[Sca-cooks] Novice Saffron User

[Martin G. Diehl]

Liz Courts wrote:
> 
> Hello to All -
> 
> I am now the lucky owner of 1 gram of saffron threads (yay!!) 
> and am at a loss with where to start or what to do with it. 
> I've never used saffron before (always stayed away from it - 
> spendy!) and would appreciate any tips or a good beginner 
> recipe for it (mind you, a good "example" of saffron in a 
> dish - I'm not a novice cook ;-) )
> 
> Help? :-D
> 
> Ignia il Nomade
> Shire of Corvaria, An-Tir

Platina; "On Right Pleasure and Good Health"; 
tr. Mary Ella Milham; ISBN 0-86698-208-6

"On Right Pleasure and Good Health", Book VI 
16. "Chicken in Verjus"

16. Pullus in Acresta

Pullum cum salita carne decoquito.  Ubi semicoctus fuerit grana 
uvaesublatis e medio vinaceis in caccabum ferventem indito.  
Petroselinon et mentam minutatim concidito; piper et crocum in 
pulverem conterito.  Haec omnia in caccabum ubi pullastra cocta 
fuerit coniicito, ac patinam statim facito.  Hoc obsonio quo 
non ab re B. Poggius me etiam invitato frequenter vescitur.  
Nil salubrius; ad modum enim alit, facile concoquitur stomacho 
cordi hepati renibus convenit, ac bilem reprimit.  

16. Chicken in Verjus

Cook chicken with salt meat.  When it is half cooked, put in 
the boiling pot a mash of verjuice grapes with the stones 
removed from the middle.  Cut parsley and mint fine, and grind 
pepper and saffron to powder.  Put all this in the pot where 
the pullet has been cooked, and fill the platter immediately.  
Appropriately, B. Poggius frequently eats this dish even when 
I am invited.  There is nothing more healthful, for it is 
quite nourishing, is easily digested, agrees with stomach, 
heart, liver and kidneys, and represses bile.  

Some thoughts ... 

For chicken, you would use a jointed chicken -- for a feast, 
you should consider removing the bones (it's not that the 
gravy or sauce doesn't mix with velvet - actually, they 
mix altogether too well.  

For salt meat, use pancetta

You would also use some olive oil

After adding the verjus, I would add the saffron so that it 
cooks into the chicken.  In addition, you would simmer the 
chicken in the verjus -- the chicken will pick up the verjus 
flavor

It looks as if he intended the parsley, mint, pepper, and 
saffron along with the liquid remaining in the pot to be 
served with the cooked chicken.  

You might consider serving it with rice or pasta.  I usually 
serve it with orzo.  

Have fun!

Vincenzo

-- 
Martin G. Diehl