Pastilla or "Small Pie"

An interesting twist on how the cuisines and culture of the Arabs and Andalucíans have intertwined. The pastilla or “small pie” developed after the Moorish occupation and subsequent exodus. This turbulent time saw many changes and movement with some Andalusians deciding to flee cross the seas and move to North Africa for a new life.

This in itself created a whole subculture and slant on Moorish cuisine- Andalusian influences on North African cuisine as opposed to the focus of this book- the pastilla is essentially a meat pie (usually squab pigeon or chicken) - but the flavorings including dried fruits, nuts, cinnamon, other spices and sweetness from a final dusting of icing sugar, typical North African ingredients and combinations of flavor.

Serves 4

For the best results (and flavor) the mix for this pie should be made the day before and then the assembled and cooked the following day. Its  along process and requires some concentration but it well worth it.

Ingredients

• 500g oven ready squab pigeon each cut in half or 500g chicken (a mix of breast and thigh/leg - on the bone)

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 4 cloves garlic, finely sliced

• 2 plum tomatoes cut into four

• 1 tsp pink peppercorns

• 2 dried chili

• 1 smoked chipotle chili

• 2 cinnamon stick

• 40g medjool dates, stoned and chopped

• 200ml white wine 

• 300ml dark chicken stock

• 10g dark chocolate- 70% coco solids

• 2 table spoon ghee or clarified butter

• sea salt, black pepper and olive oil for cooking

The day before cooking the pie make the mix.

Heat an oven to 150 degrees Celsius.

Heat a large lidded casserole over a medium heat and add a lug of olive oil. When hot brown off the chicken or squab pieces all over. Do this in batches if necessary and don’t overcrowd the pan. When all browned remove them from the casserole to drain and add more oil. 

Now add the onion, cinnamon, garlic and both chilies and cook for 2 minutes to sweat. Transfer the squab or chicken back in the pan along with the dates, peppercorns, brandy and wine. Reduce the alcohol down to a syrup and then add the stock and tomato. Bring the liquid to the boil, skim off impurities, turn to a simmer, add the chocolate and then place on the lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 hours or until the meat is very tender and the cooking liquor rich and with a sauce like consistency. 

Remove from the oven and cool completely. When cool pick out the chicken or squab bits, pick off the meat and stir back in the sauce. it should be thick and rich, if it seems liquid then reduce the sauce over a heat fro a few minutes until ready.

Place the mix in the fridge until the next day.

Making the Pie

You’ll need a 15cm pie dish or similar to mould this pastilla.

Turn an oven to 170 degrees Celsius and remove the pie mix from the fridge to come to temperature.

Melt the ghee or butter in a saucepan and have ready a pastry brush for this.

Lay out 3 sheets of filo pastry, brush them on one side with ghee and layer them on top of each other each on an angle to  create a star. Take another sheet, cut into 4 squares, brush with ghee and layer these on top of each other and then in the center of the three large square stacks to create a base. Transfer this to a 15cm pie tin, pressing in the pastry in the sides - there should be a good over hang. 

Spoon the pie mix into the pastry case and fold the over lap over the top. 

Butter another two sheets of pastry, stick them together and cut them so they will fit the top to seal completely and stick them in place.

Place the pie in the oven and bake for 25 minutes until the top starts become brown and crisp. Now carefully with an oven cloth, flip the pie out onto a baking sheet and transfer back to the oven for another 10-15 minutes until completely golden and crisp and the filling is piping hot.

Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately to cut at the table.