We’ve been to Morocco exactly once, but we think about it all the time. It’s a gorgeous country filled with picturesque villages, outstanding markets, and, most importantly, amazing food. We spent a fantastic week in Morocco a few years ago feasting on perfect bread, croissants, tagines, fish, and so much more. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to try pastilla in Morocco, but once we had it back in the States, we were hooked. The dish is, essentially, a pie made of phyllo dough and stuffed with either squab (a polite way of saying pigeon) or (more commonly in this country) chicken and a variety of spices. It is a near perfect combination of sweet and savory flavors and, tragically, it is difficult to find in the Hub. Here’s where you can try it:
•At Tangierino, the chicken b’stilla (b’stilla is an acceptable spelling, as is bastilla) consists of a phyllo pie filled with chicken and topped with toasted almonds and a mint yogurt sauce. It’s served as an appetizer, so you can feel free to follow it with their excellent cous cous royal.
•If you give them 36 hours of advance notice, Baraka Cafe will prepare their classic bastilla torte. Marinated squab is nestled into a phyllo pie along with almonds, cinnamon, saffron, parsley, figs, mint, and an orange blossom infusion. Make sure not to miss the rose petal lemonade while you’re there!
Tangierino [MenuPages]
Tangierino [Official Site]
Baraka Cafe [MenuPages]
Baraka Cafe [Official Site]
[Photo: Surfing the Wave]
