Recipies

Yields : 4 servings
Ingredients :

• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups trimmed sourdough bread cubes
• 4 large garlic cloves, quartered
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 4 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
• 2 generous pinches saffron threads

Salt 8 1/2-inch-thick French bread baguette slices 1/2 cup grated Manchego or Monterey Jack Cheese Minced fresh chives or green onion tops Saffron threads

Heat 4 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bread cubes and garlic and sauté until bread is light golden, about 4 minutes. Add wine, then broth and saffron; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 25 minutes. Puree soup in blender. Return soup to saucepan. Season with salt. Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange French bread slices on cookie sheet. Brush with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Bake until lightly toasted, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over croutons. Transfer cookie sheet to broiler; broil croutons until cheese melts. Place 2 croutons in each bowl. Bring soup to simmer. Ladle over croutons. Sprinkle with chives and a few saffron threads and serve.

Yields : 1 Cup of Tea

• Buy a box of normal plain tea such as Lipton or other brands.
• Put one teabag in a teacup.
• Throw 5 to 10 strands of saffron in the cup.
• Pour boiling water into the cup.
• Wait for about a minute while stirring the tea occasionally, then take the tea bag out. Make sure saffron strands are not attached to it and wait for another minute while stirring it occasionally.
• If you use sugar in your tea, add it now. You are done.

CAUTION: Do not use more than a cup a day. Always start with small amount and test it. Keep in mind that saffron is also a drug and like any other drugs, overdosing can cause serious health hazards. Consumption of few grams at once by a single individual may cause kidney failure, paralysis of nervous system and death.

Yield : 2-1/2 cups sauce
Ingredients :

• 1/2 cup raw almonds.
• 1/2 cup shelled, unsalted raw pistachio nuts
• 2 Tbsp butter or mild vegetable oil .
• 1 large sweet onion, peeled and grated .
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander.
• 1/4 tsp mace.
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground white pepper .
• 2 green cardamom pods, husked, and ground.
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper.
• 1 pinch nutmeg.
• 1/2 tsp saffron threads, soaked in 2 tablespoons hot water.
• 2 cups heavy cream .
• 3/4 tsp salt, or to taste.

Preparation:
Heat a heavy 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add almonds and pistachios and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often. Let it cool for 5 minutes. Place in a food processor or heavy-duty blender and process until nuts are powdered

Heat butter in a medium saucepan and fry onion till it becomes light brown. Add coriander, mace, white pepper, cardamom, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg. Cook for one minute. Keep stirring and add saffron, cream, salt, powdered nuts and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon

Makes enough sauce for about 1-1/2 pounds of grilled meat or chicken breasts. Or simmer your favorite meatball recipe in the sauce for 15 minutes.

Yield : 6 servings
Ingredients

• 1 pound chestnuts roasted and shelled.
• 2 onions.
• 1/4 cup sunflower oil.
• 1-1/2 pounds boneless lamb, cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
• 1/4 tsp turmeric ground.
• 1/4 tsp saffron threads crushed.
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon ground.
• 1 cup walnuts, minced fine.
• 1/4 tsp mint crushed.
• 1 cup pomegranate juice fresh.
• 2 tbsp tomato paste.
• 3 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed.
• 1-1/2 cups chicken stock.
• 1 tsp honey.
• 1 tsp salt.
• 1 garlic clove, minced fine.
• 1 tsp black pepper.
• 1/4 cup fresh mint as garnish.

Preparation:
Heat the oil in casserole over medium flame then sauté the onion and garlic for almost ten minutes. Increase the flame, add meat, turmeric, salt, pepper, and brown meat. Stir the ingredient thoroughly in the saffron, cinnamon, mint, walnuts, and tomato paste with chicken stock. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1-1/2 hours. Add lemon juice, pomegranate juice and chestnuts. Stir well, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve over a bed of saffron rice.

You can also add other fruits such as prunes raisins, apricots, apples, etc. to this dish. Use approximately 1/4 to 1/2 cup of extra fruit(s) as a total amount.