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Vegetable Pastilla

Local name : بسطيلة

A Moroccan warqa pie filled with pumpkin and onion under toasted almonds, dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon.

#pumpkin#almonds#cinnamon#warqa#morocco
Vegetable Pastilla

Photo : kochtopf · CC BY-SA 2.0

Prep
40 min
Cook
50 min
Total
90 min
Serves
6
Difficulty
Hard

Method

  1. Toast the almonds in the oven for 8 minutes at 180C. Chop them with 1 tsp of the cinnamon and 1 tbsp of the icing sugar.
  2. Soften the onions in 30 g of the butter over low heat for 20 minutes, with the saffron and ginger.
  3. Add the squash and honey, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Crush with a fork, then uncover to drive off the water.
  4. Stir in the coriander and season. The filling should sit on a spoon without running.
  5. Butter a 24 cm round tin. Lay 7 sheets in a star, hanging over the rim, buttering between each.
  6. Spread half the almonds, then the filling, then the rest of the almonds. Fold the overhang in and close with the remaining buttered sheets.
  7. Bake for 35 minutes at 190C. Turn out, dust with icing sugar and draw lines of cinnamon across the top.

Sugar on a savoury pie surprises European palates, but it comes from an Andalusian tradition where sweet and salt share one dish. Filo stands in for warqa without trouble, so long as you double the sheets.

Nutrition · per serving

Calories
404 kcal
Protein
8 g
Fat
26.3 g
Carbohydrate
41.1 g
Fibre
8 g

An estimate computed from the recipe quantities and the USDA food composition database. Real values vary with the products used.

Frequently asked questions

Can this pastilla be made vegan?

Yes, by swapping the 100 g of melted butter for a mild olive oil or a good margarine, and the honey for agave syrup. Check the filo, which is usually dairy free but not always. The colour will be slightly less deep, which makes no difference to the crispness.

Why must the filling hold on the spoon without running?

Because any remaining moisture will soak through the bottom sheets during the thirty-five minutes in the oven and leave a soft grey base. Squash gives off a lot of water: after mashing it, let it steam off uncovered until the mixture holds together, even if that takes a few extra minutes.

How do I stop the filo sheets tearing?

They dry out and turn brittle within minutes in the open air. Keep the stack under a clean, slightly damp cloth and take out one sheet at a time. Brush each with butter before laying the next, and use them doubled, since filo is far thinner than warqa.

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