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Sweet Yellow Saffron Rice

Yellow Sweet Saffron Rice is a delicate, decadent, delicious dish; equally suitable for a cozy night at home or a celebratory gathering of friends and family.

Last week, I shared one of my favorites Indian recipes – Indian {Pickling Style} Eggplant – inspired and adapted from one by Madhur Jaffney in her book, Indian Cooking. This recipe for Sweet Yellow {Saffron} Rice is another favorite, adapted from the same source. At our house, this dish is usually reserved for special occasions due to the pricey nature of saffron, and everyone I’ve ever served it to immediately falls in love with it.

Saffron, as you probably know, is arguably the most expensive spice in the world. Saffron comes from the crocus sativus plant, and is incredibly labor intensive to produce. Each saffron flower only has three threads, or “stigmas,” and each stigma must be hand-harvested. It takes over 13,000 stigmas to make one ounce of saffron threads.

High-quality saffron is produced primarily in Spain, India, Iran and some Pennsylvania Amish communities; however, there is also a lot of “fake” saffron out there, enticing consumers with its too-good-to-be-true price. Essentially shredded bark, the flavor and aroma of this knock-off stuff doesn’t hold a candle to the real thing. (Nothing does.) Be safe and only purchase your saffron from reputable, fair-trade spice dealers.

For this dish, I purchased my saffron from The Savory Spice Shop in Portland’s Sellwood District to the tune of $13 a gram. I can make three or four batches of Saffron Rice from one gram of saffron threads.

So, right about now you may asking, “Can I substitute anything else for the saffron?” The long answer is Maybe. Some people find that, for every day eating, turmeric makes an acceptable replacement in this dish. That said, the short answer – and my answer – is No. NO.

That’s all I’m gonna say about that.

Sweet Yellow Saffron Rice

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Author: Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

1/2 tsp saffron threads
2 Tbs warm milk
1 1/2 cup basmati rice
2 Tbs ghee or clarified butter
8-10 whole cardamon pods
1 2- inch cinnamon stick
3 cups water
4 Tbs sugar
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup slivered almonds

Instructions

Heat milk in a small bowl until it is steaming. Sprinkle the saffron threads into the hot milk and allow to soak for a couple of hours. (For deeper flavor, you can toast them in a dry skillet for a few seconds first, until they become a little deeper red, but be careful - that is spice-gold you're playing with there!)
Wash the rice several times, until water runs clear.
Drain and then soak the rice in water for 30 minutes. Drain for 20 minutes. (I have, on occasion, done this all in 10 minutes.)
Heat the ghee or clarified butter in a large skillet over medium heat. If you are using whole spices, add them at this time and saute for about 30 seconds.
Add the rice and saute gently for 3 minutes.
Add 3 cups of water and the salt. Gently stir rice and cook until all the water is absorbed.
Stir in the saffron milk, dried fruits and/or nuts, ground spices, and sugar.
Cover very tightly, and put into a 325° degree oven for 25 minutes. (Or 300° for 30 minutes, or 350° for 20 minutes, depending on what else you are cooking.)
Remove any whole spices before serving.

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Roasted Stuffed Pumpkin {with Savory Raisin-Nut Stuffing & Pumpkin Gravy}

November 11 By Renée ♥ 13 Comments

Overflowing with the goodness of fruit, nuts, veggies, and whole grains and complete with pumpkin gravy, Roasted Stuffed Pumpkin is the perfect centerpiece to your holiday meal.

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Are you looking for a warm, rich, and satisfying vegetarian main dish for your holiday menu this year? Something healthy that everyone will love? Then you’re in the right place!

When I got out of college, I had two magazine subscriptions – Mother Earth News and American Songwriter. Which pretty much sums it all up, if you really know me. Anyway, in November sometime around 1986, Mother Earth News published a recipe for Stuffed Pumpkin as an alternative to the traditional meat-based holiday fare.

I wasn’t a vegetarian back then (nor am I now) and I wasn’t feeding any either, but it sounded good, so I decided to give it try. Since then, I’ve made Stuffed Pumpkin nearly every year as part of our Thanksgiving menu. Over time, the recipe has evolved into something uniquely mine, but (like Mother Earth and American Songwriter today) the original flavor and feel is still there, deliciously down-to-earth as ever.

I usually fix this vegetarian, but it can be easily adapted for vegans. The stuffing itself is the best I’ve ever eaten – infused with savory, pumpkiny warmth and loaded with the goodness of fruit, nuts, veggies and whole grains.

Roasted Stuffed Pumpkin

This is the perfect vegetarian holiday main dish!! Don’t let the long list of ingredients scare you – this is very easy to make and virtually foolproof.

Prep Time40 mins

Cook Time1 hr 30 mins

Total Time2 hrs 10 mins

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Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Holiday

Servings:

Author: Renée

Ingredients

Pumpkin & Stuffing

1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1 1/2 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup butter divided
1 large onion chopped
1 cup diced celery
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 small loaf whole grain bread toasted and cubed*
1 large apple chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup chopped Brazil nuts
3/4 cup golden raisins
2 eggs slightly beaten
3 cloves garlic
1 cup white wine
1 medium pumpkin 8-10 inches, or 2 smaller pumpkins**
About ¼ cup butter to fill slits in pumpkin

Pumpkin Gravy

2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
Drippings from pumpkin
2 cups vegetable stock
4 tablespoons cooked dressing from pumpkin

Instructions

The Stuffing:

In a small bowl, combine the dry herbs and spices (first seven ingredients) and set aside.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat until bubbly. Sauté onion over until translucent. Add celery and cook 3-4 minutes more, and then toss in mushrooms and cook more 1 minute. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, combine bread cubes, dry herb & spice mix, sautéed vegetables, chopped apples, nuts and raisins. Mix everything and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat remaining butter over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute.
Remove from heat and stir in wine. Add slightly beaten eggs after wine has cooled the mixture. Pour the wine, egg and garlic sauce over stuffing mix and stir. This stuffing may be made ahead of time and refrigerated.
If the mixture seems too dry, mix a little more liquid in: wine, water or vegetable stock all work fine.

The Pumpkin:

Preheat oven to 350°.
Clean out squash. (Cut top like a Jack-o-Lantern.) Slit sides and fill with pats of butter. I usually press it into the slits and smooth it over, and then give the pumpkin a light “butter rub-down” before I put it into the oven.
Bake in rimmed baking dish or roasting pan for at least an hour – it can take up to 2 ½ hours depending on the size of your pumpkin. After an hour, check for doneness by piercing the flesh with a fork. If it is hard to poke, bake the pumpkin for another 15 minutes and try again. (For larger pumpkins, don’t even bother until an hour and a half has passed.)
When your pumpkin is done, remove it from the oven and let it sit on the counter for 15 minutes or more before serving.
To serve, cut into pumpkin onto wedges and spoon on stuffing over the top. Serve 8-10.

The Gravy:

If you wish, you can make simple easy pumpkin gravy from the drippings: Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium pan. Add drippings from pumpkin. Add 4 tablespoons of flour, stirring constantly and cook 1 minute. Pour in 2 cups of vegetable stock and stir to thicken. Remove from heat and add ½ cup of stuffing, breaking up the stuffing with the back of a wooden spoon. Season to taste.

Notes

Inspired by a recipe in Mother Earth News, circa 1986.

*I used 20 slices of Dave’s Killer Good Seed Bread. Made locally, Dave’s is one of my favorite things. I have used honey-wheatberry bread in the also, and it is awesome also.

**You can use any hollow, sweet squash, or use a couple of smaller pumpkins for a beautiful holiday presentation. (The one pictured here is a Sweetie Pie Pumpkin.) I have used a Kuri squash in the past and it is fantastic!

Vegan adaptations:
Replace butter with Earth Balance Buttery Sticks
2 eggs = use 1/2 cup plain or vanilla soy yogurt or 2-egg equivalent of your favorite egg replacer)

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Dolmades {Stuffed Grape Leaves}

November 13 By Renée ♥ 2 Comments

These savory little bites can be made for meat lovers and vegetarians (even vegans!), taste great warm or cold, and last for days. The perfect party snack!

How to roll a stuffed grape leaf - Step 1

Dolmades {Stuffed Grape Leaves}

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Total Time1 hr

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Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Author: Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

1 jar grape leaves
1 1/2 cups rice uncooked
1 medium onion diced
2 Tbs olive oil
2 cups water
2 Tbs fresh dill chopped
1 tsp fresh mint minced
4 oz feta cheese crumbled
1/2 cup pine nuts
3/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup lemon juice
salt and pepper

Meat Option

1/2 lb lean ground pork
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Instructions

In a dry skillet, toast pine nuts until lightly browned. Set aside.
Saute onion in olive oil until golden. Add rice and saute until rice is coated and very lightly browned. Add water, salt and pepper and simmer until water is all absorbed and rice is half cooked.
Add rest of ingredients (except grape leaves and lemon juice) and toss to mix well.
If you are making a portion of the rolls with meat, divide mixture into thirds at this point. To each third that you wish to make with meat, add 1/2 pound lean ground pork, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and a few grinds of pepper.
Roll mixture into grape leaves. burrito-style. (See pictures below)
Line skillet or large pot with additional grape leaves, and lay stuffed grapes leaves in one tightly stacked layer on the bottom of the pan. Pour 1/2 the lemon juice over the top and add enough water to cover the dolmathes halfway.

You can cook these a couple of ways:

Simmer for about 45 minutes on low, until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is fully cooked - OR - Cover the pot and put it in the oven. Bake about 35-45 minutes at 350F.
When the dolmathes are done, pour the rest of the lemon juice over the top.
Serve warm or cold, with Feta-Dill Sauce or tzatziki.

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Pine nuts can be very expensive, but I buy mine in bulk, and just get what I need – no more – so they really aren’t too bad, and a little goes a long way. If you really don’t want to use pine nuts, you can substitute chopped walnuts or pistachios.

Meat-eaters’ Option:
Divide mixture into thirds. Make vegetarian rolls with 2/3 of mixture. With the remaining 1/3, add 1/2 pound lean ground pork or ground lamb, plus about 1/2 tsp of kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper. (I always use pork because I don’t eat lamb, but Mr B is lobbying for lamb-stuffed rolls one of these days.) I cook my meat rolls in a separate pan from my vegetarian rolls, but this depends entirely on the preferences of the vegetarian eaters in your house – the rolls can be cooked all together.

Toast pine nuts in a dry skillet until lightly browned. At the exact moment when these were just starting to toast, My kids had a minor crisis and I turned my attention away from them for a few seconds. Such is life.