Arroz con pollo doesn't have saffron. I take a teaspoon of annatto seeds and add them to a small amount of corn oil. Be careful because those seeds will pop and burn you! After the oil is a deep red color, fish the seeds out with a slotted spoon. Add a cup of long grain white rice, and saute in the oil until rice is opaque. I use Knorr chicken and tomato bullion cubes in 2 cups of water. Tightly cover and cook for 20 minutes over low heat.
That's just the rice part of the dish. I add cooked, cubed chiken with tomatillos, cheese and green onions, and bake until cheese is melted. 300 degrees, or adjust to altitude and/or oven. I've never used saffron, but now I'm interested in learning about it...
Southern dish "saffron rice" my mother-in-law used to make it. Saffron was always rather expensive compared to garlic Ha Ha.
Also cardamon or cardumon - that has to be the most expensive spice - can substitute cinnamon.
You should own a restaurant! Call it "AnnaLand" before it's copyrighted.
You can use turmeric for the coloring in saffron rice, too. It doesn't have the same flavor or aroma as saffron, but most people don't even realize it.
I've bought small amounts of powdery saffron for probably $7-8 and a little jar of whole threads (stamens) for about $12. My taste buds are pretty sophisticated, but for the life of me, I've never quite figured out what is so mind-blowing about saffron, other than it being so labor-intensive to harvest.
Annatto is jazzier, for sure. Saffron is "delicate" but even with turmeric in something, it just tastes "different" than it would without either one. I like them all, but tend not to keep saffron on-hand - and I'm a person with $1000s of bucks worth of spices in my pantry. They even move with me. Now that I'm very poor, it's nice to have them. Bologna always needs some herbes de Provence!
Sounds wonderful and I have written it down. The Arroz Con Pollo recipe I have is from a Spanish friend whose mother grew up in free Cuba. She uses saffron and also shrimp. It is a family recipe that they have used for generations. My friend actually had to get her mother's permission to give it to me. I haven't fixed it in several years and I was just kidding about the saffron, but it is expensive. My husband has had several heart attacks and he is a strict vegetarian so I refrain from making things that tempt him. I will try and dig the recipe out, it is fabulous.
This is the recipe for the dish that called for saffron.
It turned out great, saffron and all.
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), 4 turns of the pan 1/2 pound chorizo, casings removed and cut into bite-size dice 3/4 pound chicken cutlets or tenderloins, cut into bite-sized pieces 1 fresh bay leaf 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme 1 medium onion, chopped 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 4 cloves garlic, grated or chopped 2 Piquillo peppers or 1 roasted red pepper, chopped 1 teaspoon turmeric, (eyeball it in your palm) 1 envelope saffron powder or a pinch of threads Salt and pepper 2 cups chicken stock 2 cups couscous 1 cup frozen green peas Zest of 1 lemon A generous handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
preparation
Heat EVOO over medium-high heat in a deep skillet – make sure to choose a pan with a tight-fitting lid. Add the chorizo, cook for 1 minute to render some of its fat, then add the chicken, bay leaf, thyme and onions.
Cook for 2 minutes to start softening the onions, then add shrimp, red pepper flakes, garlic, Piquillo or red peppers, turmeric and saffron, and cook until shrimp are just about cooked through, about 3 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper then add stock.
Bring stock to a boil, about 1 minute, stir in couscous, peas and lemon zest. Cover and turn off heat. Let stand 5 minutes then fluff with fork. Remove bay and thyme stems, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.
Yields 4 servings