March 23rd, 2010

Chicken and Date Pastilla





Described as a phyllo wrapped mixture of “chicken chunks with almonds, chickpeas, raisin, cinnamon and spices” on their menu, the Chicken Cilicia at La Mediterranee on College Avenue in Berkeley is delectable.  I never really considered trying to replicate it at home; cinnamon and chicken don’t usually make it into the same pot at my house.  Furthermore, wrangling phyllo dough into any sort of discernible crust seemed daunting.


When I came across the recipe for this chicken and date pastilla, however, it reminded me enough of Chicken Cilicia that I had to make it for myself.




Recipe

Check out all the spices in that bowl – aromatic garlic, savory cumin and turmeric, fragrant ginger and cloves, sweet cinnamon, spicy chili flakes and a pinch of saffron to round it out.  I love dishes that have a visual indication of just how flavorful they will be.  The filling smelled amazing as it simmered on the stove and the eggs thickened the mixture such that it would hold up in the delicate crust.


As I was olive-oiling each layer into my springform pan, I began to embrace phyllo dough.  I cheated slightly with some premade from the freezer section, but I’ve heard it’s not worth the effort to attempt making it from scratch.  It was so easy to use, in fact, that my mind has since been spinning with ways to use up the rest of the box.  Baklava or spanokopita are obvious (and delicious) choices, but I’m holding out for some sort of delvious option.  Stay tuned.


Given my reservations about the recipe I was amazed that the pastilla came out not only in one piece, but perfectly golden brown.  Sprinkled with the powdered sugar and cinnamon, it is a great dish when you’re aiming to impress.  More importantly, it was tasty enough to be served at any Mediterranean restaurant.  Some said the dates and raisins made the dish a bit too sweet; if you’re looking to make the dish more savory, I would omit some of the dried fruit.




Chicken and Date Pastilla

Adapted from Closet Cooking
Prep time + Cook time: 45 min + 40 min
Serves 6
Printable recipe

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
2 lbs skinless chicken breast
2 onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cloves
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp turmeric
1 pinch saffron
2 cups chicken stock
3 eggs
1 cup dates, pitted and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup slivered toasted almonds
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 sheets phyllo dough
1/2 cup olive oil
Powdered sugar and cinnamon, to taste

Directions

1.  Heat the tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken and brown on all sides.  Remove from pan.
2.  Reduce heat to medium and add the onions.  Cook until tender (about 10 minutes).
3.  Add the garlic, cumin, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, chili flakes, turmeric and saffron.  Cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).
4.  Return the chicken to the pan and add the chicken stock.  Cover the pan and simmer until the chicken is cooked, stirring occasionally (about 30 minutes).  Remove chicken from pan to cool.
5.  Once the chicken has cooled, shred it.  Return it to the pan, and add the eggs, dates, raisins, cilantro and almonds as well.  Mix and season with salt and pepper.
6.  Preheat the oven to 375F.  Place a sheet of phyllo on your working surface and brush with olive oil.  Place a second sheet on top in the opposite direction, forming a plus sign, and brush with more olive oil.  Repeat until you have used all of the phyllo sheets and most of the 1/2 cup of olive oil.
7.  Transfer the layered phyllo into an 8 or 9 inch springform pan and fill with the chicken mixture.  Fold the overlapping phyllo over the top to form the pie.  Brush the top with the rest of the olive oil.
8.  Bake in the oven until golden brown (30 to 40 minutes).
9.  Allow to cool, and sprinkle some powdered sugar and cinnamon over the top.



Word of Warning for Springform Pans

This dish was the main course of a delvious dinner party with some high school friends I hadn’t seen in awhile.  Of course, the most logical thing to do is to set the fire alarm off (twice) in an apartment building that burned down in a fire three years ago.  To make matters worse, there was sort of domino effect of fire alarms setting off in the surrounding apartments.  Hence, I learned a valuable lesson: springform pans may say they’re leakproof, but mine certainly let some of that olive oil through its cracks to burn onto the bottom of the oven.  From now on, I’ll be wrapping the bottom in some aluminum foil or placing it on a baking sheet to avoid a repeat of that incident.




12 Comments | In: Chicken | tags: , , , , , . | #



March 3rd, 2010

3 Color Bean Drink





Sitting in a Vietnamese pho restaurant, I gave HC the weirdest look when he asked the waiter to add a 3 color bean drink to our order.  I eyed it suspiciously when it arrived at the table; its mysterious red, green, yellow and white components stared right back at me.  I bravely took the straw for a tentative sip.  I think my eyes must have gone right out of my head – it was glorious.  I greedily hoarded the drink on my side of the table for the rest of lunch.


It was only an afterthought, but I did eventually wonder what I was drinking.  There were some red kidney or adzuki beans in there with sweetened white coconut milk, but the unidentifiable yellow mush and green gelatinous strings left me perplexed.  I did some research online to learn the yellow beans were mung beans and the green jelly was just that – green jelly, available canned.  Feeling experimental, I headed to the Asian market 99 Ranch to get my supplies and make it for myself.




Recipe

Having soaked both varieties of beans overnight, I boiled them with sugar to eliminate some of their inherent beany-ness.  The tiny yellow mung beans simmered into the paste I was hoping for, while the red kidney beans remained intact.  I gently heated the coconut milk to get some sugar dissolved in there for more sweetness.  The can of green jelly I selected was too soft (think runny Jello) and had an artificial banana-ish flavor to it, which differed from the almost-crunchy flavorless strings I remembered.  I cut it into strips anyway.  Wishing for a blender, I probably destroyed the blades on my food processor to get some crushed ice.


With the components ready, I carefully layered each ingredient into a tall clear glass; part of the appeal here is the presentation.  A straw and a spoon (for the bigger bites) were the final touch.


The product I achieved was a semi-success.  It was certainly drinkable and tasty enough, but was in no way the drink I obsessed over at the restaurant.  If you’ve never tried one of these drinks, I would recommend heading to a Vietnamese restaurant before you give this a try at home. Also – if anyone can direct me to a better recipe, I would love to know about it.




(My Mediocre Version of a) 3 Color Bean Drink

Serves about 6
Printable recipe

Ingredients

1 cup dried red kidney beans or adzuki beans
1 cup dried split/peeled yellow mung beans
2 cups coconut milk
1 1/2 cups sugar (or more to taste)
1 cup of green jelly strips
2 cups crushed ice

Directions

1.  In two separate bowls, cover red beans and yellow beans with an inch of water.  Soak overnight.
2.  Transfer each type of bean into its own small saucepan.  Add 1/2 cup of sugar to each, and add more water to cover beans by an inch if necessary.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Cover, and reduce heat to medium low.  Stirring occasionally, simmer each pot until soft (about an hour for the red beans and 45 minutes to an hour for the yellow beans).   The red beans should be whole, but the yellow beans will begin to break down.  Refrigerate.
3.  Meanwhile, add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar to the coconut milk in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved.  Refrigerate.
4.  Once components are chilled, layer equal parts in a tall glass in this order (quantities to taste): yellow bean, red bean, green jelly.  Fill the rest of the cup to the brim with crushed ice, then pour coconut milk over the top.
5.  Stored separately, ingredients will keep up to 5 days in the refrigerator.



Making Ethnic Foods at Home

A lot of times, the dish you had at a great Thai/Ethiopian/Mexican/etc. restaurant seems inaccessible for home cooking.  If you seek out a Thai/Ethiopian/Mexican/etc. market, however, you’ll be surprised what some authentic ingredients can do for your dish.  A small investment in a specialty cooking item, such as a clay pot, could also go a long way.


I will admit, though, that do-able does not always mean easy.  I’ve really been wanting to try making dumplings or mochi from scratch, but something tells me I’m better off saving my time and getting some from a good restaurant.  The same thing goes for more traditional cooking too – my homemade rendition of Julia Child’s boeuf bourginoun was delicious, but I’d just as soon let a chef prepare it for me next time.




9 Comments | In: Dessert, Drink | tags: , , , , , . | #