(no subject)
Jul. 21st, 2004 05:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Okay, a question for my friends who cook:
I have a large-ish quantity of powdered saffron; what should I do with it?
[Edit: For clarification, that's me requesting any of your favorite recipes involving saffron since I don't know of any. I can STFW, of course, but I'd appreciate any recommendations.]
I have a large-ish quantity of powdered saffron; what should I do with it?
[Edit: For clarification, that's me requesting any of your favorite recipes involving saffron since I don't know of any. I can STFW, of course, but I'd appreciate any recommendations.]
no subject
Date: 2004-07-21 02:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-21 02:40 pm (UTC)Saffron recipes
Date: 2004-07-21 02:53 pm (UTC)Bouillabaise is a classic, but what I really love is a Portuguese chicken dish involving saffron and almonds, or saffron pudding. I'll have to search for those later.
Re: Saffron recipes
Date: 2004-07-21 03:51 pm (UTC)Oh, that sounds faboo. Yum.
Re: Saffron recipes
Date: 2004-07-21 04:01 pm (UTC)Stewed Portuguese Chicken (with saffron)
Date: 2004-08-04 09:41 am (UTC)Serves 4
1 4-pound roasting chicken, cut in 4 pieces
Flour
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups dry white wine
Hot chicken bouillon
1 bay leaf
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon saffron, powdered or in threads
15 blanched almonds, finely chopped
1/2 cup coarse bread crumbs
Olive oil for frying crumbs
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Remove all visible fat from the chicken pieces. With a sharp knife, cut backbones away from breast pieces and trim off wing tips; reserve for soup. Coat chicken pieces in flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper. Shake off excess flour. Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet. Add the garlic and onion, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until soft. Add chicken and cook over medium heat until just golden; pieces should not be brown. Add the wine and enough chicken bouillon to barely cover chicken. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Add the bay leaf and thyme. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes, or until chicken is almost tender.
Dissolve the saffron in a little hot water. When chicken is tender, add dissolved saffron and the almonds. Simmer for about 15 minutes longer, or until chicken is tender. If the sauce looks too thin, cook uncovered to allow for evaporation.
Fry the bread crumbs in a little olive oil until crisp and brown. Before serving, sprinkle chicken with the hard-boiled eggs, bread crumbs, and parsley. Serve with boiled new potatoes and a hot green vegetable salad.
Saffron
Date: 2004-07-21 02:48 pm (UTC)Believe it or not, there is also such a thing as saffron ice cream. But that wouldn't be my first (or second or third) thought. I've actually only seen it once, at Rick's Rather Rich Ice Cream (have you ever been there? I've only been once, years ago.)
Re: Saffron
Date: 2004-07-21 02:50 pm (UTC)Re: Saffron
Date: 2004-07-21 04:02 pm (UTC)Re: Saffron ice cream
Date: 2004-07-21 03:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-21 02:55 pm (UTC)Heh ... most frickin' expensive spice there is!
It's good in rice dishes. I don't personally have any favorite saffrom-related recipes, so I'm not really much help. Let us know what you do with it!
no subject
Date: 2004-07-21 07:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-21 03:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-21 03:49 pm (UTC)That's pretty much what I have; a small baggie, but a baggie nonetheless. =) (I think my sweetie who picked it up for me said it was the equivalent of $3 or something.)
...wow.
Date: 2004-07-22 06:36 am (UTC)As a vegetarian, I've seen saffron called for mostly in risottos.
no subject
Date: 2004-07-21 03:50 pm (UTC)Try this (from memory... it will work though... I have lots of practice in the kitchen):
Place some saffron powder in the water, boil the rice.
Cook up about 1/4th as much lentils as rice.
Add some raisins, slivered almonds (toasted in butter if you like) to the lentils, about ten minutes before they are done.
make up some persian allspice
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 to 2 teaspoons cardamom pods
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Some also add ginger and black pepper, but not me, I also start with whole cloves, and do all of it in a mortar and pestle.
Fluff the rice, about a tbls of the allspice, and the lentils.
The the bottom of a pan place about a cup of yogurt (tangy... greek is very good for this, and in NYC you ought to be able to find some) and about a 1/4 cup of melted butter, pile on the rice mix.
Leave over a low heat for about 1-1 1/2 hours. The yogurt butter mix should turn the bottom of the rice a crispy brown, so place the pot in cold water, to free it up, and place the broken bits on top, so that everyone gets some.
A heat spreader is a nice thing, or the very center is liable to burn.
This is very good with apricot lamb, and other dried fruits (dates, figs, etc.) make very good additions.
TK
no subject
Date: 2004-07-21 03:54 pm (UTC)greek is very good for this, and in NYC you ought to be able to find some
Hopefully I can also find it in DC, since a road trip for yogurt is right out of the question. ;)
no subject
Date: 2004-07-22 11:00 am (UTC)Barring that, ask at the embassy.
TK
Persian allspice
Date: 2004-08-04 09:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-21 08:11 pm (UTC)The rice/lentil recipe with Persian allspice sounds good! I'll print it out & try it. :):)
Saffron was a fun discovery--buying saffron threads--a few threads in a little plastic box with a hinged lid, under lock and key in a glass counter--you felt like you were buying gold! ;)
no subject
Date: 2004-07-22 11:02 am (UTC)Since a little goes a long way, and the price keeps people from buying it, having it on hand, for the price of water, ain't a bad thing.
The bulbs aren't that pricey either.
TK
no subject
Date: 2004-07-21 09:50 pm (UTC)You might serve such rice with any stewed meat. You can also use saffron flavored rice as the base of a paella valenciana, with chicken, chorizo, and shell fish (say shrimp and clams). Now my word of caution, to me saffron imparts a medicinal taste that I am not very fond of. So if you decide that the yellow color looks wonderful, you might cooking a small amount of rice with half the suggested amount of saffron to see how much you like the taste.
Nicola
no subject
Date: 2004-07-21 10:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-22 05:02 am (UTC)One of these is baked fish with red bell peppers (peppers sauted in oil with garlic, saffron, cayenne, then add halibut, scrod, cod, or sea bass plus thyme, salt, and pepper and bake. Serve with parsely.)
Another is couscous with lamb: chickpeas and couscous plus squash, carrots, tomatoes, turnips, onion, celery, and zucchini with galric and coriander plus lamb or beef with onions, saffron, and a hot pepper.
The third is veal stew with saffron and cauliflower: veal with onions and cauliflower, seasoned with garlic, salt, pepper, ginger, paprika, cumin, and coriander, with rice or couscous on the side.
*Faye Levy's International Jewish Cookbook