Saffron

When you hear of saffron, you might think of the color orange, and you would be on the trail. These days, people don't think too much about saffron (from Penzeys, pictured to the left), unless, perhaps, they are making arroz con pollo or paella. Perhaps people might think of the recent installation in Central Park in NYC or of Mark Rothko's painting of the same name...but I think of the vial of saffron that my granny guarded on a high up shelf in her kitchen, out of the reach of the curious small fingers of her sous-chef, her granddaughter, me. Granny moved to cold and dreary NYC and New England after her first 20 years in south eastern Spain on the coast, which must have been quite a shock. She didn't have the food she was used to cooking, but was very happy when she could cook something akin to her home food. We treasured her arroz con pollo, which I thought was one word "arothconpoyo" (along with "ellemenohpee"). People try to pass off safflower petals as saffron, but this is a travesty. Next time you order paella or arroz con pollo, be sure to appreciate the impetus for the color... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saffron