Chicken pastilla with almonds

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat; soften the finely chopped onion about 5 minutes.

Add the minced garlic and the skinned bone-in chicken thighs; brown about 5 more minutes.

Add parsley, cilantro, ground ginger, cinnamon, sugar, crumbled saffron, seasoned salt and black pepper, then the water; scrape up the bottom of the pan.

Cover and simmer low for 45 minutes, watching it; it burned on the first attempt and the sauce was remade.

Blanch the almonds in boiling water about 5 minutes; when cool enough, squeeze them out of their skins and dry on paper towel.

Remake the sauce: vegetables, herbs and water brought to a simmer; return the cooked chicken with its bones for 15 to 20 minutes, then remove it and simmer the sauce on low about 20 minutes more until quite thick.

Heat about a centimetre of oil in a frying pan over medium heat until it shimmers; fry the almonds 1 to 2 minutes until golden; lift out onto paper towel.

Pulse the fried almonds with butter, sugar, cinnamon and orange blossom water to a grainy, not smooth, consistency; set aside.

Pour half the reduced sauce into a bowl; shred the chicken into it and set aside.

Beat the four eggs into the other half of the sauce in the pan; cook over medium heat, stirring often, until dry, 5 to 10 minutes; cool in a bowl.

Grease a springform pan with avocado oil spray and brush it in.

Lay filo sheets overlapping around the pan with about a third of each hanging over, brushing each lightly with oil; lay one sheet in the centre (plus one extra for a sturdier base).

Spread in the chicken filling, then the egg filling, then the almond filling.

Top with a round of filo cut to a circle; fold the overhanging corners over the top keeping a circular shape and smooth flat; brush with oil; tuck one last sheet over and under the edges.

Brush with oil, then with beaten egg yolk; bake at 350F for 30 minutes until the edges are crisp and the top golden.

Cool, unmould from the springform; sprinkle powdered sugar on top, decorate with three lines of cinnamon, garnish with mint.