Orange Saffron Olive Oil Cake

Ingredients

• 3 large oranges whole (organic)

• 200g almond flour

• 50g whole wheat flour

• 300g coconut sugar

• 200ml of extra virgin olive plus more for coating the pan

• 4 eggs

• 0.5 grams of saffron

• 6g of baking powder

• 1 tsp salt

  Cake Topping:

• 1tbsp olive oil

• 2 tbsp honey

• 1 cup Golden raisins or figs

• 1 cup sliced roasted almond

• 1 cup roasted walnuts

Method

1. Put the oranges in the blender with half of the saffron and turn into a thick puree.

2. In a bowl mix the olive oil, the saffron. Gradually add the oranges. then the coconut sugar.

3. Add the four eggs one at a time.

4. In a separate bowl add the flour, the baking powder, and salt and whisk until all dry ingredients are combined.

5. Mix dry and wet ingredients together until well incorporated.

6. Use a cake pan or a cast iron skillet and oil it very well. Lightly coat it with coconut sugar. Pour the cake batter and bake at 372F for 40min.

For the glaze:

Lightly warm honey and add soaked golden raisins, and roasted nuts of your choice.

Brush the top and sides of the cake with the honey and top with the roasted nuts and raisins.

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Baked Chermoula Steelhead Royale

Ingredients

• 2lb 1 Steelhead filet deboned

• 1 lbs. fresh medium shrimp

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• salt and pepper

Chermoula Sauce:

• 1 large clove garlic (pressed)

• 1 large handful of parsley (finely chopped)

• 1 large handful of cilantro (finely chopped)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 tbsp Harissa

• 1 tsp Chermoula

• 1 tbsp water

• 3-4 Saffron threads

Vermicelli Filling

• 6 oz. Chinese vermicelli (bean thread or rice vermicelli)

• 1 tablespoon Harissa (or to taste)

• 1 teaspoon Chermoula

• tomato sauce (recipe above)

• reserved liquids from cooking the seafood

Method

Make the Chermoula Sauce

1. In a bowl mix the chermoula, harissa, herbs, olive oil, water, garlic, salt and half amount of the fresh herbs. Mix well until you have a nice thick marinade.

2. Using a brush, ensure the entire fish is covered in the marinade. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 400 and bake for 20min. Might be less or more depending on the thickness of the filet. Ours was perfect at 20 min.

Cook the shrimp and vermicelli

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. add shrimp a little bit of the marinade and gently cook for 3-5 minutes and add the shrimp. Remove the shrimp from heat.

2. Boil some hot water and cook noodles to package directions.

3. Drain the noodles and cut with scissors to 1-2 inches size pieces. Add the noodles to the shrimp mixture. Add the rest of the herbs, Marinade and toss well until the vermicelli soak up the marinade color.

4. Once the fish is cooked, lay on a serving platter. Pour the chermoula shrimp and noodles on top. Serve with some lemon wedges.

Braised Saffron Fennel

Ingredients

• 1 fennel bulb

• 1/2 of a leek

• 1 generous pinch of saffron

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 cup of water

• salt to taste

Method

1. Slice the fennel and the leeks.

2. In a shallow pan, heat the olive oil, add the leeks and the fennel, the saffron and salt. Cook until softened. Lower the heat a bit to avoid browning and keep stirring about 5-7 minutes.

3. Add the water and cover. Cook for another 20 minutes on medium heat. Depending on the pan you may have to add water so it doesn’t dry and burn. Check on it every 5 minutes to make sure the liquids haven’t evaporated completely. Add water if needed. Cook until the fennel is braised.

Karak Chai

Ingredients

Makes a pot of tea - about 2-3 cups of chai

• 4 bags Saffron Rose Tea

• 3-5 Saffron threads

• 1 tsp Honey

• 1 cup Almond milk or Evaporated milk

Method

1. Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a medium pot or tea kettle. Add tea bags and saffron and bring to a boil.

2. Add almond milk evaporated milk and return to a boil again, watching carefully to ensure the tea doesn’t boil over. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thick, creamy, and caramel in color, about 30 minutes. (The longer the tea simmers the stronger and creamier it will be.)

3. Strain tea through a mesh and discard the teabags in the compost. Add a few more saffron threads as a garnish onto the frothy top of the drink.

Iced Saffron Rose Green Tea

Ingredients

• 4 Saffron Rose Green Tea Bags

• 2 tbls Honey or Simple Syrup

• 3-4 Fresh Mint Leaf Sprigs

Method

Bring 6- 8 cups water to a simmer; remove from the heat and add 4 tea bags. Let steep about 4 minutes, until it's the strength you like. Add honey or sweetener of your choice. Let cool, then transfer to a pitcher, cover and refrigerate. Serve with fresh mint and ice.

Chef Renee Erickson's Roasted Halibut with Saffron Steamed Clams

Ingredients

• 2# halibut

• 2# manila clams, rinsed many times and broken clams thrown away

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 1 large pinch Villa Jerada Saffron

• sea salt

• juice of half a lemon

• 2 cups white wine

• 6 tbsp olive oil

• 1 leek, sliced into rounds about 1/2 inch thick

• baguette for grilled bread

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. On your stove heat a hot pan  and then add 3 tables olive oil. Season the halibut with salt and place skin side down in the hot oil. Gently give it a shake so it does not stick. Roast in the pan for about 2-3 minutes, and then place in your hot oven. It will cook fully in about 10-12 minutes depending on thickness.

2. While the fish is roasting, heat another pan on the stove. Add in 3 tablespoons olive oil, the sliced leeks. Cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes. They should not brown, only turn bright green and translucent. Then add the white wine, saffron, clams, and a pinch of salt. Cook for about 3 minutes stirring occasionally. Next add the cream, and lemon juice. Stir. Then cover and steam the clams open. As they open you can remove the open clams to a bowl next to the stove. Keep cooking the rest of the clams. 

3. Check in on your halibut. If it's pretty firm with barely a give you are almost done. Feel free to peek inside the filet to make sure it's mostly opaque. Remove from the oven and set aside.

4. Once all the clams are open (throw away any that don't after about 5 minutes of steaming) place the broth back on the stove and simmer and reduce by half. Check your seasoning. 

5. On a large platter place the halibut and then ladle over the halibut the clams, leeks and broth. Serve right away with grilled bread.

Chef Sabrina Tinsley's Brodo d’Agnello allo Zafferano (Rich lamb and saffron broth with sumac laced pasta)

Ingredients

Lamb Saffron Broth

(serves 4-6)

• 2 lbs lamb meat with bone (such as shank or shoulder)

• 1 yellow onion, peel left on and quartered

• 2 stalks celery, cut in half

• 1 large ripe tomato, quartered

• 1 cup dry white wine

• 4 cloves garlic

• Two generous pinches of Villa Jerada saffron threads (or more to taste)

• Salt

Garnish

• 1 carrot, brunoise (fine, uniform dice)

• ¼ fennel bulb, brunoise

• ½ stalk celery, brunoise

Pasta

• 2 eggs

• 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour

• 2 tsp Villa Jerada sumac

• Pinch of salt

Method

Make the Broth

-pre-heat the oven to 400º

-place lamb, onion, celery and tomato on a roasting pan, sprinkle with salt and roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes or until the lamb and vegetables begin to caramelize (lamb does not need to be cooked, but the caramelization will add a lot of flavor)

-transfer lamb and vegetables to a stock pot, then deglaze the roasting pan with the white wine and loosen the browned bits with a rubber spatula, then pour the wine into the stock pot

-add 1 ½ qts water and the whole garlic cloves to the stock pot, bring to a boil over high heat then reduce to a simmer, add about 2 tsp salt, cover and simmer for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until meat is tender, add additional salt to taste if needed

-while still hot, strain the stock, reserve the lamb meat and discard vegetable solids (or find a different use)

-add saffron threads, allow to infuse for 30 minutes or overnight if possible

-chop lamb meat into small cubes, set aside or refrigerate overnight

Make the Pasta

-in the meantime, make your pasta

-pour flour out onto work surface, preferably wood or marble, make a well in the flour and drop in the eggs, sumac and salt

-with a fork, whisk the eggs and gradually pull in the flour from the borders, equally on all sides, continue this way until the dough becomes stiff enough to work with your hands

-knead the dough and gradually work into a ball adding flour as needed to make a stiff dough

-wrap with plastic and let the dough rest for 30 min before proceeding

-roll out small pieces of dough into long thin ropes

-pinch off pieces of dough the size of mini peas, and curl into mini shells with your thumb on the work surface

-transfer to a tray lined with parchment and allow to dry while you finish the broth (you may also freeze it at this point if making it for a later date, use within 1 week)

Plating

-bring lamb stock to a boil with the brunoise vegetables

-add the pasta (as much or as little as desired), cover and cook until desired tenderness, about 5 minutes

-once the pasta is cooked, add the cubed lamb, heat through and serve immediately, drizzle with Villa Jerada’s Desert Miracle extra virgin olive oil if desired

Chef Yasmina Ksikes's Saffron Gazpacho

Ingredients

Filling

• 1 Red or orange pepper

• 2 lbs. of ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks

• 1 peeled and seeded cucumber cut into chunks

• I shallot peeled and cut into small chunks

• 2 garlic cloves

• ½ cup of olive oil

• 2 Teaspoons of sherry vinegar

• A few threads of Villa Jerada Saffron, diluted in 1 tbsp of water

Method

Put all ingredients in blender for about 5 min.

1. Once fully blended put through the strainer or a chinois.

2. Add the saffron water and mix by hand.

3. Serve chilled and garnish with some parsley, fine diced shallots and a drizzle of olive oil.

Ras el Hanout Saffron Clams

This dish is one of our all time favorites. It’s an incredibly simple way to impress at any dinner party with it’s complex fragrant, floral, earthy flavors.

• 2lbs Clams

• 8oz Cream

• 1sm Leek- finely chopped

• 1tsp Ras el Hanout

• 1 pinch Saffron

• 3/4 cup Cilantro

Wash and steam clams in a large pot until they open. Drain most of the water out leaving about 1/4 cup at the bottom. Add the cream and leeks then cook on medium heat until it begins to bubble. Add Ras el hanout and lower heat mixing until the sauce thickens to your desired consistency. Toss in cilantro and cook for another minute or so, then enjoy!

Saffron Parsnip & Zucchini Soup

• 1 Leek
• 1 Parsnip
• 1 Zucchini
• 3 cups of water
• 2 cups of milk (or almond milk if vegan)
• 1 pinch of saffron
• 1 Oregano sprig
• Salt to taste
• 4 tbsp olive oil

Sweat the leeks in olive oil along with parsnips cut in pieces for 5 minutes. Stir frequently to avoid browning. Then add the water, salt, saffron and oregano. Cool for 10 minutes. Cook until all the vegetables are tender. Then add the milk. Blend until a silky creamy soup.