Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley's chicken shawarma pie

1. Put the chicken into a large bowl with the garlic, ginger, shawarma spice blend, 1 tbsp oil, the vinegar, 1 tsp salt and a generous grind of black pepper. Mix to combine, then cover and marinate for at least half an hour (or overnight) in the fridge.

2. Preheat the oven to 180℃, gas mark 4. Mix the potatoes with 1½ tbsp oil, ¾ tsp salt and a good grind of black pepper. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking tray and spread out so they are not overlapping. Bake for 20 minutes, then increase the temperature to 220℃ , gas mark 7. Remove the tray from the oven, carefully flip over each potato slice, then return to the oven for another 10 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 180℃, gas mark 4 again (or turn the oven off for now and preheat to 180℃, gas mark 6 before baking). 

3. Meanwhile, put 15g of butter and 1½ tbsp oil into a large sauté pan and place on a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes, until lightly brown, then add the stock, ¼ tsp  salt and a good grind of black pepper. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat to medium. Simmer gently for 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and there is no pink meat. Increase the heat to medium-high and continue to cook for 8 minutes, or until the liquid has thickened and reduced to about 4 tbsp. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 10 minutes, then use two forks to shred the chicken into large chunks. Stir in the herbs and set aside. 

4. To make the tahini sauce, put the tahini, yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, ⅛ tsp salt and 2 tbsp water into a bowl. Whisk together until smooth, then set aside.

5. Melt the remaining 30g of butter and combine with the remaining 2 tbsp oil. Line the base of a 23cm springform cake tin with baking parchment and lightly grease the sides with some of the butter mixture. Lay a sheet of filo out on a clean work surface and brush with the butter. Transfer this to the tin so that the base is covered and the filo rises up and over the tin’s sides. Repeat with the next sheet of filo, brushing it first with butter, then arranging it in the tin, rotating it slightly so that the excess hangs at a different angle. Continue in this fashion, brushing each piece generously as you go, until you have used up 6 pieces of filo in total and the base and sides are all covered. 

6. Next, add the potato slices, overlapping slightly, so that the base of the pie is completely covered. Top with the chicken mixture and gently push down to even out. Lastly, spoon over the tahini sauce, spreading it gently to coat the chicken layer. Brush a piece of filo with butter and fold it in half horizontally, like a book. Place this over the tahini layer, tucking in the filo around the filling. Brush the top with the butter mixture, then repeat with the last piece of filo, angling it to cover any exposed areas. Now fold over the overhang, crinkling up the filo to create a crumpled effect on the top. Brush the top with the remaining butter, sprinkle with the nigella seeds, place on a tray and bake at 180℃, gas mark 4 for 60 minutes, or until deeply golden.

7. Leave to cool for 15 minutes before removing from the tin. Sprinkle with the chilli flakes and serve.

Adapted recipe from Falastin: A Cookbook by Tara Wigley and Sami Tamimi, published by Ebury Press; 1st edition.