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BASTILLA
This is a time-consuming dish, although you can make it over two days.
It is also worth every second. A kind of ambrosia.
3 cornish hens or one 2-3 Lb fryer
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. salt
1 t. ginger root, finely minced
1 t. coriander
1/2 t. coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 t. tumeric
Pinch saffron
1 c. hot water
3 cinnamon sticks
1 large onion, finely minced
1 c. minced parsley
1/4 lb. butter, cut into bits
3 T. butter
1-1/2 c. blanched almonds
1/4 c. powdered sugar
2 t. cinnamon
3 T. lemon juice
6 eggs, beaten until frothy
Salt to taste
13 phyllo sheets
Butter
Sifted powdered sugar
Ground cinnamon
1. Wash the hens or chicken well; pat dry inside and out, reserving glblets.
2. Rub inside with a paste of the garlic and salt. Let stand 10 minutes
and then place the hens and glblets into a saucepan in which they fit
snugly.
3. Combine ginger root, coriander, black pepper, tumeric, saffron and
hot water Pour over hens and add water to cover. Sprinkle cinnamon sticks,
onion, parsley and butter on top. Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat and
cook 1 hour or until hens are tender. Let cool in stock, remove and shred
meat and glblets into small pieces. Set aside.
4. In heavy skillet brown the almonds in the butter. Drain on paper toweling,
cool and chop finely. Combine with sugar and cinnamon. Set almond mixture
aside.
5. Remove the cinnamon sticks from the stock and cook stock over medium-high
heat until reduced to 1-1/2 c. Lower heat to medium and add the lemon
juice. Keep at a simmer and gradually beat in the eggs. Cook, stirring
constantly, 10 minutes, or until eggs are cooked but not dry. Remove from
heat and season with salt to taste.
6. Stack 4 sheets of phyllo on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 400 degrees oven
1 minute, so leaves are crisp but not browned. Set aside.
7. Spread an iron 12-inch skillet lavishly with melted butter and arrange
6 buttered phyllo sheets in the pan, letting edges hang over the sides.
(Be sure to keep unused phyllo covered with slightly damp towel to prevent
drying out.) Fold another buttered sheet and place in center of skillet.
Sprinkle with reserved almond mixture.
8. Cover with half of the egg mixture. Top with two of the baked phyllo
sheets. Layer over the sheets, the reserved hen meat and glblets. Top
with the remaining baked phyllo sheets; cover with remaining egg mixture.
9. Fold edges of dough over and brush with melted butter. Arrange remaining
2 unbaked phyllo sheets on top, tucking edges in . under pie to enclose
completely. Brush with melted butter. Bake in a 425 oven 20 minutes, or
until golden brown. Shake pan slightly, loosen edges of pie with spatula
and invert on buttered cookie sheet, pouring off any excess butter and
reserving it. 10.
Brush top with reserved butter and bake approximately 10 minutes, or until
golden. Remove from oven and sprinkle lavishly with powdered sugar. Make
a criss-cross pattern on top with ground cinnamon. Slide onto heated serving
plate and serve immediately.
10-12 first course servings or 6 main dish
From "Middle Eastern Cookery" by Eva Zane
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