Monday, March 5, 2012

bstilla, Mocorro pigeon pie,

Back up and running.  This heavenly pie was baked off yesterday and taken to a friend's house for a dinner party.  In this case, my pie was made with chicken and not pigeon...alas...I also prepared it ahead...froze it, thawed it, baked it.  My pie is like the one I had in Algeria 40 years ago and finally found a recipe in Claudia Roden's book A Book of Middle Eastern Food several years later.  Rememer...no internet then and the cook books were the ones that the book seller thought he could sell...not many people going to North Africa back then.

This savory pie is layers of phyllo, almonds, eggs, phyllo, savory chicken and eggs and phyllo....baked and then garnished with cinnamon and sugar...If you can find a copy of the out of print book it would be wonderful for your library...if not you will be able to find some recipe on the web.  I can't vouch that it would be like the one I had in Algeria....but perhaps close to Ms. Roden's.

One very wonderful aspect of this recipe is that I have made it in smaller 'packages' and frozen all sizes to be thawed later and then baked off.  This has always been that special recipe that will be able to be made in all sizes.  I have made then first off in cast iron skillets for the form and then later in a ring that was sold for a deep dish pizza...worked great for this.  I have always used a form...the pie is built with the first layer being the buttered roasted nuts...I have made it with spray butter flavor in the can, melted butter in a spray bottle and then melted butter with a brush....I prefer the phyllo in the larger sheets...most grocers now are carrying the package with two smaller individually wrapped portions...they are about half sheets...but just allow enough time and work quickly when using the phyllo..

In any case, make it, serve it, and enjoy your pie being the center of attention.

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