CHICKEN PASTILLA WITH CINNAMON AND ALMONDS
PG tested
Pastilla is a sweet and savory Moroccan pie made with phyllo pastry. These are stuffed with ground chicken perfumed with cinnamon and orange zest, then cut into egg roll-like “cigars” for easy grazing. They’re best served warm, with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Remember to keep the phyllo under a damp towel to prevent it from drying out, and don’t skimp on the olive oil when stacking the individual pastry sheets. Don’t panic if the sheet tears in the process of layering — simply patch the torn piece back together, brush on a little more oil and cover with another sheet of phyllo.
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing phyllo
½ onion, thinly sliced
½ bulb fennel, thinly sliced
1 pound ground chicken Kosher salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon orange zest
6 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
1 large egg, beaten
½ cup sliced almonds
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Warm oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion and fennel and cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies have softened but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add chicken and continue cooking, stirring to break up meat, until it begins to brown, about 8 minutes. Add several big pinches of salt, cinnamon and orange zest. Stir to combine.
Brush one sheet of phyllo generously with oil and layer 2 more sheets onto it, brushing each layer generously with oil. Cut the stacked sheet in half lengthwise, putting one half aside.
With a short side facing you, top the stacked phyllo with half of the chicken mixture, leaving a small margin all around all sides. Roll into a cigar shape, cutting phyllo once it’s overlapped a bit. You should get 3 cigars from each half of the stacks. Repeat with other stack, then repeat the process with the remaining 3 sheets of phyllo to make the rest of the cigars.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange cigars on a baking sheet and brush with beaten egg. Top with sliced almonds. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately.
Makes 12 pastilla “cigars.”