Ingredients
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/2 Cup olive oil, divided
- 3 Pounds chicken legs and thighs
- 1 small pinch saffron
- 1 Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 Cups chicken broth
- 3/4 Cup (4 ounces) blanched whole almonds
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 Cup confectioners sugar
- 5 eggs
- 1/4 Cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 Cup California raisins, plumped
- 1 Pound (about 24 sheets) phyllo
- 1 Cup (8 ounces) melted clarified butter
- 4 Tablespoons Cinnamon-sugar; for garnish
Procedure
In sautoir or deep frypan, sweat onion and garlic with a little olive oil until fragrant and aromatic, about 5 minutes. Add chicken along with saffron, pepper, ginger, salt and cinnamon sticks. Pour broth over all and bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer gently for about 1 hour. Meanwhile, heat remaining olive oil in sautépan and gently toast almonds until golden. Drain on paper towels and cool. Then, turn into food processor with cinnamon and confectioners sugar. Pulse until mixture is coarsely ground; set aside.
Remove chicken and set aside to cool. Strain broth into clean pan; discard solids. Beat eggs and temper with some warm broth while whisking vigorously. Then, add eggs and lemon juice to remaining warm broth. Cook on low heat, stirring frequently, until all liquid is evaporated. (Mixture should resemble well-cooked scrambled eggs). To finish, turn mixture into colander and drain any remaining liquid. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones and shred meat into small pieces or chop coarsely. In large bowl, mix with egg mixture, chopped almonds and drained raisins until well combined. Chill.
Unroll phyllo and cover with a damp towel. Place 1 sheet of phyllo on work surface and brush lightly with clarified butter. Cover with second sheet and pat together. Cut crosswise into 3-inch strips. One strip at a time, place 1 tablespoon of chicken mixture at closest end. Fold bottom left corner over filling to meet the right-hand edge. Press edges together. Now fold what has become the bottom right-hand corner straight up to enclose the parcel. Continue to fold and press edges in this manner until the whole strip has been folded around filling. Repeat for remaining filling and strips of pastry to make 24 triangles. Arrange on cookie sheet; brush all over with clarified butter and bake at 400°F until golden brown. Remove from oven and dust with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Serve warm.