- 1 9" round spring form pan
(or loose bottom pan for easy removal) - 1 pastry brush
- 1 food processor or blender
- 1 package fillo dough (see below for handling)
(I used 12 sheets) - 4 Tbs butter
- 1 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
| Chicken filling - 3/4 lb White Wave Chicken Style Wheat Meat
(or other faux chicken or cooked, boned, skinned, shredded chicken) - 1 Tbs butter
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup water
(traditional recipes use more spices, but chocolate tends to clash or overwhelm them)
| Egg filling |
Get ready. Thaw the fillo overnight in the refrigerator, then let it sit at room temperature in the package for a couple hours. It dries out fast, so don't open it until you're ready to assemble the pie. Note, you may want to practice with a few sheets ahead of time. You can take out a few sheets and rewrap the rest and put it back in the refrigerator for a week. If you're using chicken, stew it with whatever spices you like, then let it cool, remove skin and bones, and shred it. You want enough to fill one layer of the 9" round pan.
With the vegetarian faux chicken (I assume other kinds will work, but I liked this one), melt 1 Tbs butter in a skillet, then add the ginger and cinnamon. Combine until uniform, then add 1/2 cup water and mix. Add faux chicken and toss to coat, stirring and cooking until the liquid is absorbed or evaporated. Don't overcook, you want the "chicken" to be tender, but the mixture shouldn't be wet. Set aside.
In a bowl, scramble 6 eggs with a whisk. Heat 2 Tbs chocolate sauce so it is thin, and mix into eggs until uniform. Scramble the eggs, breaking them up and getting them fairly dry. Set aside.
Toast the almonds if necessary (put the on a baking sheet in a 350 oven for 3-5 minutes, stirring them a couple times). Put the almonds, cinnamon, cocoa powder and sugar into a food processor and grind them to a sandy texture.
You now have the three fillings and are ready to put it together. Set the oven to 400. Butter the bottom and sides of your 9" pan. Melt 4 Tbs butter and mix in 1 Tbs cocoa powder.
Lots of recipes tell you to cover the not yet used fillo with a damp towel while you're working with it. Instead, plan your moves, have everything ready, and work fast. It only takes a minute or two to put it together. You're going to use five sheets on the bottom, the first centered, and four more half overlapping right, top, left and bottom (like a Red Cross symbol). You'll then put in the "chicken" then two sheets centered, then the eggs, then two sheets centered, then the nuts, then one sheet, then you'll fold the flaps over the top and add another sheet or two. Whenever you put down a sheet or fold over some exposed fillo, you will brush some of the cocoa butter on it. Don't worry if the sheets tear a little, there will be overlapping layers. Be sure you have enough space for the pan and the fillo to hang out.
Ready? Unwrap the fillo. Take the first sheet and place it centered in the pan. Push it into the edges of the pan. Brush the sheet with the cocoa butter. Put the next sheet with the left edge a little to the left of the center. Brush it. Put the next one with the bottom edge a little below the center. Brush it. Put the next sheet with the right edge a little to the right of center. Brush it. Put the next sheet with the top edge a little above the center. Brush it.
Spread the "chicken" in a single layer. Add a sheet centered, brush it, add another sheet centered rotated 45 degrees. Spread the eggs in a single layer. Add two more sheets the same way. Spread the nuts. Add one sheet. Brush it. Fold the flaps over the top, brushing the exposed fillo, including the sides. If the flaps don't overlap in the middle, add an extra sheet centered and trim it to the size of the pan. Add one more sheet, tucking the edges into the pan. Brush top with more butter. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes. The fillo should be crisp.
Sprinkle top with cinnamon/sugar mixture and decorate as desired. Often intricate patterns are used. Serve it hot. It will be messy.
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