FOOD : Ode to Morocco : Roger Hayot Adapts The Traditional Pie To Individual-Sized Bastilla Bundles

ROGER HAYOT, chef-owner of Authentic Cafe in Los Angeles, has always known about bastilla , the sweet, flaky chicken-and-egg pastry that Moroccans consider their national dish. Hayot, whose father is a Moroccan, has been eating bastilla in its traditional pie form since childhood. “It was one of the first and best things I grew up eating,” he says.

In Morocco, bastilla-- served at the beginning of the meal, after the soup course--is eaten with the fingers, using the flaky pastry to sandwich the filling.

“I form them into squares so they can be portioned individually (as appetizers),” Hayot says. They also can be shaped into larger squares or bundles to serve as meal-in-a-dish luncheon entrees or dinner-party first courses.

AUTHENTIC CAFE BASTILLA BUNDLES

1 5-pound stewing chicken

3 cups chicken broth

8 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup chopped parsley

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 small Spanish onions, minced

Dash powdered saffron

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon ground ginger

3 whole cinnamon sticks

1/4 cup lemon juice

10 eggs

Dash kosher salt

1/2 pound whole blanched almonds, toasted and crushed, about 2 cups

Powdered sugar

Ground cinnamon

15 filo dough sheets (about 1 (1-pound) package)

1 cup butter, clarified

Place chicken in broth in large pot. Add garlic, parsley, cilantro, onions, saffron, turmeric, pepper, ginger and cinnamon sticks. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour until chicken is tender and meat falls from bone. Remove chicken from broth and let cool. Discard cinnamon stick and reduce broth to 1 1/2 to 2 cups. Add lemon juice to broth. Skin and bone chicken and shred flesh. Set chicken meat aside. Beat eggs until frothy. Pour into simmering broth. Cook, stirring until eggs are scrambled and liquid is absorbed. Season with kosher salt. Set aside. Mix almonds with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon and set aside.

Stack 3 sheets of filo, brushing each sheet generously with clarified butter. Cut sheets into 4 3x4-inch sections. Place 1 tablespoon chicken in center of each section; cover with 1 tablespoon of egg mixture. Sprinkle almond-sugar mixture over egg mixture. Bring ends of filo dough square up toward center and twist to seal. Brush with butter and place on baking sheet. Brush tops with clarified butter again. Bake at 425 degrees 15 minutes until golden and crisp. Dust with additional powdered sugar and ground cinnamon. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 60 appetizers.

Food styled by Norman Stewart; prop styling by RoseMary Aguayo; props courtesy of The Hand Prop Room.