pinch Saffron threads
• 1 teaspoon Ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon (for the filling)
• 20 g Fresh parsley
• 20 g Fresh coriander
• 400 ml Water for cooking the chicken
• 4 piece Eggs for the filling
• 150 g Blanched almonds
• 2 tablespoon Granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
• 6 g Fine salt
• 1 teaspoon Ground black pepper
• 12 piece Warqa or filo pastry sheets (large, about 30 cm)
• 1 piece Egg for brushing
• 3 tablespoon Icing sugar for decoration
• 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon for decoration

Preparazione

1. Slice the onions into thin strips and roughly chop the parsley and coriander, stems included: they hold the most intense aroma. In a wide, shallow pan melt 40 g of butter over medium heat and wait until it just foams. Place the thighs skin-side down and let them brown for 6-8 minutes without moving them, until golden and you smell a nutty aroma; turn them and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove and set aside, but don't wash the pan: that dark bottom is flavour gold.
2. In the same pan, over medium-low heat, add the onions with 2 g of salt: the salt helps them release their water without colouring too quickly. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon, until soft and translucent. Add the ginger, half a teaspoon of the filling cinnamon, the pepper, the saffron crumbled between your fingers and the chopped herbs. Stir for a minute, until the kitchen smells of warm spices.
3. Return the chicken to the pan, pour in the 400 ml of water and bring to a gentle simmer. Then lower the heat to minimum, cover partly with the lid and let it simmer slowly. It should only tremble: if it boils vigorously the meat dries out and toughens. The chicken is ready when the meat pulls away from the bone at the slightest touch of a fork and the broth has turned amber and fragrant.
4. Remove the chicken from the pan and let it cool slightly. Meanwhile raise the heat and reduce the broth, stirring occasionally, for 10-12 minutes, until it becomes a thick, velvety sauce that coats the spoon: about 200 ml should remain. Turn off the heat and add 4 g of salt. When the chicken is warm, shred it by hand, discarding skin, bones and cartilage, and set it aside.
5. Toast the almonds in a dry pan over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, shaking the pan often so they don't burn: they are ready when golden and smell of biscuit. Let them cool, then chop them roughly, leaving pieces that stay crunchy under the teeth. Mix them with the 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and the remaining half teaspoon of cinnamon. This is the sweet heart of the pastilla: don't skip it.
6. Return the sauce to medium-low heat. Beat the 4 filling eggs with a fork, pour them into the hot sauce and stir without stopping for 3-4 minutes, until they set into a lumpy, moist cream, like soft scrambled eggs. They must not dry out: they will finish cooking in the oven. Turn off the heat, add the shredded chicken and the lemon juice, then taste and adjust the salt, as the acidity makes the spices stand out. Let the filling cool completely, otherwise the warqa will go soggy.
7. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Melt the remaining 80 g of butter and grease a 26 cm baking tin. Keep the warqa sheets under a damp cloth, as they dry out and break in an instant, and work without wasting time. Line the tin with 6 large sheets, arranged like rays and partly overlapping, brushing each with butter and letting them overhang the rim like petals. Spread half the chicken filling, sprinkle the whole almond and sugar mixture over it, then cover with the remaining filling and level it with the back of a spoon.
8. Fold the overhanging edges toward the centre, then cover with the remaining 6 sheets, brushed with butter one by one and partly overlapping to close the surface well. Tuck the edges under the pie as you would a well-made bed, so it seals and doesn't open during baking. Brush the surface with the beaten egg and bake in the centre for 25-30 minutes, until the pastry is golden, puffed and slightly darker at the edges. When tapped with a finger it should sound dry and crisp.
9. Take the pastilla out and let it rest for 5 minutes, then carefully unmould it onto a plate. Mix the icing sugar with the decorative cinnamon and dust the surface through a sieve, drawing stripes or diamonds with the cinnamon as you like. Serve immediately, while still warm, and take a bite to feel the contrast between sweet and savoury, crisp and creamy. If the filling seems under-seasoned, a pinch more salt on the rim of the plate will fix everything.