Platina-Lunch-art - 5/24/01 An 15th Century Italian luncheon created using recipes from Platina. Includes the menu and the recipes used. NOTE: See also the files: cb-rv-Platina-msg, p-Italy-food-bib, Platina-bib, pasta-msg, salads-msg, mushrooms-msg. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2000 12:48:03 -0500 (EST) From: Gretchen M Beck Subject: SC - Platina lunch (15th c Italian, too) Here's the redactions of my Lunch from Platina (15th C Italian, by the way), with comments on what I'd change for the next time. Lunch was very well received. Any and all comments on these are welcome. Asparagus Mushrooms in green salsa Green salad Ham with cherry and mustard sauces Macaroni Fresh Fruit Bread 1st comment. This fed 8 very comfortably. For an SCA feast, it would undoubtably be enough for 2 tables of 8. I had about 1/2 the salad left over, 1/4 of the macaroni, 1/3 of the ham. No asparagus and only a couple of mushrooms. Asparagus 2 lbs asparagus olive oil (2-3 Tbsp or to taste) Balsamic vinegar (1-2 Tbsp or to taste) salt Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Wash asparagus and trim ends. Put in pot, and boil for 5-7 minutes or until desired texture (some like it mushy, some like it just this side of raw). Lay asparagus on platter, sprinkle on salt. Pour on olive oil, toss. Pour on vinegar, toss. Serve. Mushrooms in green salsa 2 lbs mushrooms 4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced salt 1-3 Tbsp olive oil Put whole mushrooms in a pot with salted water and garlic cloves. Bring to boil. Boil about 10 minutes (if you're using white mushrooms, boil until they start to change color). Drain. (you can do this the night before.) Heat olive oil in skillet. Add mushrooms, saute about 10 minutes. Pour on salsa, serve. Green Salsa 20 vine leaves (I used bottled cause I didn't have access to fresh. If you use fresh, use more vinegar and salt. I used leaves because I didn't have access to tendrils.) 2-3 cloves garlic 3-4 Tbsp red wine vinegar 2/4 slice white bread crumbs If using bottled leaves, rinse well in water. Grind leaves in mortar (or run through food processor). Add garlic and crumbs and grind/process some more. If using fresh leaves/tendrils add salt at this point, too. Add vinegar and grind/process more. At this point, it should look like a moist "swamp=thing". Put in food mill and strain. (this step is EXTREMELY important -- otherwise it not only looks like a moist "swamp-thing" but tastes like it too. After straining, though, you have a really nice green sauce.) Pour over mushrooms and serve. Green Salad I've done this several times before, and it's basically "make a base of romaine lettuce, and add whatever green herbs are on hand. Pour on salt and oil and toss. Add vinegar and toss. Serve.". Today the ingredients were: 14 leaves romaine lettuce 1 lb fresh spinach 1/4 cup parsley leaves, loosely packed 20 mint leaves leaves from 3 sprigs tarragon. Ham served with cherry and mustard sauce 4 lbs ham (I used pre-cooked sugar cured cause that's what the grocery store had. Next time I'm getting a country ham, but I have to travel for that...) 1 bottle white wine (I used a jug wine a trifle less sweet than a reisling. Reisling would be good for this, though) Water. Put ham in pot. Cover with 50/50 mixture wine/water. Bring to boil. Simmer for about 45 minutes. Let cool. Slice. Serve. Cherry sauce I wasn't satisfied with this sauce, probably because I used the wrong cherries. This was a "it's what the store had and I forgot to check the frozen food aisle". Next time I'll use fresh, or if need be frozen. It needed a stronger cherry flavor, but wasn't too horrible for all that. 1 can Queen Anne cherries in heavy syrup. (yuck!) 2 Tbsp bread crumbs Vinegar to taste (I put in too much, and then added sugar to counteract it, which added to the problems the sauce had.) 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/8 tsp ginger. If using canned in syrup, rinse cherries well. Blend cherries, bread crumbs and vinegar in food process or mortar. Put sauce on stove and simmer for 20 minutes stirring often. (this time will vary with fresh cherries, since this will be necessary to cook them) Sprinkle on cinnamon and ginger. Cool. Serve. Reddish Mustard 5 Tbsp mustard seed 1 Tbsp raisins 1-2 tsp flour 12 - 3/4 piece toast, crumbled. Sprinkle cinnamon Red wine vinegar to desired consistency. (I used about 4 Tbsp.) Grind mustard seeds in spice grinder or mortar. In mortar or food processor, grind/process in mustard seeds, raisins, flour, toast and cinnamon. Add vinegar and grind/process. Keep adding vinegar until mustard is desired consistency. If you like course ground, serve. If you like smooth, run it through a strainer and serve. Macaroni Note: I didn't make my own noodles. I'm also not sure how to interpret the "This dish should be cooked for two hours" Does this mean the noodles, or that you should cook the boiled noodles cheese and herb mixture? Anyhow: 1 1lb box penne rotini Beef boillion/stock/broth (I used 5 cubes in the water used to boil the noodles.) 1 cup fresh grated 50/50 Romano/Parmasan mixture 2 Tbsp butter 1 tbsp each chopped parsley and basil 3 sage leaves, chopped. Bring pot of broth/boillion to a boil. Add noodles and boil until noodles are as done as you want them to be. (my husband and I have arguments about mushy or al dente...). Drain off most, but not all of the remaining broth. Return noodles to pot and mix in butter. Pour noodles into a lasagna/sheet cake pan (or into oven proof serving dishes). Spinkle on cheese. Mix herbs together and sprinkle on. Place in slow oven until cheese melts. Serve. Edited by Mark S. Harris Platina-Lunch-msg Page 4 of 4