Duck Bstilla

B'stila is a Moroccan sweet and savory pie filled with either meat, poultry, or sometimes fish. It is one of my favorite savory pastry to enjoy for lunch during the weekend, or for a relaxing supper while watching new movies that we rented that night. This pastry originally made using warka, a very thin pastry similar to phyllo pastry. Since I couldn't find it in my neighborhood grocery, I used Phyllo pastry as a substitute. I would love to attempt making my own warka one day, especially after I saw an encouraging recipe including step by step photos from Paula Wolfert's blog. 

I made B'stilla pretty often, but this time, duck legs were baked in the oven instead of braising them like I would generally do. The onion were Caramelized to bring its subtle sweetness, then I added mint and cinnamon, to add delicious aroma to this pastry. I hope you like it. 

Duck B'stilla

makes one 9 - inch pastry

4 duck legs

1 large onion, sliced

1 cup chopped parsley

1/2 cup chopped spearmints

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 eggs

1/2 cup pistachios

handful slivered almonds

1 tbs duck fat (or olive oil)

salt and pepper to taste

5 to 7 sheets phyllo pastry

more olive oil, as needed for brushing

To serve:

confectioner's sugar for sprinkling

ground cinnamon for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

Prepare a baking sheet, and place a piece of parchment paper on top. 

Using a sharp knife, score duck legs lightly, lay them on a baking sheets. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of cumin, a teaspoon of cinnamon, pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bake for an hour. Remove - cool slightly at room temperature. When the duck legs are cooled enough to handle, remove the skin if desire, then chop the meat. Transfer the chopped duck into a large bowl. Set aside.

Take about one tablespoon of duck fat from the roasting pan and pour into a large skillet set over medium heat. Add onion, cook until the onion is caramelized, stirring often to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the skillet. add cumin and keep stirring for a few second just enough to get rid of the raw smell. Remove from the heat.

Mix caramelized onion,  chopped duck, add remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon, chopped parsley, and mints. Taste to see if need more salt and pepper, then mix in eggs and pistachios.

Place a sheet of phyllo pastry directly on a prepared baking sheet, brush the pastry with olive oil, lay another sheet of phyllo pastry, brush with another oil, continue the process of layering and brushing until you have about 5 or 7 layers of phyllo. Pile the filling in the center, then flattening it out to make a  9 - inch round shape. Scatter slivered almonds on top, enclose the filling by bringing up the overlap pastry in the middle. Brush the top with more oil. Bake B'stilla until golden, about  45 to 55  minutes. Just before serving dust with confectioner's sugar and cinnamon. Serve while still hot. 

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