Lodge provided the Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven for this post. All opinions are my own. 

Do you like the idea of about fifteen minute prep and a dinner that tastes like you spent hours. This chicken and olives recipe addresses many things busy cooks are looking for.

• Easy. It takes five minutes to cut up carrots, onion and lemon, ten minutes to brown the chicken.
• Healthy: This is paleo, gluten free, grain free, dairy free, low carb.
• Flavorful: This is a dish I’d serve in a restaurant to get my customers to return.
• Beautiful: Yes.
• Comfort Food: Does all comfort food have to be deep fried and full of cheese? No.
• Frugal. You can cut up a whole chicken and stretch this into two dinners or use affordable chicken thighs. Don’t purchase a cut up chicken. Purchase a whole chicken which is much cheaper and ask the butcher in the store to cut it up for you. But, buy healthy chicken, organic if you can.

The Chicken and Olives recipe is from the cookbook, Mediterranean Paleo Cooking, which I recently reviewed here. If you like this, you’ll want to read the review.

I was immediately drawn to the recipe on the cover because I love anything with olive and lemon.

The Process for Chicken and Olives Recipe

The Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven 7 Quart is a Great Size for Braising Chicken

I made the entire dish in the same braising dutch oven provided by Lodge. I met the Lodge people at food event in Nashville and asked if I could work with them. I’m a huge fan of cast iron and this makes my 13th cast iron addition. I use them all. I use at least one every single day. I’ve visited the Lodge Factory store in south Pittsburgh, Tennessee. If you get a chance go shopping there.



This is now my favorite dutch oven and I have three. It was roomy enough to brown several thighs at once, and then move over and add the vegetables. It holds heat well, and most of this dish was made on a very low simmer. You could put the  Lodge dutch oven in the oven at a low temperature of 300 degrees for a dish like this. You can also make this dish in a crock pot, but you would still have to brown the chicken and sauté the vegetables first.

The Oval Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven comes in this beautiful white color.

• Porcelain enamel interior and exterior
• Self-basting cover with handle traps in heat, moisture and nutrients
• 7-Quart capacity
• Stainless steel knob
• Can be placed in oven, refrigerator, freezer

Chicken and Olives uses a Whole Lemon with Saffron and Cumin, Resulting in a very aromatic dish.

The addition of cumin and saffron adds sultry flavor. The recipe calls for boiling the olives for a while before adding them, but I skipped that, because I wanted the brine in the dish. The broth that remains is so good. You could use bread to sop it up or some rice. If you want to eat paleo, try this mashed cauliflower, which is what I did.

Mashed Cauliflower recipe here

This chicken dish has amazing flavor and it’s so easy to make that I’m making it all over again this week!

You Might Love these One Pot Chicken Recipes from Spinach Tiger

One Pot Chicken, Sausage, Kale and White Beans

Chicken  with Peppers and Onions

Chicken Thighs with Cauliflower

Print

A Cookbook, A Dutch Oven, a Chicken and Olives Recipe

Chicken with Olives adapted from Mediterranean Paleo Cooking by Caitlyn Weeks, Nabil Bourmar and Diane SanFilippo

Course Chicken with Olives and Lemon

Cuisine Algerian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter or ghee or olive oil for dairy free
• 1 cut up chicken I used eight thighs
• fine sea salt
• ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 pinch saffron
• 1 medium onion
• 3 carrots
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 lemon
• 2 cups pitted green olives less if you prefer
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

• In Dutch oven, melt fat over medium heat.
• Dry chicken. Season with salt and pepper and add to the pan.
• Cook for ten minutes. I started with skin side down for about 6 minutes or until browned. Turn over.
• Add saffron and cumin, continue to sauté for 2 minutes.
• Add onion and garlic and sauté for another two minutes.
• Chicken should be brown; onions translucent.
• Add broth to pot and cover. Bring to boil and reduce heat.
• Remove lid and simmer for 30 minutes.
• In the cookbook directions, they ask to boil the olives separately, but I like the flavor of the olives and Add olives and carrots, and half of lemon, sliced. and cook another 20 minutes or until carrots are cooked through.
• Squeeze the other half of lemon into the broth.
• Serve with the sauce and garnish with cilantro.

The post Chicken and Olives Recipe Braised in Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Faith Gorsky publishes a beautiful blog , an Edible Mosaic which can be found on Barnes & Noble  and Amazon under the same name.

When she asked me to participate in a her book launch party, I had no hesitation. She chose an easy, straightforward recipe, that reflects her approachable, middle eastern food viewpoint, extolling flavor  and texture by use of aromatic basmati rice, golden raisins, pine nuts, and the much loved saffron.

Faith learned middle eastern cooking from her mother in law, when she lived in the middle east for six months. She adapted those recipes by making them more approachable for the home cook.  An Edible Mosaic has over 100 Middle Eastern recipes, with a focus mainly on dishes from the Levant, but also a few recipes from other areas of the Middle East. It’s always a thrill to see another blogger launch a cookbook with recipes true to her heart and spirit, and I am especially delighted to see another blogger friend of mine, Lorraine Elliot, write the forward.

This picture is from the cookbook, and used with permission, as I wanted to show you what it looked like using white basmati rice, since I used brown basmati rice.

As far as the recipe goes, I used brown basmati rice instead of white basmati rice and had to make changes to the recipe, as brown rice needs more water and a longer cooking time. If you use white basmati rice, the water is only 1 1/2 cups and the cooking time before allowing to rest is 10 minutes. It will be wonderful either way.

It was flavorful, with lots of different textures, as the chewy basmati rice, the golden raisins, the flavor and crunch of the pine nuts and, of course, the saffron all came together to make rice dish exciting. The only thing I would change for the next time is using less saffron. The pine nuts delivered such intense flavor that less saffron might have been better.

Book Party Launch Giveaway. Head over to the launch party, as Faith is giving away over $1300 of stuff.

Print

Faith's Saffron Rice

A recipe from Faith Gorsky's cookbook, An Edible Mosaic, this basmati rice and saffron dish is approachable, and flavorful. Recipe courtesy of An Edible Mosaic: Middle Eastern Fare with Extraordinary Flair by Faith Gorsky (Tuttle Publishing; Nov. 2012); reprinted with permission.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Faith Gorsky

Ingredients

• 1½ cups 325 g basmati rice, rinsed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1 onion finely diced
• 4 tablespoons sultanas golden raisins
• 3 cups 425 ml boiling water
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon saffron threads or ½ teaspoon turmeric

Instructions

• Soak the rice in tepid water for 10 minutes; drain. While the rice is soaking, put half a kettle of water on to boil.
• Add the oil to a medium, thick-bottomed lidded saucepan over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and cook until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer the pine nuts to a small bowl and set aside.
• Add the onion to the saucepan you cooked the pine nuts in, and cook until softened and just starting to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the rice and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the sultanas, boiling water, salt, and saffron (or turmeric), turn the heat up to high, and bring it to a rolling boil.
• Give the rice a stir, then cover the saucepan, turn the heat down to very low, and cook until tender, about 30-40 minutes (do not open the lid during this time). Turn the heat off and let the rice sit (covered) 15 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
• Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle the toasted pine nuts on top; serve.
• OPTIONAL Add two pods of cardamom, two whole cloves, and one 2-inch (5 cm) piece of cinnamon stick at the same time that you add the rice.
• Note: The original recipe called for cooking 10 minutes before turning stove off. I needed to cook for 20 minutes as I used basmati brown rice.

The post Faith’s Saffron Rice and Edible Mosaic Cookbook Launch appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

The idea of a saffron pasta isn’t my own. A few months ago, I bought some pappardelle flavored with saffron at World Market.

But then I thought of you, and that perhaps you didn’t have access to such a flavored pasta and I decided to make you some. So far this year, I’ve made quite a few flavored pastas, including chocolate, and citrus tarragon. It starts with my basic semolina pasta recipe, which is always the same 1 cup flour, 2 eggs, a touch of salt. It’s that simple. It’s the “rest and dry” secret that makes the difference.

Roll pasta toward center.

Cut into long noodles.

Dry pasta prior to boiling.

Making Pasta

Semolina flour has become my flour of choice for pasta, especially when I want a firmer texture. I was excited a few months ago, when I discovered a boxed semolina pasta flour that had been ground very fine. Frustrated that the store no longer stocks it, I headed to Whole Foods to buy course organic semolina out of the open bin and experiment. I put the flour in the food processor, stuck to the “rest and dry” rules, it worked out so well, I’ll never look for special “pasta flour” again. Some pasta makers mix semolina with all purpose flour, but I don’t think that is necessary. You CAN use all-purpose flour; however, I think the texture is too soft, more like egg noodles, and doesn’t have enough bite or body.

No one told me to DRY THE PASTA. Just like I didn’t know that pasta dough should rest for 30 minutes, I didn’t know that it needed to dry for at least 30 minutes also. These two non-action verbs are important to pasta to the controlling the outcome. Resting and drying takes a little patience and if you’re like me, one who cooks impulsively following a whim or idea, it may take a little discipline. But the rewards are worth it.

I dried this particular pasta in nest shapes on a white cloth, and it cooked perfectly at 4 minutes.

Bolognese  sauce is especially good on homemade pasta. Recipe coming soon. You can see how nice and tender (and NOT gummy) this pasta looks.

Using same pasta recipe, another shape.

Print

Making Homemade Saffron Pasta

Homemade saffron pasta using semolina flour, yields a flavorful pasta with a bite.

Servings 4

Ingredients

• Recipe
• 1 cup semolina flour if course, run through food processor
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon saffron
• 2 eggs
• all purpose flour for dusting

Instructions

• Place flour on large hard surface that has been floured.
• Add salt, Add saffron threads, evenly distributing.
• Make a well in center. Add one egg at a time, using a fork to whisk the flour into egg mixture.
• Knead with hands until fully incorporated. Dough will be sticky, so use some flour to be able to form into a ball. Flatten out a bit, cover with a damp towel to keep from drying.
• Rest for 30 minutes.
• Do NOT skip this step. At this point, you can refrigerate.
• Roll out, and take through pasta machine up to the thinnest number that doesn’t break up. My pasta machine goes to number 9. I was able to go to number 8, and still have smooth, intact pasta. Cut pasta in ribbons or make whatever shape you prefer.
• Cutting the Pasta
• Before rolling up to cut, allow pasta to sit a few minutes to dry. Once cut, unroll immediately and continue to the drying process.
• Pasta without the saffron. This was extra long so I rolled each end up to center. Cut across and then cut in strips as photo shows below.
• Drying the Pasta
• Dry the pasta either in nests or in strips on clean cloth. This will make the pasta easier to cook, and reduce chance of sticking.

The post Making Homemade Saffron Pasta appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

When I posted Mouclade, a few days ago, remember, I promised an Italian version of mussels made with fennel, onion and sausage. I made the dish from Bon Appetit Magazine and while it looks fantastic and appetizing, the flavors and textures didn’t come together as I had envisioned, and I created a different dish, inspired with saffron.

I read that mouclade (mussels with cream) can be made flavored with saffron, which not only did I have on hand, but saffron pasta was sitting in the pantry waiting for inspiration and there was Italian sausage left over.

It’s simple, hearty, flavorful, and if you don’t have saffron pasta on hand, I went ahead and made some for you here. In the post for mouclade, there are some great tips for preparing mussels and a rather lively debate in the comments section.

As the most expensive spice in the world, saffron deserves a tutorial, so as to not waste a single saffron thread. Just as I accidentally killed a few mussels making mouclade, I accidentally reduced the flavor of the saffron by using a wooden spoon, and as the most expensive spice in the world, I won’t be making that mistake again, and now, neither will you.

Notice the red/orange tips, which means this saffron was not tinted and is a good quality.

What You Need to Know about Saffron
• Saffron quality is judged by the color. The more vivid the color, the higher the quality, but avoid saffron that has been tinted, by looking for threads with red/orange tips, or knowing your source.
• Steep in a ratio of 1-3 saffron to hot water for two hours, prior to using. Heat releases the flavor and unlike other spices, saffron flavor continues to grow for up to twelve hours and will be brighter in left overs.
• Do not crush saffron, unless you don’t have the two-hour steeping time. Then decrease hot water, crush with pestle and mortar and allow to sit for 30 minutes.
• Purchase threads instead of powder. Powder tends to lose fragrance.
• Do not use a wooden spoon, which will absorb the fragrance of the saffron.
• Stored in a dark place, saffron should keep for a long time.
• Spain is the world’s largest exporter of saffron, although Iran is the largest cultivator. (You don’t really need to know that, but I thought it was interesting and solved for me the “spanish saffron” curiosity.

Tips for Purchasing, Storing, Cleaning Mussels can be found here. 

Print

Saffron Pasta with Mussels and Sausage

Mussels in Saffron Pasta, Italian Sausage

Course Entree

Cuisine French

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 dozen mussels double that if you are not using sausage
• 4 hot Italian sausage links
• 2 garlic cloves crushed
• 2 shallots finely diced
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron steeped in 1 tablespoon hot water (that has been boiled) for at least two hours
• 1 cup white wine
• sea salt pepper
• 1 pound saffron pasta
• sea salt pepper
• I

Instructions

• n large frying pan:
• Saute onion for two minutes. Add garlic.
• Add sausage, cut on diagonal.
• Once sausage is nearly cooked, add wine, bring to boil.
• Add saffron.
• Add pre-cleaned mussels
• here
• Cover. Cook for 3-6 minutes, just until mussels are opened.
• Serve over cooked pasta that has been tossed with a tiny bit olive oil, salt, pepper. Make sure to use all the juices from the pan for the pasta.
• Season with salt and pepper.

Notes

If you don’t like mussels, just try the pasta with some sausage. You will have to add in some further flavoring, perhaps a bit of browned butter:
If you don’t like mussels, this pasta is good alone or with some sausage and/or shrimp.

The post Saffron Pasta with Mussels and Sausage appeared first on Spinach Tiger.