A side dish so delicious it melts in your mouth, the saffron vegetable flan. Ideal when paired with legumes, it pleases the whole family.
Can you smell the aroma of these roasted vegetables? It’s the scent of saffron béchamel that enriches the flan.
Today the star is indeed saffron, the most expensive of spices.
Almost all of the world’s saffron production comes from Iran. Indeed, about 90% of Crocus Sativus cultivation occurs there.
This plant originated in Asia Minor but then spread throughout the Mediterranean. This cultivation is precious because one kilogram of saffron can be worth between 20,000 and 25,000 euros.
Saffron is so expensive because the flowers are hand-picked, and the pistils are dried. Even in Italy and Veneto, saffron cultivations have started; I often use Euganean Hills saffron, a reputable company “the wisdom of the earth“, which I recommend if you also love this spice.
Saffron is frequently used in cooking and has good healing properties; for example, it aids digestion.
A final curiosity: be careful, as saffron flowers resemble mountain crocuses. They belong to the same family, but the latter are poisonous. It’s not the first time that, like with mushrooms, serious intoxications occur from bastard crocus, the mountain colchicum.
Today we primarily use saffron for a delicate béchamel that enriches winter vegetables such as Romanesco cauliflower and American sweet potato. Naturally, the vegetables should vary according to the season.
I leave you with a couple of ideas on how to use saffron in other ways.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter
Saffron Vegetable Flan Ingredients
- 2 cups cups béchamel
- 10 saffron pistils
- 1 sweet potato
- 1 cauliflower (Romanesco)
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 pinch pepper
- 1 tablespoon almonds (chopped)
Saffron Vegetable Flan Steps
You can use soy milk or any milk you prefer to make the béchamel.
First, soak the saffron pistils in a tablespoon of warm milk for up to an hour.
Then prepare your béchamel as usual; you can find detailed instructions in this article here.
Pour into a bowl and cover with a lid or plastic wrap to prevent drying.
Meanwhile, wash the Romanesco cauliflower, detach the florets, and steam for 15 minutes. Wash, peel, and slice the sweet potato into half-inch pieces and steam it with a pinch of salt.
Then assemble your saffron vegetable flan:
In a baking dish, create layers with béchamel, cauliflower, more béchamel, sweet potato, and continue until the end. Top with béchamel and chopped almonds.
Bake for 20 minutes at 350°F. I preferred not to add any other ingredients to the saffron vegetable flan to fully appreciate its delicate flavor.
Timo e Lenticchie Tips
You can enrich your flan with herbs, nuts, raisins, or cheese if you like.
The flan keeps for a couple of days in the refrigerator. If you need to present it the next day, it’s best to cook it fresh. You can also freeze it. Try it in spring with asparagus, or with leek and artichokes, or even with Belgian endive.
This month, you can find saffron recipes from friends:
Nonna Paperina: Caramelized Pears with Saffron
Il Fior di Cappero: Saffron Risotto with Licorice Powder
Due Amiche in Cucina: Savory Saffron Panna Cotta with Pears and Walnuts
