Out of all spices saffron is the one that in mind resembles the melange of the Dune universe. In a sense it has time shifting powers, only not in the future, but in the past.  In the Archeological Museum in Athens you can see a fresco from Akrotiri ( destroyed in the Theran eruption of 1628 BC) depicting two women harvesting crocus – the Greek saffron variety. The taste and smell of saffron remains the same since the artist painted these two priestesses of an ancient world. The figures could easily be characters from Dune – perhaps some pretty Bene Geserit preparing the Water of Life.

A more everyday application of saffron is in this recipe of turkey souvlaki. It is on our list of light and very tasty dishes.

This recipe is brought to you by the GBTS project!

Serves 2

For the turkey souvlaki

• 400g turkey breast, cut in to 2 cm cubes
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 generous pinch ground saffron
• 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
• 2 Tbsp parsley leaves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 4 wooden skewers

For the light yogurt sauce

• 200g low fat greek yogurt
• 1 pinch fine sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried mint or 1 Tbsp fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Place the turkey breast cubes in a large bowl with the minced onion, ground saffron, sweet paprika, parsley, vinegar, olive oil, sea salt and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Cover and allow to marinate in the fridge for at least one hour.

Combine all the ingredients for the yogurt sauce in a bowl, cover and refridgirate until needed.

Soak the wooden skewers in water for about 30 minutes. This will prevent them from burning.

Preheat your oven grill to high temperature.

Thread the marinated turkey breast onto the 4 wooden skewers  and place them on a greased rack. (I use a roasting pan with a rack).

Broil them under the hot grill for about 8-10 minutes, turning over half way and drizzling them with olive oil, until they are golden and cooked through. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and serve immediately with the light yogurt sauce and a fresh green salad.