Saffron Onions Food

SAFFRON RICE

Steps:

• Heat 3 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 finely chopped onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 4 minutes. Stir in 2 cups basmati rice, 2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads. Add 1 1/2 cups each water and low-sodium chicken broth. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, 15 minutes. Let sit, covered, 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Stir in 1/4 cup chopped cilantro and 2 sliced scallions.

STUFFED ONIONS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high. Make a lengthwise cut into each onion from the top to root end, slicing only halfway through to the middle of the onion. (This will make it easier to separate the layers.) Reduce heat to medium-high and simmer briskly until the onions are softened through the middle and the layers separate easily, about 25 minutes. Transfer onions to a cutting board and let cool.
• Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread almonds on a baking sheet and toast until lightly golden, 6 to 7 minutes; transfer to a plate to cool. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees.
• In a small bowl, combine saffron and lemon juice, and let sit.
• Separate the onion layers until just the centers remain. (You may have to trim the root ends a bit more if the layers don't completely separate.) Cut the 2 largest outer layers from each onion in half for 12 equal pieces, then count out more of the inner layers for a total of 20 to 24 stuffed onions. (The number will vary depending on the size of onions.) Finely chop the remaining onion centers and any remaining onion layers to make 1 cup; a little less or more is OK.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a high-sided, 12-inch ovenproof skillet with a lid over medium. Add chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3 minutes. Stir in rice and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter, and stir until evenly coated. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt, the pepper, saffron-lemon juice, cinnamon stick, cumin, cardamom and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil over high, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until the liquid is just absorbed, about 3 minutes (rice will still be undercooked). Stir in toasted almonds, pistachios, raisins, cherries and parsley.
• Spoon 2 tablespoons of the rice mixture in the center of each onion layer so that the onion loosely covers the filling. (Rice will expand; bundles should be partly open.) Scrape out and discard any remaining rice (or reserve for future use) and clean out the skillet.
• Coat the bottom of the skillet with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and arrange onions seam side up in a single layer. Add 1 cup of water to the pan, season onions with salt and pepper, and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Bring to a boil over high, cover tightly and transfer to the oven to bake until all the liquid has been absorbed, rice is cooked through and onions are tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.
• Garnish with parsley and drizzle with oil. Serve warm.

COD WITH POTATOES, PEPPERS AND SAFFRON

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large wide pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 30 seconds. Add the potatoes and stir to coat. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, 3/4 teaspoon salt, the saffron and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Cover the pot and cook until the potatoes are mostly tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Season the cod with salt, then add to the pot; submerge about halfway in the broth, with the top of the fish exposed. Cover and simmer until the fish is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Carefully remove with a spatula and transfer to shallow bowls.
• Gently stir the lemon juice into the pot; season with salt and more red pepper flakes. Spoon the vegetables and broth over the fish, sprinkle with the parsley and serve with the lemon wedges.

BAKED FISH WITH POTATOES, ONIONS, SAFFRON AND PAPRIKA

Steps:

• Sprinkle the fish fillets with salt and arrange in a flat-bottomed bowl or pie plate.
• Pour on the lemon juice and let it sit.
• In a shallow, ovenproof casserole, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil.
• Add the potatoes in layers and sprinkle each layer with salt.
• Turn the potatoes to coat with the oil and saute over medium heat for 2 minutes.
• Stir in the onions, 1/8 teaspoon of the saffron, and 1/4 teaspoon of the paprika and saute for 2 minutes more.
• Cover and cook over medium-low heat until the potatoes are almost tender, 15-20 minutes, lifting and turning the potato mixture occoasionally.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Drain the fish and arrange over the potatoes.
• Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over the fish and sprinkle with salt and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon saffron and 1/4 teaspoon paprika.
• Bake for about 15 minutes, until the fish is just cooked through.
• Serve right from the casserole dish or transfer to dinner plates and arrange the potato mixture around and over the fish.
• Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

BRAISED LEMON-SAFFRON CHICKEN AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a mortar and pestle (or the bottom of a spoon and a bowl), grind the saffron threads into a powder as best you can. Add the 2 tablespoons hot water and stir to combine. Set aside.
• Place the chicken in a 9-by-13-inch roasting pan or baking dish. Cut large potatoes into 1-inch pieces and add to the pan. Drizzle the chicken and potatoes with the oil, then season well with salt and pepper.
• Add the lemon juice to the saffron water, mix to combine, then pour over the chicken and potatoes, stirring to coat. Arrange the chicken skin-side down. Sprinkle evenly with the whole black peppercorns, if using, then cover tightly with foil. (It's OK if everything is close together.)
• Cook until the meat is tender and easily pulled from the bone, and the potatoes are soft, about 1 1/2 hours. During the last 15 minutes, remove the foil, flip the chicken, stir the potatoes and cook for 15 minutes more, uncovered, to reduce some of the liquid.
• Season with black pepper and serve with rice or pita to soak up the lemony juices.

SAFFRON CHICKEN

Steps:

• Toast the saffron strands in a dry pan over a medium heat for about 1 minute taking care not to burn them.
• Cool, and then crush them with the back of a spoon.
• Dissolve them in 1 tablespoon of very hot water.
• Heat the ghee (or whatever you use), and gently fry the onion, garlic, ginger and chillis until the onion is soft and golden.
• Add garlic.
• Add the dissolved saffron to the pan with the cardomon, then add the chicken.
• Turn the chicken pieces in the mix, coating well.
• Add the salt, cover and cook for 25 minutes until the chicken is tender.
• Uncover the pan and continue cooking, turning often until the liquid is almost gone.

SAFFRON RISOTTO WITH SPRING ONION, SAFFRON AND GREEN GARLIC

Steps:

• Put the stock or broth into a saucepan, and bring it to a simmer over low heat with a ladle nearby. Make sure that the broth is well seasoned.
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy nonstick skillet or saucepan. Add the spring onion, green garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook gently until it is just tender, about three minutes. Do not brown.
• Add the rice, and stir just until the grains separate and begin to crackle. Rub the saffron between your thumb and fingers, and stir into the rice. Add the wine, stirring until it has been absorbed. Begin adding the simmering stock, a couple of ladlefuls (about 1/2 cup) at a time. The stock should just cover the rice and should be bubbling, not too slowly nor too quickly. Cook, stirring often, until the stock is just about absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of the stock. Continue to cook in this fashion, adding more stock when the rice is almost dry and stirring. When the rice is just tender all the way through but still chewy, in 20 to 25 minutes, it is done. Taste, and adjust seasoning.
• Add another ladleful of stock to the rice. Stir in the Parmesan, and remove from the heat. The mixture should be creamy. Serve right away in wide soup bowls or on plates, spreading the risotto in a thin layer rather than lumping into a mound.