a gift of saffron
my friend and fellow food blogger amy gifted me a precious box of the best saffron in the world which she had brought to london from her recent trip to barcelona. the place where she bought the saffron is a century old food shop called e&a gispert which i'm told is a must see for any foodie visiting this spanish city that i'm just do dying to go to. between the architecture, the food and the thriving shopping, barcelona sounds like a very exciting city to check out. and amy think i would like it more than any other european city and that i must go there as soon as possible!
amy asked me what i would use the saffron in. she uses it for risottos and fish dishes. i tend to use saffron in paella, shrikhand (an indian yogurt dessert laced with saffron), badam kheer and hyderabadi vegetable biryani to name a few.
i'd love to hear what your favourite uses of saffron are. do tell as i have the best quality saffron at my disposal and am looking for new recipe ideas.
posted by lulu at 6:30 pm
6 Comments:
We love this one, and it doesn't take too long to make...
SHRIMP AND SCALLOPS IN TOMATO SAFFRON BROTH
1 pound sea scallops
1/4 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
12 leaves fresh basil, shredded
1 lemon, zested
Hot, crusty bread, for plate mopping
Lightly coat the sea scallops in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Discard remaining flour.
Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and butter. When butter melts into oil, add scallops. Brown scallops 2 minutes on each side, then remove from pan.
Add an additional drizzle of olive oil to the pan and add the garlic, shallots, and crushed red pepper flakes. Reduce heat a little and sauté garlic and shallots 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add wine to the pan and free up any pan drippings. Reduce wine 1 minute, then add stock, tomatoes and saffron threads. When liquids come to a bubble, add shrimp and cook 3 minutes. Return scallops to the pan and cook shrimp and scallops 2 to 3 minutes longer. Transfer shrimp and scallops to a warm serving dish and top with basil and lemon zest. Pass plenty of bread to enjoy the juices.
any prizes for the best recipe?
Definitely brings out the best in Kashmiri dum aloo (the one with saunf and yogurt) and good indian style meat curry
thanks, beth. you just reminded me that i need to get in touch with you regarding the book club. will email you shortly.
no prizes for the best recipe this time, i'm afraid.
thanks 30in2005,
pukka kashmiri dum aloo sounds yummy. will have to wait for the weather to turn a bit cold for that one.
saffron is used widely in south indian sweets.semolina kesari,aval keasari,baadam halwa,badushah,laddoo,jangiri and gulabjamun. i also use it for my puja with water and tulsi leaves.
I use saffron mostly for biryanis and also to make Saffron rice!
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