B'stilla

Total Time: 2 hrs 10 mins Preparation Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1/4 cup butter, plus
• 1/2 cup additional butter, melted, for brushing phyllo
• 2 (4 lb) chicken
• 2 bunches parsley, chopped
• 1 large onion, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron thread
• 1/2 lb blanched whole almond, toasted lightly, cooled and ground
• 1 1/4 cups icing sugar
• 4 large eggs, beaten lightly
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• 10 sheets phyllo pastry, covered with damp towel

Recipe

• 1 in a large pot, melt ¼ cup of butter over moderate heat and add chickens, parsley, onion, saffron and 2 cups water.
• 2 bring mixture to boil and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes.
• 3 transfer chicken to cutting board, reserving liquid, and let cool.
• 4 shred chicken and return meat to liquid.
• 5 bring to boil and cook, stirring, until almost all liquid is evaporated.
• 6 let cool.
• 7 in a bowl, combine almonds and 1 cup of sugar.
• 8 add ½ of almond mixture to chicken, stir in beaten eggs, pepper and 2 tsps cinnamon.
• 9 preheat oven to 330°f and place rack in middle of oven.
• 10 line a buttered 13 x 14 inch ovenproof dish with 1 sheet of phyllo.
• 11 brush generously with butter.
• 12 layer 5 more sheets of phyllo in the same way, brushing each one generously with butter.
• 13 sprinkle remaining almond mixture over phyllo and top with chicken.
• 14 cover with remaining 4 sheets of phyllo, buttered, folding in edges to enclosed filling and brushing more butter over top.
• 15 bake pastry for 25-30 minutes, or until crisp and golden.
• 16 sift remaining ¼ cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon over top.