Shallot and Chicken Pastilla

Ideal for lunch or a tasty snack, these delicious colourful recipes are full of flavour.

Sweet and savoury flavours marry perfectly in this shallot, chicken and apricot filo pie originating from Morocco.

METHOD:
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large casserole dish and cook the shallots and garlic for 8 minutes until soft. Add the spices and stir for about 30 seconds until aromatic, then add the chicken. Pour in the chicken stock and season. Cover with a lid and leave to simmer for 45 min, or until the chicken is tender.

• Lift the chicken pieces onto a plate. Pour off half of the cooking liquid (ensuring not to lose any shallots), then add the honey and pistachios to the remaining liquid and simmer until thick and reduced by half, then turn off the heat. Meanwhile, finely shred the chicken with two forks, discarding the skin and bones. Return the chicken to the sauce and stir in the lemon zest and juice, apricots and parsley, then leave to cool. Can be chilled for up to two days.

• Heat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas 5. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Put one rectangular sheet of filo on a work surface, brush all over with melted butter, then top with another sheet of filo, brushing as before. Add a third of the chicken mixture in a line along one long edge, then roll up into a cylinder, brushing the filo with butter as you roll.

• Starting from one end, wind the filo into a coil and place on the baking sheet. Repeat twice more in the same way, coiling each filo cylinder around the previous one to make a larger spiral. Brush the finished pie all over with melted butter (or use olive oil if you’ve run out). Bake for 30-40 min or until golden brown and cooked through.

• It’s best eaten warm, so leave to cool for about 30 min. Dust with a pinch of icing sugar and cinnamon to serve.

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