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The most fun thing about being a food blogger is exploring food of other cultures. I am in love with trying new recipes.
Jump to RecipeI love researching new ideas. The genesis for searching for Middle Eastern recipes was we were entertaining Israeli friends of ours. I have learned that if you want your guests to enjoy the meal, then cook to their tastes. I decided to cook recipes from that region of the world. More recipes from this dinner will follow this post. A few cool recipes that hail from this region include:
Schug – A Spicy Middle Eastern Condiment
MUJADARA – Caramelized Onions and Rice
It is hard to make the filling of this dish look pretty. But is is so tasty. What I find amazing sometimes is how letting the ingredients shine, makes all the difference. There is not a lot of spice but the cinnamon is a winner. When, we were all jumping into the appetizer, everyone was like wow. Then, they said, I taste cinnamon. You don’t need a lot of cinnamon because it is a strong spice. It was the key to this dish. The sumac also adds some real depth.
The filling comes together pretty easily. First, the onion and egg mixture is cooked down. When, the liquid is cooked out, it is done. The chicken was cooked in the same pot first. And the flavor left in the pot is picked up by the egg & onion mixture. The dish is completed by adding the mixture and the chicken to phyllo dough as well as a special sauce. The phyllo adds such a great crunch and texture to this dish.
The cast of characters as well as for the sauce.
Building the phyllo filled bastilla.
The Chicken Bastilla plated.
Chicken Bastilla
Developing some great Middle Eastern flavors with this Chicken Bastilla appetizer. The unique flavor comes from cinnamon and sumac.
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Chicken steamed
- 2 Whole Yellow onions diced
- 5 Whole Eggs beaten
- 1 Bunch Parsley chopped
- 1 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 1 1/2 Tsp Ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 Cinnamon stick
- 1 1/4 Tsp Ginger powder
- 1 1/4 Tsp Paprika
- 2 Tbsp Cinnamon powder
- 1/2 Package Phyllo dough
- 3 Tbsp Sunflower oil
- 2 Tbsp Olive oil
Sauce
- 1/4 Cup Sour cream
- 1/4 Cup Mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp Sumac
- 2 Tsp Cinnamon powder
Instructions
-
Dice 2 large onions and place in a large pan. Mix the onions with the sunflower oil, 1/3 of chopped parsley, salt, pepper, ginger powder, paprika and 1 cinnamon stick. Add the chicken to the mixture and let it marinate for about an hour. Add to a Dutch oven and cook until the chicken is well cooked. This will take an hour plus. About 2 glasses of water should be added during cooking process to help steam the chicken. Once cooked, remove only the chicken and place it on a plate to cool.
Leave the remaining spice mixture in the pan and add the rest of the parsley here. Cook until all the liquid in the mixture evaporates. Next, add the eggs in the mixture and cook until well combined. Once cooked, turn off the heat. This is the egg mixture for the filling in the bastilla.
Pull the cooled chicken into pieces and set aside. Combine the sauce ingredients and mix well. Now take half of the phyllo dough sheets and cut in four equal parts lengthwise. Taking the pastry sheets and brush on oil. Top with the egg onion mixture followed by a few pieces of chicken. Roll the pastry dough. Brush more oil on the outside of the phyllo. I made cigars and triangles. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Cook the chicken bastilla until nicely browned.
Serve and enjoy!
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