Saffron recipes

Saffron may be the world's most expensive spice, but few will argue that the expense isn’t worth it. Saffron recipes are notable for their sweet, hay-like aroma and distinct yellow golden colour. It is a classic ingredient in Arabic, Indian and Mediterranean cuisine, particularly Spanish paella, Moroccan tagines, and Indian rice pilau.

Saffron is made from the dried stigmas of the crocus flower, which must be hand harvested to extract its orangey red strands. This process is what makes saffron so expensive, but fortunately saffron recipes require only a small amount of the spice to impart its delicate, unique flavour. And when it comes to saffron, you can definitely have too much of a good thing: excessive amounts of saffron will overpower a recipe and make it bitter.

A simple way to enjoy saffron is in saffron mayonnaise, a splendid compliment to chicken, as in Vineet Bhatia's canapé recipe. Or try some classic saffron recipes such as Alfred Prasad's rice pilau or Geoffrey Smeddle's lamb tagine.

Don't overlook sweet saffron recipes, either: saffron can add delicate nuance to numerous desserts. A great example is Alfred Prasad's halwa recipe, where carrot and cardamom work with saffron's aroma to create an aromatic pudding, perfect with vanilla ice cream.

Saffron recipes

Gratinated pine nut-basil chicken with saffron mayo Vineet Bhatia

Course:	Canapé
Complexity:	Easy
Cooking Time:	15 minutes plus marinating and soaking
Serves:	6

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Boiled egg and soldiers Nathan Outlaw

Course:	Starter
Complexity:	Challenging
Cooking Time:	4 hours
Serves:	4

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Bouillabaisse Tom Aikens

Course:	Main
Complexity:	Medium
Cooking Time:	3 hours 15 minutes
Serves:	4

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Butternut squash ravioli Andrew MacKenzie

Course:	Main
Complexity:	Medium
Cooking Time:	3 hours plus 24 hours for straining butternut squash puree
Serves:	6

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Cornish salt pollack, squid and mussel stew Nathan Outlaw

Course:	Main
Complexity:	Easy
Cooking Time:	4 hours
Serves:	4

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Crab ravioli Richard Corrigan

Course:	Starter
Complexity:	Medium
Cooking Time:	1 hour 30 minutes plus 30 resting time
Serves:	4

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Fish stew with fillets of hake and gurnard Luke Holder

Course:	Main
Complexity:	Medium
Cooking Time:	1 hour 30 minutes
Serves:	6

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Gajar halwa Alfred Prasad

Course:	Dessert
Complexity:	Easy
Cooking Time:	1 hour plus freezing
Serves:	4

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Bishopstoke Farm lamb, escabeche of vegetables and cheese on toast Luke Holder

Course:	Main
Complexity:	Medium
Cooking Time:	25 hours
Serves:	4

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Iced vodka gazpacho Marcello Tully

Course:	Other
Complexity:	Easy
Cooking Time:	20 minutes plus overnight chilling of gazpacho
Serves:	16

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Lamb tagine Geoffrey Smeddle

Course:	Main
Complexity:	Easy
Cooking Time:	4 hours
Serves:	4

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Bouillabaisse, bok choi and saffron aioli Mark Jordan

Course:	Starter
Complexity:	Easy
Cooking Time:	2 hours 30 minutes
Serves:	4

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Moroccan lamb with harissa-spiced couscous and chickpea salsa Alan Murchison

Course:	Main
Complexity:	Easy
Cooking Time:	3 hours 40 minutes plus 24 hours chilling
Serves:	6

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Pappardelle with slow cooked tomatoes, Parmesan and basil Robert Thompson

Course:	Main
Complexity:	Easy
Cooking Time:	1 hour 40 minutes plus slow roasting tomatoes
Serves:	4

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Pigeon bistayeea Greg Malouf

Course:	Main
Complexity:	Easy
Cooking Time:	2 hours
Serves:	6

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Pumpkin tortellini with chestnuts and a sage beurre noisette Stephen Crane

Course:	Starter
Complexity:	Easy
Cooking Time:	1 hour 45 minutes plus cooling
Serves:	4

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Risotto Milanese with wild mushrooms Galton Blackiston

Course:	Main
Complexity:	Easy
Cooking Time:	1 hour
Serves:	6

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Seafood risotto Shaun Rankin

Course:	Main
Complexity:	Easy
Cooking Time:	45 minutes
Serves:	4

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Zaffrani Pulao Alfred Prasad

Course:	Other
Complexity:	Easy
Cooking Time:	45 minutes
Serves:	4

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