MAIN COURSE (Catherine/George)

Bastila
From San Francisco A La Carte

2 lbs. chicken, skinned and boned (I used dark meat)
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 cup butter, softened, divided (see recipe)
7 Tb olive oil, divided (see recipe)
1 Tb finely chopped fresh coriander
2 Tb finely chopped parsley
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp cumin
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp saffron threads (I used it, but I think it’s optional myself)
4 tsp cinnamon, divided (see recipe)
6 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
2 Tb granulated (regular) sugar
1-½ cups coarsely chopped and toasted blanched almonds
10 sheets phyllo pastry
3 Tb powdered sugar
12 whole blanched almonds, toasted, for garnish

When dish is nearly finished assembling, preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Poach chicken pieces in the stock (covered) for 30 minutes or until tender. Reserve stock. Cool chicken and coarsely chop. Set aside.

In a heavy skillet, sauté the onion in 4 tablespoons of the butter and 4 tablespoons of the oil until golden. Stir in the coriander, parsley, ginger, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, saffron, and ¾ teaspoon of the cinnamon and let the spices toast for 15 seconds or so. Add the reserved stock, mix well, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add the chicken and cook for another 10 minutes. Pour 1-½ cups of the liquid from the skillet into a bowl. Reduce remaining liquid in skillet to ¼ cup (by rapid simmering). Remove this liquid along with the chicken mixture to another bowl and set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat the 6 eggs with the 2 egg yolks. Return the 1-½ cups liquid to the skillet, add the beaten eggs, and stir over moderate heat until the mixture forms soft creamy curds. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar, 1-½ teaspoons of the cinnamon, and the chopped almonds.

Melt the remaining 12 tablespoons of butter with remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Lightly but completely brush a 10-inch round baking dish or 10-inch iron skillet with the butter-oil mixture. Open the package of phyllo and unfold the sheets. Cover with a damp towel and keep covered at all times—phyllo dries out in a flash. Working quickly, overlap 6 sheets of phyllo pastry in a circle in the baking dish. Fold 2 sheets of phyllo in half separately. Place them, one on top of the other, in the center of the circle. Brush the phyllo generously with butter, then sprinkle the almond mixture over the pastry. Spread with half of the egg mixture, top with the chicken mixture, then cover with the remaining egg mixture. Coat all exposed edges of phyllo generously with butter and fold a few over the filling. Add remaining 2 sheets of phyllo, folded in half separately, and brush generously with butter. Bring up all edges of phyllo to enclose the chicken filling and brush the entire surface with butter. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.

To serve, invert onto a serving plate. Combine powdered sugar and the remaining 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture on top. Draw a diamond pattern across the top, and center each diamond with a whole toasted almond. Cut in wedges.