How to Roast a Lamb_ New Greek Classic Cooking - Michael Psilakis [99]
FOR THE SAFFRON BROTH
1 pound (4 sticks) butter
1 pound merguez sausage, casings removed, crumbled
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 leeks, white part only, sliced
2 white onions, sliced
4 bulbs fennel, sliced
Cloves from 1 head garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon saffron threads
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 fresh bay leaves
10 sprigs thyme
1 quart ouzo
2 quarts dry white wine
6 quarts water
1 pound whitefish (halibut or cod) bones, roasted in the oven until golden
FOR THE SAFFRON ORZO
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1 fresh bay leaf
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 quart white wine
1 quart white verjus
2 quarts water
Large pinch of kosher salt
1 pound orzo pasta
FOR THE BRAISED GEODUCK, WHELKS & PERIWINKLES
2 pounds (8 sticks) whole butter, divided into 3 equal quantities
9 shallots, sliced
9 sprigs thyme
6 fresh bay leaves
6 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
6 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 geoduck clam, whole
3 quarts dry vermouth
3 quarts dry white wine
3 quarts fish fumé, hot
6 whelks, scrubbed
1 pound periwinkles, scrubbed
TO ASSEMBLE
2 cups merguez sausage, sliced
1 pinch saffron threads
1 pinch smoked paprika
½ cup sliced shallots
½ cup sliced garlic (8 to 10 cloves)
½ cup sliced scallion, white part only
3 quarts Saffron Broth
12 Manila clams
24 bouchot mussels
28 cockles
16 Taylor Bay scallops
12 razor clams
Braised Periwinkles, drained
Braised Whelks, drained
Braised Geoduck, peeled, sliced, and drained
12 Hawaiian blue prawns
Saffron Orzo
¼ cup each: small, picked sprigs dill, parsley, cilantro, fino verde basil, bronze fennel, and chive blossoms
1 tablespoon cold, unsalted butter
Juice of 1 lemon
SAFFRON BROTH
In a large stockpot, melt the butter until it foams. Add the sausage and cook, rendering out most of its fat into the butter.
Add the peppercorns and coriander seeds, and toast in the fat. Add the celery, leeks, onions, fennel, garlic, saffron, and paprika. Pan-roast over medium heat until all the vegetables are tender and lightly caramelized. Add the bay leaves and thyme.
Deglaze the pan with the ouzo, and reduce until the pan is dry and the pan juices begin to caramelize again. Now deglaze the pan with the white wine. Reduce the wine by half, then add the water and roasted fish bones.
Simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes. Purée everything in a strong blender for a long time, until completely broken down. Pass the mixture through a fine china cap, scraping energetically. Now pass it through a chinoise, again scraping well to extract the maximum amount of liquid.
SAFFRON ORZO
In a large, heavy pot, warm the olive oil. Brown the garlic slightly, and add the saffron, bay leaf, and paprika. Toast the spices for a moment, then deglaze the pot with the white wine; reduce the wine by half.
Add the verjus and water, and bring to a boil. Add the kosher salt and orzo, and simmer until the orzo is tender. Drain well. Spread the orzo on a sheet tray to cool until serving time.
BRAISED GEODUCK, WHELKS & PERIWINKLES
In this recipe, you will braise the three types of shellfish until tender, separately but in the same way. Beginning with the geoduck, use one third of the braising ingredients for each type of shellfish. The geoduck will take about 2 hours, the whelks about 1 hour, and the periwinkles about 20 to 30 minutes.
In a wide, shallow sauté pan, warm one third of the butter until it foams. Add one third of the shallots, thyme, and spices. Sauté gently until tender but not colored. Add the geoduck and 1 quart of the vermouth. Over medium heat, reduce until the vermouth is completely gone and the butter thickens and separates.
Deglaze the pan with 1 quart of the white wine; simmer until reduced by half, to cook off