Recipe - Chicken In Pastry Or Bstila

1 Chicken
Salt; fresh black pepper
One half teaspoon Turmeric
1 pn Saffron
A tablespoon of mixed herbs
or "bouquet garni"
3 lg Onions; peeled and minced
3 tablespoon Oil
One half cup Pareve margarine or diet
margarine, clarified
2 Eggs plus
2/3 cup Egg whites; well beaten
One half teaspoon Salt
1 cup Chopped cilantro or parsley
2 cup Ground toasted almonds
1 tablespoon Cinnamon
12 Filo dough sheets
One fourth cup Powdered sugar

From the rfcj newsgroup ...

Place chicken in a roasting pan. If you use saffron threads, let them soak
in half a cup of water. Pour on fowl. sprinkle salt, pepper, turmeric and
mixed herbs on top. Roast chicken in oven at 400 f for 45 minutes to an
hour. cool. Remove skin and all bones. cube chicken. keep giblets, except
for the neck, with all the spicy, herbed juice. set aside.

In a skillet, saute minced onions in oil. Place in a bowl.

In the same skillet, with a little oil, fry the beaten eggs mixed with salt
and chopped cilantro. Place in another small bowl. Still in the same oiled
skillet, toast almonds until slightly brown and grind them in a food
processor. Set aside. Clarify the shortening, (margarine) and everything is
ready to be put together now.

On the bottom of the pan used to roast the chicken, after washing and
greasing it, stack 2 sheets of filo dough, letting edges overhang. Brush on
top some of the clarified shortening. At broil, rapidly brown these 2
sheets. Then add cubed chicken, with all spices and juice. Spread again 2
more dough sheets with some shortening brushed on.

Broil rapidly. add soft mixture of eggs with cilantro. Cover with 2 more
greased sheets. Broil rapidly. add almonds mixed with cinnamon and sugar.
Finish with your bestlooking greased sheets. Tuck in all dough and bake 25
to 30 minutes at 400 f until golden grown. Cool slightly. sprinkle with
remaining powdered sugar, making a decorative design with cinnamon on top.
Serve hot. It can be reheated several times. It can also be frozen.

Posted to JEWISHFOOD digest V97 #230 by jefffree@eskimo.com on Aug 12,
1997