Saffron biscotti

Ingredients (20) :

Biscotti:

• 50 g butter

• 0.25 g saffron

• 0.75 dl sugar

• 1 egg

• 2.5 dl wheat flour

• 0.5 tsk baking powder

• 0.5 dl pistachios, chopped

How to:

Turn the oven to 175˚C.

Melt the butter in a small pan, add the saffron and pour it into a medium sized bowl and let it cool down a bit. Add the egg and sugar and mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder and pistachios then add the dry mixture to the wet one. Mix until a nice soft dough forms. Divide into two parts, and roll them out to two 20cm logs and put them onto a parchment covered baking sheet. 

Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes. Then take them out and let them cool down for the same amount of time. 

Lower the temperature to 100C. 

Cut the logs into 1.5 cm thick slices, and put them back onto the baking sheet. Dry the biscottis in the middle of the oven for about 1 hour, turning them over half way through.

Saffron & Vanilla Buns

ingredients (15 ):

Buns:

• 25g fresh yeast

• 75g butter

• 0.5g saffron powdered

• 0.75dl sugar

• 2.5dl milk

• 125g quark or thick greek yoghurt

• 0.5 tsp salt

• 1 egg

• 8-9 dl wheat flour

filling:

• 100g room temperature butter

• 0.75dl sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

egg wash:

• 1 egg

• pearl sugar (also called nib and hail sugar)

How to:

Buns:

Crumble the fresh yeast into a bowl. 

Melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the saffron powder to it. Then add in the milk and make sure the mixture is at 37°C.

Pour the liquid over the yeast and mix until the yeast has dissolved. Add sugar, quark/yoghurt, salt and egg and mix well. Then gradually add the wheat flour and save about 1 dl for later. 

Knead the dough for about 10 minutes then let it rest under a moist towel for 30-45 minutes.

Filling:

Mix butter, sugar and vanilla extract to a nice paste.

Put the dough on a well floured working space and roll it out to a 25*60 cm rectangle. Spread the filling on to i , and fold it in half making it around 25*30cm. 

Cut it into 1-2cm thick strips, then two by two spin the strips together and twist them around into a bun. Put them on a parchment lined baking dish and cover them with a towell again, letting them rest and rise for 30 minutes. 

Turn your oven to 250°C. Give the buns an egg wash and spread some pearl sugar on top before letting them bake for 8 minutes. Then let them cool down on a rack. Enjoy!

Zereshk Polo Ba Morgh

Ingredients (6 servings):

Chicken Ingredients:

• A few tablespoons vegetable oil 

• 6 pieces of bone in chicken (I use drumsticks)

• 1 large yellow onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1.5 tsp turmeric

• 0.25 tsp cinnamon

• 0.25 tsp nutmeg

• 0.25 tsp cardamom 

• 0.25 tsp cumin

• 0.25 tsp coriander

• 0.25 tsp chili powder

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 6 dl chicken stock

• 0.5 of the saffron water (see below)

• salt and pepper to taste

Saffron Water:

• 0.25 tsp of saffron, ground with a pestle and mortar 

• 1 ice cube

Sprinkle the saffron in a small dish over the ice cube and allow the ice cube to melt. Set aside.

Rice Ingredients:

• 3 dl basmati rice (dry)

• Half of the reserved saffron water

How to:

Chicken Directions:

Heat the oil over medium high in a large pot. Combine the spices and sprinkle a little on the chicken. Saute the chicken and onion in the oil until browned.  Add the garlic and continue cooking for about 30 seconds. Add the remaining spices, tomato paste, half of the saffron water (reserve half for the rice!) and chicken stock. Simmer until chicken becomes very tender and sauce thickens and reduces. If the chicken gets done before the sauce is thick and reduced, then remove the chicken from the pot and continue simmering until the sauce is done.

Rice Directions:

Cook the rice according to the package directions. 

Pour the rice into a serving bowl. In a separate bowl, combine 1 dl of the cooked rice with the reserved saffron water. Spread the saffron rice over the top of the rest of the rice. 

Saffron Waffles

ingredients (4 servings):

Waffles

• 25 g butter

• 100 g potatoes

• 1,5 dl wheat flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp salt

• 0.25g saffron powder

• 1,5 dl milk

Topping

• 0.5 red onion, chopped 

• 1 dl smetana

• 4 lox slices

• fresh dill

How to:

Melt the butter and peel the potatoes and grate on a fine grate. 

Mix flour, baking powder, salt and saffron in a medium bowl. Add milk and whisk until it forms an even smooth batter. Then add the grated potatoes and the butter and mix. Ladle the batter into a preheated waffle iron. Cook the waffles until golden and crisp and serve immediately. 

Add smetana, a slice of lox, red onions and some fresh dill do each waffle. :)

Saffron Gin & Tonic

Ingredients ( 1 serving):

Gin & Tonic:

• 5cl saffron gin*

• pinch of saffron powder

• tonic

• orange peel

• coffee beans

• 1 cinnamon stick

• cardamom seeds
  

How to:

Fill a large wine glass or gin&tonic glass with ice. Add the spices, then pour in the gin and top it off with the amount of tonic you like.

*Safron gin:

Add a pinch of saffron powder to a teabag and let it soak in 1 dl gin for 1-2 hours. Taste it after an hour to make sure it’s not to strong tasting.

Saffron Snap Cookies

Ingredients (50):

Cookies:

• 1 dl sugar

• 0.5 dl treacle

• 0.5 dl water

• 60 g butter

• 0.5 g saffron*

• 0.5 tbsp baking powder

• 3.5 dl wheat flour (ad a bit more i needed)

*(If you want to do regular “pepparkaka” or “ginger snap cookies” change the saffron to: 0,5 tbsp cinnamon, 1 tsp cardamom, 1 tsp clove, 1 tsp ginger )

Icing:

• 4 dl icing sugar

• 1 egg white

• 0.5 tsp lemon

• food dye

How to:

In a small saucepan add the sugar, treacle and water and turn it to boil then remove from the stove. Put the butter and all the spices in a bowl and pour the sugar-treacle syrup over it and blend until the butter has blended and let it cool for a bit. 

Mix the flour with the baking powder and gradually add it to the syrup and with the help of a wooden spoon mix it until it becomes a nice dough. Then let it rest in the fridge for 1-2 day before making the cookies. 

Making the cookies:

Turn the oven to 200 C. 

Roll it out on a floured board and cut out pieces with some fun cookie cutters. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and put the cookies on to it. Put it in the oven and let it bake for 4-6 minutes. Watch it constantly to make sure not to burn them.

Icing:

Mix all the ingredients and dived into as many bowls as you will need colors. Put the icing into icing bags and after the cookies have cooled down decorate them with the icing.