chai@utflis.UUCP (Henry Chai) (07/22/85)
I have tried to make Paella a couple of times. The saffron I used was called
American saffron, and I have failed everytime to get that golden yellow
color typical of this dish. Could it be that I'm using the wrong amount?
Or would only French saffron work??
--
Henry Chai
Faculty of Library and Information Science, U of Toronto
{watmath,ihnp4,allegra}!utzoo!utflis!chai eac@drutx.UUCP (CveticEA) (07/24/85)
>I have tried to make Paella a couple of times. The saffron I used was called >American saffron, and I have failed everytime to get that golden yellow >color typical of this dish. Could it be that I'm using the wrong amount? >Or would only French saffron work?? Only TRUE saffron should be used. Many varieties have false saffron added. If you didn't pay much for it, it wasn't real. True saffron will lose its flavor rapidly so buy small amounts, and be sure not to let it stay exposed to heat or light. I like Spice Islands saffron since it is sealed in a little packet, it comes in a very small amount (for about $6.50). A very small amount of this spice goes a long way. Betsy Cvetic ihnp4!drutx!eac
seb@mtgzz.UUCP (s.e.badian) (07/25/85)
For your information, most true saffron comes from Spain (why do you think they use it in paella?). It probably costs more than gold by the ounce. Saffron is the stamens(or is it the pistils?) of a particular crocus. How they ever figured out to use such a thing in cooking is beyond me. Sharon Badian ihnp4!mtgzz!seb
nemo@rochester.UUCP (Wolfe) (07/26/85)
> I have tried to make Paella a couple of times.... > , and I have failed everytime to get that golden yellow > color typical of this dish. Could it be that I'm using the wrong amount? You can crush the saffron up before use and/or soak it in hot water before adding it to the rice. Still, you will get plenty of the saffron flavor without as much of the color as you would probably like. Enter turmeric. Many recipes call for a little ground turmeric to brighten up the color since the amount of saffron needed for flavor is insufficient for color. If you check out some packages of "Spanish Rice Spice Mix" or the like you will see it listed with the saffron. It is also orders of magnitude cheaper. It does not supply the flavor of saffron, however, so it cannot be used as an equivalent substitute, only as a coloring. Nemo -- Internet: nemo@rochester.arpa UUCP: {decvax, allegra, seismo, cmcl2}!rochester!nemo Phone: [USA] (716) 275-5766 work, 232-4690 home USMail: 104 Tremont Circle; Rochester, NY 14608 School: Department of Computer Science; University of Rochester; Rochester, NY 14627
sommers@topaz.ARPA (Mamaliz @ The Soup Kitchen) (07/27/85)
In article <969@mtgzz.UUCP> seb@mtgzz.UUCP (s.e.badian) writes: > > For your information, most true saffron comes from Spain hmmm, I thought most of it came from the northern highlands in India. Where would it be grown in Spain? liz -- liz sommers uucp: ...{harvard, seismo, ut-sally, sri-iu, ihnp4!packard}!topaz!sommers arpa: sommers@rutgers
vijay@topaz.ARPA (P. Vijay) (07/27/85)
> In article <969@mtgzz.UUCP> seb@mtgzz.UUCP (s.e.badian) writes: > > > > For your information, most true saffron comes from Spain > > hmmm, I thought most of it came from the northern highlands in India. > Where would it be grown in Spain? > > liz There is very little saffron grown in India, although we use a significant portion of it in our cuisine. As the erlier article mentions, Spain is not only the largest source of saffron, but also produces what is recognised by the experts as the best. In article <969@mtgzz.UUCP>, seb@mtgzz.UUCP (s.e.badian) writes: > > For your information, most true saffron comes from Spain > (why do you think they use it in paella?). It probably costs more > than gold by the ounce. Saffron is the stamens(or is it the pistils?) > of a particular crocus. How they ever figured out to use such a thing > in cooking is beyond me. > Saffron is the dried stamens of a crocus. Actually, it is quite cheaper than gold ($30-40/ounce) :-)). Saffron is typically used to colour many kinds of dishes. I have known of basic stocks (soups) that are coloured with saffron and of many desserts. In Indian cuisine (South Indian, actually), we also like to use it for it's subtle bouquet and flavour, esp. in milk-based desserts. Try it some time with just plain warm milk (if you like drinking milk that has been warmed). Oh, by the way, this stuff is very strong and should be used in gentle proportions. --Vijay--
schrei@faust.UUCP (07/27/85)
Traditionally, the best saffron comes from Spain. A tiny amount goes a very long way. That is fortunate, considering the astronomical price.
jeff@rtech.UUCP (Jeff Lichtman) (07/28/85)
> I have tried to make Paella a couple of times. The saffron I used was called > American saffron, and I have failed everytime to get that golden yellow > color typical of this dish. Could it be that I'm using the wrong amount? > Or would only French saffron work?? > -- > Henry Chai > Faculty of Library and Information Science, U of Toronto > {watmath,ihnp4,allegra}!utzoo!utflis!chai True saffron comes from a kind of crocus. Sometimes safflower stamens are sold as saffron; this product is far inferior to true saffron both in taste and color. It's easy to tell the difference, as long as the saffron is not powdered: true saffron threads are round in cross-section and are slightly helical; false saffron threads are flat and straight. -- Jeff Lichtman at rtech (Relational Technology, Inc.) aka Swazoo Koolak {amdahl, sun}!rtech!jeff {ucbvax, decvax}!mtxinu!rtech!jeff
bulko@ut-sally.UUCP (William C. Bulko) (07/29/85)
(?)
Spanish saffron does indeed seem to be the preferred type. An Indian friend
often buys Spanish saffron to take home to India for his mother. She prefers
the quality of Spanish saffron over those she can purchase in India.
Joyce
c/o bulko@ut-sally
--
_______________________________________________________________________________
"To err is human; to admit it is not."
Bill Bulko Department of Computer Sciences
The University of Texas {ihnp4,harvard,gatech,ctvax,seismo}!ut-sally!bulko
_______________________________________________________________________________chai@utflis.UUCP (Henry Chai) (07/29/85)
In article <969@mtgzz.UUCP> seb@mtgzz.UUCP (s.e.badian) writes: > > For your information, most true saffron comes from Spain >(why do you think they use it in paella?). It probably costs more >than gold by the ounce. Saffron is the stamens(or is it the pistils?) >of a particular crocus. How they ever figured out to use such a thing >in cooking is beyond me. > >Sharon Badian >ihnp4!mtgzz!seb My thanks to Sharon Badian and also Betsy Cvetic @ drutx for answering my question about saffron. As to why they used this herb (spice?), I believe I have read somewhere that in the olden days in Spain they used to use *REAL GOLD* to make paella, but it got too costly since the gold was not recoverable. So they substituted saffron instead. Nowadays maybe it *is* cheaper to use real gold ..... -- Henry Chai Faculty of Library and Information Science, U of Toronto {watmath,ihnp4,allegra}!utzoo!utflis!chai
jeff@rtech.UUCP (Jeff Lichtman) (07/29/85)
> > For your information, most true saffron comes from Spain > (why do you think they use it in paella?). It probably costs more > than gold by the ounce. > > Sharon Badian Saffron costs about four dollars a gram, which puts it at about $112/ounce. This is expensive, but cheaper than gold. Also, many recipes call for only a quarter of a gram. I have no idea how much gold one has to use in those recipes that call for it. :-) -- Jeff Lichtman at rtech (Relational Technology, Inc.) aka Swazoo Koolak {amdahl, sun}!rtech!jeff {ucbvax, decvax}!mtxinu!rtech!jeff
avinash@ubvax.UUCP (Avinash Marathe) (07/29/85)
To get the most color and flavor out of saffron try this. Roast the
saffron in a small skillet, powder it with a mortar and pestle, soak it
in a small quantity of hot water or milk, and then add the beautiful
saffron colored liquid to your recipe.
Avinash Marathe
{amdcad,amd}!cae780!ubvax!avinashrew@cbosgd.UUCP (Bob Warren) (07/29/85)
> > For your information, most true saffron comes from Spain
A lot of saffron used to come from Italy, in particular the area
on the mainland near Venice. If my sources can be believed, the
Polo family fortune was based on saffron prior to Marco's journey
to China and back.
Bob Warren
cbosgd!rewyates@lll-crg.ARPA (Kim Yates) (07/31/85)
> I have tried to make Paella a couple of times.... > , and I have failed everytime to get that golden yellow > color typical of this dish. Could it be that I'm using the wrong amount? I never heard of American saffron. You should use saffron from Spain or any Mediterranean area. Avoid the ground-up stuff. The real thing looks like fibers of bright orange and yellow. Let the saffron steep in olive oil along with some cracked cloves of garlic. Let it sit for a couple of hours while you sip wine and contemplate the fragrance, which is definitely going to put you in the mood for a proper paella. Use the oil concoction to fry the chicken, if you include chicken, and the onions and the (dry) rice. This imparts a wonderful color! A correct paella can be anywhere from pale yellow to almost orange. You can enhance the effect by including a little red pimiento and something green like peas or green beans (not both). You will have to experiment to find the right amount of saffron. If you put too little, it's not paella. If you put too much, it will taste medicinal. The threshold is purely personal. For a neophyte I would suggest about 2 fibers (sex organs of a purple crocus) per person. You can always add more at any time before cooking the rice. -Kim Yates- Tots a la taula!
root@bu-cs.UUCP (Barry Shein) (07/31/85)
> Saffron is the stamens(or is it the pistils?) >of a particular crocus. How they ever figured out to use such a thing >in cooking is beyond me. > >Sharon Badian >ihnp4!mtgzz!seb Whaddya mean? Flowers are pretty, people eat flowers, maybe someone threw some flowers in their rice and it turned all yellow? On this fine summer day in Boston (actually, its kinda muggy, but up here you don't get picky) I call for a discussion of recipes for flowers. I know people eat them, I think I remember being served squash blossoms (probably poison..."14 netters die after B.U. nurd forces them to eat squash blossoms.") And let's not get real picky and start informing everyone about things like that artichokes are really flowers so the question is sufficiently answered by any artichoke recipe, you know what I mean. What I wonder about is the first guy that cut open an onion and came running in, crying, that s/he found food :-) -Barry Shein, Boston University
rjw@ptsfc.UUCP (Rod Williams) (08/03/85)
By an odd coincidence, I just had a nasturtium in my lunch today.
It was lying beside my grilled rainbow trout, on top of the zucchini.
I've had them in salads before - they're very pretty, but add
little in the way of flavor. My lemon tartelette also had a blue
flower on top, but I never eat blue stuff...
--
rod williams | {ihnp4,dual}!ptsfa!ptsfc!rjw
-------------------------------------------
pacific bell | san ramon | californiaherbie@watdcsu.UUCP (Herb Chong - DCS) (08/04/85)
saff'ron n. crocus; orange coloured flavoring obtained from it; the color
a. orange
[collins minigem english dictionary]
"pure, immutable, rare and precious, gold has always been the
royal metal and saffron, the gold of spices. it is somewhat
surprising that this, the most exotic spice of all, comes from
lovely violet-coloured, autumn-blooming crocuses, not at all
unlike the typical garden crocuses seen in early spring. they
are said to have been cultivated originally in Cilicia, the
southern part of modern Turkey, in an ancient town called
Corycus. it is not certain whether the town gave its name to
the flower or vice versa.
theophratus, the pupil of aristotle and the founder of botanical
science, described it thus:
the saffron crocus is herbaceous in character ... but
has a narrow leaf. indeed, the leaves are, as it were,
hair-like; it blooms very late, grows either very late
or early, according as one looks at the season; for it
blooms after the rising of the Pleiad (autumn) and only
for a few days. it pushes up the flower at once with
the leaf, or even seems to do it earlier. the root is
large and fleshy and the whole plant is vigorous; it
loves even to be trodden on and grows fairer where the
root is crushed into the ground by foot; wherefore it
is fairest along the road and in well worn places. it
is propogated from the root.
the flower of the crocus is violet, but saffron is the
orangey-red, string-like stigmas which droop out between the
petals. it contains three basic chemical substances: a tiny
amount of volatile oil, which gives it its aroma, picrococin,
which makes it bitter and crocin, which gives the spice its
characteristic color. crocin is water soluble and intensely
yellow. only one part added to one hundred and fifty thousand
parts will turn water bright yellow.
those ancient mariners, the Phoenicians seemed so addicted to
saffron that they took it everywhere they went. the crocuses
grew in abundance in what was then the Phoenician homeland and
is now modern Syria and Lebanon."
[the spice of life - sheldon greenberg and elisabeth
lambert ortiz, mermaid books in association with
channel four television company limited, the rainbird
publishing group limited, london, england]
Herb Chong...
I'm user-friendly -- I don't byte, I nybble....
UUCP: {decvax|utzoo|ihnp4|allegra|clyde}!watmath!water!watdcsu!herbie
CSNET: herbie%watdcsu@waterloo.csnet
ARPA: herbie%watdcsu%waterloo.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa
NETNORTH, BITNET, EARN: herbie@watdcs, herbie@watdcsuchuqui@nsc.UUCP (Laurie Sefton, C/O chuqui) (08/06/85)
Before we decide to raid the garden for saffron--
Colchicine, a drug once used to treat gout, and currently used to stop
mitotic division in cells, is found in the seeds and corms of the meadow
saffron (crocus). Colchicine is deadly poisonous in *very* small doses.
So, please, if your deciding to pluck flowers, stamens, or tubers
(day-lilies are supposed to be good eating), know which plants are
poisonous, and what parts.
Laurie Sefton
--
:From the carousel of the autumn carnival: Chuq Von Rospach
{cbosgd,fortune,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo}!nsc!chuqui nsc!chuqui@decwrl.ARPA
Your fifteen minutes are up. Please step aside!bobn@bmcg.UUCP (Bob Nebert) (08/06/85)
> My lemon tartelette also had a blue > flower on top, but I never eat blue stuff... > -- > Try some basic old blueberry pie. It's great:-:- - Bob Nebert