(no subject)

[geekchick]

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.]

Comments

[trinker.livejournal.com]

As in, "I know this is saffron, but most saffron recipes call for threads", or...?

Saffron

[tenacious-snail.livejournal.com]

My inclination would be to make paella, and also to seal up much of it in something dark and airtight. If you like, I could ask the Knife Wielding Feminists for their suggestions.

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.)

[simplykimberly.livejournal.com]

Don't. Sneeze!

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!

[winterbadger]

I'll hunt around; I think I have a few receipts that call for it (there was an Iranian rice pudding that C and I made for a party celebrating the 1990 US-Iran World Cup match that used both saffron and rosewater...) We once had a housemate who travelled to various parts of the FSU for work; he brought us back a baggie full of saffron one time; he'd gotten it in a market in Samarkand for the local equivalent of a couple of bucks...

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Rice dishes are canonic.

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

[apeppermintgirl.livejournal.com]

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! ;)

[(Anonymous)]

The Milanese use saffron in risotto that is served with osso buco.
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

[winterbadger]

My favourite cookbook* has three receipts for dishes using saffron; alas, I have tried none of them yet, but I've never tried anything in this book and not liked it.

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