Moroccan Chicken Pastilla

Ingredients

For almond sugar:

1. Blend almonds, granulated sugar and cinnamon in a blender. Make this blend 1 day before and reserve on a cool dry place, covered.

For filling & b-stillas:

1. Take a bowl and mix saffron in hot water. Set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Take a 4 quarts kettle and sauté onion and garlic with butter on medium heat with constant stirring for 4 minutes. Reduce heat and add ginger, pepper and ras el hanout. Cook for 3 minutes.
3. Add broth, chicken parts and saffron mixture into it and simmer for 25 to 35 minutes, till the chicken is cooked. Set aside for 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate and reserve the fluid.
4. Once chicken is cooled down, shred it and remove bones and skin.
5. Reduce the reserved fluid on medium heat, to 1 ¾ cup of existing quantity. Reduce heat to medium and beat in eggs. Cook it for 3 minutes with constant beating.
6. Remove kettle from heat and pour this mixture into bowl through a sieve so as to drain the solids.
7. Transfer egg mixture into a bowl. Add chicken, coriander, parsley, lemon juice and seasoning. You can make filling one day before. Keep it in cool dry place, covered.
8. Preheat oven at 425 F, and grease 2 big shallow baking pans with butter.
9. Take a sauce pan and melt 9 tbsp butter on medium heat.
10. Cut phyllo sheets in half and stack wax paper in between 2 sheets. Cover them with a kitchen towel.
11. Place a half sheet of phyllo on a work surface and brush with butter. On this, layer and brush 3 more sheets of phyllo in the same way.
12. Sprinkle 1 tbsp almond sugar on it, leaving 1 inch border on 3 edges. Place 1/3 cup chicken filling over almond sugar and spread evenly.
13. Top with 1 tbsp almond sugar and roll the phyllo. Form 8 b-stillas in this way and bake them for 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle some cinnamon and confectioner’s sugar for garnishing. Serve hot.

For ras el hanout:

1. Blend fine aniseed, fennel seeds, all spice berries, cloves, cardamom seeds, cinnamon, pepper corn, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and red pepper flakes.
2. In a bowl mix together this mixture with ginger, mace and nutmeg. Ras el hanout can be stored in refrigerator for 6 months.