# ISO Saffron recipes



## larry_stewart (Jan 26, 2008)

Im using saffron for the first time, anyone have any suggestions on how to get my first impression.

Challeng: must be vegetarian


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## TATTRAT (Jan 26, 2008)

Use it in the cooking liquid, like for rice or something. A little goes a long way.

Saffron basil rice is alway a nice bed for something. Also lends itself well to lentils, seafood, broths, soups, and even sorbet.


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## redkitty (Jan 26, 2008)

Hey Larry, I've got a recipe for Spicy Moroccan Chickpea and Lentil Soup if your interested.  Saffron threads are in the ingredients!


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## larry_stewart (Jan 26, 2008)

Definitely interested..


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## Clienta (Jan 26, 2008)

Vegetarian paella with grilled vegetables is yummy!


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## Shaheen (Jan 30, 2008)

Something Indian: a vegetable biryani. The fragrance of the basmati rice and the saffron is wonderful. 

Although, a biryani is best made with meat, you could sub them for veggies. To get an idea of the recipe, you could have a look here.


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## JillBurgh (Jan 30, 2008)

Saffron cream. Saute a little shallot and add heavy cream with white wine and saffron. Perfect for steaming and serving with mussels.

Saffron Buerre Blanc. Maybe add a little garlic and/or lemon and/or orange.  Good with shellfish/seafood: scallops, lump crabcakes, seafood pasta. I bet veal would be nice with saffron cream, too.  I had smoked veal chops with lavender cream before (to die for) but I'm not sure the smoked meat flavor would entirely work with saffron. 

How about saffron & grapefruit buerre blanc over grouper or chilean sea bass? With some spinach. mmm

I've had saffron ice cream before (Le Pommier Pittsburgh). If I remember correctly it was with a blackberry mango crisp. It was good on it's own though, I'd serve the ice cream with some lemon wafer cookies or tuilles (sp?).


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## JillBurgh (Jan 30, 2008)

> I'm not sure the smoked meat flavor would entirely work with saffron.



Maybe if you served veal medallions (smoked or not) with lobster tail meat and saffron buerre blanc? Like an upscale surf-n-turf. We had something like that at a resturant where I once worked.  It was supposed to be the chef's high-end take on Veal Oscar.


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## JillBurgh (Jan 31, 2008)

Okay, Okay, I'm posting AGAIN. But this time to apologize.  I missed the "vegetarian" requirement and feel silly for posting all of those meaty suggestions. SO Sorry!  I will leave those posts, though, for people who might not have a veggie restriction.

The saffron creams and ice cream are certainly relevant for vegetarian dishes, as well, as long as you don't need vegan I think. I'm not the best with meat-less ideas, but I would still do the Saffron Cream Pasta (mm pappardelle), maybe a squash ravioli, try putting saffron in the pasta dough if you make it from scratch, a light saffron cream potato soup, maybe add some saffron to your risotto or a cauliflower mash, and I hear saffron is nice with tomatoes though I've never tried it.


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## simonaskitchen (Jan 31, 2008)

Hi! I suggest you the Yellow Rice, or Saffron Risotto:

The recipe is easy:

1 onion, better white
70 gr rice each person
olive oil
salt
1,5 lt 'broth'
3 coffe spoons saffron.
Stir the onion, slitghly chopped, with the olive oil. When it'll be white and transparent, drop the rice and melt for a few seconds. Then, start adding the broth. Remember to take medium fire, and to melt slowly. When the rice will be nearly cooked, add the saffron. You can take off the fire and let it rest for a few. Serve with some parmisan cheese, separeted. 

Suggestions: If you like to decorate, you can rub a round oven pot, distribute the rise inside, upside down and serve like a 'timballo'.

Let me know if you like it! 
Simona


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## jet (Jan 31, 2008)

simonaskitchen said:


> Hi! I suggest you the Yellow Rice, or Saffron Risotto:
> 
> The recipe is easy:
> 1 onion, better white
> ...


What is a "coffe spoon"?


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## merstar (Feb 1, 2008)

This is delicious:

VEGETABLE COUSCOUS PAELLA

"Saffron lends authenticity to this fragrant dish, which draws its inspiration from the paellas of Spain. Serve a green salad alongside, and uncork a bottle of Pinot Grigio." 

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil (I used a little more)
2 cups chopped onion (I used a lot more)
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 tablespoon chopped garlic (I used a lot more)
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
2 cups canned vegetable broth (I cheated and used low sodium chicken broth, about 2 1/2 cups)
3 large plum tomatoes (about 10 ounces), seeded, coarsely chopped
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup drained canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas) (I used more) 
1/2 cup chopped peeled carrot
1/4 teaspoon crushed saffron threads
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/2 cups (about 9 1/2 ounces) couscous

6 canned artichoke hearts, quartered (I omitted this)
Sliced red bell pepper rings (I omitted this)
1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges (I omitted this)
Chopped fresh parsley (I used fresh cilantro)

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and chopped bell peppers; sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and paprika and sauté 1 minute. Stir in broth and next 6 ingredients. Bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook 5 minutes to blend flavors. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Mix couscous into vegetable mixture. Cover and simmer 1 minute. Remove pot from heat. Let stand covered 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with fork. Let paella stand covered 5 minutes longer; fluff with fork again. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl. Arrange artichoke hearts, red bell pepper rings and lemon wedges atop paella. Sprinkle parsley over and serve.

Serves 6.

From Bon Appétit 
Vegetable Couscous Paella Recipe at Epicurious.com


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## simonaskitchen (Feb 1, 2008)

Hi! A coffe spoon is a small spoon we generally use for dropping sugar in coffee cups. In this recipe it's a small quantity, more or less 1/3 table spoon. Simona


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## JillBurgh (Feb 1, 2008)

simonaskitchen said:


> . . . it's a small quantity, more or less 1/3 table spoon. Simona


Simona, your risotto recipe sounds so good, I can't wait to try it!

In the English measurement system, there are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon. So if your measurement is "1/3 tablespoon" you can instead say, "1 teaspoon." It is probably not a coincidence that the Italian Coffee Spoon measurement is equal to the English Tea Spoon measurement.

One unrelated question: on your website, do you ship the food/wine in your online shop to the USA?


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## simonaskitchen (Feb 1, 2008)

One of my biggest problem in translating recipes, is the conversion of tablespoons and gr!!! ARGHH! You're right: my coffee spoon is the same of English teaspoon. Next time I'll remember it and I'll write directly teaspoon! Thanx!
As far as wine, in my website the shopping section is not mine: it's an affiliation with Experya, one of the most famous shopping on line here in Italy.
I only show their catalogue.
If you're interested in Italian wine, I can suggest you some local producers, (such as Chianti or Siena and similar) and you can contact theme directly! They generally ship all over the world!
The same happens for olive oil


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