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From: yates@lll-crg.ARPA (Kim Yates)
Newsgroups: net.cooks
Subject: Re: Re: Saffron
Message-ID: <749@lll-crg.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 30-Jul-85 17:51:49 EDT
Article-I.D.: lll-crg.749
Posted: Tue Jul 30 17:51:49 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 1-Aug-85 20:03:15 EDT
References: <216@utflis.UUCP> <10725@rochester.UUCP>
Organization: Lawrence Livermore Labs, CRG group
Lines: 23

> I have tried to make Paella a couple of times....
> , and I have failed everytime to get that golden yellow
> color typical of this dish.  Could it be that I'm using the wrong amount?

I never heard of American saffron.  You should use saffron from Spain or
any Mediterranean area.  Avoid the ground-up stuff.
The real thing looks like fibers of bright orange and yellow.
Let the saffron steep in olive oil along with some cracked cloves of garlic.
Let it sit for a couple of hours while you sip wine and contemplate the
fragrance, which is definitely going to put you in the mood for a proper paella.
Use the oil concoction to fry the chicken, if you include chicken,
and the onions and the (dry) rice.  This imparts a wonderful color!

A correct paella can be anywhere from pale yellow to almost orange.
You can enhance the effect by including a little red pimiento and
something green like peas or green beans (not both).
You will have to experiment to find the right amount of saffron.
If you put too little, it's not paella.  If you put too much,
it will taste medicinal.  The threshold is purely personal.
For a neophyte I would suggest about 2 fibers (sex organs of a purple crocus)
per person.  You can always add more at any time before cooking the rice.

  -Kim Yates-  		Tots a la taula!