Hello and Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my blog.

This is my very first one, so bear with me and enjoy reading about my adventures cooking all of the recipes from Nigella Lawson's new book 'Kitchen'.

From time-to-time I may post about things other than cooking, after all, Nigella does sell a lifestyle that most women would like have a slice of, so I would like to share a bit of mine - not quite as glamorous but fun none-the-less (may I add that most of my ideas and thoughts revolve around food anyway)!

Just to set the scene a little, I am based in Yorkshire, live with my husband and gorgeous toddler who is rapidly approaching his second year. I work in the events industry and love music, books, fashion, culture and of course... food.

Enjoy.

Goddess Mx (meant in the loosest possible sense, believe me)!

Thursday 13 January 2011

The world's most expensive spice

Last year, my sister-in-law and her fiancee came to stay and gifted us an original tagine dish from Morocco, along with loads of spices - cumin, coriander, turmeric and some saffron threads. They gave us a great lesson on how to cook a Tagine the proper way (J is originally from Morocco so somewhat an expert!) and I think it is a brilliant dish to cook up for friends, or a dinner party as some may call it (I personally don't like this term, don't know why)! I like meals when you can stick a big pot in the middle of a table and all can just dig-in. When we were students in Leicester, I can't count the number of fondue nights we had sitting chatting and grazing all night around a cosy, candlelit table - happy days...

... anyway, I digress! Last night Master M inspired me to make a risotto with saffron that K and J had given us last year. I have often wondered what uses saffron has and have since discovered that it is the world's most expensive spice - see What's Cooking America. This website also claims that 'saffron is especially good when used in cooking seafood dishes such as bouillabaisse and paella. It is also used in risotto and other rice dishes'.

Nigella's Kitchen boasts a Saffron Risotto which was a joy to make (glass of wine in hand). I used fresh chicken stock and simmered with a tsp of saffron threads in one pot; in another I melted butter, olive oil, added risotto rice, marsala and ladled the stock in gradually for around 20 minutes until the rice was al dente. The final step was to add a bit more butter, some seasoning, parmesan and then I piled into pasta bowls (with a final dusting of parmesan). A very satisfying meal I must say. It seemed quite plain to begin with (I am used to Master M's divine prawn and pea risotto), but it really worked and felt like a bit of a mid-week treat.

Have a nice day all.

Goddess Mx

9 comments:

  1. Mmmm, looks so creamy. How lucky to have that delicious meal mid week.

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  2. Looks wonderful - what a lovely gift to be given from your sis in law too ;0)

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  3. I haven't used saffron in risotto for years, I always used to but seem to have forgotten about it somehow. I guess it's because my little jar of it that I bought on a market in Provence at a much better price than in the UK is nearly empty so I've started rationing it!

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  4. I confess I'd probably skip over this recipe, thinking it too plain, but you've made me rethink. :-)

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  5. Looks delicious, am craving risotto now!
    ~M

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  6. I'm going to have to try this soon - looks delicious.

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  7. Cooking with saffron feels so luxurious. I purchased some last year from my local Asian supermarket and they keep the little boxes of it stashed inside the till because it's so precious! It makes a meal really special.

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  8. looks delicious! i love saffron... it is expensive, but so amazing

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