Chicken Pastry or B'stilla

1 chicken
salt, fresh black pepper
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
pinch of saffron
a tablespoon of mixed herbs or "bouquet garni"
3 large onions, peeled and minced
3 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup butter, margarine or diet margarine, clarified
7 eggs beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped cilantro or parsley
2 cups ground toasted almonds
1 tablespoon cinnamon
12 filo dough sheets
1/4 cup powdered sugar.


Place chicken in a roasting pan. if you use saffron threads, let them soak in half a cup of water. Pour on fowl. Sprinkle salt, pepper, turmeric and mixed herbs on top. roast chicken in oven at 400 f for 45 minutes to an hour. Cool. Remove skin and all bones. cube chicken. Keep giblets, except for the neck, with all the spicy, herbed juice. Set aside.

in a skillet, saute minced onions in oil. Place in a bowl. in the same skillet, with a little oil, fry the beaten eggs mixed with salt and chopped cilantro. Place in another small bowl. still in the same oiled skillet, toast almonds until slightly brown and grind them in a food processor. Set aside.

clarify the shortening, and everything is ready to be put together now. on the bottom of the pan used to roast the chicken, after washing and greasing it, stack 2 sheets of filo dough, letting edges overhang. Brush on top some of the clarified shortening. at broil, rapidly brown these 2 sheets. Then add cubed chicken, with all spices and juice.

Spread again 2 more dough sheets with some shortening brushed on. broil rapidly. Add soft mixture of eggs with cilantro. cover with 2 more greased sheets. broil rapidly. Add almonds mixed with cinnamon and sugar.

finish with your best-looking greased sheets. Tuck in all dough and bake 25 to 30 minutes at 400 f until golden grown. Cool slightly. Sprinkle with remaining powdered sugar, making a decorative crisscross with cinnamon on top. Serve hot. It can be reheated several times. It can also be frozen.