THIS PIE is a Moroccan classic and is well worth the effort. I particularly love its sweet/ savoury nature. To complete the north African feast, serve these two dishes with cous-cous or rice.
Moroccan-style chicken pie
Serves 12
6 x 175g chicken thighs, bone in, skin on
2 good pinches saffron soaked in 3 tbsp hot water
1 tsp ground ginger
¾ tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp grated nutmeg sea salt
2 cinnamon sticks ½ large red onion, finely chopped
30g parsley leaves, chopped
15g coriander leaves, chopped
115g clarified butter
375g whole blanched almonds
4 tbsp vegetable oil
40g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
1½ tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra for dusting
4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
9 medium eggs
300g filo pastry
1 egg yolk
1. Place the chicken thighs in a casserole dish. Mix the saffron water with the ginger, pepper, turmeric, nutmeg and 1 teaspoon sea salt. Pour over the chicken and marinate for 10 minutes. Add the cinnamon sticks, onion, parsley, coriander, half the butter and 400ml water. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
2. Lightly fry the almonds in a pan with the oil, drain and cool. Set aside 20 almonds for the pie top and coarsely grind the rest in a food processor. Combine the ground almonds with the icing sugar and ground cinnamon.
3. Remove the chicken from the casserole dish and discard the cinnamon sticks. When the chicken is cool, remove all the meat from the bones and roughly shred it. Discard the skin. Bring the cooking liquid back to the boil and reduce to about 300ml. Lower the heat until the liquid is simmering, then add the lemon juice. Beat the eggs, then slowly pour them into the simmering sauce, stirring continuously in one direction, until the eggs cook and set. Remove from heat, then transfer egg mixture to a bowl.
4. About an hour before serving time, preheat oven to 220°C. Fold 4 filo sheets in half, place on a baking tray and bake until crisp and golden, about 2 minutes. Unroll the remaining filo sheets and place under a damp tea towel to prevent them from drying out.
5. Melt remaining clarified butter and brush the bottom and sides of a 30cm pie tin. Cover the bottom of the tin with one pastry leaf. Arrange six or seven more uncooked filo sheets so each sheet covers a portion of the bottom of the pan and hangs over the sides; make sure the entire base of the tin is covered. Place another leaf in the centre of the pan and brush the overhanging filo with butter.
6. Place some of the shredded chicken around the edges of the pan, then work towards the centre so the pastry is covered with an even layer of meat. Cover chicken with the egg mix and then the baked pastry.
7. Sprinkle the almond and sugar mixture over the pastry. Cover with all but two of the remaining filo sheets. Brush every sheet with the melted butter. Fold the overlapping sheets over the top to envelop the pie. Lightly brush the edges with some of the beaten egg yolk and place the remaining two sheets, overlapping, on top. Fold the edges under the pie. Brush filo pastry with butter and remaining egg yolk. Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes.
8. Remove the pie from the oven and run a knife around the edges, then tilt the tin to pour off any excess butter, which should be reserved. Carefully invert the pie and turn it out, upside down, onto a buttered 35cm round baking tray. Brush with any reserved butter and bake for a further 10 minutes to crisp up the pastry.
9. Remove the pie from the oven. Put a large serving platter over it and turn once more, so it's the right way up again. Dust the top of the pie with a little icing sugar, then run lines of ground cinnamon over the top. Decorate with the reserved whole almonds and serve very hot.
Carrot and sultana salad
Serves 4
Carrot and sultana salad. Photo: William Meppem
250g large carrots
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 cinnamon stick
pinch of salt
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
75g sultanas
1 tbsp orange flower water
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp orange juice
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
handful coriander, to garnish
1. Trim and peel the carrots.
2. Julienne the carrots. Place in a small saucepan and add the sugar, cinnamon stick, salt and lemon juice, then cover with water.
3. Bring to the boil, then simmer until tender; about 5 minutes. Drain the carrots in a sieve set over a bowl and use the hot liquid to soak the sultanas.
4. Once they've cooled, drain the sultanas and mix with the carrots, orange flower water, extra virgin olive oil and orange juice.
5. Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper, garnish with coriander, then serve.
Wine Match D'Arenberg The Custodian Grenache 2014, McLaren Vale, SA $22 Red-fruit characters – raspberry, cherry and pomegranate – burst from the glass before darker underlying fruits emerge. The structure is supported with lively tannins and a tightly coiled acid line, but it's the wine's notes of cinnamon and the earthy flavours driving the palate that make it an excellent match for the chicken pie.