PProvenance
Enter
Cooking in
Courtenay · Vancouver Island
Nearest city · Nanaimo Change
North African · Morocco

Bastilla: The Sweet-Savoury Pastry Tradition

A pie made from thin warqa pastry (similar to phyllo) layered with three fillings: spiced braised poultry, scrambled egg enriched with the braising liquid, and toasted almonds with sugar and cinnamon. The assembly requires working quickly with warqa, which dries and cracks rapidly. The finished pie is baked, then dusted with a pattern of cinnamon and powdered sugar.

‹Swipe for the next dish›
Serves4
Total180 min
Within reach10of 18 in Courtenay

Ten in town · six elsewhere in British Columbia · two not yet within reach.

How the 18 are reached
In town
10 · onion, carrot, celery, smen (preserved butter) or clarified butter, onions, fresh parsley, ground ginger, egg yolks, melted butter, powdered sugar
Elsewhere in British Columbia
6 · squab (450g each), coriander seeds, black peppercorns, bay leaves, shelled pistachios, fresh coriander
Not yet within reach
2 · shelled almonds, phyllo sheets
Cook
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I

The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

2
squab (450g each)
plucked and cleaned
Origin · FranceElsewhere in British Columbia · Lekker →
200g
100g
50g
6
6
black peppercorns
Origin · Kampot pepper, Cambodia — protected geographical indicationElsewhere in British Columbia · Granville Island Spice Co. →
2
1
cinnamon stick
Your own market
100g
smen (preserved butter) or clarified butter
In town · Natural Pastures Cheese →
200g
60g
shelled almonds
blanched and split
Not yet within reach of Courtenay · each reach is counted
60g
15g
15g
4g
ground cinnamon
Your own market
4g
2
100ml
reserved poaching liquid
Your own market
150g
phyllo sheets
Not yet within reach of Courtenay · each reach is counted
60g
20g
3g
ground cinnamon
for garnish
Your own market

Within reach counts in town, delivered, shipped and the nearest city. A staple counts once it has a local seller. Charted from each shop's own pages; not yet vouched by a cook who shops here.

The larder of Courtenay →

Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.

II

The Method

1
Poach squab with carrot, celery, onion, coriander seeds, peppercorns, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick in salted water for 35 minutes; cool in liquid, then shred meat finely; reserve 100ml poaching liquid.
2
Heat smen in heavy pot; sauté sliced onions until golden and caramelized, 15 minutes; add almonds and pistachios, toast 2 minutes.
3
Fold in shredded squab, fresh herbs, ground cinnamon, and ginger; season with salt and white pepper.
4
Whisk egg yolks with reserved poaching liquid; fold into filling off heat until cohesive.
5
Layer 4 phyllo sheets, brushing each with melted butter; spread quarter of filling across lower third, fold edges inward, then roll into tight cylinder.
6
Arrange seam-side down on buttered sheet tray; repeat with remaining phyllo and filling to create 4 rolls.
7
Brush tops generously with remaining butter; bake at 190°C until deep golden, 25–28 minutes.
8
Dust with powdered sugar and ground cinnamon; serve warm.
III

Sensory Tests

◇Where it lives or dies. Traditional bastilla uses pigeon; chicken thighs are the contemporary substitute (and are more practical for home cooking without loss of character) For the most authentic flavour: steep a pinch of saffron in 2 tablespoons of warm water and add to the braising liquid — the saffron aroma permeates the filling The traditional Moroccan sequence: bastilla is the first course at a wedding banquet, followed by a tagine, followed by couscous — it is an opener, not the main
Pillar IV
Cross-cuisine parallels are part of membership.
The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
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V

What to Pour

Pouring for British Columbia · ·

The pairing
Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Buffalo Trace Distillery · Kentucky Bourbon Country
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Whisky
From British Columbia
Classic Single Malt
Shelter Point Distillery · Vancouver Island
Shelter Point Distillery · Campbell River →
Whisky
Without alcohol

No pour without alcohol holds against this yet.

Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.

Why each one works is part of membership — Enter · from $49 a year →

The whole pairing
Pillar VI
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year
The working kitchen
Cost this recipe
Part of The Profession · ingredient costs and your margin
→
HACCP brief
Part of The Profession · the food-safety plan
→
Sourced through Provenance

The hands behind the plate.

Natural Pastures Cheese
Courtenay · smen (preserved butter) or clarified butter, egg yolks, melted butter
→
Parksville Downtown Farmers Market · Parksville
Parksville · onion, carrot, celery
→
Sechelt Farmers' & Artisans' Market (Sat)
Sechelt · coriander seeds, bay leaves, shelled pistachios
→
Global Village Nanaimo · Nanaimo
Nanaimo · powdered sugar
→
Granville Island Spice Co.
Vancouver · black peppercorns
→
Lekker
Vancouver · squab (450g each)
→
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