Of course, I’ve been cooking these past few weeks. Providing tasty, appreciated dinners for the family is almost a daily activity. Maybe better yet are the remaining leftovers for lunches on the next few days. Nothing that I prepared has stood out as really noteworthy to share, however. On the other hand, two recipes I found saved in the computer this past week were especially delicious – Saffron-Lemon Chicken and Seared Tuna Steaks with Citrusy Soy Sauce.

Saffron-Lemon Chicken. The inspiration for the first, Saffron-Lemon Chicken, was a surfeit of eggs. This recipe calls for a sauce rich with eggs. The source of the recipe is a 2018 post from the Jewish Food Society (https://www.jewishfoodsociety.org/stories/a-moroccan-lemon-chicken-that-marks-the-start-of-the)

The first step is to prepare the saffron by pouring 1 ½ cups of boiling water over about 1 ½ teaspoons of saffron threads in a small bowl. Set aside to cool, stirring once or twice.

Season one chicken* cut into 6-8 pieces, with salt. Heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a skillet or Dutch oven over a medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned on all sides, about 10-15- minutes. Add a good bunch of peeled garlic cloves and the saffron water, cover and simmer for about an hour. Remove the skillet from the heat and cool for about 15 minutes.

*I substituted raw chicken with pieces of thawed rotisserie chicken I’d saved in the freezer just for a dinner like this one. Next time I’ll use chicken on the bone.

In a small bowl, whisk together 5 large egg yokes* and 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice until well blended. Pour the egg lemon mixture into the chicken cooking liquid. Swirl several times until the sauce is blended. I also tempered the egg with a bit of cooled liquid from the chicken so I would not curdle the eggs.

*This dish was prepared for Father’s Day (a Hallmark holiday we generally do not celebrate). I made a pavlova with the remaining 5 egg whites. I was served with a sauce made from a container of mixed berries salvaged from the freezer and whisked together in the blender.

Serve with egg noodles.

Seared Tuna Steaks with Citrusy Soy Sauce. Monday is usually fish night in our house. We get out weekly dose of brain food. This is a quick and simple two-step recipe.

Make the sauce first. In a small saucepan, combine ½ cup soy sauce,1/4 cup mirin, 1 small thinly sliced shallot, ½ seeded and chopped jalapeño (omitted in our version), 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice, some lemon zest and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon sugar and ¼ teaspoon ground coriander. Simmer over moderate heat until reduced by half, about 8 minutes. Strain the sauce.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil until shimmering. Season 4 tuna steaks with salt and pepper. Cook over high heat for 1 minute per side. Transfer the tuna to a platter and let rest for 1 minute; serve with the sauce.

Because of a surfeit of eggplant, I served this dish with my delicious eggplant dirty rice (see 6-12-2020 when I had another surplus) and steamed broccoli (leftover).