[Sca-cooks] Novice Saffron User

[Phlip]

Ene bichizh ogsen baina shuu...

> >Hello to All -
> >
> >I am now the lucky owner of 1 gram of saffron threads (yay!!) and am
> >at a loss with where to start or what to do with it. I've never used
> >saffron before (always stayed away from it - spendy!) and would
> >appreciate any tips or a good beginner recipe for it (mind you, a
> >good "example" of saffron in a dish - I'm not a novice cook ;-) )
> >
> >Help? :-D

Seems to me the simplest thing would be saffron rice. Rather than try the
more complicared recipes, where you need to discount the flavors of the
other ingredients, you should have a pretty good idea what rice tastes like
;-) and thus be able to judge what its flavor does to a dish, as well as
its color intensity. I tend to have several "standard" recipes that I will
try just for seeing what an unfamiliar spice will do to the flavor.

Saffron Rice

1 c. rice
2 c. water and tablespoon chicken base OR
2 c. chicken stock
6-12 saffron threads
tablespoon lemon juice

Bring stock or water and chicken base to boil w/saffron and lemon juice.
Dump in rice, turn down heat to low, cover and let cook until done. Stir to
even color/flavor and serve.

You may be using a different rice that requires more or less liquid- go with
that amount. The important thing is to get the saffron hot and wet before
adding the rice, so it permeates the dish.

> I'm told it can be used to produce a yellow color in illuminated
> manuscripts, but I don't have any direct experience.
> --
> David/Cariadoc

Shucks, and here I'de heard a scurrilous rumor that the reason you referred
to saffron as a scribal error was because you'd spilled some on a manuscript
;-)

Saint Phlip,
CoDoLDS

"When in doubt, heat it up and hit it with a hammer."
 Blacksmith's credo.

 If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is probably not a
cat.

Never a horse that cain't be rode,
And never a rider who cain't be throwed....