Bstilla (chicken and onion pie)

When I was at the market this morning I saw the first sign that spring is near: a big bunch of California asparagus. After a few months of nothing but root vegetables and hardy greens, the pleasant snap of asparagus had real appeal and they were almost tossed into my basket. However, I have this thing for waiting it out for local asparagus, and anything else seems a bit like cheating. Oh, and the $9 price tag on the bunch was also a helpful deterrent.

So, I trudged home in the ice and snow asparagus-less, feeling a bit down about the weather and hoping for warmer days. If there was a perfect pick-me-up to brighten my mood, this bstilla bil djaj, or chicken and onion pie, was it. It combines the classic cold-weather comfort of a chicken pot-pie with the enticing and bright flavors and aromas of Middle Eastern cooking. Where a chicken-pot pie will wrap you up tightly in a cozy wool blanket in front of a crackling fire, bstilla cranks the heat on high, turns the music up, and ignites a party.