Recipes with saffron threads

A no-bean Southern chili built on three cuts of beef, beer, and an avalanche of spices including cardamom, saffron, ginger, and a whole cinnamon stick. Bold, complex, simmered for hours.

Lamb stew with chestnuts and pomegranate layers tender braised lamb with saffron, cinnamon, ground walnuts, and tart pomegranate juice. A jewel-toned Persian-style stew, sweet, sour, and savory, spooned over saffron rice.

Here I adapted an 18th century English spice cake recipe which also makes nice cupcakes.

Here I adapted an 18th century English spice cake recipe which also makes nice cupcakes.

Silky Middle Eastern milk pudding with slivered almonds, cardamom, and saffron. Elegant chilled dessert (firnee) garnished with bright green pistachios.

Saffron-infused rice tossed with smoky chorizo, sweet peppers, and fresh coriander. This crowd-sized paella salad feeds 12 and travels beautifully to potlucks and cookouts.

Badami Gosht: lamb marinated in saffron yogurt, braised with almond paste, coconut milk, cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves. A rich, aromatic Indian curry for special occasions.

Slow-simmered chicken with nutty Jerusalem artichokes, loads of garlic, saffron, lemon, and fresh basil, finished with toasted pine nuts. A rustic Mediterranean braise with golden, aromatic broth.

Healthy! Millet doesn't have the same gluten content as cous cous but has same appearance and texture.

Oven-baked curry with chicken, shrimp, clams, mussels, and Italian sausage over saffron rice with coconut milk. Part paella, part curry, all showstopper.

Whole red snapper stuffed with saffron paella rice, chorizo, shrimp, and toasted almonds, then basted in lime butter. A showstopping Spanish-inspired seafood centerpiece.

Tender lamb braised in saffron-infused cream sauce with black cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and rose water. This authentic Shahi Korma is a Mughlai masterpiece finished with golden fried almonds.

Brandy-laced bundt pound cake served with a saffron-tinted lemon curd. The classic 1-1-1 pound cake gets a boozy lift, while saffron steeped in lemon juice turns the cream sunset gold.

Creamy saffron yogurt rice, short-grain arborio cooked with milk, tangy yogurt, and aromatic onion, garlic, and ginger. Saffron bloomed in warm milk tints it gold for a rich, comforting vegetarian side.

Lapsi is a traditional Indian bulgur wheat dessert cooked in milk with saffron, cardamom, fennel seeds, and golden raisins. Topped with slivered almonds for a warm, fragrant sweet.

Fluffy couscous pilaf with toasted coriander seeds, red bell pepper, cayenne, and cinnamon, finished with fresh mint. Served with a blended saffron cream of Neufchatel cheese and yogurt.