A dramatic statement, sure, but while watching my DVD of Gladiator I noticed the slave-trader/gladiator owner was eating something and feeding his chained Hyena, and this got me curious about their foods. I am sure he was snacking on some meats, figs, or nuts of some kind. Rome was proud of their discoveries along the conquering path! One of their discoveries was 'Saffron'...and they began immediately cultivating it for all sorts of uses. In culinary school we learned this and about one of the first dishes in 'written' cookbook history, IL RISOTTO ALLA MILANESE (risotto allo zafferano), but was widely used for medicinal and other purposes before it found its way onto our plates. I got a Caribbean Spices gift basket that included saffron powder, so I have decided to use it in a tomato based recipe, but will let the spice shine through with my own twist. I also want to share some saffron information, and also tried to find out what and if this powder had been mixed with something else, but it taste pure to me...
* Do not buy powdered saffron for two good reasons, unless you trust your supplier. First, it is very easy to adulterate powder saffron and you have no idea how pure it is. Second, powdered saffron has a short shelf life and loses flavor rapidly.
* If you need to use powdered saffron, make your own as you need it by grinding the saffron threads to a fine powder before adding to your cooking. If you are going to use powdered saffron frequently, buying a mortar and pestle is highly recommended. If you have a hard time grinding your saffron, due to its moisture content, add a pinch of sugar grains to it and then grind it. This makes the grinding easier and does not affect your recipe. Once your saffron is in powder form, add 3-5 teaspoons of warm or boiling water to it and leave it to infuse for about 5-10 minutes. This is referred to as liquid saffron. You can prepare liquid saffron with milk, vinegar, or wine instead of water. If you prepared the liquid saffron with boiling water, you can keep it in a jar for few weeks and use it as you need.
* Since saffron from different regions of the world has different potency, at most, use only as directed in the recipes. For example, Kashmiri saffron is very potent and you may need to use less than what is called for in your recipe.
* Always store your saffron in a cool dry place and away from bright light. Do not expose your saffron to moisture.
Check out this site I found with interesting history and stages of using saffron, The Old Foodie...and in her honor I am adding a weekly quotation to my blog...
Quotation for the week..."before one can truly live one's path...one has to have experienced true beauty...and good food is...just one way"...
Saffron the Gladiator of Spice- Part II...'Sloppy Joes' made with my Caribbean Saffron powder