Sultan's Kitchen

[Yaads 0]

Birwat Bil Kefta:

1/4 c veg. oil

1 med onion finely chopped

1 1/2 lbs ground beef/lamb (I guess you could use chicken too)

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2tsp ginger

salt and pepper

pinch of chili pepper (i omit this because I don't do hot lol)

3 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

5 eggs lightly beaten

1 lb large fillo sheets

2/3c melted butter or oil

Filling:

Heat oil in large skillet and saute onion until soft. Ad meat, spices, and cook crushing th emeat and turing it over for 5-10 minutes. Stir in parsley, eggs, and cook until eggs set to creamy consistency. Let the filling cool. You can add more spices to your taste at this point.

With a large scissors or knife cut all the fillo together, without seperating them into 3 strips of about 6 by 12" and put them together so they don't dry out. Brush the top sheet with the butter/oil.

Put a tablespoon of filling in a line along a short end, about 3/4in from the edge. Roll like a cigar, folding in the long sides at the halfway point so the filling doesn't fall out, continue to roll letting sides unforld so that the cigars appear to open. Place the rolls side by side on a greased baking tray and brush tops with buttter. Bake at 350 for 30 min or until golden brown. Serve hot, dust with confectioner's sugar and cinnamon.

They can also be deep fried (my favorite way) - in a medium hot vegetable oil, turing once until browned and drain on paper towels.

I think this is what I will try next My only question is on the "fillo sheets". What exactly is this? Is this the same thing you would use to make Bastilla?

Thanks for everything

[sereia 0]

fillo is the greek pastry you can find in the freezer section of your grocery (hopefully) it comes in a long rectangular box. its paper thin sheets of pastry used to make bastilla (not really but here in the US its only what you can find), baklava, spanikopita, etc.

they don't use fillo at all in morocco but the pastry they use , called warka, is not available here.

yum!

Edited September 30, 2008 by sereia

[RAKASA 0]

Birwat Bil Kefta:

1/4 c veg. oil

1 med onion finely chopped

1 1/2 lbs ground beef/lamb (I guess you could use chicken too)

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2tsp ginger

salt and pepper

pinch of chili pepper (i omit this because I don't do hot lol)

3 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

5 eggs lightly beaten

1 lb large fillo sheets

2/3c melted butter or oil

Filling:

Heat oil in large skillet and saute onion until soft. Ad meat, spices, and cook crushing th emeat and turing it over for 5-10 minutes. Stir in parsley, eggs, and cook until eggs set to creamy consistency. Let the filling cool. You can add more spices to your taste at this point.

With a large scissors or knife cut all the fillo together, without seperating them into 3 strips of about 6 by 12" and put them together so they don't dry out. Brush the top sheet with the butter/oil.

Put a tablespoon of filling in a line along a short end, about 3/4in from the edge. Roll like a cigar, folding in the long sides at the halfway point so the filling doesn't fall out, continue to roll letting sides unforld so that the cigars appear to open. Place the rolls side by side on a greased baking tray and brush tops with buttter. Bake at 350 for 30 min or until golden brown. Serve hot, dust with confectioner's sugar and cinnamon.

They can also be deep fried (my favorite way) - in a medium hot vegetable oil, turing once until browned and drain on paper towels.

Hey Amera - I'm not sure I understand the above bolded part... the phyllo sheets I get here would not work if cut like that - they'd be too small for rolling. How big are these sheets you're using?

Also, I bet it would be delicious w/ chicken!

[MrsAmera 41]

Whoa old post LOL good thing I happened in. I think that I found those was a fluke that happened once and never again! The regular kind in the store I usually cut in half. Works better

ETA: They are good with chicken - also you can make them with the rice noodles (you know the translucent ones) and cut up shrimp - change the spices to some hotter paprika, salt, pepper, and cumin. I think the shrimp version is fairly common on the coast, my friend from Casa makes them this way, but I've never had seafood ones in Marrakech.

Edited September 30, 2008 by MrsAmera

[Yaads 0]

Whoa old post LOL good thing I happened in. I think that I found those was a fluke that happened once and never again! The regular kind in the store I usually cut in half. Works better

Yeah I was digging through the old posts

So what size should the strips end up being? I know it will be a challenge to find the sheets so I am not sure what size I will end up with.

Thanks for the info Sereia

[MrsAmera 41]

http://s126.photobucket.com/albums/p87/Mik...view¤t=filo.jpg

This is what the box will look like. In the freezer section. I think they end up being maybe 5 1/2" long each? That's a rough guess.

[Muh and me 18]

I have a stupid cooking question. This is my first time making B'stilla, what kind of pan do i use?

[MrsAmera 41]

I make mine by shaping them into circles and then putting them on a cookie sheet. Otherwise if you want something with the shape you can lay the filo out on a circular (cake like) pan and go from there.

[Muh and me 18]

I make mine by shaping them into circles and then putting them on a cookie sheet. Otherwise if you want something with the shape you can lay the filo out on a circular (cake like) pan and go from there.

Thank you!

[RAKASA 0]

I make mine by shaping them into circles and then putting them on a cookie sheet. Otherwise if you want something with the shape you can lay the filo out on a circular (cake like) pan and go from there.

Thank you!

I use a cookie sheet (or pizza sheet) also and just shape into a circle. Occasionally I do the lazy version and just layer it all out in a casserole dish. Not as pretty, but just as tasty!

[Henia 11]

Thank you!

I always make mine in a swallow cake pan or paella pan ... but the cookie pan works too!

[Henia 11]

Birwat Bil Kefta:

1/4 c veg. oil

1 med onion finely chopped

1 1/2 lbs ground beef/lamb (I guess you could use chicken too)

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2tsp ginger

salt and pepper

pinch of chili pepper (i omit this because I don't do hot lol)

3 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

5 eggs lightly beaten

1 lb large fillo sheets

2/3c melted butter or oil

Filling:

Heat oil in large skillet and saute onion until soft. Ad meat, spices, and cook crushing th emeat and turing it over for 5-10 minutes. Stir in parsley, eggs, and cook until eggs set to creamy consistency. Let the filling cool. You can add more spices to your taste at this point.

With a large scissors or knife cut all the fillo together, without seperating them into 3 strips of about 6 by 12" and put them together so they don't dry out. Brush the top sheet with the butter/oil.

Put a tablespoon of filling in a line along a short end, about 3/4in from the edge. Roll like a cigar, folding in the long sides at the halfway point so the filling doesn't fall out, continue to roll letting sides unforld so that the cigars appear to open. Place the rolls side by side on a greased baking tray and brush tops with buttter. Bake at 350 for 30 min or until golden brown. Serve hot, dust with confectioner's sugar and cinnamon.

They can also be deep fried (my favorite way) - in a medium hot vegetable oil, turing once until browned and drain on paper towels.

Algerian version of this is basically that here we omit the ginger and add more black pepper ... and use "douel" leaves instead of the "warka" (paper) used in Morocco or even the Greek phyllo used everywhere else. Douel is similar to warka but it is more porish and is made by badding very wet dough into a hot flat griddle with a sponge ... It is used here in Algeria and also in Tunis (but there is called Brik not douel) ... But my husband does not like the greasy taste the douel or warka gives so I make a simple "pasty" dough and fry them up that way! In the US I would just use Chinese style wanton wrappers since I like the crispy texture.

This has nothing to do with bourek buuut I hate when people fry foods, then do not salt them ... YUK! Just that little bit of salt makes a whole lot of difference!

[Henia 11]

Tili Tili djej

Tili Tili can be made from any meat but commonly made with chicken. And its sauce it is the basic white sauce, so essentially the recipe is super easy.

Chicken (what parts and amounts you like)

Handful of chick peas

black pepper

cinnamon

1 large onion chopped finely

4 eggs

1/2kg tili tili pasta (orzo or also called bird's tongue)

Brown off the chicken and set aside.

Sautee the onion in the same pot as the chicken.

When tranluscent, add the spices and salt to taste.

Add water at this point to cover the chicken. Add back the chicken to the pot and the chickpeas.

Some people cook the eggs in this pot, but I donnot. I cook it in seperate pot.

Again some people prepare the pasta little differently then I do ... but I brown my pasta in little bit of oil then add enough water so that it cooks al dente. Others would simply prepare it like pasta without browing, while others might prepare it like cousous. Whatever you prefer.

Once all is cooked. Pile the tili on a large plate arranging the meat in the middle then the chickpeas around that then the eggs (quatered) around the outer rim. Voila bon apetit!

As I said same dish can be made with mutton, beef and even combo of whole meat pieces and meatballs

Edited October 4, 2008 by Henia

[Henia 11]

Just want to quick note for those who need it online sources for halaal meats and other MENA products:

myhalalmeat.com (meats, meat products, cheese and baklava)

organic-halal-meat.com (organic natural meats, chicken, eggs, honey, specialty fruits, veg)

midamarhalal.com (halaal turkey, turkey products, charwarma, steak,jerky, hot links, halaal breakfast meats, etc)

shatila.com (ME baked goods like baklava, etc)

Can anyone tell me what the hLL is the difference btwn cornichons, pickled cucumbers and wild cucumbers? And also what is pickled thyme used for? Thanks!

[RAKASA 0]

Tili Tili djej

Tili Tili can be made from any meat but commonly made with chicken. And its sauce it is the basic white sauce, so essentially the recipe is super easy.

Chicken (what parts and amounts you like)

Handful of chick peas

black pepper

cinnamon

1 large onion chopped finely

4 eggs

1/2kg tili tili pasta (orzo or also called bird's tongue)

Brown off the chicken and set aside.

Sautee the onion in the same pot as the chicken.

When tranluscent, add the spices and salt to taste.

Add water at this point to cover the chicken. Add back the chicken to the pot and the chickpeas.

Some people cook the eggs in this pot, but I donnot. I cook it in seperate pot.

Again some people prepare the pasta little differently then I do ... but I brown my pasta in little bit of oil then add enough water so that it cooks al dente. Others would simply prepare it like pasta without browing, while others might prepare it like cousous. Whatever you prefer.

Once all is cooked. Pile the tili on a large plate arranging the meat in the middle then the chickpeas around that then the eggs (quatered) around the outer rim. Voila bon apetit!

As I said same dish can be made with mutton, beef and even combo of whole meat pieces and meatballs

Henia, this sounds good, but I'm not clear on how the eggs are cooked... are they boiled? poached? scrambled? fried?

Clarify please... thanks!