SAFFRON

According to the book of Jesus Avila Granados "History of Saffron, the dawn flower" (It is a magnificent book in which even the terminology used around the saffron of La Mancha is detailed) the Saffron Crocus Sativus Linnaeus comes from the plateau of Anatolia, the name derives from the Arabic sa'faran which means "to be yellow" or from the Persian "safra" (yellow).

It is recommended to acquire saffron in threads because due to its price it is usually falsified specially in powder form.

Saffron from La Mancha is considered the best in the world and has a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). The biggest producer however is Iran with 96% of world export and sometimes in Spain Iranian saffron is sold as Spanish... that´s why you better use a PDO one.

At the end of October is when it blooms.

Saffron is the oldest spice known since ancient Egypt, the Hebrews used to purify the sacred water with saffron, Greece, the Romans... the Arabs encouraged its propagation through the Silk Route.

It has a number of both medical and gastronomic properties.

Saffron is the only vegetable species that in its flowering shows the three basic colors, yellow, blue and red, symbols of order, energy and strength respectively.

In the language of flowers it means "do not abuse" or "beware of excess".

You need 250,000 flowers to get one kilogram of saffron.

The ways to use it, according to Mer Bonilla in her publication in https://www.elespanol.com/cocinillas/cocinar/20190218/utilizar-correctamente-azafran/377213431_0.html

Method 1. Crush and infuse, the strands are crushed in a mortar, the grinding will be easier if the strands are put inside a booklet made with baking paper.

Add hot but unboiled water and leave to stand for at least 10 minutes or until incorporated into the stew.

Add the infusion directly. It is at the end of the meals, and whenever they are cooked diluted in water, or in the broth of the stew, between 10 and 15 minutes before finishing the cooking, this way the best gourmets coincide.

Method 2. Grind

An optimal dose of 6 and 10 strands is needed. Crush the strands in the mortar, if necessary with the help of a piece of vegetable paper.

Add the crushed strands to the fried food or any other dish.

Method 3. Infuse without crushing

We introduce the saffron strands in a vacuum bag or a zippered bag, add water until the bag is full, close it and put it in a bain-marie at 65ºC.

We let it vacuum infuse at low temperature for about 5 hours.

The excess infusion is kept in the fridge for 20 days. We can also freeze it in cubes and it will last for months during which we can use it according to our needs.

How much saffron to use

To finish, let's see what is the ideal amount of saffron to use. In most of the recipes we are usually told about a few strands of saffron and rarely is it indicated how many. In the DOP they advise us to use:

7 strands per portion in the case of rice, that is, if we are cooking a rice for 4 people we will need a total of 28 strands for the saffron to offer us all its potential as a spice. In this case it is advisable to use method 1 and add the infusion just after adding the rice or with the cooking broth.

8 strands per portion for cooking marinades, legumes, meat or fish stews, sauces, purees, creams, sauteeds, scrambles, tortillas and batter. For these dishes it is advisable to use method 2. In the stews it can be done at the beginning of the cooking or in the absence of 3 minutes to preserve the aromas. In omelettes and scrambled, it is added directly to the egg.

12 strands per portion for sweet recipes such as ice cream, chocolates, cake batters

o, creams for toppings and fillings and custard). Again, method 2 is the most appropriate, adding the crushed saffron at the time of adding the liquid ingredients.

Method 3 can be used for any recipe, although it is more oriented to the use in professional kitchens.

As for its conservation, saffron should be kept away from light and humidity, in well covered containers, made of metal or glass, preferably opaque, and above all, never made of plastic, or covered with dark paper and always in fresh and dry places. your text here...