Spinach and pigeon pastilla
This traditional Moroccan pie (sometimes called bastilla) sounds, looks and tastes impressive, but is actually a cinch to make.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 white onion, finely chopped
- 2 skinless pigeon breasts, finely chopped
- 30g/1oz pine nuts
- 2 tbsp raisins
- 50g/1¾oz baby spinach
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- 400g/14oz block puff pastry
- 1 free-range egg yolk, beaten
- 300ml/10fl oz chicken stock
- 1 red chicory, leaves separated
- 1 yellow chicory, leaves separated
- 1 lemon, juice only
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 190C/170C/Gas 5.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion until softened. Add the pigeon to the pan and cook briefly to colour. Tip in the pine nuts, raisins and the spinach. Add the spices and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Leave to cool.
Roll out the puff pastry into a square and cut the corners off diagonally. Pile the filling into a dome shape in the middle and pull up the sides and pinch and twist together to seal. Make small disk using the puff pastry corners and stick over the pinch at the top to smarten the whole thing up.
Brush with the egg wash and transfer to a greased baking tray. Bake for 30 minutes or so until golden-brown.
Bring the chicken stock to the boil in a small saucepan and reduce the volume by half.
Place the chicory in a bowl and dress with the lemon juice and olive oil.
To serve, place the pastilla in a serving bowl and pour the stock around it. Place the bowl on a serving plate and arrange the chicory on the plate around the bowl.
