INGREDIENTS FOR 4 PEOPLE
Let the saffron pistils steep in very hot water. Cook the rice with vegetable stock. When cooked, add the saffron. Once the rice is whipped, garnish the dish with powder or fresh truffle. A risotto with all the essence of the flower and … nothing else.
PREPARATION
Also called ‘red gold’ in the kitchen, saffron is the precious spice par excellence and one of the most expensive in the world, especially considering its extremely long and difficult processing. The harvest period is from mid-October to mid-November. The stigmas are harvested one by one exclusively by hand according to an extremely delicate procedure. And as many as one hundred and twenty thousand flowers are needed to obtain one kilo of spice! Saffron flowers are violet-coloured in a number of three to five per plant.
Saffron is obtained from the flower stigmas of Crocus sativus, also known as true saffron, a plant of the Iridaceae family. The term is derived from the Arabic zaʿfarān, meaning the crocus. Its documented history begins with an Assyrian botanical treatise from the 7th century BC, and for over four millennia it was traded and used. Approximately 150 flowers together yield 1 g of dried saffron pistils. It is the precious spice par excellence, counted among the most expensive in the world. The typical golden-yellow hue used to colour dishes and fabrics is due to a carotenoid pigment, crocin.
Iranian saffron production currently accounts for 90% of world production, but in Italy we also boast of the excellence of this production in Sardinia, Abruzzo, Umbria and, of course, Tuscany with the recognition of protected designation of origin.
Selektia saffron comes from the Tuscan hills and when you have a precious ingredient like this, the only thing to do is to enhance its essentiality and enjoy it in purity. We show you how to do it with the help of chef Cristina Pistolesi.
