Ingredients
140gm blanched almonds
1 tbsp orange blossom water
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp sugar
10-15 filo dough sheets
1 tbsp icing sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon powder
1kg chicken thigh
5 tbsp butter
4 medium onions, chopped
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp powdered cinnamon
5 to 6 saffron strands
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
6 eggs
1 tsp turmeric powder
Method
1. To prepare the almonds, heat the oven to 200°C.
2. Spread almonds in one layer in a shallow baking pan. Roast for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden.
3. To make the chicken pastilla, heat 4 tbsps butter in a large pot. Braise the chicken pieces on all sides for a few minutes, then remove. Add the onions with the spices -- ginger, cinnamon and saffron.
4. Return the chicken to the pot, add 1. To prepare the almonds heat the oven to 200°C.
2. Spread almonds in one layer in a shallow baking pan. Roast for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden.
3. To make the chicken pastilla, heat 4 tbsps butter in a large pot. Braise the chicken pieces on all sides for a few minutes, then remove. Add the onions with the spices - ginger, cinnamon and saffron.
4. Return the chicken to the pot, add 1/2 cup chopped parsley, season and cover. Allow to gently simmer over low heat for about an hour.
5. Remove the chicken.
6. Reduce the chicken sauce until there is almost no liquid remaining.
7. Add the eggs to the sauce and stir constantly on low heat until you have a creamy consistency. Remove.
8. Remove the meat from the bones, and shred it with your fingers.
9. Take a round cake mould (or tart ring) and brush it with melted butter.
10. Thaw the frozen phyllo completely in the refrigerator for 24 hours and bring to room temperature before using it (the dough can be gummy if thawed too quickly outside the refrigerator. Make sure that the hands are dry when handling the phyllo dough).
11. Cut the phyllo sheets in half with a pair of scissors. Wrap one half well with plastic wrap and insert into a zip-style plastic bag.
12. Lay one phyllo sheet on a flat surface and brush with clarified butter. Fold it in half and brush the two sides.
13. Use a sharp knife to cut off a 2-3 inch wide strip of phyllo dough from one end.
14. Line a baking sheet with silicone liner or parchment paper and place a buttered ring on top (use a ring varying between 2 and 6 inches in diameter).
15. Lay one strip of the phyllo on a tart ring, repeat the process 3-6 times, laying the strips at different rotation points each time. Any remaining phyllo should be wrapped carefully and placed in the fridge for later use.
16. Shape the dough over the filling to form a triangle.
17. Continue folding in triangles until all of the edges are sealed (like folding a flag).
18. Brush some melted butter over the end strip so that when you give it the final fold it stays shut.
19. Preheat the oven to 205°C. Meanwhile, freeze the wrapped pastilla in a plastic wrap.
20. Place the pastilla in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the tart ring before flipping the pastilla and baking for another 15-20 minutes or until golden.
21. To serve, turn the pastilla out on to a plate and dust with icing sugar and cinnamon.
