[Marzoli]

I recently received a cool little container and a vial of Spanish saffron as a gift. Unfortunately, I know next to nothing about saffron and can only find recipes for "yellow rice". Any ideas on how to use saffron?

[cape chef]

Hi Sandy,

Go to the cover page of cheftalk,go to the "Search"window and enter saffron.

There are 28 recipes using saffron
cc

[mudbug]

This topic was addressed here:

Saffron?

There is an article here at Cheftalk specifically on saffron

The History of Saffron

There are also three recipes here at the Cheftalk Recipe Archives that incorporate saffron.

Grilled Wild Bass With Petite Green Lentil And Saffron Nage

Mediterranean Fish Soup With Fennel And Saffron Sauce

Penne with Porcini Mushrooms, Pancetta and Saffron Cream Sauce

More threads on Saffron with recipes here at Cheftalk:

Saffron

More on Saffron

More on Saffron

[Marzoli]

Cool!

[Kimmie]

Secrets of Saffron : The Vagabond Life of the Worlds Most Seductive Spice
by Pat Willard

I have thumbed through this one I found it interesting.



Click here

[Pastachef]

Thank you, Kimmie! I love to use saffron.

[84RHONDA]

Thanks, now i'm gonna try some recipes.

[chefjohnpaul]

Here's a recipe that can utilized just about any seafood. Of course to be completely authentic you need the Mediterranean fish, but were not there so use what you like. ENJOY!

JP

* Exported from MasterCook II *

Bouillabasse (base)

Recipe By : John Paul Khoury,CCC
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :1:00
Categories : Broth Based Soups

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 each fennel bulbs -- stemmed & julienned
2 each yellow onions -- julienned
4 cloves garlic -- crushed
4 ounces Pernod
8 ounces white wine
1 quart diced tomatoes -- canned
1 quart clam juice or fish stock -- to finish
1 cup olive oil
2 pinches saffron threads -- toasted
2 pinches cayenne pepper
salt and white pepper -- to taste
lemon juice -- to taste
1 sprig thyme
1 each bay leaf

Toast saffron in a dry saute' pan till it becomes fragrant. Sweat off the fennel, garlic and onion in olive oil, add saffron, Pernod & white wine,
cook off the alcohol add tomatoes, thyme, and bay leaf. Season.

At this point you may remove from heat and cool. Then to order place
equal parts stew base and clam juice fish stock (+-) in sauce pan, add
seafood and simmer till seafood is just done or mollusks open up.
Adjust with lemon if necessary.

Serve in big bowls with croutons and rouille.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[Ivey]

Here's one more saffron site: http://www.saffroninfo.com

[Ivey]

Forgot to say now is the time to order saffron bulbs from http://www.nicholsgardennursery.com
plant in Sept. have saffron by Nov!

Saffron.... My favorite spice.

Find some lobster ravioli. Make a lowfat alfredo sauce. Powder your saffron. Add to sauce. Voila! Instant gratification.

Take vegetable broth. Add powdered saffron. Add finely chopped celery, carrots & tomatoes. Cook 20 min. Add instant couscous. Let set 5 min. Serve as side dish.

Put in your shrimp fajitas.

Writer

[Kimmie]

Getting the Most from a Pinch of Saffron

Saffron could be described as the prima donna of the spice cabinet. For starters, it's the most expensive spice (by weight) in the world. In addition, it requires special treatment to fully extract its unique flowery, pungent, almost bitter character and deep orange color that make it indispensable in bouillabaisse, paella, and a host of other traditional dishes.

Saffron's high cost is due to the fact that the threads are the actual stigma of a particular crocus flower and must be harvested by hand. Fortunately, a little bit of saffron goes a long way. In fact, too much saffron can ruin a dish with an overpowering, medicinal taste. So in practice, saffron actually costs not much more than most seasonings.

When shopping for saffron, look for evenly colored, vivid red or deep orange threads. Lighter colored threads or a lot of pale streaks indicate lesser quality. Avoid powdered saffron, which is always cheaper but often inferior and adulterated with other flavorings.

Crush and soak saffron to release its flavor. Saffron threads are quite frail and can easily be crumbled between your fingers, although for a more uniform powder, use a mortar and pestle. Measure (or count) saffron threads before crushing. A "pinch" is about 20 medium saffron threads.

Saffron needs moisture to release its flavor. The best way to extract flavor from saffron is to soak the threads in hot (not boiling) liquid for 5 to 20 minutes. Then add both the saffron and the liquid to the recipe. As the saffron soaks, you'll notice the distinctive aroma indicating that your saffron "tea" is ready. I like to soak the saffron in stock or wine (rather than water) to add to the overall flavor of a dish.

When adding saffron to soups, stews, salad dressings, and other recipes with a lot of liquid, you can simply toss the crushed threads in with the rest of the ingredients. I still find, however, that I get a deeper, more pervasive saffron flavor by first soaking the crushed threads and then adding them. For traditional paella recipes, cooks first toast the saffron threads in a dry skillet to bring out the volatile flavors. I don't usually bother because I've found that this step makes little difference in the final flavor of the dish.


Fine Cooking #37, pp. 70 - 71.

[Marzoli]

Now that I'm finally back online regularly, I was happy to see all the responses to my question. Thanks for all the help!