Skip to main content

Pass the Cookbook: Seafood in Saffron Cream


This month the Pass the Cookbook crew - under the leadership of Kita, the culinary force behind Pass the Sushi - is cooking from Cooking Up a Storm: Recipes Lost and Found from the Times-Picayune of New Orleans by Marcelle Bienvenu and Judy Walker. The cookbook was intended to connect people who lost their favorite family recipes when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005. The recipes are assembled from local papers that people had clipped and saved throughout the years. After the hurricane, people were hunting for their saved recipes, submitted comments and questions, and other readers did their best to match up the recipes. This book is a collection of some of those. For that reason alone, it is an amazing publication. 


As always in this group, we had the choice of three recipes. Our selections this round: Chicken-Sausage Jambalaya, Crawfish in Saffon Cream, or Bananas Foster Pie. I decided to adapt the crawfish option, making a Seafood in Saffron Cream. I skipped the sherry and vermouth, swapping in Liquore Strega - a saffron liqueur - and a Sauvignon Blanc. Also, I chose to use a mixture of seafood instead of trying to get my hands on crawfish!

6 T butter
¼ C minced shallots
½ C minced onion
½ C minced fennel bulb
1 C mushrooms (I used porcini, oyster, Forest namenko, and woodear)
2 pinches of saffron
¼ C Liquore Strega
½ C Sauvignon Blanc
1 C organic heavy cream
3 T fresh parsley, minced 
1 lb mixed seafood (I used scallops, shrimps, and squid)
dash of ground paprika
freshly ground sea salt
freshly ground pepper
hot, cooked rice for serving (I used black Forbidden rice)

Melt the butter in a splash of olive oil in a large, flat-bottom pan. Add the shallots, onions, and fennel. Saute over medium heat for 5 minutes, then add the mushrooms. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, put the saffron in the Sauvignon Blanc and stir. Let stand for a few minutes, then add to the pan with the Strega. Cook until the liquid has reduced by half. Pour in the cream and fold in the parsley. Cook to reduce the sauce until slightly thickened. Add the seafood and cook till opaque. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and paprika. Serve over rice.


Comments

  1. What a beautiful take on this recipe! I think the saffron sauce works well over any seafood and can't wait to try it again over scallops! And I love that you used Liquore Strega. You really took this one to a whole new level!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This came out lovely! I love the changes that you made to this recipe!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think the seafood medley is brilliant. Sounds like a really delicious meal. I love this "club" because we get so many great recipes to try.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I gave up on the crawfish too but didn't think of just switching out other seafood. This sounds lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh my gosh, I wish I could have put my head over the pot while this was cooking and just inhaled. I bet the aromas were amazing. It looks delicious.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce

Aloo Tiki {Pakistan}

To start off our Pakistani culinary adventure, I started us off with aloo tiki - potato cutlets. I'm always game for tasty street food. I found a couple of different recipes and incorporated those together for this version. Ingredients 6-8 small red potatoes, scrubbed 1 T cumin seeds 1 T fresh chopped parsley 1/2 t ground coriander 1 t minced garlic Procedure Boil the potatoes until they are tender. Drain and let cool. Mash the potatoes. Traditionally they are mashed without their skins. I left the skins on. In a small pan, toast the cumin seeds on high heat until the begin to give off an aroma and begin to darken. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate to keep them from cooking any more. Blend all of the spices into the mashed potatoes, then shape into small patties. If you wet your hands, the potato mixture won't stick to them. Heat a splash of oil in a large, flat-bottom pan. Dip each patty into beaten egg and carefully place in the oil. P

Hot Chocolate Agasajo-Style {Spice It Up!}

photo by D For my Spice It Up! kiddos this week, I was looking for an exotic drink to serve while we learned about saffron. I found a recipe from food historian Maricel Presilla that mimicked traditional Spanish hot chocolate from the 17th century where it was served at lavish receptions called agasajos . When I teach, I don't always get to shoot photos. Thankfully, D grabbed my camera and snapped a few. Ingredients serves 14-16 1 gallon organic whole milk 3 T dried rosebuds - or 2 t rosewater 2 t saffron threads, lightly crushed 3 T ground cinnamon 3 whole tepin chiles, crushed 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise 1 C organic granulated sugar 1 lb. bittersweet chocolate Procedure In a large soup pot that can hold a gallon plus, combine milk, dried rosebuds (or rosewater, if you are using that), saffron threads, ground cinnamon, chiles, vanilla beans, and sugar and warm over medium heat till it steams. Whisk to dissolve sugar, then lower heat an