Soaking Liquid For Saffron

Our answer

Nigella's Yellow Spaghetti (from NIGELLISSIMA) has a creamy, saffron-scented sauce. Saffron is a spice made from the dried stamens of the saffron crocus and a small amount can be quite powerful. To extract the most flavour the saffron threads should be "bloomed", or soaked in a warm liquid, before using.

For the Yellow Spaghetti recipe the saffron is steeped in marasla wine as it adds a slightly oaky depth of flavour. However, if you need to avoid using alcohol then we suggest substituting the marsala with water. You could also use vegetable stock (broth), however it would need to be a low salt version as otherwise the sauce could become too salty.