... B’stilla my beating heart! I
Phone: Website: Opening hours: Children: Disabled access: The bill: Would you go back? DO hope your Christmases went well, everybody, and that you’re still enjoying those turkey sandwiches. Don’t forget, though, that turkey makes an incredible stock, ideal for risottos, soups and stews in the New Year, so don’t just bin the bird or bestow it upon a domestic pet.
Chop a few carrots, onions and celery sticks, break up the carcass, add a little wine and lots of water and let it simmer gently for a couple of hours on the stovetop. You’ll have a rich, tasty stock in no time at all. Freeze it in batches for whenever you need chicken stock in a recipe.
And so, we now turn our attention to the New Year. Politics aside, I’ve had a good 2017, and it’ll be nice to bid it adieu in the company of good friends and far too much alcohol.
I’m keeping it simple for my New Year’s dinner – in fact, the ragù sauce for our pasta is already made and in the freezer (Tracy makes the most delicious duck ragù – I must ask her if she’d ever consider sharing the recipe for one of these pieces!) but for some people, the few relaxed days leading up to the 31st allow for a bit of culinary experimentation.
With this in mind, I thought I’d try a recipe that I’ve cooked a few times, always with great results. An online discussion recently reminded me of this dish, and we mused upon how every country has its own preferred version of a sweet/savoury flavour.
Some countries have a much stronger liking for the myriad combinations of salt and sugar – the USA for instance, with its love of maple and bacon and the traditional marshmallow-topped sweet potato mash that accompanies the Thanksgiving turkey.
In Italy, the use of agrodolce (literally sour-sweet) in dishes is common – often a simple combination of caramel and vinegar with herbs and spices to be drizzled over vegetables and cooked meats. The subcontinent has its famous combinations of hot curries with cooling pickles and sweet chutneys, and here in the UK we are partial to a slice of mousetrap cheddar with our fruitcake.
A trip to the cinema isn’t complete for me without a bag of popcorn, half sweet-half salty. Care must be taken with such things – it’s all in the balance – but when it’s right it’s magical. And this recipe, a North African classic, is unique in its use of combined sweet and savoury flavours.
B’stilla is a filo pastry pie containing highly-spiced shredded pigeon and aromatics, bound with a little egg and ground almonds, and baked to golden, crunchy perfection before being liberally doused with icing sugar and cinnamon. The combination works so well, a carnival of intense flavours and textural sensations.
It originates in Andalucía, where it’s known as Pastilla, but since crossing the Strait of Gibraltar, it’s taken on legendary status in the countries of the Maghreb. Spices moved into the recipe, as did the addition of that essential dusting of cinnamon and sugar. There’s nothing like that unforgettable combination of deeply-spiced pigeon, crunchy pastry and sweet cinnamon-y sugar.
As an accompaniment, I made up a little sweet-savoury salad made with shredded carrot, lemon, honey and spices. It’s a refreshing, cooling and crunchy combination that sits well alongside the hot, spicy pie. Do give this recipe a go – it’s an absolute taste sensation. A note here – if you don’t fancy pigeon, try chicken or perhaps even leftover roast lamb around which to build your b’stilla. I reckon it’d work every bit as well.
And all that’s left now is to wish you all a very happy New Year. Cheers!