Risotto Alla Milanese - Saffron with Parmesan RisottoBack to top
(Serves 4)
1 ¼ -1 ½ litres chicken stock (5-6 cups)
10 saffron stamens
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion 2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 ½ cups risotto rice (like Carnaroli or Vialone Nano)
125ml dry white wine or vermouth (1/2 cup)
3 Tbsp butter
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve
4 Tbsp mascarpone cream, optional
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Place stock in a saucepan, bring to boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer.
Place saffron in a small bowl, add 4-5 Tbsp boiling water and set aside to soak for 10 minutes.
Heat the oil in a heavy- based saucepan over a low heat. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes
until softened but not coloured.
Add the garlic and rice and cook stirring until there are no traces of oil left and rice begins
to crackle (do not let the rice colour)
Quickly add the wine and cook for 1 minute. Start adding the stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring
with a wooden spoon. Do not add the next ladleful until the previous one has been absorbed.
(Keep the risotto over a medium-low heat, as the liquid must be absorbed not evaporated)
When you have added ½ the stock, add the saffron and its liquid, then continue adding
stock until you have about 1 cup left. Add the remaining stock in small amounts to avoid
overcooking the rice. (It is important to taste at this stage, as the consistency needs
to be al dente)
Turn off the heat and gradually stir in the butter and parmesan.
Cover and set aside for three minutes, then season to taste.
Pile into bowls, place a generous dollop of mascarpone on top if desired and garnish with shavings
of parmesan.
Heat half & half, remove from heat and steep saffron for
20 min. Sauté and garlic until limp
in olive oil and butter. Do not brown.
Butter a large pie plate and layer with potato and onion
slices. Pour half &
half over the top and bake at 350º(175º C), covered with tin foil, for an
hour.
Remove foil and bake an additional 15 min. or until top is browned. Serve in
wedges.
5 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
2 cups trimmed sourdough bread cubes
4 large garlic cloves, quartered
1/3 cup dry white wine
4 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
2 generous pinches saffron threads
8 1/2-inch-thick French bread baguette slices
1/2 cup grated Manchego or Monterey Jack Cheese
Minced fresh chives or green onion tops
Heat 4 tablespoons oil in
heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. add bread cubes and
garlic and sauté
until bread is light golden, about 4 minutes. Add wine, then broth and
saffron;
bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 25 minutes. Puree soup in blender.
Return soup to saucepan. Season with salt. Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange French
bread
slices on cookie sheet. Brush with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Bake until
lightly toasted,
about 8 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over croutons. Transfer cookie
sheet to broiler; broil
croutons until cheese melts. Place 2 croutons in each
bowl. Bring soup to simmer.
Ladle over croutons. Sprinkle with chives and a few
saffron threads and serve.
Saffron Rice with Chicken and Prawns Back to top
(6 servings)
1/2 tsp saffron threads
1/4 cup boiling water
Spanish extra virgin olive oil
600g skinless chicken thigh meat, cubed
1 red onion, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika
1/2 cup white wine
3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups paella rice (or use short or medium grain rice)
3 Tbs chopped fresh marjoram or parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
500g medium-sized whole prawns
2 red peppers, seeds removed, flesh thinly sliced
Place saffron in boiling water and set aside for 10 minutes to dissolve. Heat
a paella pan
or large frying pan, add a little oil and brown chicken cubes all
over for 5 minutes.
Remove to one side.
Add onion, garlic and a little more oil to the pan and cook for 5 minutes,
stirring regularly
until the onion has softened. Add paprika, white wine,
tomatoes, dissolved saffron and
stock and bring to the boil. Stir in the rice
then cook uncovered over a medium flame
without stirring for 10 minutes.
Add cooked chicken and marjoram or parsley and season with salt and pepper.
Arrange prawns and sliced peppers on the surface of the rice and continue
cooking for 10-15
minutes without stirring.
Remove from the heat and leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving. The
rice should be
tender to the bite, the liquid evaporated and a slight crust
formed on the bottom of the pan.
Scallops with Saffron Sauce and Granny Smith AppleBack to top
(4 servings)
Preparation time: 5 minutes - Cooking time: About 15 minutes
20 scallops (5 per person, depending on their size and on whether this is served as a
first course or main
dish)
5 Granny Smith apples (2 for
garnish)
15 ml (1 tbsp.) butter
15 ml (1 tbsp.) olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Saffron Sauce
2 shallots, finely chopped
65 ml (1/4 cup) white wine
or vermouth
125 ml (1/2 cup) heavy cream
1 ml (1/4 tsp) saffron
Salt and pepper
Peel 3 Granny Smith apples and cut them into
pieces.
Cook the apples with half the butter and 1
tbsp. water until they are the consistency of a compote.
Place the white wine and chopped shallot into a
saucepan and reduce by two-thirds. Add the cream and saffron and let the
saffron infuse in the sauce.
Sauté the scallops in olive oil and butter and
season with salt and pepper.
For the scallops to be perfectly cooked, the
cooking time should be very quick and the heat fairly high in order to lightly
brown their surface while keeping them translucent in the middle.
Use a rectangular plate for presentation if possible. Place a ribbon of the Granny Smith
compote
in the centre of the plate with the scallops arranged on top. Pour the saffron
sauce around them and garnish the scallops with some fine julienne of
Granny Smith apples.
Fish with Saffron and GarlicBack to top
(2 servings)
This is one of my favourite fish preparations. A mild white fish like cod or halibut poached in a tasty sauce of garlic, saffron, lemon juice and tomatoes. It's easy to make and
complements the flavour of the fish perfectly!
3/4 pound (300g) white fish (cod or halibut are good)
Pinch of saffron
Boiling water
2 tbs butter or olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground fennel (or dill)
1 medium tomato, diced
Salt and pepper, to taste
Rinse fish and set aside. Crumble the saffron threads into a small, heatproof bowl.
Add a very small amount of boiling water
(just to cover) and set aside.
Melt the butter or heat the olive oil in a non-reactive skillet.
Add the garlic and sauté
for a minute or two until golden but not brown.
Stir in the lemon juice,
fennel, tomatoes and saffron solution. Add salt and pepper.
Add fish fillets,
spoon a little of the sauce over the fish. Cover and cook 5 - 10
minutes
until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve immediately.
Pears Glazed With Saffron SyrupBack to top
(6 to 8 servings)
1 small cup sugar
1 small cup water
1 small cup white wine
Curl of orange peel (can use lemon peel)
Small section of cinnamon stick
Piece of vanilla bean
6 strands of saffron
6-8 whole peeled pears
Put all ingredients except pears into a saucepan
large enough to hold the pears standing
up, bring to the boil, add the pears,
cover and simmer for 1 hour.
Remove the lid and continue to simmer, basting
the pears throughout, until the syrup
becomes sticky. Serve with yoghurt, thick cream or ice cream.
1 1/4 cups of flour
100 grams of butter
9 crushed saffron threads (1/4 grams)
1Tbsp. orange rind
1/3 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
Leave stick of butter out to soften. Butter should be
spreadable by now.
Work saffron and orange rind into butter. Blend in sugar,
then egg yolks, one at a time.
Add flour to form soft ball of dough. Cover and
refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
When ready to bake, remove dough from
refrigerator to soften slightly.
Preheat oven to 170 C. Pinch off bite size
pieces of dough and place on ungreased cookie
sheet. When sheet is full, press
dough flat with back of metal fork.
Bake 15 min, or until edges begin to brown.
Cool on rack. Store in airtight container.
Brightwater Gold Saffron
Teapot Valley Organics
4 Teapot Valley Road
RD1, Brightwater
Nelson 7091
New Zealand
