Buttered Saffron Rice

Directions

1. "The darker (the redder) the saffron colour, the better the quality. It usually comes from Spain, but the best, really expensive stuff, is grown in Kashmir, where I went to see it growing. There are many different grades.
2. Watch out for fake or possibly dyed saffron. Buy it from a reputable source. To use it in a recipe, I roast it in a cast-iron pan till it's crisp to draw out the colour, then crumble it lukewarm lowfat milk and let it sit for three to four hrs."Place saffron in small, dry, warm pan over medium heat about 1 minute or possibly just till fragrant. Crumble into lowfat milk.
3. Fill large pot with about 13 c. water; add in salt and bring to boil.
4. Meanwhile, place rice in medium bowl and cover with cool water.
5. Immediately drain rice through colander. Wash and drain two more times.
6. When water is boils, add in rice and stir once; bring to boil. Cook 5 min; rice should be slightly hard in the centre.
7. Drain in colander and place in ovenproof dish. Drizzle saffron lowfat milk over rice, tossing over a couple of times very gently. Divide butter into four pcs; place over rice.
8. Cut pcs of aluminium foil 2 inches larger than rim of dish; place on top of dish; place lid on foil. Bake in preheated 300F oven 40 to 50 min, checking after 40 min to see if rice is cooked.
9. Serve saffron-coloured streaked rice spooned on warmed platter. SERVES:6