Favorite Applications: Saffron

During a recent trip to Dubai, I found Iranian Saffron treads were available at an amazing price compared to what it costs in the US - so I came home with 20+ grams! [wow.gif]

In the past, saffron was a luxury reserved for a big paella dinner, or the occasional saffron rice dish when I was craving it. However, now I have enough to experiment. Ideas?

After looking at various recipes, I didn’t realize how many Sicilian recipes use saffron - like this:

…in fact, I never considered saffron as a component in red sauce.

A couple thoughts…

Spices are highly marked up, so it’s possible you got a great deal. But saffron is also graded, so you might not be getting the highest quality if the price was too good to be true. (For the sake of this exercise, let’s assume you got the good stuff, certainly I hope you did.)

I used to use saffron is making an aioli, which is fairly simple but super flavorful (you can google recipes; I normally went egg yolk, lemon juice, salt, garlic, saffron). It’s very good with seafood, particularly shellfish (scallops, crab cake, etc.).

Enjoy, Mike!

Persian rice

Corey - I thought the same when I first saw what was available, however they had several grades at the spice shop: first, second and third ‘cutting’. The first was by far the most pungent - and I’ve since compared it to the La Mancha Spanish Saffron I’d been getting at Costco, and they seem to be on-par.

However, considering I was buying at about $2.50/gram, I can afford to add a little extra…

Yeah it’s common here. Funnily enough the Spanish stuff is more highly thought of than the Iranian. I think.

My Indian colleagues enjoy sweet black tea with a strand in.

Broken up & soaked for a few minutes in some warm water or broth then added to risotto is my obvious go to.

Saffron arancini.

http://www.robertsinskey.com/kitchen/recipe/saffron-arancini

I’m just wild about saffron.

[welldone.gif] [dance-clap.gif]

Saffron ice cream perhaps?

Saffron simple syrup for cocktails?

Risotto alla Milanese and a Valtellina nebbiolo.

Sauteed Zucchini.

Put saffron in water or broth, heat it, steep it. Saute squash in olive oil, add saffron liquid, which will infuse squash. Dish is done when squash is nicely browned with liquid burned off.

Since you have some to play around with you should put some in a bottle of vodka, it might work out well and you could have a nice saffron vodka and tonic. Would also be good to use the saffron vodka in a ice cream.

You’ve got 2 months to practice making these:

Saffron is common in Swedish baking so you might do some Google research if that’s interesting for you.

Bouillabaisse too

Yes to both!

We make an extract and put a few drops in margaritas and mojitos as a float.

When you have ample saffron, you can really up the anti with curries, too!

I finally got around to doing this - simple syrup infused with saffron threads.

Saffron Margarita:
2 limes juiced
2oz silver tequila
1oz Grand Marnier
0.5oz saffron simple syrup

Shake in cocktail shaker with a few ice cubes for 15 to 20 seconds. Strain into lowball glass with salted rim. Add 2-3 ice cubes. Mmmmm…now Lauren wants to smuggle bottles of saffron simple syrup when we go to Puerto Vallarta next month!

You can soak a little bit in warm water and then use the infused water to bake bread.

Bruce

“counterfeit” saffron raid in Spain;
“Arrests follow two-year investigation into gang believed to be importing spice from Iran and selling it as prized Spanish variety”

One of my favorite flavorings in cioppino.