Saffron Recipes

Saffron Rice:
50 - 100mg Tas-Saff saffron
One and a half cups of Australian long grain rice
20 grams butter
3 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cups boiling water using
1 chicken stock cube

Remove lid from Tas-Saff saffron vial and fill with boiling water.
Leave to infuse for 24 hours.

Use a heavy saucespan with a tight fitting lid.
Prepare saffron as per instructions below.
Heat butter and oil in a deep saucepan and cook onion until soft without colouring.
Add rice and cook for a further minute, stirring all the time to ensure the rice is well coated with butter and oil.
Stir in approx. 3/4 of a cup of stock then add your saffron infusion, stir and mix well.
Add the remainder of stock ensuring that all the saffron is rinsed out of the cup.
Stir well, then cover tightly and cook gently for 20 minutes.
Remove lid and stand for a few minutes to let steam escape.
Turn rice with a fork to fluff up and serve.
Serves 4 to 6 people.

Lamb In Chilindron Sauce:
100 mg Tas-Saff saffron
1 kilo boned shoulder or leg of lamb - trimmed of excess fat and cubed
6 tbsp of olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
1 onion chopped
4 red peppers, cored, seeded and sliced
4 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp of salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 chilli, seeded and sliced
10 black or green olives - halved and stoned

Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a flameproof casserole pot with garlic cloves.
Add meat and fry until evenly browned.
Remove meat.
Discard garlic cloves if milder flavour is preferred.
Add onion and red peppers and saute until they start to soften.
Stir in tomatoes, paprika, saffron and chilli.
Return meat to pan, cover and cook very gently for about one hour or until meat is tender,
adding olives about 10 minutes before serving.
If meat becomes dry during cooking add a little water to moisten, but dish should contain little liquid.
Transfer to a heated serving dish and serve immediately.
Serves 4 to 6 people

Shrikand Honeymoon Sweet
50 mg Tas-Saff Saffron
400 grms country-style (thick) yoghurt
3 -4 tbsp caster sugar
2 drops rose flavouring
1/8 tsp ground cardomom seeds
1 tbsp pistachio kernels

Put yoghurt into a bowl with sugar, flavouring and ground cardamom and mix together.
Lightly toast the saffron strands in a small pan over low heat, watching carefully for signs of darkening because they must not burn.
Turn out onto a plate to cool.
Crush with back of spoon and dissolve in a tablespoon of boiling water.
Stir in to the yogurt, turn into a serving bowl or individual mousse pots, cover and chill.
Blanch the pistachio kernels in boiling water for 30 seconds, drain and cool, then chop finely.
Sprinkle over the surface of Shrikhand before serving.
Serves 4 to 6 people.