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SAFFRON BASICS
Buying: Saffron threads should be a vibrant red color and dry to the touch. To preserve the spice, store in an airtight, opaque container in a cool, dry place.
Cooking: Known for lending a bold yellow hue and honeyed perfume to any recipe it's a part of, saffron enlivens rice dishes and hot tea.
CROCUS SATIVUS
First grown in Iran, which is still the largest producer of the world’s most expensive spice, saffron has been used for thousands of years in dyes, perfumes and medicines. Its flavor is floral, with notes of honey and bitter undertones.
AROUND RVA
Nama: Saffron tinctures bring garden vibes to Nama’s Rang Barse cocktail, which combines vodka, St-Germain, lime and ginger beer.
Can Can Brasserie: Bold flavors come to play in Can Can's hand-cut saffron linguini with tender braised octopus, niçoise olives and anchovies.
The Mantu: In the rice dish Zereshk Polo, which is traditionally made with barberries, fragrant saffron elevates a pilaf of steamed rice with cranberries.
“I love the way a pinch of saffron completely brings a dish to life.” —Kate Stephenson, founder of Kate Uncorked
COOK LIKE A LOCAL
Persian Chicken and Rice
By Kate Stephenson, founder of Kate Uncorked
Kate Stephenson, personal chef and founder of the namesake meal service business Kate Uncorked, loves adding saffron to soups and grain dishes. She recommends soaking the threads in warm water to soften before adding them to rice. “The vibrant color and the subtly sweet, floral flavor turn a simple dish into a total showstopper,” she says. In her recipe for Persian chicken and rice, Stephenson amps up the golden color with turmeric.
1 1/2-2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about four large thighs)
1/8 teaspoon or a pinch of saffron threads
1 tablespoon hot water
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper
1 cup white onion, diced (about half an onion)
1 cup basmati rice
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cumin
Pinch of cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 1/4 cups vegetable stock (or water)
1/3 cup dried currants (or golden raisins)
1/3 cup raw pistachios, toasted
2-3 scallions, chopped
Roughly chopped parsley and mint (the more the merrier!)
Juice of one lime
Preheat oven to 400. Season chicken thighs with kosher salt and black pepper. Place saffron threads in a small ramekin and cover with a few tablespoons of hot water. Let them soak while you start the chicken.
Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Transfer the chicken thighs, skin side down, to the pan and brown for seven to eight minutes until the skin is golden and easily lifts from the pan. Transfer the thighs to a plate.
Drain some of the fat so there is about 1 tablespoon left in the pan. Turn down the heat to medium-low and add the onion to the pan. Using a wooden spoon, saute onion for five minutes until it softens. Try to scrape up any chicken bits that have stuck to the pan during this process. Add rice to the pan and continue to saute until it begins to toast, about three minutes.
Add turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper to the rice and stir to combine. Continue to stir the spices with the rice mixture for two to three more minutes to let the flavors develop. Add stock and saffron threads (with the water) and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add currants to the rice.
Nestle your chicken thighs into the rice, skin side up, and transfer the entire pan to the oven. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken thighs register an internal temp of 165 and the rice is cooked.
Sprinkle chicken and rice with pistachios, scallions, herbs and lime juice. Enjoy!
