Saffron- how do I use it?

[cuberdon]

This is good too: Quick Coconut Ice Cream Recipe with Saffron - David Lebovitz

Second the recommendation to check epicurious, or any Indian or Pakistani cookbook.

[Eva_Luna]

@LouiseE

This is good too: Quick Coconut Ice Cream Recipe with Saffron - David Lebovitz

Second the recommendation to check epicurious, or any Indian or Pakistani cookbook.

Or Persian or Moroccan or Spanish…

[MrDibble]

@Chefguy

NO!! Turmeric is not/not a substitute for saffron.

It is if all you’re worried about is colouring something yellow.

Two great saffron recipes - endoredchicken, and saffron cake.

[MrDibble]

@Eva_Luna

Or Persian or Moroccan or Spanish…

or Medieval English and French…

[Fenris]

@Chefguy

NO!! Turmeric is not/not a substitute for saffron.

+1

Except as a coloring agent. The flavors are nothing at all alike, but the colors are similar.

It’s like saying “Hmmm…this recipe calls for green beans, but all I’ve got is serrano chilies–they’re both green–I can swap them with no consequences, right?”

[Chefguy]

@MrDibble

It is if all you’re worried about is colouring something yellow.

The same could be said for cinnamon and cayenne, I suppose, but your cereal just isn’t gonna taste right.

[MrDibble]

@Chefguy

The same could be said for cinnamon and cayenne, I suppose, but your cereal just isn’t gonna taste right.

Cinnamon isn’t used for colouring things rather than (or in spite of) taste, though.

[Chefguy]

@MrDibble

Cinnamon isn’t used for colouring things rather than (or in spite of) taste, though.

True, although the same can be said of saffron, IMO. If color is what one is after, why not just dump some FD&C #5 yellow dye in one’s food? My point is that both saffron and turmeric add a specific flavor to a dish and are not interchangeable. Color is a by-product.

[joebuck20]

@JThunder

I’m just mad about that stuff.

I prefer Mello-Yello.

[BrainGlutton]

Clarita’s Cocina, by Clarita Garcia (great Tampa-Cuban chef), has a recipe for garbanzo bean soup which includes a pinch of toasted saffron. To prepare it, take a pinch (whatever can be grasped between thumb and forefinger) of saffron (that is, “hay” saffron, the loose dried crocus stigmas). Place it in a 2-inch square of brown paper, folded over to seal it in a pouch. Place on the pot lid while the soup is cooking; the steam will toast it. After about 15 minutes, crush the paper between thumb and forefinger, open it and crumble the saffron into the soup. Same preparation works for paella, etc. Works great!

[Lord_Mondegreen]

@joebuck20

I prefer Mello-Yello.

And, it has to be said, quite rightly.

[Raygun99]

@RhapsodyInBlue

Chicken Portuguese Style:

• 2 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 3 cups cored, seeded sweet red, green and yellow peppers, cut into thin strips
• 1 cup thinly sliced onions
  -1 Tbsp. finely diced garlic
• 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp. saffron stems or 1/2 tsp. turmeric
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 Tbsp. finely chopped shallots
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley

Heat the oil over medium high heat in a skillet. Add the peppers, onions, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, about 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add the tomatoes and saffron. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet large enough to hold all the chicken in one layer. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Turn the pieces, reduce the heat and cook about 5 minutes or until done. Do not overcook. Transfer the chicken to a warm platter and keep it warm. Add the shallot to the skillet and stir and cook until wilted. Do not brown. Pour in the wine and scrape the bottom with the wooden spatula to dissolve and brown particles that may cling to the bottom of the skillet. Reduce the wine almost completely and add to the chicken broth. Let this cook until it is almost completely reduced. Add the chicken breasts and any liquid that may have accumulated. Add the pepper and tomato mixture, bring to a simmer and add the parsley. Serve with rice.

I field tested this recipe the other night with a couple of minor substitutions (chives instead of shallots, and I had no rice so I used pasta), and it was fantastic.

[Rhythmdvl]

@Baron_Greenback

Kinda wish I hadn’t read that recipe now, it’s far too late here to be drooling.

…cause it took so long to bake it, and you’ll never have that recipe again?
Another Penzys fan here, and a saffron-related thread from a couple months ago:
Saffron rice?

[RhapsodyInBlue]

@Raygun99

I field tested this recipe the other night with a couple of minor substitutions (chives instead of shallots, and I had no rice so I used pasta), and it was fantastic.

Glad you liked it! It’s one that’s in regular rotation here at the House of Blues.

(Of course you can probably cook an old shoe in wine, butter and saffron and it would end up tasting pretty good!)

[Chefguy]

@RhapsodyInBlue

Glad you liked it! It’s one that’s in regular rotation here at the House of Blues.

(Of course you can probably cook an old shoe in wine, butter and saffron and it would end up tasting pretty good!)

I’m sorry, but that recipe can’t be Portuguese. There’s no salted cod in it, and it looks to have way too much in the way of flavor.

[RhapsodyInBlue]

@Chefguy

I’m sorry, but that recipe can’t be Portuguese. There’s no salted cod in it, and it looks to have way too much in the way of flavor.

The first time I had it was in Buenos Aires. Maybe it’s really Italian?

[lindsaybluth]

@elbows

Thanks for asking this, I brought some home from Kashmir because, well, I was right there. But, like you, I’m actually uncertain how to cook with it. I’ve been carefully keeping it in an airtight container, waiting, waiting…

Uh, now I may be biased because I am half Kashmiri, but would you consider doing a “Ask the person who just went to Kashmir” thread? I’d love to hear what it looked like, what areas you were in, how was it militarized, etc.

Asking the people who know how to use saffron: do you chop it up or leave it as a whole thread? Do you eat the thread later, or does it disintegrate?

[Angua]

@lindsaybluth

Asking the people who know how to use saffron: do you chop it up or leave it as a whole thread? Do you eat the thread later, or does it disintegrate?

I crush it slightly. Take a little of the cooking liquid in a tablespoon, place the saffron in it, use a teaspoon or second tablespoon to crush/bruise the saffron, and then add it in. It more or less disintegrates during the cooking process, although you may find small pieces of it.

[lindsaybluth]

Thank you Angua. I’m sure I’ll hit up my Penzey’s for some soon enough - I somehow find a way to find myself there every other week :D.

[Chefguy]

@lindsaybluth

Thank you Angua. I’m sure I’ll hit up my Penzey’s for some soon enough - I somehow find a way to find myself there every other week :D.

You might try cruising the internet first. The price per ounce (or gram) at Penzey’s is very high. If you can afford to spring for a full ounce from an internet source, you’ll likely get a much better deal and it keeps well if kept sealed and cool. Also, an ounce will last you a VERY long time.