Winter Vegetable B'stilla Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 6 sheets Phyllo Dough (cut into four even pieces)
- 1 head radicchio
- 1/4 cup golden raisins (soaked in hot water with 1 Tablespoon honey for ten minutes)
- 2 Portobello mushrooms (destemmed and cleaned)
- 1 red onion (sliced)
- 1 butternut squash
- 1/4 pound Redwood Hill goat cheese
- 3 Tablespoon quince paste
- 2 cups clarified butter
- 2 heads rainbow chard (destemmed, washed and sliced)
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- Cinnamon sugar
- Heat large sauté pan.
- Heat oven to 350 degree.
- Wash and shave radicchio.
- Add 2 teaspoons of butter to pan and add radicchio, sauté until soft; add drained raisins, set aside.
- Toss portobello mushrooms in olive oil and season well.
- Put in oven for 10-15 minutes.
- Take out, slice and set aside.
- In hot sauté pan add butter and caramelize red onion, set aside.
- Clean skin off butternut squash, slice into 1/4 inch slices and toss in oil, season well-roast, covered, in 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until soft, set aside.
- To begin assembly, clarify butter by heating it over low heat until the milk solids rise to the top. Scrape off milk solids and discard or run butter through a strainer. To assemble one b'stilla, lay down 1 sheet of phyllo and lightly butter it with pastry brush. Repeat five more times.
- On the sixth sheet sprinkle some cinnamon sugar in the middle of the dough.
- Add in a small amount of each of the following, making sure to dry off as much liquid on the ingredients as possible: Radicchio and raisins, sliced portobello mushrooms, red onion, butternut squash, rainbow chard, 1 large tablespoon goat cheese, 2 teaspoon of quince paste.
- Fold phyllo dough into ball, set aside.
- Layer the remaining five phyllo sheets in a criss-cross pattern, brushing butter on top each time.
- Add in ball of stuffed phyllo in middle and form into ball, tucking ends underneath.
- Repeat steps 10 through 15 using the remaining phyllo pieces - you will have four b'stilla.
- To cook, heat oven to 425 degree, place b'stilla topside down on a lightly buttered pan, heat through for approximately 5 minutes and then turn over and heat through another 6-8 minutes. Remove from pan using a serrated knife, slice into four even pieces and top with cinnamon sugar and toasted almonds.
- Serve immediately.
Restaurant information:
Medjool Restaurant Cafe
Website: http://www.medjoolsf.com
2522 Mission St
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 550-9055
About Tomas Sazo:
A native of the Bay Area, Tomas Sazo's early exposure to the world of cooking came from his mother, a cook for San Francisco's Unified School District who also did the cooking at home.After graduating, he worked at different jobs, including as a dishwasher for the school district-his first "kitchen job"-and debated what he wanted to do next. Deciding to formally study, Sazo enrolled at the California Culinary Academy (CCA) in San Francisco, where he immediately took to the challenge of learning how to do everything from French cooking technique to cooking pastries. Upon graduating from CCA, Sazo worked as a line cook at Aqua-a job he says left a lasting impression, as it taught him about refining classical cooking technique. After Aqua, Sazo moved to Moose's in North Beach, where he was a sous chef before becoming sous chef at Washington Square Bar and Grill. Having built a solid foundation in the kitchen, Sazo next ventured to Chicago to help a friend open a restaurant, before moving to Hawaii. Returning to California, Sazo began to dip his toes back in the San Francisco culinary scene, connecting with Medjool Owner Gus Murad through a business acquaintance and landing a job as sous chef for the Mission neighborhood restaurant known for both for its Mediterranean cuisine and its spectacular rooftop bar. Taking over as executive chef in 2006, Sazo enjoyed creating a menu of small plates, highlighting ingredients from not only the Middle East, but also Southern Europe and North Africa.
