Making Bastilla (Bisteeya)
I spent a lot of time playing in orchestra pits as a youth. Trombone at first, then later bass. I played high school musicals mostly, and let me tell you those were some tough scores! But fun. I particularly enjoyed the overtures, when the house lights would go down, the strings would come up and the orchestra would acquaint the audience with the themes they would be hearing over the next couple of hours.
I was put in mind of those days while eating bastilla. Traditionally bastilla isn’t a main course but rather the opening of a feast. I now understand the genius of that, since bastilla has virtually every flavor and texture imaginable in it: savory, sweet, sour, spicy, hot, crisp, moist, chewy, crunchy…the list goes on. In it is a preview of every major theme that awaits the diner in a Moroccan meal. In other words, it’s a culinary overture. Begin yours by combining the butter and onions in a medium pot set over medium-high heat.
Cook until the onion is translucent, then add your spices, the cinnamon stick and chopped green (hot) pepper. Cook for a few minutes more.
Put in about two pounds of chicken parts or squab (on the bone). Or for you vegetarians out there, about a pound and a half of assorted winter root vegetables. I used a pound and a half of boneless chicken thighs since I happened to have them in the freezer. That’s as much meat as this pie can stand.
Cover with 2 cups of stock. This is some homemade brown chicken stock. It’s cold which is why it has a lumpy look…all the gelled collagen, donchaknow.
In goes the saffron…
…and the whole thing simmers for about 20-25 minutes. Note I use the word “simmer”, not “boil.” The below picture is what simmering looks like in live motion. The surface barely quivers…just the odd small bubble or two. You don’t want to boil this because boiling overcooks the meat, giving you dry chicken — even though it’s immersed in liquid. So be careful to just cook the chicken until it’s just done and no more.
When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pot and set it on a plate to cool. Then shred it.
Meanwhile, reduce the liquid down. Remove the cinnamon stick then boil the whole mixture down to maybe a cup and a half — at most — over medium-high heat. I’ve seen bisteeya recipes that call for discarding some of this liquid. Blasphemy! You don’t want to throw even a drop of this flavor away. Concentrate it instead, you won’t be sorry.
Now then, with the sauce reduced, drop the heat to medium and add the parsley and cilantro.
Let that cook a couple of minutes, then add in the eggs.
Stir that around until the eggs scramble and almost all the liquid is absorbed.
Then add back the chicken. One of your two mixtures is now ready. Set that aside while you prepare the almond-sugar mixture.
Toast the whole or slivered almonds in a 400 oven for about ten minutes. Get a nice tan on them.
Combine them with the sugar and the cinnamon in a food processor…
…and grind to a crumbly texture. There, that’s done. Time to assemble! Turn the oven down to 375.
Secure a 9″ cast iron skillet or cake pan. Lay in several sheets of warqa pastry or phyllo in an overlapping pattern and brush them with butter. Give yourself plenty of overhang. Put another sheet right in the center there, lining the bottom (not shown). (Some assembly required).
Lay in about half the almond mixture.
Then the chicken & egg mixture.
Top that with the rest of the almond mixture…
…then fold in the dough sheets over the top. Brush some butter on the top…
…then place three or four more sheets of dough on the top, buttering each as you go, and tuck the edges down around the sides.
More butter!
Put that in your oven — a brick oven is fun to use for this, say, if you’ve baked bread earlier in the day and it’s been cooling down. The nice thing about bastilla is that you don’t really have to worry about doneness all that much. The ingredients are all pre-cooked. All that really needs to happen is for the pastry to brown.
To finish the pastry, sprinkle on some toasted slivered almonds. Dust those with cinnamon..
…then powdered sugar. Alternately you can leave off the almonds, apply the powdered sugar, then lay down stripes of cinnamon in a criss-crossing pattern. Many Moroccan bastillas are finished this way.
Done! Serve this slightly warm or at room temperature. You can transfer the bastilla to a serving dish or go the rustic route and serve it straight from the pan. It doesn’t slice terribly well, but then in Morocco you’d just scoop some up and eat it by hand in the Arab style. The manner in which it makes it to your mouth isn’t very important, so long as it gets there.
I cannot wait to try this! I remember eating this once as a child and LOVING it! What else would you serve with this if you made it as a main dish? (I’m thinking this will be perfect for Sunday dinner)
It’s a rich but excellent main dish. Honestly it doesn’t need much other than maybe a salad. Some sort of green vegetable makes a nice accompaniment. Let me know what you think!
Absolutely beautiful.
Thanks Chana! Try this…even my little girls couldn’t get enough of it. You’ll love it.
Joe, this looks absolutely magnificent!!!! When
you were making the warqa, I was trying to
visualize what this would look like finished.
I have to say, I never imagined anything like
this. You have my mouth watering!! When I
make this I’m going to to make two, one
for me, and one for everyone else!! I may
even need a bigger cast iron pan!! “Great
Job Brother!!”
Hah! Thanks Ben. The multiple pies is a good idea. The missus took the leftovers to work to share and she didn’t get any! Trust me, it goes fast.
That looks wonderful. When i make this, i am going to make individual bite site packets, should be great for picnics.
Yes, I should have mentioned that small, individual pies are also acceptable!
Thanks HB!
Oh! Great idea. Cuz I can never get the right size pan 🙂 Thanks so much, one less obstacle from me to bisteeya. Another one is that here in Ukraine thin filo pastry is not so wide spread, I’m almost desperate to find any, just the puff pastry and pizza bases all around, damn! One day I’ll make a bisteeya with puff pastry…
Hey, Joe-
I LOVE that you made this with a corresponding tutorial! Why? Because I’ve been intrigued by a recipe for B’stilla for several years and have always intended to make it but have chosen another wintery dish (cassoulet, a braise, whatever) instead. BUT… a few weeks ago I came across that clipped Bon App recipe in my over-stuffed “Dinner Party Ideas” file and decided this was my winter to make it — and then there YOU are making it all EASY for me to do! Thanks so much! Additionally, I’ve linked a recipe (for which I SEARCHED — not knowing the spelling — after seeing it on Jamie Oliver’s show) for a beautiful Morrocan cake that he made look blissfully easy that also uses phyllo to lovely effect. Making both in one night would be a bit…duplicative (or just fattening, I suppose) but both, individually, would certainly raise one’s celebrity status among friends… Thanks so much!
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Mhanncha-Snake-Cake-361411
Thanks Carissa! Let me know how it turns out. You’re not the first to bring up Moroccan “snake cake” since I started with the Bisteeya last week. I may have to knuckle under and make that soon (it’s also make with warqa, donchaknow). Looks like I’ll be back in Morocco before I know it!
Cheers and thanks,
– Joe
You make this sound so exotic and interesting and your tutorial makes it look very do-able. I’m missing the recipe, however.
Since I’ve never had it before I’d really like to be sure I’ve got some authorative info on quantities, etc. Particularly, when what I’m trying to achieve is a melding of such unaccustomed elements.
Care to share your recipe or direct me to a good one? Thanks in advance.
Hey there!
You must have found your way here through a google search. Welcome! All the recipes are listed in the directory to the left, tutorial and recipe together. Just look in the Pastry menu under “bisteeya” and you’ll find everything you need!
Cheers,
– Joe
Yup! Found the recipe entry made a few days before. It looks fantastic and I look forward to trying it.
Nope! Not a google search — I had no idea something like bisteeya existed until yesterday. It was Chowhound that featured your excellent tutorial.
Very nice of them! Thanks Rainey!
– Joe
Hey Joe,
I googled “Basteeya” and arrived at your page. Great, thorough and attractive step-by-step instructions. I thought that it would be a great accompaniment to Javaher Polow (Persian Jeweled Rice) which was featured in today’s NY Times. Now, what kind of salad, fruit or vegetable would go with this? I’m thinking something with oranges and mint…
Joe
I think that’s a great instinct, Joe. This pastry has so many flavors in it, something bright and citrus-y like you’re considering would be just about perfect. I’d think a light salad with cucumbers and oranges and a light vinaigrette of some sort would be perfect.
– Joe
Hi Joe,
This looks delicious! How many eggs do I need to put in it? Is there any place that I can get the quantities for your recipes?
Hey Lilli!
Go here and you’ll find the recipe at the bottom:
http://joepastry.com/category/pastry/bastilla-bisteeya/
– Joe
This looks amazing! Can you email me the list of ingredients and measurements? I plan to double this recipe for Christmas Eve dinner.
Hi Herica!
You can find everything on the blog in the menus on the left, the recipes are at the bottom. Here you go — and let me know how it turns out!
http://joepastry.com/category/pastry/bastilla-bisteeya/
– joe