Best 4 Bisteeya Recipes

BISTEEYA

Steps:

• Place chicken in a large bowl along with garlic, salt, pepper, ginger, saffron, turmeric, and cinnamon sticks; set aside.
• Heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Melt 2 tablespoons butter and saute onion. Add chicken mixture and enough water to cover chicken. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 1/4 hours.
• Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saute pan. Add almonds and cook, stirring until browned. Remove from heat and let cool. Add confectioners' sugar and ground cinnamon; stir to combine. Set aside.
• Remove chicken and all bones from stock. Add lemon juice. Beat eggs and whisk into stock. Cook until thick and dry. Fold in parsley and cilantro; set aside.
• Remove and discard bones and skin from chicken, reserving meat. Shred with your fingers into small pieces (not larger than 1 inch, and preferably in shreds rather than chunks). Transfer to a medium bowl; stir in preserved lemons and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Brush a 10-by-2-inch round cake pan with clarified butter. Working with 1 sheet of phyllo at a time, place in cake pan, leaving edges to overhang pan. Brush with clarified butter before adding the next sheet in an overlapping circular pattern. Repeat process using 6 to 8 sheets of phyllo and clarified butter to cover bottom of pan.
• Top evenly with half of shredded chicken mixture. Cover chicken with half of almond mixture. Top this with half of egg mixture, then repeat layering process with remaining ingredients. Then take overhanging phyllo and fold toward center of pan.
• With another 6 to 8 sheets of phyllo and clarified butter, repeat overlapping circular pattern. Using scissors, trim a little excess phyllo. Tuck overhanging edges under the pie. Brush phyllo with clarified butter. Chill at least 30 minutes.
• Using a sharp knife, score phyllo in a diamond pattern. Bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes. If pie is not golden brown, increase oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven and dust with confectioners' sugar and, using your fingers, sprinkle with ground cinnamon in a decorative pattern. Slice and serve.

BISTEEYA

Steps:

• Place chicken thighs with onion, garlic, parsley, salt, turmeric and ginger. Toss well, rubbing chicken with the spices. Marinate 2 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.
• Cook chicken with the marinade, chicken broth and cinnamon sticks. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and gently simmer for 1 hour. Remove chicken from broth and set aside.
• Strain broth, and boil it on high heat about 10 minutes, until reduced to 1 3/4 to 2 cups.
• Toast almonds in the microwave for 3 minutes on high. Add powdered sugar and ground cinnamon. Set aside.
• After broth is reduced, add lemon juice and gently simmer another 10 minutes. Increase heat to medium and, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, slowly stir in beaten eggs. Cook, stirring, until eggs are set but not dry. Most of the liquid should evaporate. About 8-10 minutes. Add salt if necessary, cool to room temperature.
• When chicken is cool, shred the meat and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Unroll phyllo. Spray bottom and sides of a 14 inch deep dish pan with butter flavored spray. Arrange 6 sheets phyllo so that half the sheet covers the bottom of the pan and half extends over sides. Spray with butter flavored spray. Fold 4 sheets in half and let them air dry.
• Place shredded chicken on bottom of phyllo in pan. Cover with egg mixture then the 4 dry phyllo sheets. Sprinkle almond/sugar mixture over pastry. Cover with all but 2 remaining pastry leaves. Spraying each with butter flavored spray. Fold the overlapping leaves over the top and spray with butter flavored spray.
• Bake 20 minutes or until golden. Dust top with cinnamon and powdered sugar before serving.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN & EGG PIE (BISTEEYA/B'STILLA)

Steps:

• Rinse the chicken & remove any fat. Crush the garlic & mix with the salt & pepper. Cover the chicken with the mixture & let marinate for 30 minutes.
• Place the chicken in a large pot. Add the water, butter, parsley, onion, cinnamon sticks, & spices to the pan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, & simmer for 1 hour.
• Remove the chicken, cinnamon sticks, & any loose bones from the pan & set aside.
• Boil the sauce rapidly, uncovered, until it is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, then add the lemon juice. Lower the heat until the sauce is simmering.
• Beat the eggs until they are frothy & then add to the sauce. Stir continuously until the eggs are cooked. (They should become curdy, stiff, & dry.) Taste for salt & set aside.
• Remove all the bones from the chicken. Then shred into 1 inch pieces.
• Note: All the steps done until now can be prepared in advanced, even the day before.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Thaw the phyllo dough for use later.
• Heat 1/4 cup sweet butter until melted. When the foam subsides, clarify it by pouring the clear liquid butter into a small bowl & discard the milky solids.
• Unroll the dough, keeping it under a damp towel to prevent it from drying out.
• Fold 4 leaves in half & bake in the oven until crisp but not too brown, set aside.
• Brush some of the clarified butter on the bottom & sides of a 9x13 cake pan. Cover the bottom of the pan with 2 pastry leaves.
• Arrange 6 more leaves so that they cover half the bottom of the pan & half extend over the sides. (The entire bottom of the pan should be covered.) Brush the extended leaves with butter so they do not dry out.
• Scatter pieces of chicken on the bottom of the pan so there is a thin layer. Layer some of the well-drained egg mixture on top of the chicken. Place the 4 crisp leaves on top of the egg layer.
• Add another thin layer of chicken & then a thin layer of eggs (using all that is left).
• Cover the layers with all but 2 of the remaining phyllo leaves, brushing each one very lightly with butter.
• Fold the extended leaves over the top cover of the pie & brush lightly with butter. Put the remaining 2 leaves on top, lightly brush with butter, & fold these neatly under the pie (like tucking in sheets). Brush the entire pie again with butter.
• Bake the pie in the oven for 20 minutes (the top leaves will be golden brown).
• Shake the pan to loosen the pie. Invert the pie onto a large, buttered baking sheet.
• Brush top of the pie (which used to be the bottom) with more butter & return to the oven. Continue to bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Place a large serving plate over the pie, hold firmly & invert so the pie is on the plate. Serve hot -- .

CASABLANCA BISTEEYA BURGERS

Steps:

• Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high.
• For the mayonnaise:
• Combine the ingredients in a small bowl. Refrigerate until serving.
• For the patties:
• Combine the turkey and eggs in a large bowl. Add the almonds, ginger, cinnamon, garlic, salt and pepper. Combine, mixing gently so that the meat does not get compacted. Divide into 6 equal portions and gently shape into patties that equal the size of the rolls. Refrigerate until grilling.
• For the onions:
• Heat the butter in a medium-sized fire-proof skillet on the grill. Once the foam subsides, add the onions, saffron and salt. Sprinkle with the sugar and saute until golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Cover and set aside.
• When the grill is ready, brush the grill rack with oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and grill approximately 4 minutes, until golden brown on the bottom. Turn the patties gently and grill an additional 4 minutes, or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the grill and let rest tented with foil, about 3 minutes.
• While the patties rest, place the rolls, cut side down, on the grill and toast lightly, about 2 minutes.
• To assemble the burgers:
• Thinly spread the roll tops and bottoms with the mayonnaise, place the patties on top of the roll bottoms, and top the patties with equal portions of the onions. Add the roll tops and serve.