Saffron recipes

Being so old and so efficient in many, the saffron has attracted the attention of the important people. Even the poet Homer had good words to say about saffron while he esteemed three flowers – the lotus, the saffron, the hyacinth. The ones who have known closely the qualities of saffron, have of course been tempted to consume it in forms more pleasant than the medicinal preparation. So foods and drinks based on saffron have been developed. Most recipes of this kind are met in Orient, the inhabitants here being probably true heirs of the culinary Roman practices.

1. Chicken with saffron
Ingredients:
The ingredients of this Arabian recipe are among the most common: 3 chicken chests, two glasses tomato juice, two finely sliced onions, a spoon of saffron, o spoon of butter, about 100 g grinded cheese, salt, pepper, juniper according to taste, hot water.
Cooking:
Cut in medium portions, the chicken pieces are roasted in butter waiting for them to redden. We leave the pan on the fire and we add the onion over the chicken pieces. We keep mixing. When the onion is roasted, we add the tomato sauce, water, salt, saffron and the other spices. We boil it at medium temperature. When the chicken is boiled, we add the grinded cheese and we leave it ten more minutes on the fire. We decorate with green salad. The chicken with saffron is served while hot.

2. Ram with sauce and saffron
Ingredients:
We will use about 1 kg ram joint, 2 spoons of grease, 2 medium onions, a carrot of about 100 g, 2-3 spoons of flour, vinegar, garlic – about 20 g, a teaspoon of sugar, 1 leaf of laurel, 1 teaspoon of powder saffron, 2 teaspoons of mustard, a glass of sour cream, about 150 g macaroni, about 250 ml hot water or soup, salt according to taste.
Cooking:
The joint is well washed, the bones removed and it is stuffed with garlic. Salt is added and then is roasted in a higher pan with grease. After this, the meat is pulled out and in its place we cook the flour, onions and carrots cut into slices. We leave the pan on the fire and add the mustard, vinegar and soup (or hot water) and we reintroduce the meat. We continue to boil it. When it is boiled the meat is pulled out and set on a plate. When it cools down a bit we will rub it well with saffron powder and a bit of salt. Next to the meat on the same plate we add a garnish of macaroni. The sauce is boiled continuously adding the laurel leaf, sugar and the sour cream. We let it boil down a bit. We pour this sauce over the meat and the garnish.

3. Chicken with mushrooms and olives
Ingredients:
This oriental food includes the following ingredients: a medium chicken, about 150 g of finely cut mushrooms, about 100 – 150 g olives without cores, 3 medium carrots sliced, 2 finely minced onions, 2 garlic cloves, 2 peppers finely cut (preferably one to be green and the other one red), 50 ml oil, about 50 ml vinegar, a spoon full of flour, a glass of tomato juice, salt, pepper, 150 l chicken soup, 100-150 g grinded cheese, a teaspoon of dry saffron.
Cooking:
We start by roasting the chicken on all sides as well as possible. After it’s roasted we pour water until it is covered. The onions and the spices are added and we let it boil at medium temperature. Separately we cook in pan the garlic and the onion. When the mixture has a yellow color we add the carrots cut into slices, the peppers, the mushrooms and the saffron. We let it on fire for about 10 minutes, time in which we mix continuously. We add the vinegar and the chicken soup as well, the pan still on the fire. We add the olives cut finely and we mix again. We take the pan off the fire only after the sauce has consistency. We let it rest after which we add the chicken pieces. We mix and we put the pan back on the fire for another time to boil. Finally, everything is poured on a dish and cheese is sprinkled. We set it in the oven for a couple of minutes enough time for the cheese to start melting. Immediately when the food is taken out of the oven the food can be served.