Susan Jung's recipe for bisteeya, a savoury-sweet treat from Morocco
Bisteeya may not be the easiest dish to make but the sweet-savoury Moroccan meat pie is well worth the effort.
Bisteeya is a savoury, sweet and cinnamony Moroccan meat pie that is usually made only for special occasions because it's a lot of work. Cooks start by making warka sheets from a very soft dough that's difficult to handle. Some recipes suggest substituting them with filo sheets, but warka is more resilient and doesn't dry out as quickly. Fortunately, Great, in Pacific Place, sells warka - it's called "feuille de brick" and can be found in the refrigerated section, along with other types of dough.
This recipe gives instructions for individual, triangular bisteeya but, if you prefer, make one or two larger pies - butter each sheet of warka/brick pastry, then overlap and fan them out in a round pan before layering in first the meat, then the egg mixture and, finally, the almond/sugar/cinnamon. Fold the pastry tightly over the top to enclose the filling, and add another buttered sheet to completely seal it, tucking the excess into the sides of the pan so the surface is smooth. For larger pies, you'll probably only need six to eight sheets of brick pastry, rather than the 10 to 12 called for in this recipe.