INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Pulled out my saffron book, which I hadn't really looked at closely,
and discovered that it was written by a local gal.  And is
autographed to boot. Sat down at my scanner and it was so interesting
I could hardly get up. There's a lot of historical stuff, but I
thought you might be interested in what it says about countries
propagating and selling the corms++Japan, the Netherlands and
*Oregon, USA*!  This first post is about how to prepare the stuff for
use.
Saffron is no more difficult to work with than any other herb or
spice, but it is different.  Central to getting good results is not
to be wasteful and at the same time to respect saffron's potency.
These two rules contradict each other only if you have measured out
too much saffron to begin with. To be fully activated, saffron
threads (hereafter referred to as threads) must come in contact with:
HEAT, ALCOHOL, CITRUS OR MUST BE POUNDED IN A MORTAR.
I discovered how long good threads release color and flavor by
pouring two kettles worth of boiling water over 1/2 teaspoon of
threads (1/4 gram) and leaving them overnight.  By morning I had
enough yellow- orange liquid to make 40 glasses of tea by adding
lemon juice, sugar and ice cubes to the concentrate.
Threads can also be steeped in lemon juice, rose or orange water,
stocks, bouillons, vinegar, or white wine.  I find red wine too heavy
to use with saffron.  No cookbook authors seem to agree on how long
saffron should steep (opinions vary from 3 minutes to 48 hours!).
For practicality and cost effectiveness, I have settled on 20 minutes.
You can achieve great color (pale custard to vibrant yellow-orange)
in a matter of minutes with good saffron.  It is the flavor which
takes longer to come out.  I find that as long as I begin my prep
work with the steeping, I do not prolong my time in the kitchen.  It
is a matter of getting in the habit.  As long as I steep my threads
for 20 minutes, it does not seem to matter when I add them to what I
am cooking.
I was surprised to see Gina Sarra, my hostess in Italy's Abruzzo, add
the saffron paste, made ahead by adding boiling water to powder, to
her spaghetti just before she served it.  Again, the key is in
activating the spice with heat.
  POWDERED SAFFRON:
I have not found it necessary to steep powdered saffron.  When I bake
I find it practical to use powder because it works into chilled butter
nicely.  The butter's hard surface necessitates the right amount of
pressure to release saffron's color and flavor.  Room temperature
butter is too soft to release color although the flavor seems to
release regardless. If you prefer, saffron can be added to milk or
water in a baking recipe as well.
Keep in mind 1/2 teaspoon of threads crushes down to a scant 1/8
teaspoon of powder.  This is why powdered saffron appears so much
more expensive than threads.  If you are particularly interested in
powder, you can often find it in Italian delicatessens and gourmet
shops.
Powdering threads is simple.  In the beginning, use a heavy skillet
with white insides against which you will be able to monitor the dark
threads easier than you can in a black skillet.  Over low heat, toast
the threads just until crispy enough to crumble with your fingers (no
more than 2 minutes).  It is not a good idea to have your attention
on any other prep work while you do this.  Dump the crispy threads
onto kitchen paper and crush them with the back of an ordinary metal
spoon.
From "Wild About Saffron++A Contemporary Guide to an Ancient Spice",
by Ellen Szita.  Published by Saffron Rose, 28 John Glenn Circle,
Daly City, Ca., 94105.  1987.
Posted by Stephen Ceideberg; March 30 1993.
File ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/cberg2.zip

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