SC - Parsley

[Marisa Herzog]

       So... my problem is that in the redaction, Santich calls for ground 
       ginger, pepper, salt (depending on saltiness of stock) and saffron.  I 
       would prefer not to use the saffron because of the cost involved.

Saffron is used in tiny amounts: it isn't all that expensive.  If the cook
suggests using large amounts of saffron (and if I recall correctly, Santich
does) it's because they have fake or shitty saffron.  I've used fake saffron
(safflower) and it produces the right color, but NO flavor.

Saffron comes as threads (the stamens of the Crocus Sativus flower, if I
recall the latin correctly), and should be straight, pliable and a bright
yellow orange color.  While a "half-gram" costs more than you might pay for
a full ounce of pepper, it will go a lot further.

Saffron is hard to find in a trustworthy source: I've found that Indian
saffron is of uneven quality, Mexican saffron is reliably of low quality,
and Spanish saffron is usually pretty good.

NOTHING tastes like saffron.  That's what is so cool about it.  If you want
the bright yellow color, you can use safflower or tumeric, but you get no
flavor.

Most recipes call for making a "tincture" of the saffron threads.  I grind
them with a touch of salt or sugar (depending upon whether the recipe calls
for savory or sweet), steep them in some hot liquid (water or broth, again
depending upon the recipe) and add the entire tincture after 5-10 minutes.
Saffron makes a powerful yellow/orange color, and using the tincture keeps
my foods from getting tiny yellow speckles where the thread fragments are,
and it makes the flavor permeation uniform.

Be wicked careful: the stain is permanent.  Keep away from clothes, rubber,
wood or other porous surfaces, unless you want them to always be orange.  I
rinse my mortar IMMEDIATELY after grinding saffron in it.  A useful cheat is
to use the bowl of a soup spoon, and use a teaspoon to grind the saffron
threads.  Stainless steel is resistant to the color.  I usually make the
tincture in a Pyrex measuring cup.

That's what I know. Sorry for the delay in responding: work has been
interesting/busy.

	Tibor
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