Vegetable Pastilla With Moroccan Flavors Food

MOROCCAN PASTILLA

Steps:

• THE CRUST: If frozen, thaw out 1/2 pound (half a package) philo dough in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
• THE MEAT FILLING: In a large pan, combine 4 chicken breasts (cubed); 1 small onion (coarsely chopped); 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoons fresh thyme (or 1/8 teaspoons dried); and 2 cups of water. At this point, you could also add any vegetables you like such as mushrooms (sliced); green peas, a potato (peeled and cubed); a carrot (peeled and diced); kernels of corn; etc. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the vegetables and meat are thoroughly cooked (20-30 minutes).
• THE NUTS: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Place 1 cup almonds (finely chopped) in a shallow baking pan. Bake, stirring occasionally until golden brown (10-15 minutes). Cool.
• THE SPICES: In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger, and 1/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg.
• THE ONION MIXTURE: In a large frying pan, cook 1 small onion (finely chopped), in 3 tablespoons butter or margarine until limp but not browned.
• THE OTHER FILLING: In a medium bowl, whisk together 6 eggs; 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped); 1 teaspoons salt; 1/4 teaspoons black pepper (freshly ground); and 2 tablespoons fresh mild mint or parsley (chopped). Add to the ONION MIXTURE (from above) and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until eggs are softly set. Remove from heat.
• THE PASTILLA: Melt 1 cup butter or margarine. Use a brush to grease a 9-inch springform pan generously. Unroll the sheets of the phyllo dough so that they lie flat. Cover the dough with waxed paper and a wet paper towel so that they don't dry out. Line the pan with 1 sheet of dough, allowing the dough to extend over the edge of the pan. Brush the piece of dough generously with butter. Top with another piece of dough and brush with butter. Continue this until you have 8 layers of butter-brushed phyllo dough.
• FILLING THE PASTILLA: For the filling, add a layer of THE MEAT FILLING (from above), THE OTHER FILLING (from above), and then THE NUTS (from above). Sprinkle THE SPICES (from above) over the nuts.
• Fold the remaining sheets of phyllo dough to fit the pan. Reserve 2 sheets for the topping. Stack the phyllo over THE NUTS, brushing each layer with butter. Fold the edges of the phyllo that extend beyond the pan in toward the center. Top with the last 2 sheets of phyllo, folded to fit the pan; tuck any protruding edges down inside the rim of the pan. Brush with the remaining butter.
• Using a razor blade or small sharp knife, cut through the top layers of the dough down to THE NUTS to mark the pie in 8 wedge shapes.
• Bake until well browned and heated through (45 minutes to an hour).
• Remove the pan sides.
• Sift confectioner's sugar and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon over the top.
• Serve immediately, cut into the marked wedges.

VEGETABLE PASTILLA WITH MOROCCAN FLAVORS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F/180°C. Prepare a 9 inch pie pan with oil.
• Working in batches as needed, put the parsnips, onion, garlic, apricots, dates, olives and almonds in a food processor. Pulse until the pieces are pea sized.
• Heat oil and red pepper flakes in a large skillet. Add the chopped vegetables and 1 cup of water. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until the parsnips soften and the pan is mostly dry, about 15 minutes. Adjust the heat to prevent burning.Stir in the ras al hanout and cook for another minute. Turn off the heat and stir in the cilantro, lemon juice and zest.Taste and adjust the seasoning.
• Cut the phyllo dough into 9 inch squares.Put one square in the bottom of the pan, allowing the corners to drape over the sides. Brush with oil.Place another square at an angle and brush with oil. Repeat with two more sheets so the bottom of the pan is covered.
• Spread the vegetable mix evenly over the phyllo dough. Cover with 4 more sheets of phyllo as for the bottom, brushing each sheet with oil.Fold and tuck the edges of the phyllo into the pan to close the pastilla. Cut a couple small slits in the top. Cover with foil.
• Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the foil. Return the pastilla to the oven until golden brown, another 5-10 minutes.
• Combine the confectioners' sugar and cinnamon. Place into a small sieve and dust the top of the pie.Cut into wedges. Serve hot or at room temperature.