Yum (updated entry)
Jun. 17th, 2002 09:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
purpletigron(Sorry that I was too tired to put in all the references for this entry on first posting. I Will Try Harder!)
We've had a pleasant evening of medieval cooking (mostly, 14/15th century Italian) - V and I, joined for a short while by C as scullery assistant/taster. We made two slightly different kinds of cheese gnocchi (recipe 9 from The Medieval Kitchen (edited by Redon et al.)), which were delicious with freshly grated parmesan and black pepper (everything is, of course!). We also made an almost-Lenten version (I forgot, and used butter in the pastry!) of "custard lumbardy" (from p 232-5 of Cindy Renfrow's
We've had a pleasant evening of medieval cooking (mostly, 14/15th century Italian) - V and I, joined for a short while by C as scullery assistant/taster. We made two slightly different kinds of cheese gnocchi (recipe 9 from The Medieval Kitchen (edited by Redon et al.)), which were delicious with freshly grated parmesan and black pepper (everything is, of course!). We also made an almost-Lenten version (I forgot, and used butter in the pastry!) of "custard lumbardy" (from p 232-5 of Cindy Renfrow's
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(Sorry that I was too tired to put in all the references for this entry on first posting. I Will Try Harder!)
We've had a pleasant evening of medieval cooking (mostly, 14/15th century Italian) - V and I, joined for a short while by C as scullery assistant/taster. We made two slightly different kinds of cheese gnocchi (recipe 9 from <a href=http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/706842.html">The Medieval Kitchen</a> (edited by Redon et al.)), which were delicious with freshly grated parmesan and black pepper (<em>everything</em> is, of course!). We also made an almost-Lenten version (I forgot, and used butter in the pastry!) of "custard lumbardy" (from p 232-5 of Cindy Renfrow's <a href "http://www.thousandeggs.com/ttem.html">Take a Thousand Eggs or More"</a>, 2nd edition). This is a dish which <user site="livejournal.com" user="purplecthulhu"> would hate - a cream made of ground almonds cooked into porridge with water, sugar, salt and a dash of vinegar, and strained hard to get out the coarse bits leaving just a smooth creme, baked in a tart over prunes and dates. There is an egg and double/heavy cream variation for out of Lent, which also contains a tablespoon or two of bone marrow, that I could not obtain in time for this session, so I hope to be able to make this next time.
V is busy for the next two weeks, so we will next cook in the second week of July. We are planning a roast onion salad, a fresh broad bean salad, and lamb roast with 'sauce of gold' (with lemons, egg yolks and saffron).
The only slight catch with this hobby, is that V and I have been nobbled to be head chefs at a medieval feast at the end of September :-)
We've had a pleasant evening of medieval cooking (mostly, 14/15th century Italian) - V and I, joined for a short while by C as scullery assistant/taster. We made two slightly different kinds of cheese gnocchi (recipe 9 from <a href=http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/706842.html">The Medieval Kitchen</a> (edited by Redon et al.)), which were delicious with freshly grated parmesan and black pepper (<em>everything</em> is, of course!). We also made an almost-Lenten version (I forgot, and used butter in the pastry!) of "custard lumbardy" (from p 232-5 of Cindy Renfrow's <a href "http://www.thousandeggs.com/ttem.html">Take a Thousand Eggs or More"</a>, 2nd edition). This is a dish which <user site="livejournal.com" user="purplecthulhu"> would hate - a cream made of ground almonds cooked into porridge with water, sugar, salt and a dash of vinegar, and strained hard to get out the coarse bits leaving just a smooth creme, baked in a tart over prunes and dates. There is an egg and double/heavy cream variation for out of Lent, which also contains a tablespoon or two of bone marrow, that I could not obtain in time for this session, so I hope to be able to make this next time.
V is busy for the next two weeks, so we will next cook in the second week of July. We are planning a roast onion salad, a fresh broad bean salad, and lamb roast with 'sauce of gold' (with lemons, egg yolks and saffron).
The only slight catch with this hobby, is that V and I have been nobbled to be head chefs at a medieval feast at the end of September :-)
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no subject
Date: 2002-06-17 03:04 pm (UTC)So gnocchi were around before Marco Polo brought the secrets of noodles back from China, so in a sense are the authemtic Italian pasta. Or have I got my dates wrong?
History of pasta?
Date: 2002-06-18 12:45 am (UTC)Where did `lupidy' come from?? Looks like you were tired last night, too :-)
lamb roast `sauce of gold'
The original recipe is for kid, but lamb should be more affordable and just as nice.
So gnocchi were around before Marco Polo brought the secrets of noodles back from China
Gnocchi aren't noodles, of course. Marco Polo made his travels in the late 13th century, and his own writings indicate that he was familiar with some forms of what we now call `pasta' before he sailed. I've found a history of macaroni (http://www.cliffordawright.com/history/macaroni.html) by the historian of Mediterranean food, Clifford A. Wright (who gives a historical definition of `macaroni' as pasta secca, dried pasta made from hard (durum) wheat flour in any shape), which makes very interesting comments on the relevant issues. Wright also says that lasagne may be an early forms of pasta secca, possibly invented in the Arab world. He refers to gnocchi as `boiled bread' - gnocchi made from flour or bread significantly predate the introduction of the potato into the Old World in the 17th century.
no subject
Date: 2002-06-18 02:55 am (UTC)As to Marco Polo - so the revisionist history that has all things pasta coming from china and not from Italy is in fact wrong. Interesting! So its only the tomoato that is a recent addition to Italian cuisine...
no subject
Date: 2002-06-18 03:10 am (UTC)Just like the custard, really :-)
So its only the tomato that is a recent addition to Italian cuisine...
And the potato (modern gnocchi), and capiscum peppers, and `green' (runner/dwarf) beans...
no subject
Date: 2002-06-17 03:34 pm (UTC)-J
no subject
Date: 2002-06-17 05:16 pm (UTC)pjt
VInegar custard?
Date: 2002-06-18 12:53 am (UTC)There's plenty in the 'fridge to go around, so come on over - I'm having it for breakfast!
no subject
Date: 2002-06-18 02:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2002-06-18 03:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2002-06-18 04:49 pm (UTC)pjt