Moroccan B’Steeya

1 whole roaster chicken about 4 lbs, cut into 8 pieces coarse salt 1 medium onion finely chopped 3 cloves garlic minced 1/8 tsp crumbled saffrom 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon plus more for sprinkling 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1/2 cup unsalted butter plus 1/2 cup melted 6 lge eggs, lightly beaten 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice ground pepper 1-2/4 cups blanched whole almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped 3 tbsps icing sugar plus more for sprinkling 1/2 cup orange flower water 1 pkge (17 oz)phyllo dough

Season the chicken a day ahead so it has time to absorb the flavors 1. Put chicken and 1/3 cup salt in a medium bowl; toss to coat. Refrigerate 1 hour. Rinse chicken with cold water; pat dry. Mix chicken, onion, garlic, saffron, ginger, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 cup parsley. 1/4 cupcilantro in a large bowl; cover, and refrigerate overnight. 2. Transfer chicken mixture to a medium heavy pot. Add enough water to cover (about 4 cups). Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium. Add 1/4 cup butter; cover, and simmer until chicken is falling off the bone, 1 to 1-1/2 hours, adding water to cover if necessary. Transfer chicken to plate; let cool. Reserve poaching liquid. Remove meat from bones and shred; discard skin and bones. Set chicken aside. 3. Bring reserved poaching liquid to a boil over high heat; cook until reduced to 3/4 cup. Reduce heat to medium high. Slowly add eggs; whisk constantly until mixture is almost set, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup parsley, 1/4 cup cilantro, and the lemon juice. Seasonwith salt and pepper, set aside. 4. Stir together almonds, sugar, and remaining 1/2tsp cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside. 5. Preheat oven to 375. Brush a 13" paella or pizza pan with 2 tbsps melted butter. Stir together remaining melted butter and the orange-flower water in a small bowl. Assemble b'steeya; Brush a sheet of phyllo with butter mixture. Put in pan, leaving 4" overhang. Repeat, adding and buttering 7 more sheets of phyllo, overlapping layers and fanninng out around pan (keep unbuttered phyllo covered with plastic wrap and a damp kitchen towel.) 6. Arrange chicken mixture over dough. Pour in egg mixture. Top with 5 layers phyllo brushed with butter mixture. Sprinkle with almond mixture. Fold up edges of phyllo to enclose. Top with 5 layers phyllo brushed with butter mixture; tuck edges inside pan. Slightly cirnkled 2 unbuttered phyllo over top. Bake until golden brown 35 to 40 minutes. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

When Lyndsay and I were in Morocco we had this dish and it was wonderful. I think out of all the food we ate for the 3 weeks this was the best. I am hoping that this recipe is as good as the one we had in Morocco. Keep your fingers crossed........