Mohameds Bisteeya Recipes

BISTEEYA

Steps:

• Place chicken in a large bowl along with garlic, salt, pepper, ginger, saffron, turmeric, and cinnamon sticks; set aside.
• Heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Melt 2 tablespoons butter and saute onion. Add chicken mixture and enough water to cover chicken. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 1/4 hours.
• Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saute pan. Add almonds and cook, stirring until browned. Remove from heat and let cool. Add confectioners' sugar and ground cinnamon; stir to combine. Set aside.
• Remove chicken and all bones from stock. Add lemon juice. Beat eggs and whisk into stock. Cook until thick and dry. Fold in parsley and cilantro; set aside.
• Remove and discard bones and skin from chicken, reserving meat. Shred with your fingers into small pieces (not larger than 1 inch, and preferably in shreds rather than chunks). Transfer to a medium bowl; stir in preserved lemons and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Brush a 10-by-2-inch round cake pan with clarified butter. Working with 1 sheet of phyllo at a time, place in cake pan, leaving edges to overhang pan. Brush with clarified butter before adding the next sheet in an overlapping circular pattern. Repeat process using 6 to 8 sheets of phyllo and clarified butter to cover bottom of pan.
• Top evenly with half of shredded chicken mixture. Cover chicken with half of almond mixture. Top this with half of egg mixture, then repeat layering process with remaining ingredients. Then take overhanging phyllo and fold toward center of pan.
• With another 6 to 8 sheets of phyllo and clarified butter, repeat overlapping circular pattern. Using scissors, trim a little excess phyllo. Tuck overhanging edges under the pie. Brush phyllo with clarified butter. Chill at least 30 minutes.
• Using a sharp knife, score phyllo in a diamond pattern. Bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes. If pie is not golden brown, increase oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven and dust with confectioners' sugar and, using your fingers, sprinkle with ground cinnamon in a decorative pattern. Slice and serve.

CASABLANCA BISTEEYA BURGERS

Steps:

• Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high.
• For the mayonnaise:
• Combine the ingredients in a small bowl. Refrigerate until serving.
• For the patties:
• Combine the turkey and eggs in a large bowl. Add the almonds, ginger, cinnamon, garlic, salt and pepper. Combine, mixing gently so that the meat does not get compacted. Divide into 6 equal portions and gently shape into patties that equal the size of the rolls. Refrigerate until grilling.
• For the onions:
• Heat the butter in a medium-sized fire-proof skillet on the grill. Once the foam subsides, add the onions, saffron and salt. Sprinkle with the sugar and saute until golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Cover and set aside.
• When the grill is ready, brush the grill rack with oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and grill approximately 4 minutes, until golden brown on the bottom. Turn the patties gently and grill an additional 4 minutes, or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the grill and let rest tented with foil, about 3 minutes.
• While the patties rest, place the rolls, cut side down, on the grill and toast lightly, about 2 minutes.
• To assemble the burgers:
• Thinly spread the roll tops and bottoms with the mayonnaise, place the patties on top of the roll bottoms, and top the patties with equal portions of the onions. Add the roll tops and serve.

ROYAL CAKE BISTEEYA

Steps:

• Pour the stock into a small saucepan and reduce over medium heat until it reaches a saucelike consistency. Season to taste. Keep warm.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees; line a baking sheet with Silpat or parchment paper. Combine the sugar, cardamom, cinnamon and salt.
• Brush one of the half sheets of phyllo with the butter. Sprinkle liberally with the sugar mixture. Repeat this process with the remaining phyllo. On the last piece of phyllo, spread only with butter. Cover the phyllo with a piece of parchment paper and gently roll with a rolling pin to press out any air bubbles.
• Cut the phyllo into rectangles measuring 2 inches by 3½ inches. Cover rectangles with another Silpat mat or piece of parchment paper. Top with another baking sheet. Bake the rectangles for 12 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake another 10 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees; line a baking sheet with parchment paper and butter the top. Sift the powdered sugar, cardamom and cinnamon into a medium mixing bowl. Add 1 tablespoon water and mix well. Add 2 more tablespoons water and the egg white and whisk to combine well. Fold in the ground almonds.
• Spread in a rectangle, 8 inches by 3½ inches, on the parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes, turning the pan halfway through. Let cool before removing from the pan. Cut into 4 rectangles measuring 2 inches by 3½ inches.
• A day in advance, season the chicken breasts with salt and dust with the ras el hanout. Place on a baking rack set over a sheet pan and refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, skin side down. Sear until golden and flip. Transfer to the oven and roast until the breasts are cooked through, about 20 minutes. Let rest 15 minutes.
• Carve the breasts off the bone and season the inside of the carved side. Thinly slice the breasts crosswise so that the pieces can fit neatly on the almond cake.
• Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the kale and season with salt. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. When done, transfer to a bowl and let drain. Adjust the seasoning and add the lemon and maras pepper.

MOHAMED'S BISTEEYA

Steps:

• Put first 10 ingredients (chicken broth, chickens, garlic, salt, cinnamon, parsley, onion, ginger, pepper, butter) in a large pot.
• Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat, and simmer for 1.5 hours.
• Remove chicken from cooking liquid and shred meat into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
• Strain liquid and cook down until it has reduced to 2 cups. Add lemon juice and simmer about 5 minutes. Slowly add beaten eggs and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the eggs have congealed into a thick curd and most of the liquid has evaporated. This takes about 10 minutes. Cool.
• Heat 2 tbs. of butter in a skillet and saute almonds. When you can smell them and they are lightly browned, drain on paper towels, chop, and combine with powdered sugar and cinnamon.
• One hour before eating, preheat oven to 400°F.
• Unroll the phyllo and put the leaves under a damp towel to keep them moist while you are working. Brush the bottom of a pizza pan, paella pan, or very large cake pan with the melted butter. Layer the bottom of the pan with leaves of phyllo until the entire surface is covered and the phyllo extends about 2 inches outside the pan in all directions. Brush the top of the phyllo with butter.
• Top with half of the nut mixture, cover lightly with more phyllo, and brush with butter. Add half the chicken, covering with more phyllo and brushing with butter. Cover with half of the egg mixture, add another layer of phyllo, and brush with butter. Add remaining chicken and a couple more leaves of phyllo brushed with butter, and sprinkle the remaining almond mixture over the top. Cover with all but 3 of the remaining leaves of phyllo, again brushing with butter. Fold the edges of the bisteeya in over the top to make a neat package. Put the remaining leaves of phyllo on top and pour most of the remaining butter over them.
• Bake for 20 or 25 minutes until top leaves are golden. Remove pan from oven, carefully invert onto a large buttered baking sheet, brush with the remaining butter, and bake 10 minutes more.
• Dust with powdered sugar and cinnamon.

BISTEEYA OR MOROCCAN CHICKEN PIE

Steps:

• In a large skillet put 2 tablespoons butter, the chicken pieces, onions, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper,2 teaspoons cinnamon, the ginger, cumin, cayenne, saffron, turmeric and chicken stock.
• simmer gently, covered, until the chicken is cooked, 45 minutes.
• remove the chicken from the sauce and let it cool.
• remove all the bones and tear the chicken into 1 inch pieces.
• bring the liquid to a simmer and add the eggs stirring gently until the eggs are cooked and most of the liquid is evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes.
• add the chicken, cilantro, parsley, salt and pepper and mix well.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Toast the almonds in the oven until they are very lightly golden and hot to the touch, about 5 to 7 minutes.
• Coarsely chop them in a blender or food processor and mix with 3 tablespoons sugar and 3/4 teaspoons cinnamon.
• set aside and reserve the rest of the cinnamon sugar for a garnish.
• Melt the remaining 12 tablespoons butter. brush a 12 inch pie pan with the butter.
• place one sheet of phyllo dough on the bottom of the pie plate so that it completely covers the bottom of the plate and extends over one side by several inches.
• brush the whole sheet of phyllo lightly and continue with 7 more sheets moving in a pinwheel effect, brushing butter on each sheet.
• spread the chicken mixture on the phyllo and sprinkle with the almond mixture.
• Fold the overhanging phyllo up over the chicken and almonds and brush with butter.
• then continue adding 7 more sheets of phyllo to the pie as your did before.
• tuck all the overhanging edges under the pie and brush remaining butter over top of the pie.
• place in 375F oven and bake until golden brown and flaky, about 20 minutes.
• sprinkle the garnishing cinnamon and sugar over top.