The leaves are turning vibrant colors, the days are getting shorter, and the craving for comfort food is growing stronger. Do you know that feeling? Suddenly, all you crave are warming, rich flavors. That's precisely where our "red gold" comes in: saffron.
Genuine premium saffron from Persia, like our saffron threads from Safranya , not only brings an intense golden color to your dishes, but also a distinctive aroma – perfect for autumn cuisine.
In this post I'll show you 3 simple saffron recipes for autumn :
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Creamy pumpkin and saffron soup with roasted seeds
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Risotto Milanese with mushroom filling (for gold lovers)
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Saffron and pear crumble – the golden dessert
Try them out and conjure up cozy moments of enjoyment in your kitchen!
1. Creamy pumpkin and saffron soup with roasted seeds
Pumpkin soup is an autumn classic – but with saffron, it becomes a true highlight. The slightly sweet, earthy pumpkin harmonizes wonderfully with the warm, floral aroma of our premium saffron threads .
Ingredients (for 4 servings):
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800 g Hokkaido pumpkin
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1 onion
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1 clove of garlic
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500 ml vegetable broth
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100 ml coconut milk
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approximately 6 threads of saffron
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Oil for sautéing
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Salt, pepper, nutmeg
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Pumpkin seeds and pumpkin seed oil for serving.
Important: Always prepare saffron so that it can develop its full aroma. It's best to use our accessories, such as a saffron mill or saffron grater , to gently grind the threads.
Preparation:
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Preparation: Remove the seeds from the pumpkin (the skin can remain on Hokkaido pumpkins), and cut into cubes. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic.
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Soak the saffron: Soak the saffron threads in approximately 50 ml of warm vegetable broth for at least 20 minutes.
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Sauté: Sauté onion and garlic in a little oil until translucent, add pumpkin cubes and sauté briefly.
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Cooking: Pour in the remaining vegetable broth and the saffron liquid. Simmer until the pumpkin is soft.
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To finish: Purée the soup, stir in the coconut milk, and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Serve with roasted pumpkin seeds and a drizzle of pumpkin seed oil.
2. Risotto Milanese with mushroom garnish (for gold lovers)
Risotto is pure comfort food – creamy, aromatic, and perfect for cozy evenings. The Milanese version with saffron, Risotto alla Milanese , is a classic of Italian cuisine. Adding autumnal mushrooms transforms it into a truly comforting dish.
Ingredients:
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300 g risotto rice (e.g. Arborio or Carnaroli)
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1 onion
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1 glass of white wine
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approx. 800 ml vegetable broth
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approximately 8 threads of saffron
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50 g grated Parmesan
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200 g mixed autumn mushrooms (e.g. chanterelles or oyster mushrooms)
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Butter and a little oil for frying
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Salt, pepper
Preparation:
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Soaking saffron: Pour about 50 ml of warm broth over the saffron threads and let them steep for at least 30 minutes – this way you get the maximum out of your saffron.
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Risotto base: Finely chop the onion and sauté in a little butter/oil until translucent. Add the rice and toast lightly, stirring constantly, until it becomes translucent. Deglaze with white wine and let it reduce.
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Sauté the mushrooms: Clean the mushrooms, cut them into pieces, and sauté them vigorously in a little butter/oil. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
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Golden liquid: Add the saffron broth to the risotto and stir it in. Then gradually add the remaining warm broth, ladle by ladle, stirring constantly, until the rice is creamy and al dente.
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To finish: Stir in the Parmesan and the fried mushrooms, let it sit briefly again and season to taste.
Tip: For a particularly even distribution of the saffron, you can crush the threads beforehand with a saffron mill or saffron grater .
3. Saffron and pear crumble – the golden dessert
Saffron in dessert? Absolutely! Combined with pears and a crispy crumble, it creates a warm, slightly fruity dessert that is perfect for cool autumn and winter evenings.
Ingredients:
For the filling:
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3 ripe pears
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2 tablespoons of sugar
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approximately 4 threads of saffron
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1 tbsp lemon juice
For the crumble:
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100 g flour
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50 g sugar
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50 g cold butter
Preparation:
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Pear base: Peel, core, and dice the pears. Steep the saffron in a little hot water for at least 15 minutes. Mix the diced pears with sugar, lemon juice, and saffron water.
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To make the crumble: Knead flour, sugar and cold butter together to form a crumbly dough.
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Baking: Place the pear mixture in a small baking dish and sprinkle the crumble topping over it. Bake at 180°C (top and bottom heat) for approximately 25 minutes, until the crumble is golden brown.
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Enjoyment: Best served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Saffron in autumn cooking – now it's getting cozy
Whether it's pumpkin saffron soup , golden risotto Milanese or saffron pear crumble – with a few threads of high-quality saffron you can take your autumn dishes to the next level.
If you'd like to try these recipes, you can find the right saffron and accessories here:
Try it out and tell us which of the three recipes has become your new favorite autumn dish – saffron in the kitchen, now it's time to get cozy!
