Super Easy Saffron Recipes to Impress Guests

Saffron is the most expensive and most coveted spice in the world. It is prized for its delicate flavor and its beautiful red coloring. This spice is versatile too! You can use it to flavor desserts and savory dishes. In today’s post, we are sharing our healthy and yummy saffron-based recipes:

Classic Saffron Rice

You will need

2 cups rice
3 tablespoon ghee or clarified butter
1 black cardamom, crushed
6 green cardamom, crushed
6 pieces cloves
2 pieces bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
2 medium-sized onions, thinly sliced
A generous pinch of saffron
½ cup warm milk
2 tablespoon cooking oil
4 cups of water

Instructions:

Start by washing the rice well and soaking it in water for 30 minutes. Set aside. Add milk to the saffron and let it steep. In a pressure cooker, heat the ghee and add the whole spices to sauté. Add the rice and toss for five to eight minutes. Add the 4 cups of water and salt then mix very well. Bring the mixture to a boil then cover the pressure cooker. Pressure cook for 1 whistle then simmer for another 5 minutes.

Turn off the heat, release the steam and fluff the rice. Once the rice is cooked, heat some cooking oil in the pan and sauté the onions until golden brown. Set this aside. Add the fried onions and saffron milk in the rice and toss gently. Serve immediately.

Saffron Risotto with Osso Bucco

You will need:

1 white onion, chopped finely
7 tablespoons butter, divided
1 1/8 cups Arborio rice
¼ cup white wine
½ teaspoon saffron
6 cups beef stock
4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
2 200-grams pieces beef shank
¼ cup cooking oil for pan-frying
salt and pepper
1 white onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ carrot, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, trimmed and chopped
2 800-gram cans whole peeled tomato, crushed with juices reserved
2 cups white wine

Instruction

Start by making the saffron risotto. In a pot, sauté the onions in butter. Add the rice and stir continuously so the ingredients do not stick to the pan. Add the white wine and simmer. Add the saffron to the risotto and then gradually add the stock, one half cup at a time. Stir continuously as you add the stock. Bring more stock once the rice absorbs the liquid. When the rice is al dente, add the butter and the parmesan cheese and mix very well. Set aside.

Prep the beef shanks by rubbing them with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large pan, sear the beef and set aside. In the same pan, sauté onion, garlic, carrot, and celery for five minutes. Add the seared beef shanks then gradually add the tomatoes and white wine. Braise the beef shanks for 3 hours or until tender. Once tender, season with salt and pepper then serve with saffron risotto.

Roast Saffron Chicken

You will need:

1 teaspoon saffron
2 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 large dressed chicken
6 sprigs rosemary
1 lemon, thinly sliced
Butcher’s string

Instruction

Start by preheating the oven to 400°. In a medium skillet, cook the saffron until lightly toasted then ground it in a mortar and pestle. Add salt and peppercorns and continue grinding the mix to a coarse powder.

Rub the spice powder under the skin of the chicken and inside the cavity. Place rosemary and lemon slices inside the cavity of the bird. With a butcher’s string, tuck the wings of the bird under the back and stick into the roaster. Roast until browned for an hour. Let the roast chicken sit for 10 minutes before carving.