Mad About Saffron

Is this about a song or about saffron? Or is it both? Maybe, just maybe, it's a delicious recipe too!

In 2007, I started my first blog and called it "If I Could Read My Mind." It was a little word play I did on a song, "If You Could Read My Mind." I had a lot of fun with that blog. Many of the blogs post titles were song lyrics.

I’ve always loved music, from as far back as I can remember. I got my first radio – a Sony transistor radio – before I was ten. I can still remember exactly what it looked like.

I listened to that radio as often as possible, sometimes listening with it under my pillow when I went to bed. When The Beatles were in their very first Houston concert, I stayed up late listening as the radio station played the playlist from the concert. I knew the words to every song on the radio in those days. And I have been adding lyrics and melodies to the collection in my head ever since. Sometimes it’s surprising that I have room for any important information up there!

Eventually, I realized that I could readily access a song just by hearing a word or phrase. If someone mentions a day of the week or a city, I just might come up with a song or two that mentions it. Sometimes, I’ll just come up with a partial lyric with no idea what the song is. Other times, things will get a little confused. Like the time we were driving from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Santa Fe and I was singing “Do You Know the Way to Santa Fe?” My husband pointed out that the song was actually about San Jose! Oops, but isn’t that interesting? My favorite is the city of Walla Walla, which is mentioned in a song. If you remember the song “The Witch Doctor,” then you might recall this line: Oo Ee Oo Ah Ah Ting Tang Walla Walla Bing Bang!

I had a lot of fun with that blog, even though my sister was the only one who read it. It was all too easy to come up with those titles. I got busy with other things and only wrote on that blog for a year or so. But I still play with song lyrics and have songs randomly show up in my head.

And that, dear reader, is how I came up with the title for today’s post. Do you know the reference? It's from the song, "Mellow Yellow" by Donavan. From 1966, no less.

This recipe is a follow up to one I published in July. My ultimate goal was to create a recipe for Chilled Saffron and Yellow Squash Soup. But I didn't have the saffron in July.

We have now bought some. Did I mention that saffron is expensive? It's actually something on the order of $5,000 per pound! That's the bad news. The good news is you don't need to buy a pound of it! we bought some at Costco and paid $10.99 for 1 gram! I've made two batches of soup with that and still have enough for a third batch.

My recipe

Below, I present my full recipe. Saffron is difficult to measure because you use small quantities, making it hard to provide precise measurements. Weighing is the best option, but you would need a special scale to measure such small quantities. When I worked in a lab, we had such a scale. It was encased in glass or plexiglass to prevent air currents from impacting the weight. It was one expensive piece of equipment!

Some suggest that you could measure by counting the number of threads. I just kind of punted instead. My first batch lacked the added saffron flavor, so for the second batch I used more.

I do have a picture for you of about how much I used:

If I had to guess, I used perhaps 10-20 threads of saffron.

To bring out the saffron flavor, it needs to be soaked in warm water. The water will turn a lovely yellowish-red color, like this:

And the dish you're making will have a bright yellow color. That's where it differs from the song, the color really isn't a mellow yellow, it’s bright. For the soup, it really brightened the yellow from the squash.

Saffron's flavor is subtle and can be overpowered by other strong flavors. It’s recommended that you not use it in conjunction with many pungent ingredients.

Chilled Saffron And Yellow Squash Soup

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Chilled Saffron and Yellow Squash Soup

Yield: 4 - 6 servings, 1/2 cup each

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients Gathering

• Saffron 10-20 threads

• 1/4 cup warm water

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 2 pounds Yellow Summer Squash - This is approximate, doesn’t have to be exact

• 1 1/2 - 2 cups chicken stock

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Preparing

1. Chop the squash into roughly 1/2 inch pieces.

2. Put the saffron in a small glass and add the warm water. Stir to immerse the saffron in the water.

3. Mise En Place: Line up the ingredients in the order of use, having measuring spoons & cups on hand:

   • Butter

   • Chopped yellow squash

   • Chicken stock

   • Saffron in water

   • Sea salt

Cooking

1. Heat pan and butter on medium heat until hot.

2. Add the squash and cook, with stirring, for about 5 minutes. Just until the squash begins to turn transparent on the edges.

3. Add the chicken stock slowly, just until the squash is almost covered.

4. Add the saffron, along with the soaking water.

5. Add in 1/2 teaspoon sea salt.

6. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover.

7. Simmer for 10 minutes. The squash will have softened quite a bit.

8. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the squash to the food processor. Process on medium speed for about 1 minute.

9. Add the squash back to the pan and stir well.

Serving

• You can also serve the soup right after it’s ready, even though it’s intended to be a chilled soup.

• Chill the soup for at least 4 hours.

• Enjoy!

Moving & House Update

Not much to report this week. Though I do have this picture of the outside. We chose the paint colors last week so expect it to change soon.