The CookingBites recipe challenge: saffron

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Morning Glory

Morning Glory

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Welcome to the CookingBites recipe challenge. The current challenge ingredient is saffron and Morning Glory is our judge. To enter, all you need to do is post a recipe* which uses saffron, tag it cookingbites recipe challenge, and post a link to it in this thread. The winner becomes the judge for the next challenge. You may post up to 6 entries. Deadline: end of day Tuesday 20th August UK time (GMT+1). Detailed challenge rules can be found here.

* recipes must be posted within the time frame of the challenge but could be recipes you have made in the past, so long as they haven't already been posted on the forum as a recipe thread.
 
I’ve found two in my cookbooks that interest me - one also uses rose water, which I’ll probably have to get wherever I get saffron from (my local Kroger sells neither), and the other is a recipe for 😱 fish!
 
…and another that also uses those cardamom pods I bought a while back.
 
TastyReuben said:
I’ve found two in my cookbooks that interest me - one also uses rose water, which I’ll probably have to get wherever I get saffron from (my local Kroger sells neither), and the other is a recipe for 😱 fish!
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I'm going to faint if you make a recipe that has fish in it that isn’t battered cod or something with canned tuna!
 
JAS_OH1 said:
I'm going to faint if you make a recipe that has fish in it that isn’t battered cod or something with canned tuna!
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Well, I have a bag of cod pieces. MrsT wanted to try more fish, and there’s a recipe in one of her WW cookbooks for sautéed cod with tomatoes and olives, so I bought it for that, but I’ve not been courageous enough to make it yet.
 
Saffron can be used in many ways - baking (breads, cakes, muffins etc.), desserts, many savoury dishes including vegan, vegetarian, as well as in drinks. Its also good for flavouring and colouring hard boiled eggs and in pickles.

A word of warning if you are not accustomed to using saffron. Use too much and it can taste unpleasantly medicinal. Used correctly it has an inimitable floral grassy flavour which is unlike anything else.

I'm a huge fan of saffron and use it a lot. For those unfamiliar with saffron, if you do a forum search for 'saffron', ticking 'search titles only' by Morning Glory you will find over 20 of my recipes which might give you some ideas how to use it.
 
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Indeed, I had no idea! Those two friends Goran and Zvone were mentioned in one of the articles I found researching a little, near the city of Zadar.

However, I also found an article about a lady, Esther, who grows saffron in Istria, a bit further north, near the small town of Motovun.

As it is in the local language, I doubt it makes sense to post a link, does it?

Will search for English articles.

Am curious to find where to buy the local saffron.

They both quote cooperation with local restaurants...hoping they have an online shop or a vendor in my city?
 
What I found additionally is a (rather wonky) but existing online "farmer's market" webshop.

It was not entirely smooth, am still uncertain if they got my order, but I contacted the admin/webshop owner seated in Poreč city.

I ordered ( per online form) 0,5 g saffron for 8 euro. Plus delivery, cost unknown for now.

The 'choose delivery method' and 'payment method' drop down menus were blocked.

What that means is either there is only one option ( local post, cash upon receipt), which I read in the footnote, which is fine with me. Or they are not operating, or something else is off...

Anyways, hoping for the best, will update ASAP.
 
I have about 500 saffron corms growing in my garden. They'll flower sometime around Christmas, but for now, they are in full leaf which just looks much like strange grass. I've got them in 3 areas of the garden. Most were a gift to me from my late neighbour.

I suspect I'll start with a saffron tea. That's quick and easy for me to do, and easy on me (I've got dental issues at present, soft foods only). I love saffron tea and make my own.

I might even try making a saffron sugar crystal stick just for the fun of it.

Most of my favourite saffron recipes are already written up, so I'll have to see if I can find something new that can be made at a weekend, and is soft so I can actually eat it. I think there might be a dessert I could do, if I haven't written that up as well.

I buy my saffron 20grams at a time. It's much cheaper that way. 20 grams was about AU$85. Half that for GBP.
 
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