ICMJD: Magnetic Moon August 2003 Volume 2:1
Chicken with Lemon, Saffron and Olives by Andrew R. Bauer, Portland, Oregon
Ingredients:
1 to 2 whole chickens cut into quarters
1 Lemon prepared in salt water-vinegar solution. To prepare lemon cut 1/4 inch
slits the length of the lemon about
3/4 inch apart and rub with salt. Soak in jar of 50:50 mix of salt-
water:vinegar for one month. Place in cubboard.
1 teaspoon of saffron (this amount can be increased to increased to enhance the medicinal
property of the dish).
1 cup of kalamata olives
1 large onion
Directions:
Rub the chicken with the saffron first and then the steeped lemon. Place
in a 4 quart pot with enough water to cover the chicken. Add all remaining
ingredients; sliced onion, pitted olives, remaining lemon and saffron
if any. Boil for one hour. Then place in a casserole dish and bake for
another hour at 300 degrees. Serve with Couscous, Some Hummus and Pita
bread. A nice cucumber, tomato and feta salad also is a great compliment
for this meal. The chiken takes a bright yellow appearance.
Indications:
This dish is a good choice for persons with health problems due to Liver qi and
blood stagnation, injury, toxicity and heat in the blood. For example, this
dish may be used to help treat thrombosis, extreme menstrual pain with clotting, fracture, liver cirrhosis. The overall nature
of the dish is sour and cold. Sour food benefit the Liver and help to move
stagnant qi and blood. The saffron and salt are cool and help remove toxins and
heat from the blood. The chicken is tonifying and a good for improving one's qi
and yin.
Medicinal properties of ingredients:
chicken: qi and yin tonic
lemon and vinegar: sour; moves liver qi
olives: neutral, sweet; benefits Spleen, Liver
salt: salty, cold; Kidney, L.I., Stomach, Spleen
clears Heat, reduces Phlegm and Toxins
Saffron/ Zang Hong Hua: sweet cold, benefits Heart, Liver
Cools the blood, and relieves toxicity
Onion: pungent warm, Stomach Lung