Best Squab Bstilla Recipes

MOROCCAN CHICKEN PIE

Steps:

• Make the chicken filling: Season the chicken thighs generously on both sides with salt and pepper; go heavy on the pepper. Set aside.
• Put olive oil in a wide, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, season with salt, and cook, stirring, until softened and beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, turmeric, saffron, ginger, allspice and cinnamon, and stir to combine.
• Place seasoned chicken thighs on top of onion mixture, add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a brisk simmer, cover with lid ajar and cook until chicken is tender, about 30 minutes.
• Remove thighs from pot and let cool. Continue to cook onion mixture until all broth has evaporated and only onion remains. Turn off heat and let onions cool.
• Remove and discard skin and bones from chicken thighs. Tear thigh meat into 1-inch strips and add to onion mixture. Add raisins and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning. (Chicken can be prepared in advance until this point.)
• Put ricotta in a bowl and add mint, preserved lemon, lemon juice, lemon zest and a little salt. Stir to combine, and set aside. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Remove phyllo from package, unroll to make a flat stack and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Assemble the pie: Brush bottom and sides of a 12-inch paella pan or low, round earthenware casserole with warm melted butter. Lay 2 sheets of phyllo side by side in pan, overlapping in the middle by 1 inch, pressing down in the center so phyllo lines bottom of pan, leaving the excess hanging over the sides. Butter the sheets from the center all the way to the edges.
• Repeat the process with 2 more sheets of phyllo, set at a slight angle to the first layer. Paint this layer with butter all the way to the edges. Repeat, setting the pastry again at a slight angle to the previous layer, so the overhanging edges make a complete circle by the end of the process. Make 7 buttered layers of 2 sheets each.
• Fill the pie: Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with half the almonds and pistachios. Spread the chicken mixture evenly across the pan. Drop spoonsful of the ricotta mixture over the chicken mixture. Top the ricotta layer with remaining pistachios and almonds.
• Close the pie by folding all the overhanging phyllo sheets gently toward the center of the pan, pressing to enclose the filling. Brush more butter over the top and tuck in and smooth any stray phyllo.
• Bake the pie for 35 to 40 minutes, until nicely browned and crisp. To unmold, invert pie onto a cool baking sheet, exposing the flat top (formerly the bottom) of the pie. With spatulas, carefully transfer pie to a serving platter.
• Put confectioners' sugar in a mesh strainer, and shake to cover the pie generously, like a thin layer of fallen snow. Cut into wedges to serve, but for the best experience, forgo the fork, and eat the pie with your fingers.

TURKEY B'STILLA

Steps:

• Make almond sugar:
• In a food processor finely grind together almonds, sugar, and cinnamon.
• Make filling:
• Mince garlic. Chop cilantro and mint. Chop enough onion to measure 1 1/2 cups.
• In a large saucepan bring broth to a boil and remove pan from heat. Stir in saffron and steep 10 minutes. Add turkey and simmer mixture, stirring and breaking up lumps, 2 minutes, or until meat is just cooked through. In a large sieve set over a bowl drain turkey mixture and return drained cooking liquid to pan. Transfer turkey mixture to a large bowl. Boil cooking liquid until reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 10 minutes. Transfer 1/4 cup liquid to a small bowl and reserve. Reduce heat to moderate and add whites in a stream to liquid remaining in pan, whisking. Cook mixture, whisking, until whites are opaque, about 2 minutes. Add egg mixture to turkey mixture and stir until combined. In a non-stick skillet heat oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook onion, stirring, until golden. Add ras el hanout, flour, gingerroot, and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add reserved cooking liquid and boil, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Add mixture to turkey with raisins, lemon juice, cilantro, and mint, stirring until combined well. Cool filling completely. Filling may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Stack phyllo sheets on a work surface and cover stack with overlapping sheets of plastic wrap and then a dampened kitchen towel. Working quickly (phyllo dries out easily), arrange 1 phyllo sheet in a 9-inch glass pie plate, letting edges hang over. Sprinkle bottom with 2 teaspoons almond sugar and 1 tablespoon bread crumbs. Repeat layering 2 more times, arranging each phyllo sheet in a different position to create an even overhang all around. Top with remaining phyllo sheet and spoon filling evenly into shell. Sprinkle filling with 2 teaspoons almond sugar and carefully fold overhanging phyllo over top of filling to enclose it completely (phyllo will be very brittle; don't worry if it breaks). Sprinkle remaining almond sugar over top. Bake pie in lower third of oven 25 minutes (top will be golden brown in places).
• Dust pie with confectioners' sugar and cinnamon and serve immediately.

B'STELLA WITH SQUAB

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a casserole pan, then add onions, squab, parsley, cilantro, black pepper, saffron, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and salt, to taste. Stir well, then add 2 cups of water. Cover and cook for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Remove squab from casserole and set aside. Continue cooking the sauce and add the beaten eggs. Mix well with the sauce and keep stirring at all times, so eggs won't stick to the bottom of the casserole. When eggs are well cooked, remove from the heat and pour into a strainer. Let casserole sit for about 20 to 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cover the phyllo with a damp towel so it will not dry out.
• Take an ovenproof frying pan and brush generously with butter. Very gently, spread 5 sheets of phyllo dough over the pan (in a criss-cross way), leaving some phyllo dough draped around the edges of the pan.
• Add another sheet of phyllo crunched in the middle of the pan. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Pour some of the cinnamon sugar all around the phyllo. Then, add 1/2 of the roasted crushed almonds. Cover with 3 more layers of phyllo and pour on 1/2 of the eggs with half of the squab. Cover again with 3 layers of phyllo and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar and almonds.
• Cover with 3 layers of phyllo and pour on the rest of the eggs and the squab. Cover with 2 layers of crunched phyllo and close the draping edges very gently like a rose, without pushing. It needs to be very fluffy.
• Pour the melted butter over the leaves and bake it for about 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.
• Turn the pan upside down onto a large platter. Mix together remaining cinnamon and sugar. Garnish with powdered sugar and make a design with the mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Serve hot.