How to make Moroccan chicken phyllo pie with herb yoghurt

Use fresh ingredients from your garden to make this mouthwatering meal.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

4 chicken portions (thighs and legs)
2 onions, chopped
5ml (1 tsp) ground ginger
10ml (2 tsp) ground cinnamon
A pinch of saffron (optional)
A handful of fresh coriander, chopped
A handful of Italian parsley, chopped
6 fresh dates, chopped
1 small preserved lemon, chopped
50g flaked almonds, toasted
10ml (2 tsp) castor sugar
200g phyllo pastry (about 10 sheets), defrosted
50g butter, melted
1 cup plain yoghurt
3 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
2 Tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Place the chicken portions, onions, ginger, half the cinnamon, saffron, coriander and parsley in a large saucepan with enough water to cover and bring to the boil slowly.

Gently simmer for one hour or until the chicken falls off the bone. Remove the chicken and reduce the cooking liquid until thick and glossy.

Shred the chicken meat, discarding the bones and skin and add the reduced cooking liquid to bind the ingredients.

Add the dates and preserved lemon. Combine the almonds, sugar and the remaining cinnamon and set aside. To assemble the pie, brush a sheet of phyllo pastry with the melted butter and top with another. Place the double phyllo sheets inside a greased 24-centimetre spring-form cake tin, allowing the pastry to hang over the sides. Repeat with another two sheets, arranging them at angles to each other so the pastry looks like the spokes of a wheel.

Spread the chicken filling inside and fold over the overlapping sheets of phyllo. Sprinkle with the nut mixture.

Brush four more sheets of phyllo with butter, then crumple them up and place on top to create a crinkled effect.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, then cover the top with foil and bake for a further 10 minutes to brown the bottom and sides.

Mix the yoghurt and the remaining herbs and season well to taste. Serve the hot pie with herb yoghurt.