I always delighted hearing my mother’s accounts of the trips she and my father took to Italy after I had flown the nest.
She would tell me about the food they enjoyed, especially those dishes that were regional specialties of the places they were visiting. From local fish served at simple seaside trattorias to grander meals at the Hassler Hotel in Rome, my mother treasured every culinary memory. One of her favorites was the classic dish from Milan, osso bucco.
Osso bucco is made with crosscut veal shanks, simmered in wine, broth, vegetables and herbs until the meat is so tender it falls off the bone. Little spoons are often provided to scoop the marrow from the bones (really very good). But the magic of this dish is the golden, saffron-infused rice known as risotto alla Milanese, its traditional accompaniment.
Saffron, the precious spice thought to have been first cultivated in Greece thousands of years ago, is today a main ingredient in many popular dishes such as bouillabaisse (the classic French fish stew), arancini (Sicilian rice balls), paella (Spanish rice with clams, sausage and chicken) and simple steamed mussels in tomato sauce. Cooks often add saffron to chicken broth to give it a bright golden hue.
Saffron comes from a flower known as the fall-blooming crocus. Because it must be harvested by hand from the crimson stamens in the center of each flower, it is costly. Italian saffron is said to be the best, but there are many grades of the product out there and from many different places. I purchase mine in tiny packets at Peggy’s Silver Spoon at the West Shore Farmers Market, although I have occasionally seen it at the supermarket. For the recipes listed above, and many more, saffron is worth finding for its gentle aromatic scent and the beautiful yellow color it imparts to food.
In Italian cuisine, saffron is often paired with sausage and cream to create a rich pasta dish known as penne con salsicciano. The version I like to make is from La Cucina Italiana, one of my favorite, although now defunct, Italian cooking magazines. It is simple to prepare and my family loves it. It’s a nice change from the many tomato and sausage pasta recipes in my dinner “rotation.”
PENNE WITH SAUSAGE AND SAFFRON
Ingredients
- 1/8 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup thinly sliced sweet onion
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 pound Italian sweet sausage (casing removed)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 pound of penne
Directions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Combine 1 tablespoon of water and saffron in a small bowl; set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onion and thyme leaves and cook, stirring frequently until onion is softened (about 4 to 5 minutes).
- Add the sausage and cook, breaking the sausage up into small bits with a wooden spoon, until it loses its pink color (about 6 minutes).
- Add the cream, saffron mixture and a generous pinch of salt. (Make sure to taste, as sausage varies in its saltiness.)
- Bring the mixture to simmer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more. Then remove from the heat and keep warm.
- Add the pasta to the boiling salted water and cook until al dente.
- When cooked, drain the pasta into a large bowl. Immediately add the warm sausage and cream mixture, and toss to combine. The traditional recipe doesn’t call for it, but I always add some freshly grated Parmesan cheese to the finished dish.
I have used turkey sausage in this dish, but I prefer regular Italian pork sausage, either sweet or hot. Both work well. At first glance, this looks like an ordinary pasta recipe. The saffron makes it special.
Summer is upon us. Take a break from the grill one evening and try this sunny pasta. Serve it with an arugula salad with fresh tomato or simple chilled melon. Or, if you are a shish-kabob fan, try serving your skewers on a bed of saffron rice for a beautiful presentation. Remember to soak the saffron threads in a little warm water before using to release its flavor.
Saffron is considered the “precious jewel” of spices. It’s expensive, but a little goes a long way. If you do a little recipe hunting, you will find lots of other ways to use it, including my mother’s dreamy dish—osso bucco with risotto alla Milanese.
Author: Rosemary Ruggieri Baer
