Help with saffron pasta plan B

[thecuriousone]

Hello everyone-

 

There is a recipe for saffron tagliolini with pistachio pesto from La Cucina Italiana.   The recipe requires that I make the pasta and include the saffron in the pasta dough.

 

I would like to use premade pasta and was wondering what options I had to include the saffron component.  the recipe calls for 1/8 of a tsp.   My thought was to warm the olive oil for the pesto and steep the saffron in that.  Let it cool, strain it and then make the pesto.

 

Is there another way I should consider?      Thanks for any help you  can offer.

 

[Chris Hennes]

I think your plan would work. It won't be quite the same thing, but you'll get the saffron flavor. An alternative if you are planning on combining the sauce and pasta before the pasta has finished cooking and finishing them together would be to add the saffron at that point.

[heidih]

I think saffron is generally "bloomed" in a liquid versus an oil. Perhaps in some of the pasta water and then incorporated with the other ingredients for the finish.

[SobaAddict70]

try steeping the saffron in a small quantity of warm neutral-tasting liquid (water, milk), then straining the liquid and adding it to the pesto ingredients before you add the oil.

the other alternative you have is to buy saffron pasta.

[djyee100]

Well, be careful here. If you mix bright orange saffron with green pistachios, you might end up with a sauce that is murky brown. On top of beige pasta? Uh...

 

Consider skipping the saffron altogether.  It's expensive, and adding it to a pistachio pesto doesn't strike me as a good use for it. The pistachio pesto may overwhelm the saffron. As I see it, the dish is conceived that you taste the saffron in the pasta and the pistachio pesto side by side, not saffron and pistachio merged together in the sauce.

 

If you want to perk up the pesto (and make the dish more attractive), you can sprinkle some lemon zest on top as a garnish.

 

If you live in the Bay Area, you can find saffron pasta at the Pasta Shop (Rockridge, Oakland) and Phoenix Pasta (Berkeley).

Edited June 21, 2014 by djyee100 (log)

[Lisa Shock]

You cook the pasta in saffron water, just use a minimal amount of water. -And run a test before cooking the whole batch.

[CatPoet]

We steep saffron in  little bit of vodka to get it going.  I use saffron  at least 4 times a year.  Most often at Christmas when it is  cheap.

[ChrisTaylor]

You cook the pasta in saffron water, just use a minimal amount of water. -And run a test before cooking the whole batch.

 

This feels like a waste.

[thecuriousone]

thanks to all.   I'm getting the feeling that this isn't the recipe to use the imported saffron I so carefully shepherded back from vacation.  I had put this recipe aside some time ago because the mix of flavors seemed interesting, but my pasta making skills are erratic.   Sometimes the results are wonderful, sometimes not.

 

On another note, in one of the responses a distinction was made between steeping the  saffron in "liquid" vs. "oil".  I thought oil was always the carrier of flavor? Is saffron an exception to that rule? more importantly, doesn't pourable oil contribute to the amount of "liquid" in a recipe?  My reasoning  in steeping the saffron in the oil was not to increase the amount of liquid in the recipe.

 

thanks.

 



[Anna N]

Oil is definitely NOT the only flavour vehicle. Some things are better carried by alcohol, some by liquid, some by oil. I know there is an excellent refrence for this somewhere. Perhaps in Modernist Cusine? I am certain there are experts who will soon chime in.

[SobaAddict70]

thanks to all.   I'm getting the feeling that this isn't the recipe to use the imported saffron I so carefully shepherded back from vacation.  I had put this recipe aside some time ago because the mix of flavors seemed interesting, but my pasta making skills are erratic.   Sometimes the results are wonderful, sometimes not.

 

On another note, in one of the responses a distinction was made between steeping the  saffron in "liquid" vs. "oil".  I thought oil was always the carrier of flavor? Is saffron an exception to that rule? more importantly, doesn't pourable oil contribute to the amount of "liquid" in a recipe?  My reasoning  in steeping the saffron in the oil was not to increase the amount of liquid in the recipe.

 

thanks.

 



it's because saffron threads are water-soluble and don't dissolve well in oils or saturated fats.

incidentally, you don't mention whether you're using saffron threads or powder. if you're using powder, you don't have to steep it.

this link goes into more detail: http://goo.gl/fNafOA

[thecuriousone]

thanks for the info.   Im using whole saffron and may just steep it in a couple of tbsp. of hot water  and add it to my slightly undercooked pasta when its done and still warm.  Ill try it on a small section before I do the whole batch.   The last thing I want is day-glo pasta.   Even though it may taste fantastic...the first thing you eat with is your eyes............

[Shalmanese]

Saffron is maximally soluble in alcohol, reasonably soluble in water and non-soluble in oil. I put saffron and 1/4 cup of vodka in the microwave and warm it up for 30s, then let it sit in the microwave to steep for 30m before adding it to a dish.