Moroccan Pastilla (B'stilla) with Pigeon or Chicken

About This Recipe

Pastilla (or b'stilla, bisteeya) is the queen of Moroccan cuisine — a savory pie of impossible sophistication that arrives at the table dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon, looking more like a dessert than a starter. Traditionally made with pigeon in the imperial cities of Fez and Marrakech (chicken is the modern home substitute), the bird is slow-cooked with onion, ginger, saffron, cinnamon and a half-cup of fresh coriander until the meat shreds easily. The braising liquid is reduced with eggs whisked in to create a soft, custardy mass — sweet, savory and aromatic. This filling is layered with toasted, lightly sweetened almonds and wrapped in sheets of warqa, a paper-thin Moroccan pastry similar to filo or brick. The whole thing is baked until the pastry is shatteringly crisp and deep gold, then dusted lavishly with icing sugar and traced with crisscross lines of cinnamon. The first bite — the crunch of pastry, the floral cinnamon-laced poultry, the unexpected sweetness on the tongue — is one of the most surprising and seductive experiences in world cuisine. Pastilla is the centerpiece of Moroccan wedding feasts and major celebrations, and its preparation is considered the test of a true cook. This recipe scales it down to a manageable Saturday dinner project using chicken thighs and easily-found filo pastry.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1.2 kgbone-in chicken thighs (or 6 squab/pigeon for the classic version)
• 2 largeyellow onions, finely chopped
• 1 tspsaffron threads, soaked in 3 tbsp hot water
• 1 tspground ginger, plus 1 tsp ground cinnamon and 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 large bunchfresh coriander and parsley mixed, finely chopped (about 100 g)
• 6large eggs, lightly beaten
• 200 gblanched whole almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 100 gicing sugar (50 g for almonds, 50 g for dusting)
• 200 ggood-quality filo pastry sheets (12–14 sheets), thawed
• 150 gunsalted butter, melted

Instructions

1. 1

   Braise the chicken

   In a heavy pot, combine chicken, chopped onions, saffron water, ginger, cinnamon, pepper, half the herbs, 1 tsp salt, 100 g of the butter, and 250 ml water. Cover and simmer over low heat 45–60 minutes, turning occasionally, until the chicken falls off the bone. The onions should be melting and the liquid deeply golden.

2. 2

   Shred the meat

   Lift the chicken out of the liquid with tongs and let cool slightly. Pull all the meat off the bones and shred coarsely with your fingers; discard skin and bones. Set the meat aside. Strain the cooking liquid and return to the pot, discarding the onion solids only if you prefer a smoother filling (most Moroccan cooks keep them).

   Save the bones for stock — they make an exceptional Moroccan chicken broth seasoned with the same spices.

3. 3

   Make the egg custard

   Reduce the strained braising liquid over medium heat until it's down to about 200 ml and quite thick — 10–12 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and pour in the beaten eggs, whisking constantly. Continue stirring with a spatula for 3–4 minutes until the eggs scramble loosely into thick curds suspended in the saffron broth. Pull off the heat the moment it's set but still moist.

4. 4

   Prepare the almond mix

   In a separate bowl, mix the toasted chopped almonds with 50 g of the icing sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. The almonds should look like sweet, dusty rubble. This sweet-crunchy layer is what makes pastilla unmistakable.

5. 5

   Build the pastilla

   Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Brush a 26 cm round springform tin with melted butter. Layer 6 sheets of filo in the tin, one at a time, brushing each with butter and overlapping in a star pattern so the edges drape generously over the sides. Spread half the shredded chicken evenly, then the egg custard, then the almond mixture, then the remaining chicken. Fold the overhanging filo edges up and over the filling. Top with 4 more sheets of buttered filo, tucking edges down inside the tin to form a neat top.

6. 6

   Bake

   Brush the top with the last of the melted butter. Bake 35–45 minutes until the top is deep golden brown, crisp and crackling, and the bottom (when lifted with a spatula) is equally golden. If the top browns too fast, tent loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.

7. 7

   Dust and serve

   Let rest 5 minutes, then carefully unmold onto a serving platter. Dust the top heavily with the remaining 50 g of icing sugar through a fine sieve — be generous, it should look like fresh snow. With ground cinnamon in a separate sieve, dust crisscross diagonal lines across the white sugar to make the signature pastilla pattern. Serve hot, cut into wedges with a sharp knife.

Variations

• •

  Seafood pastilla (bastilla bil hout) — replace chicken with a mix of monkfish, prawns, calamari and vermicelli noodles, omit sugar and cinnamon dust; modern Casablanca creation.

• •

  Vegetarian pastilla — fill with spiced spinach, chickpeas, raisins and toasted almonds; equally good.

• •

  Individual pastillas — make 12 small parcels in filo cups instead of one large pie; perfect for dinner parties.

• •

  Marrakchi style — add a handful of raisins and orange-blossom water to the egg layer for a sweeter, more aromatic version.

Storage

Best eaten the day it's baked while the pastry is at peak crispness. Refrigerate leftovers up to 2 days; re-crisp in a 180°C oven 10 minutes (never microwave — the pastry turns soggy beyond rescue). Assembled but unbaked pastilla can be frozen up to 1 month; bake from frozen, adding 15 minutes to cook time.

Frequently Asked Questions