Guisados1-art - 1/13/09
An English translation of Ruperto de Nola's "Libre del Coch" by Lady Brighid ni Chiarain.
NOTE: See also the files: Guisados2-art, Spain-msg, fd-Spain-msg, 16thC-cookbk-bib, cookbooks-msg, online-ckbks-msg, Andalusan-Fst-msg, Spanish-Feast-art, Fadalat-art.
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NOTICE -
This article was submitted to me by the author for inclusion in this set of files, called Stefan's Florilegium.
These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org
Copyright to the contents of this file remains with the author or translator.
While the author will likely give permission for this work to be reprinted in SCA type publications, please check with the author first or check for any permissions granted at the end of this file.
Thank you,
Mark S. Harris...AKA:..Stefan li Rous
stefan at florilegium.org
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Libro de guisados, manjares y potajes intitulado libro de cozina: enel qual esta el regimiento delas casas delos reyes y grandes senores: y los officiales alas casas dellos cada uno como an de servir su officio. Y enesta segunda impression seha anadido un regimento delas casas delos cavalleros y gentiles hombres and religiosos de dignidades y personas de medianos estados
Y otros que tienen familia y criados en sus casas: y algunos manjares de dolientes y otras cosas enel anadidas: todo nuevamente revisto anadido y emendado por su mismo autor
Ruperto de Nola
Con previlegio
Imperial
Logrono 1529
Book of stews, dishes, and pottages entitled "Book of Cooking": in which there is the management of the households of kings and great lords, and of the household officials, and how each one should serve in his office. And this second edition has added the management of the households of knights and gentlemen and clerics of rank and persons of middle estate. And others who have family and servants in their houses, and some dishes for invalids and other things added to it, all newly revised, added, and amended by the same author,
With Imperial license
Ruperto de Nola
Logrono, 1529
Introduction
The Libre del Coch was published in 1520 in Barcelona. It was written in Catalan – a language related to, but distinct from, Spanish. The author, listed only as "Maestre Robert", identified himself as the cook to Ferrando (or Fernando), King of Naples. The book was extremely successful. It was republished four more times in Catalan, and ten times in Spanish, and 55 of its recipes were plagiarized by Diego Granado for his 1599 cookbook. The first Spanish edition, in 1525, entitled Libro de Cozina, called the author Ruperto de Nola. He has been referred to by that name ever since. The author's identity and nationality are still matters of speculation. He may well have been Catalan, since he wrote in that language. If "Nola" was truly his surname, he may have been an Italian, from the city of Nola in the province of Naples. The king he served was probably Ferrante I, King of Naples from 1458-1494.
The Spanish editions of the Libre del Coch were also revisions. New recipes were added, and some of the old ones changed. Variations in vocabulary and writing style indicate the influence of multiple editors.
This translation is based on the 1529 Spanish edition, entitled Libro de Guisados. It is, in a sense, a translation of a translation, since the parent document was written in Catalan.
The cuisine in this text could well be called "Mediterranean". Medieval Catalan and Italian cookbooks show that both cuisines influenced each other. Some of the recipes in this text claim to be in the style of Genoa, Venice, Lombardy, and France.
Spanish cooking owes an enormous debt to the Arabs, who introduced many important foodstuffs to Iberia, including eggplant, sugar, oranges, rice, and rosewater. In addition to the recipes in this text which are explicitly marked as "Moorish" (52 and 55), others appear to be adaptations of earlier Arab dishes. I have noted some of these, but have probably missed many others.
Only the recipe section – 243 recipes in all – appears here. I have not translated the introductory chapters, which deal with the duties of household officers, dietary health, carving, and serving at table. The numbering of recipes does not appear in the original and is added for the convenience of the reader. Words in brackets [ ] are not in the original Spanish, but are implied by the text. I have tried to be as faithful as possible to the text, while making it comprehensible to the modern reader. Word order and punctuation have been changed as necessary, to make the English text clearer. Some words have been left in Spanish or Catalan, and those are in italics.
I have consulted a number of sources in preparing this translation, including earlier Spanish and Catalan editions of the text, and other Mediterranean cookbooks of the Middles Ages and Renaissance. A full list is in the bibliography. The following authorities are referred to frequently in the footnotes:
Grewe – Rudolf Grewe, 1979 editor of a 15th century Catalan cookbook, the Libre de Sent Sovi.
Irazno – Carmen Irazno, 1975 editor of the 1525 Spanish edition of Nola
Leimgruber – Veronika Leimgruber, 1977 editor of the 1520 Libre del Coch (oldest known Catalan edition of Nola).
Perez – Dionisio Perez, 1929 editor of the 1529 Spanish edition of Nola.
RAE – The Real Academia Española, the Royal Spanish Academy, is the official arbiter of the Spanish language. I have relied heavily on the RAE dictionaries, especially the first edition (1726).
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. SPICES FOR COMMON SAUCE
2. SPICES FOR PEACOCK SAUCE
3. SPICES FOR CLAREA
4. CLAREA FROM WATER
5. SPICES FOR HIPPOCRAS
6. DUKE'S POWDER
7. TO MAKE SAUCE FOR PEACOCK
8. MIRRAUSTE
9. Blancmange
10. ROYAL DISH
11. IMPERIAL DISH
12. DISH FOR THE ANGELS
13. PRINCIPAL DISH
14. SLOW OR SMOOTH DISH
15. WHITE SAUCE
16. APPLE DISH
17. LEMON DISH
18. POTTAGE OF SHEEP'S TROTTERS
19. POTTAGE OF CA—ONADA
20. POTTAGE OF MARINATED MUTTON WHICH IS CALLED JANETE OF MUTTON
21. POTTAGE OF MARINATED HEN WHICH IS CALLED JANETE OF HENS
22. POTTAGE OF MARINATED KID WHICH IS CALLED JANETE OF KID
23. Pottage Which is Called FreXurate, Which is Pottage of Entrails
24. POTTAGE WHICH IS CALLED BOILED SAUCE
25. POTTAGE WHICH IS CALLED DUN-COLORED SAUCE
26. Pottage Called Gratonada
27. Pottage Called Morteruelo
28. Pottage of Coriander Called the First
29. Another Pottage of COriander Called the Second Celiandrate
30. ANOTHER POTTAGE OF CORIANDER CALLED THE THIRD
31. POTTAGE WHICH IS CALLED HAZELNUT DISH
32. POTTAGE WHICH IS CALLED ALMOND DISH
33. ARMORED HEN
34. ARMORED CAPON
35. Calabacinate Which is Seeds of Gourds
36. Vinegar Which is Marinated Liver
37. Pottage Which is Called PINE NUT DISH
38. WHEAT Starch
39. BROOM-FLOWER DISH
40. POTTAGE OF CRACKED BARLEY
41. POTTAGE OF CRACKED WHEAT
42. ALMODROTE WHICH IS CAPIROTADA
43. HILADEA WHICH IS CALLED GELATIN
44. POTTAGE OF MERRITOCHE
45. SAUCE FOR GEESE
46. Pottage of Onions That is Called Cebollada
47. Stuffing for Kid
48. Kid pie
49. Barding for Peacocks or Capons
50. Eggplant in Casserole
51. Thick eggplant
52. MOORISH EGGPLANT
53. POTTAGE OF JUNGLADA OR COOKED HARE
54. THICK GOURDS WITH MEAT BROTH
55. MOORISH GOURDS
56. GOURDS IN ANOTHER WAY
57. RICE WITH MEAT BROTH
58. RICE CASSEROLE IN THE OVEN
59. POTTAGE OF NOODLES
60. POTTAGE WHICH IS CALLED PORRIOL
61. POTTAGE WHICH IS CALLED PORRIOLA
62. POTTAGE WHICH IS CALLED NERRICOQUE
63. MADAME'S BRUET
64. Good Bruet with Meat Broth
65. Another Good BrUet Which is Called "OF VERINES"
66. Good Bruet with Meat Broth Which is Called "Sponge"
67. pottage of fat
68. The Same Pottage Made from Milk
69. Good French Sauce
70. THIN Sauce for Wild Birds, Such as Wild Doves, WOODPigeons and
WILD DUCKS
71. POTTAGE CALLED THIN WHITE SAUCE
72. THIN Sauce for RoastED Squabs
73. Another THIN Sauce for Roasted Squabs
74. THIN Sauce for Roasted Fowl
75. THIN Sauce for roasted partridges or hens
76. Pottage which is called Higate because it is made from figs
77. THIN Sauce from the juice of sour pomegranates
78. POTTAGE OF ALIDEME OF EGGS
79. CAKE of eggs which is called salviate
80. ILL-COOKED MILK
81. Jusello with meat broth
82. POTTAGE LIKE THE ABOVEMENTIONED ONE WITH SOMETHING ADDED,
WHICH IS CALLED JUSELLO
83. To make a good comforting verjuice
84. MODERN POTTAGE
85. ANOTHER MODERN POTTAGE
86. Chopped Spinach
87. A VERY SINGULAR DISTILLED BROTH FOR SICK AND WEAKENED PEOPLE
88. ANOTHER SOLSIDO OF HENS OR OF MUTTON OR CAPONS
89. DISTILLED TORTA FOR INVALIDS
90. BLANCMANGE FOR INVALIDS WHO ARE NOT EATING ANYTHING
91. MARZIPANS FOR INVALIDS WHO HAVE LOST THE DESIRE TO EAT, VERY GOOD
AND OF GREAT SUSTENENCE
92. Casserole for Invalids
93. Stuffing for Invalids
94. Barley-water for Invalids
95. ALMOND DISH FOR INVALIDS
96. ANOTHER ALMOND DISH FOR VERY WEAKENED INVALIDS
97. ANOTHER ALMOND DISH FOR INVALIDS WHO HAVE GREAT HEAT AND GREAT
BURNING
98. ELECTUARY OF SOUR CHERRIES FOR SICK PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOST THE
DESIRE TO EAT
99. TO BRING COLD TO THOSE WHO HAVE SHARP FEVERS, EVEN THOUGH IT IS
OUTSIDE THE TOPIC
100. TO EAT FIGS IN THE FRENCH MANNER
101. THIN WHITE SAUCE
102. BRUSCATE FOR TWELVE DISHES WHICH IS MADE FROM KID'S LIVER AND
SPLEEN
103. Biza Sauce for Ten Dishes
104. Sauce Which is Called PINE NUT DISH of Garlic
105. LEEK POTTAGE
106. GOOD MEMBRILLATE WHICH IS A POTTAGE OF QUINCES
107. GIROFLINA SAUCE
108. cameline sauce
109. WHITE CAMELINE SAUCE
110. DOBLADURA OF MUTTON
111. DOBLADURA OF VEAL
112. SMOOTH SAUCE FOR FOWLS IN THE POT
113. GRANADA SAUCE
114. brown Sauce for Partridges and Doves
115. Rosemary Sauce for Four Dishes
116. Agalura Sauce for One Dish
117. BOILed or Stewed wheat
118. Oatmeal Gruel and Barley Gruel
119. MOJI CASSEROLE
120. for Pickled Eggplants
121. Fleshy Leaves of Cabbages
122. Garlic Sauce for Geese
123. Roast Cat as You Wish to Eat It
124. MEAT CASSEROLE
125. Rorolas of Livers, Which is a Fritter
126. BASIN of Figs
127. Genovese Tart
128. Venetian Xinxanella
129. SECTIONS OR SLICES OF NEW CHEESE WHICH ARE FRITTERS OR
PANCAKES
130. Meat or Fish PASTRY
131. PASTRIES OF FINE SUGAR
132. ROASTED CHEESE
133. ORANGES of Xativa which are Cheesecakes
134. spiral cakes of fritter Which They Call CASQUETAS in
Valencia and in Barcelona
135. Marzipans
136. Custard Which Is a fritter
137. Fritter
138. FRITTER OF BLANCMANGE
139. fritter of Marzipan
140. Fritter of New Cheese
141. Fritter Called Robioles in Catalonia
142. Fritters Called Garbias in Catalonia
143. Blancmange in a Briefer Summary
144. Pottage Which is Called Flank
145. Pastry in A JAR
146. Marinated Mutton
147. Gratonada in Another Manner
148. PICKLED RABBITS
149. Mirrauaste in Another Way
150. Good Arugula
151. Arugula in Another Good Manner
152. Another Good Arugula to be Made Swiftly
153. Mustard
154. French Mustard
155. Another Very Good French Mustard Which Lasts All Year
156. PARSLEY
157. Sauce of Horseradish and of Clary Sage
158. Lombardy Sops
159. Good Gualatina Sauce
160. Marinated Mutton
161. Pepper Sauce for Wild Game
162. Bastard Cameline Sauce
163. Lardy Broth of Wild Pig
164. Capirotadas of Truffles
165. Pottage called Peach dish
166. Golden Sops
167. Busaque of Rabbits
168. Mirrauste of pears which can be given to sICK PEOPLE
169. Quinces cooked in the pot
170. Parsley DISH
171. Pomegranate juice
172. Golden gratonada of the entrails of kid
173. Sauce which is called cinnamon of must
174. PASTRY OF Roast hen on the Spit
175. treballa Which is Called White Sauce for Geese
176. LARDY BRUET IN A VERY GOOD FASHION
177. Pottage in good fashion
178. Pottage called jota
179. Emperor's Sauce
Treatise on cooking and preparing foods in the time of Lent
(Note: These recipes can be found in the second file, Guisados2-art]
180. OF lamprey in crust
181. Salmon Pie
182. Salmon Casserole
183. Trout in crust or roasted or boiled
184. Barbel in crust
185. Barbel in casserole
186. Shad in crust
187. Swordfish in crust
188. Swordfish in casserole
189. Swordfish on the grill
190. Sturgeon in crust, which is pike
191. Sturgeon or pike in casserole
192. Sturgeon, which is pike, grilled or boiled
193. Dentex in crust
194. Dentex in casserole
195. Boiled Dentex
196. Bonito in crust
197. Bonito in Casserole
198. Bonito on the grill
199. Fresh conger eel in crust
200. Conger eel in casserole
201. Boiled conger eel
202. Conger eel on the grill and on the spit
203. Moray eel in crust
204. Moray eel in casserole
205. Moray eel on the grill
206. Tunny or tuna in crust
207. TUNA OR TUNNY IN CASSEROLE
208. Boiled tuna or tunny
209. Tunny on the grill
210. mullet in crust
211. mullet in casserole
212. mullet on the grill
213. Boiled mullet
214. Escorfeno in casserole
215. Boiled escorfeno
216. Sardines in casserole
217. CHUB Mackerel
218. BOGUes in casserole
219. ANCHOVY in casserole
220. Wolffish in crust
221. Good escabeche
222. PANDORAS
223. PIKE
224. SEA BREAM
225. Pottage of squid and cuttlefish
226. OCTOPUS
227. VARIALES in casserole
228. CLAMS in casserole
229. HOW OYSTERS ARE COOKED
230. PELAYA AND FLOUNDER OR SOLE
231. FRIED DOLPHINFISH
232. DRIED OR CURED CONGER EEL
233. HAKE WHICH IS CURED FISH
234. SALTED TUNNY FROM THE FLANK WHICH IS CALLED 'SORRA' IN VALENCIA
235. LOBSTER
236. BLANCMANGE OF FISH
237. BLANCMANGE OF GOURDS
238. BROOM-FLOWER DISH
239. FARRO OF RICE FLOUR
240. WHEAT STARCH
241. ROYAL FAVA BEANS
242. GROATS
243. MIRRAUSTE OF APPLES
[The translation begins with the recipe section, which starts on folio xv. of the 1529 edition]
Now I return to my primary topic, with which I began, and I will speak of the art of cooking, which is the principal goal for which this book was made and arranged; and I will give some doctrines for making many sauces and dishes; and first let us speak of the spices for the common sauces as they must be made, and peppers (1) for clarea, duke's powders, and peacock sauce and other things; and you must know that of the many dishes that there are in the world, these three are the flower and the foremost, and these are: Peacock Sauce, Mirrauste (2) and Blancmange; each one of which should be crowned with a royal crown , because they are generally the flower of all the others; and first [let us speak] of the common sauce.
1. SPICES FOR COMMON SAUCE (3)
Three parts cinnamon, two parts cloves, one part ginger, one part pepper and a little dry coriander, well-ground, and a little saffron if you wish; let everything be well-ground and sifted.
2. SPICES FOR PEACOCK SAUCE (4)
Four ounces of cinnamon, one ounce of cloves, one ounce of ginger, enough saffron to color the sauce well, let it be well-ground and sifted; some add grains of paradise.
3. SPICES FOR CLAREA (5)
Three parts cinnamon, two parts cloves, one part ginger, all ground and strained through a sieve, and for one azumbre (6) of white wine, put an ounce of spices with a pound of honey, well-mixed and strained through your sleeve (7) of good thick linen, and strained through it often enough that the wine comes out clear.
4. CLAREA FROM WATER
To one azumbre of water, four ounces of honey; you must cast in the same spices as for the other clarea; you must give it a boil with the honey over the fire, and when it is off the fire you must cast in the spices.
5. SPICES FOR HIPPOCRAS (8)
Five parts cinnamon, three parts cloves, one part ginger; half of the wine must be white and half of it red, and for one azumbre, six ounces of sugar, mix everything together and cast it in a small glazed earthenware pot and give it a boil, when it comes to a boil, [cook it] no more, strain it through your sleeve often enough that it comes out clear.
6. DUKE'S POWDER
POLVORA DE DUQUE (9)
Half an ounce of cinnamon, one eighth of cloves, and for the lords cast in nothing but cinnamon, and a pound of sugar; if you wish to make it sharp in flavor and [good] for afflictions of the stomach, cast in a little ginger. (10)
And the weights of the spices in the apothecary shops are in this manner: one pound is twelve ounces (11), one ounce, eight drachms; one drachm, three scruples; another way that you can more clearly understand this: a drachm weighs three dineros, a scruple is the weight of one dinero, and a scruple is twenty grains of wheat. (12)
7. TO MAKE SAUCE FOR PEACOCK
PARA HACER SALSA DE PAVO
For five dishes, (13) take a pound of toasted almonds, and grind them well in a mortar, and take the livers of the peacocks or capons or hens, which should be cooked in a pot, and grind them with the almonds, and then take a crustless piece of bread which should be soaked in orange juice or white vinegar, and the bread must be toasted; and then grind it all together with the livers and with the almonds; and after everything is ground, thin this sauce with two egg yolks for each dish, and then strain it through a woolen cloth (14) with the said fine spices; and when it has been strained, put it into the pot with the sugar, and taste it or sample it for sourness, which should be moderate, and then cook it until it is done to a turn; (15) and when it is cooked, prepare dishes, and put sugar and cinnamon upon the sauce.
8. MIRRAUSTE
Mirrauste
Sauce for mirrauste is made in this manner. Take a pound of almonds, and four ounces just for five dishes and then toast the almonds, and grind them; and then take a crustless piece of bread which should be soaked in good broth; and then grind it with the almonds, and strain it, that it shall be quite thick; and then let it go to the fire with an ounce of cinnamon, but the cinnamon must be put in when you strain the almonds; and then take the squabs (16) and roast them; and when they are almost half-roasted, remove them from the fire, and cut them into pieces; and then cook the sauce with half a pound of sugar in the sauce; however, stir it constantly with a stick of wood or a large wooden spoon, and when it is cooked put the squabs in this sauce with the other birds or pullets or hens; let it all be done in this manner, and then take the pot-grease and put it into the sauce with the squabs; and then you may prepare dishes; and of the slices of the birds you may put four in each dish; and on top put sugar and cinnamon moderately; and in this way you make perfect mirrauste.
9. Blancmange
MANJAR BLANCO (17)
For blancmange: take a hen and eight ounces of rice flour and half a pound of rosewater, and a pound of fine sugar, and eight pounds of goat milk; if you don't have it, take four pounds of blanched almonds (18) and then take the hen, which should be good and plump and large, and when you wish to make the blancmange, kill the hen and pluck it dry, and wash it well and cook it in a new pot in which nothing has ever been cooked; and when the hen is more than half cooked, take the breasts from it and shred them like threads of saffron, and then sprinkle these shredded breasts with the rosewater, from time to time, repeatedly; then put all this in the pot, but it should not be of copper or newly tinned, because it will absorb the flavor of the tin, although commonly it is made by most cooks in very bright saucepans without tin, but if it has been recently tinned, boil a lot of bread in it, and sweat it very well, because all the flavor will come out of the tin, and then put the hen in and take its own broth and put it right over the hen, and with a large wooden spoon undo (19) it, beating it well, because it will not absorb the flavor of the wood, and take half of the milk and put it in the pot with said hen and then put in the flour, little by little, and stirring it constantly so that it does not stick to the pot, and put eight dineros of sugar, that is twelve maravedis, into the pot, and set it to cook, and stir it constantly with a stick in one direction, without ever resting, and when the milk runs out, add some of it in a moderately, and not all at once, and guard it well from the smoke, and when the blancmange turns clear or thin the hen is good, and if not, take care that under no circumstances do you put in more milk, and when the blancmange becomes like roasted cheese, that is the sign that it is cooked, and you can then put in the rosewater and then the pot-grease, however it must be clean, so that there is no bacon in it, and know that from one hen you will get six dishes, and take it off the fire to sweat until it has exuded thoroughly, and then make dishes of it and put fine sugar on top. And in this manner you make the perfect and good blancmange.
10. ROYAL DISH
Royal dish is made with leg of mutton boiled and shredded, according to the method for blancmange, except that you color it with saffron so that it should be yellow, for the rest you follow the aforesaid method for blancmange.
11. Imperial Dish
For half a dozen dishes, take a half azumbre of milk and a half pound of ground and sifted rice and half a dozen eggs (only the yolks); and set the milk and the rice flour to cook in a saucepan; and stir it constantly in one direction until it is well-beaten—away from the fire—and dissolved; and this is before it is set to cook on the fire, and then cast the half pound of sugar into it and put it to cook on the fire upon the coals, keeping it away from the flames so that the smoke doesn't reach it; and when it becomes thickened, take it off the fire; and take the well-beaten egg yolks, and cast a spoonful of milk into them; and blend them well and cast them into the food, casting them in little by little and stirring it constantly in one direction; and return it to the coals that it may properly finish thickening; and when this is done, take it off the fire and leave it aside to rest; and if you wish to eat it, dish it out immediately; and cast sugar and cinnamon on the dishes.
12. DISH FOR THE ANGELS
MANJAR DE ANGELES
For twelve dishes, take one azumbre of milk at the time of [making] curds, (20) and take the curds and cast them into the milk; and take nine ounces of sugar and cast it in. And take a quarter pound of aged cheese which is four Castilian ounces (21), and grate it, and grate just as much hard bread. And take twelve egg yolks and beat them with the grated cheese and with the bread; and cast in a little milk with it to thin it, and cast it in the saucepan, turning it with the milk and the curds. And after turning it, beat it very well. And take a little mint and grind it very well. And cast in two maravedis of saffron with it. And dissolve it with a little milk. And cast it in the saucepan with the other [stuff]. And when it is of a good color put it on top of the coals, very distant from the fire so that the smoke doesn't touch it and stir it constantly in one direction. And when you see that it is thick enough, sample the taste. And if you see that it is good, take it away and cover it and set it to rest while the dinner is prepared. And grind a quarter pound of sugar and grind the quantity of cinnamon that seems [right] to you, and mix it, ground, with the sugar in a mortar to cast it on the dishes.
13. PRINCIPAL DISH
For a half dozen dishes, take a half azumbre of strained milk and six egg yolks and four ounces of grated aged cheese, and just as much of grated hard bread; and thoroughly mix the cheese and the grated bread with the egg yolks and beat it very well, and thin it with a little milk; and then take a half pound of sugar and remove two ounces of that sugar to grind with the cinnamon to cast on the dishes; and the other portion that remains will be six ounces that you will cast into the milk; and set it to heat on your coals away from the fire; and when it is hot, remove it from the fire, and cast the abovementioned beaten eggs into it, stirring it constantly in one direction until it is good and thick; and sample it for taste; and if it is good, set it aside to rest while the meal is prepared, and dish it out with your sugar and cinnamon on top.
14. SLOW OR SMOOTH DISH
For half a dozen dishes, take a half azumbre of strained milk, and half a dozen egg yolks, and beat them well, and thin them with a little milk; and set the other milk to heat alone by itself on a fire of coals away from the fire; and when it is hot, remove it from the fire, and cast the beaten egg yolks into it, and three or four ounces of sugar, and return it to the coals; and if you wish to give it color, cast in a little saffron, and then return it to the coals, stirring it constantly in one direction until it is thick so that it seems good to you; and then sample it for taste; and if it is good, set it aside from the fire to rest, and grind sugar and cinnamon to cast upon the dishes.
15. WHITE SAUCE
SALSA BLANCA
Take white ginger which is fine and peel off the skin so that it remains white; and make of it little pieces like half a finger, and put them to soak in fine rosewater the night before; and in the morning you will take almonds well-peeled and blanched and grind them well in a mortar; and then blend them with hen's broth that is well-salted and strain it through a woolen cloth; and then put the milk in the pot where it must cook; and take whole cinnamon which is long and tie it with a thread and scald it with boiling hen's broth, with cloves of gilofre scalded in the same fashion; and when the sauce is more than half cooked, put the cinnamon and the cloves in the pot, and the ginger soaked in rosewater; and if it does not taste enough of ginger, cast in a little which is ground, because this sauce should taste of a little of ginger and of rosewater; but the rosewater should not be cast in until everything is cooked; and when the sauce is cooked, prepare dishes and put fine sugar on them.
16. APPLE DISH
Take apples which should be sour and sweet, and quarter each of them; and peel them, and remove the core; and then put them in cold water, and if they are very sour give them a boil; and then take peeled almonds and grind them well; and put the apples in the mortar and grind them together with the almonds very vigorously; and when they are well-ground, blend it all with good hen's broth and strain it all through a woolen cloth; and put everything in the pot where it must cook; and take ginger which is fine, peel off the skin until it is white, and make of it little pieces the size of half a finger; and put them to soak the night before in good rosewater until the morning; then take whole cinnamon, and tie it with a thread together with cloves and scald them with hot broth and when the cloves and the cinnamon are scalded, put the pot on the fire with the apples; and put a good quantity of sugar in it, and when it is more than half cooked, take the soaked ginger and cloves and cinnamon; and put them all in the pot, and if it does not taste enough of ginger, put in a little which is ground until the sauce tastes of ginger; and when it is cooked you will cast the rosewater in the pot; and prepare dishes; on top of them cast sugar, and cinnamon if you wish.
17. LEMON DISH
LIMONADA
Take blanched almonds and peel them, and grind them in a mortar, and blend them with good hen's broth; and then take new raisins, and clean them well of the seeds, and grind them by themselves and strain them through a woolen cloth; and after they are strained, mix them with the almonds, and put everything in the pot where it must cook; and put sugar and a little ginger in that same way, and set it to cook, constantly stirring it with a stick of wood. And when it is cooked, put a little lemon juice, and then stir it a little with the wooden stirrer so that the lemon juice is well-mixed within it. And then dish it out and cast fine sugar on the dishes.
18. POTTAGE OF SHEEP'S TROTTERS (22)
POTAJE DE MANOS DE CARNERO
Take peeled almonds and grind them well in a mortar; and then blend them with good mutton broth, and then strain them through a woolen cloth. And put this almond milk in a pot, and put ground ginger within it in such a manner that it will taste of ginger; and then take sheep's trotters that have been well-cooked, and cut them as if to make plates (23) of them; and when they have been cooked with the milk, put them in a pot of the fattest mutton broth, and a good piece of sugar; and in this way the boiled sauce is made.
19. POTTAGE OF CA—ONADA
POTAJE DE CA—ONADA
Take almonds which should be toasted, and grind them well in a mortar; and take a crustless piece of toasted bread, and soak it in white vinegar, and squeeze it well with your hand, and grind it with the almonds all together; and after it is all ground, blend it with sweet white vinegar; and before you blend it, put into the mortar two or three bunches of white grapes and another two of black ones at the same time, and then strain it all through a woolen cloth; and put it in the pot, and put sugar and ground cinnamon in it. And this sauce must taste a little of vinegar; and cook it; and when it is cooked, prepare dishes, and put sugar on each.
20. POTTAGE OF MARINATED MUTTON WHICH IS CALLED JANETE OF MUTTON
POTAJE DE CARNERO ADOBADO QUE SE DICE JANETE DE CARNERO
Take mutton breasts cooked in a pot, and cut them into pieces the size of walnuts; and take good fatty bacon, and fry it with a little bit of onion; and when it is gently fried, mix with it quince and pears which have been preserved with honey, or boiled, and if you so desire it will be better; and then take the mutton with the onion all mixed in the pot, and gently fry it all together; and take almonds, and toast them and grind them in a mortar with a crustless piece of bread toasted and soaked in white vinegar; and with this grind a good quantity of sheep's or kid's liver; and grind all this together with the almonds, and when it is well-ground, blend it with good mutton broth. And then strain it all through a woolen cloth; and when it has all been strained, put it in the pot where the sauce must cook; and cast all fine spices into the pot; and this sauce must taste a little sour; and when it is cooked, cast a little shredded parsley on it, and prepare dishes.
21. POTTAGE OF MARINATED HEN WHICH IS CALLED JANETE OF HENS
POTAJE DE ADOBADO DE GALLINA QUE SE DICE JANETE DE GALLINAS
Take a hen which is more than half-cooked and cut it up as if to make portions; and take good bacon which is fatty, and gently fry it with a little bit of onion. And then gently fry the cut-up hen with it. And take toasted almonds, and grind them, and mix with them quinces or pears which have been conserved in honey; and take the livers of the hens, and roast them on the coals. And when they are well-roasted put them in the mortar of the almonds, and grind everything together; and then take a crustless piece of bread toasted and soaked in white vinegar, grind it in the mortar with the other stuff. And when it is well-ground, blend it with hen's broth that is well-salted; and strain it all through a sieve; and cast it in a pot; and cast the hen in also; and cast in all fine spices, and a good quantity of sugar. And this sauce must be a little bit sour. And when the sauce is cooked, cast in a little finely shredded parsley, and prepare your dishes, and then [cast] upon them sugar and cinnamon.
22. POTTAGE OF MARINATED KID WHICH IS CALLED JANETE OF KID
Take a forequarter of kid and cook it in a pot, and after it is cooked take it out, and cut it into pieces as big as a walnut; and take fatty bacon, and gently fry [the kid] with it and with a little bit of onion; then take toasted almonds and grind them in a mortar with a piece of kid's liver roasted on the coals and with a crustless piece of bread soaked in white vinegar; and all of this should be ground together with a pair of egg yolks for each dish; and after it is all well-ground, blend it with good broth. And then strain it through a woolen cloth; and when it has been strained, put it in the pot where it must cook. And cast in all fine spices; and put the kid in the pot together with the sauce. And cook it, and when it is cooked, cast a little cut-up parsley in the pot, and sugar, and make it in such a manner that it tastes a little of vinegar; and cast on it the pot-grease from the first cooking of the kid, and cast on enough.
23. Pottage Which is Called FreXurate (24), Which is Pottage of Entrails
POTAJE QUE SE LLAMA FREXURATE, QUE ES POTAJE DE ASADURA
Take entrails of kid or of sheep or of goat, and cook them by themselves in a pot; and when they are cooked with your salt, take them out of the pot, and cut them in round pieces the size of a finger, and gently fry them with a little bit of fatty bacon with onion; and put it all together; then take almonds well-toasted and ground in a mortar with sheep liver roasted on the coals, and a crustless piece of toasted bread soaked in white vinegar, and grind it all together; and when it is well-ground, blend it with good mutton broth, and then strain it all through a woolen cloth. And then mix the sauce with the entrails. And let it go to the fire to cook it. And cast all fine spices into the pot; and cast in a pair of egg yolks for each dish; and make the pottage taste a little of vinegar, and it is done.
24. POTTAGE WHICH IS CALLED BOILED SAUCE
Take almonds which are well-toasted, and grind them well in a mortar with a good quantity of the livers of hens, or of kid, or of sheep, roasted on the coals, with a crustless piece of bread toasted and soaked in white vinegar; and grind everything together in a mortar. And when it is well-ground, put in an egg for each dish in the mortar where the other things are. And grind them all together. And when it is ground, blend it with good mutton broth which is well-salted and strain it through a woolen cloth. And when it has been strained, put it in the pot where it must cook and put in it all fine spices, and set it to cook, and cast your sour stuff in the sauce. And then prepare your dishes, and cast upon them seeds of sour pomegranates.
25. POTTAGE WHICH IS CALLED DUN-COLORED SAUCE
POTAJE QUE SE DICE SALSA PARDILLA (25)
Take well-toasted almonds and grind them well in a mortar. And after grinding them put with them livers of hens, roasted on the coals, with a crustless piece of bread, toasted and soaked in white vinegar, and grind it all together. And then blend it with good hen's broth which is well-salted. And then strain it through a woolen cloth or through a sieve, and then put it in your pot to cook; and with it cast in a little pork fat which is clarified, and well-fried. And also put in all fine spices except saffron; and also cast in a pair of egg yolks for each dish. And upon the dishes cast sugar and cinnamon; however, it must taste a little sour, which should be from pomegranate juice.
26. Pottage Called Gratonada
POTAJE LLAMADO GRATONADA
Take chickens that have been half-roasted on a spit, and then cut them at their joints as if to serve them on plates, and then gently fry them with good fatty bacon. And then take well-toasted almonds, and grind them with the chicken livers that have been roasted on the coals; and when they are well-ground, blend it with good hen's broth which is well-salted, and cast in a pair of eggs for each dish. And strain it through a woolen cloth; and when it has been strained, cast it in the pot, and cook with the chickens, and cast in all fine spices. And sample the taste for sourness so that it is a little sour. And then cast these herbs in the pot: mint and parsley and sweet marjoram, which is a Moorish basil with broad leaves. And then cast in sugar. And this sauce is good for kid or for breasts of mutton.
27. Pottage Called Morteruelo (26)
Grate bread which is very hard and toast it in a frying pan or casserole; and then take very good cheese of Aragon, and grate it, and mix it with the bread that you have toasted; and then put a leg of mutton to cook in a separate pot with a piece of streaky bacon; and when the leg is cooked, and the bacon, take it out of the pot and cut it small and then grind it in a mortar. And when it is ground, mix the meat with the cheese and the toasted bread, and resume grinding everything together, and then put one egg for each dish in the mortar. And when this is done, thin it with goat milk, and if there is none, with almond milk, which is as good. And when you have thinned it, set it to cook in the pot. And cast in all fine spices, and even cinnamon, and [put] sugar in the pot, and set it to cook. And when the pottage is cooked, remove it from the fire, and let it rest a little. And you will prepare dishes, and you will cast shredded green coriander and green parsley on top.
28. Pottage of Coriander Called the First
You will take dry and green coriander and grind it all together in a mortar. And then take well-toasted almonds, and grind them well together with the coriander, and a crustless piece of bread toasted and soaked in white vinegar, and grind it all together; and after grinding it, take a hen which has been cooked in a pot and take the breasts from the hen, and grind them all together with the other things; and when everything has been ground, strain it all through a woolen cloth; and when everything has been strained, put it in the pot where it must cook and cast in a good quantity of sugar, and of all fine spices which are good, strained with the other things and cook it on the fire; and put in the pot, nutmeg, and mace, and cinnamon, and ginger, and cloves; and when it is cooked remove it from the fire and cover it as if it were rice, and let it rest. And then prepare dishes, and cast sugar and cinnamon upon them.
29. Another Pottage of COriander Called the Second Celiandrate
Take grains of dry coriander, and clean it and grind it well in a mortar; and then take well-peeled almonds, and grind them well with the coriander; and when everything is well-ground, put these ground spices with it: cinnamon, ginger and cloves; and when it is well-ground, blend the sauce with the juice of sour oranges and sweet white grapes, so that it is not very sour, and put it on the fire to cook; and sample the taste, which must be between sour and sweet; and the color of this sauce must be a gray color. And this sauce is good for roast partridges and chickens; and upon the sauce [put] sugar and cinnamon.
30. ANOTHER POTTAGE OF CORIANDER CALLED THE THIRD
You must take green coriander, and cut it finely, and grind it in a mortar together with dry coriander, and then take toasted almonds and toasted hazelnuts, and grind them separately in a mortar; and when they are well-ground, mix them with the almonds, and resume grinding everything together; and when it is well-ground, strain it through a woolen cloth, and set it to cook in the pot; and cast in all fine spices with saffron, and vinegar, and sugar; and set it to cook with little fire just until it is a little thickened; and remove it from the fire, and prepare dishes, and upon them cast sugar and cinnamon.
31. POTTAGE WHICH IS CALLED HAZELNUT DISH
You must take hazelnuts which are toasted and blanched and peeled, and almonds which are toasted and peeled and blanched; grind them all in a mortar little by little, in such a way that they do not make oil. And if they make it, dampen the pestle of the mortar in very fine rosewater. And when it is ground, blend it with hen's broth, and then strain it through a woolen cloth. And when it has been strained, put it in the pot to cook, and cast a good quantity of sugar in the pot, and let it all go cook together. And stir it constantly with a stick until it is well-cooked and becomes very thick, and then test if it tastes of rosewater; and when it is well-cooked let it rest a little; and dish it out and cast fine sugar upon the dishes.
32. POTTAGE WHICH IS CALLED ALMOND DISH
You must take almonds which are peeled and blanched, and grind them well with a crustless piece of bread. And when everything is well-ground, take a pair of egg yolks for each dish, and blend it all with the almonds; and take good meat broth, and you must strain it through a woolen cloth so that it will be quite thick with the eggs, and put this sauce in a pot; and put a little bit of sour stuff in the pot, and sugar and whole cinnamon and a little ginger, and cook it; and sample it that it is sour and sweet in a good fashion.
33. Armored Hen
Roast a good hen. And when it is nearly half-roasted, baste it with bacon. Then take well-beaten egg yolks, then with a spoon or with the tip of a large wooden spoon rub the hen with these yolks, little by little. And then sprinkle wheat flour well-sifted with ground salt over the eggs, turning the hen constantly and swiftly; and the crust is worth more than the hen.
34. Armored Capon
Bard (27) a capon, and roast it; and when it is half-roasted remove the barding fat. And take egg yolks beaten with parsley and sugar, and let them be very well-beaten, and put these eggs all over the capon; and take pine nuts and peeled almonds, and while you put on the egg yolks, put on the pine nuts and almonds bit by bit in such a way that they will adhere to the sauce. And then put the barding fat back on over the eggs and the capon. And it shall be upon the fire until it is completely roasted.
35. Calabacinate Which is Seeds of Gourds
Take the seeds of the gourds, and peel them so that they become white like almonds, and grind them in a mortar with as many peeled almonds, all mixed together. And when it is well-ground, blend it with good hen's broth and strain it through a woolen cloth, and put it in a pot; and cast on it what sugar seems [right] to you, and cook it until it is well-thickened. And then prepare dishes, and cast sugar on them. This pottage can be made with just the seeds of gourds. And it is very good for the afflictions of the kidneys, with sugar.
36. Vinegar Which is Marinated Liver
You will take onions, and cut them very small, like fingers. And fry them gently with fatty bacon. And then take the liver of a kid, or a lamb, or a goat and cut them into slices the size of a half walnut; and fry it gently with the onion until the liver loses its color. Then take a crustless piece of toasted bread soaked in white vinegar. And grind it well. And thin it with sweet white wine. And then strain it through a woolen cloth. And then cast it over the onion and the liver, all together in the casserole, and cast in ground cinnamon, and cook until it is well-thickened; and when it is cooked, prepare dishes.
37. Pottage Which is Called PINE NUT DISH
Take pine nuts, a good quantity, which are well-peeled and clean, and as many almonds, and grind them all together in a mortar; when it is well-ground, blend it with hen's broth. And strain it through a woolen cloth. And then put it in a clean pot, and cook it and cast sugar into it, stirring it constantly with a stick; and when it is cooked take it away from the fire, and let it rest a little while, covered with a cloth. And cast sugar upon the dishes.
38. WHEAT Starch
ALMIDON
You will take starch which is very white and clean and grind it in a mortar. And then take well-peeled blanched almonds and grind them by themselves; and when they are well-ground, blend them with hen's broth and strain it through a woolen cloth. And when the almond milk is strained, blend what remains of the milk with the starch, and put it in your pot and cook it and cast sugar on it; and when it is more than half cooked, cast in the almond milk which is thicker, and cook it until it is well-thickened. And when it is cooked, remove it from the fire. And let it rest a little while, covered with a cloth, and cast sugar upon the dishes.
39. BROOM-FLOWER DISH
GINESTADA (28)
Take rice and make flour of it and sift it through a sieve; and take milk of goats or of sheep, and if this is not to be found, take almond milk and dissolve this rice flour in the almond milk or goat milk, in such a way that it shall be quite clear; and then set it to cook in the pot; and into the pot you shall cast these things: sugar, and peeled dates, and pine nuts, and whole, clean, blanched hazelnuts, and the dates cut into the size of fingers; and cast all fine spices into the pot and stir it constantly with a stick; and if you wish to make the ginestada white you may make it in this way, and likewise you may put cinnamon instead of sugar upon the dishes, and seeds of sour pomegranates; and it is necessary that the pot rests a little while before you prepare the dishes.
40. POTTAGE OF CRACKED BARLEY
You will take farro and wash it with cold water two or three times; and when you have washed it well, put it in the pot where it must cook and cast in good hen's broth with the farro all together and cook it on the fire; when it is more than half cooked, you will take good almond milk and cast it in the pot; and then you will put good sugar in the pot while the pot cooks; and when it is well-cooked, take it away from the fire wrapped in a cloth. And when it has rested well, prepare dishes and cast sugar and cinnamon on them.
And likewise if you wish to make sauce you can make it just the same. And if perhaps you wish to make a dish of cracked barley which will be delicate, make it in this manner: take the farro and cook it in good hen's broth, or mutton broth, and when it is more than half cooked, strain it through a woolen cloth; and the strained liquor that comes out must finish cooking with the almond milk; and cook it until it is thickened and then cast sugar upon the dishes; and this dish is good for invalids because it is very delicate.
41. POTTAGE OF CRACKED WHEAT
You must take semola and wash it with two or three waters until it is quite clean; and pass the semola between two dishes, passing it from one dish to the other; and this is done in case it contains any dirt; and when this is done put it in the pot and cook it with your broth, stirring it constantly with a stick until it is cooked, and then grind blanched peeled almonds and blend them with good hen's broth and strain it through a woolen cloth, and then cast in it the pot with the semola, and stir it constantly and vigorously until it is cooked; and then put ground sugar in the pot and stir it no more than two or three turns; and prepare dishes and cast fine sugar upon them.
But note one thing: when you wish to prepare semola or farro or similar foods, with hen's broth, the broth must be good and quite fatty; and in this manner it will not be necessary to cast in almond milk, but rather cook it with the broth alone; nor is sugar necessary in the pot, nor upon the dishes if you do not wish to cast it on, it is not necessary; and if you wish it to be yellow, let the broth in which you cast it to cook be blended with ground saffron, and set it to cook and to become a very elegant yellow color.
Each time that you blend any kind of saffron with whatsoever type of broth, see that the broth is well-salted; and in this manner you will always make good stews and pottages.
42. ALMODROTE (31) WHICH IS CAPIROTADA (32)
You shall take partridges and after they have been well-plucked, put them between the embers; and when they have been there for the space of a Paternoster (33), take them out and clean everything off them, and roast them, and baste them sufficiently with your bacon fat; and when they are roasted, cut them as if to make portions of them, and then grate good cheese of Aragon that is fine; and take two whole heads of garlic roasted between the embers and then peel them very well and cleanly, and grind them in a mortar; and then put the cheese in the mortar, and resume grinding it all together; and while you are grinding them, cast a good spoonful of lard into the mortar, with some egg yolks, and grind it all together; and when it is all well-ground, blend it with good mutton broth that is half cooled, because if it were very hot it would consume the cheese; and then make slices of bread and toast them, and scrape off the burnt parts, and then scald or soak these toasted slices of bread with good mutton broth in an earthenware bowl or a deep plate; and then take them out and put them on a large plate, all around, in this manner: a layer of bread slices, and another of partridges, and in this manner fill up the plate with a platform of bread slices and another of partridges; and when the plate is full, cast the almodrote on top of it all and then take melted lard and scatter it over the plate.
43. HILADEA (34) WHICH IS CALLED GELATIN
Take calves' trotters, well-plucked and clean and white, which are not skinned, and break them in half and wash them well; and set them to cook with another two pairs of sheep's trotters; and if four or six bowlfuls of water are necessary to cook them, only cast in half of that; and for the rest, in place of water, cast in white wine, very fine and fragrant, and cook it all in a pot until it is well-cooked; and cast into the pot, ginger, anise, cinnamon cut small, and pepper, and nutmeg and mace and saffron, all whole; and according to the quantity that you wish to make, you must cast the white wine in the pot; and when they are well-cooked, take them out of the pot and make pieces as big as a finger; and then take hens that have been cooked in a separate pot, and cut them as if to make portions; and then take a large plate, and put those cut-up hens and cut-up trotters on the plate, and cast upon it the broth from the trotters in such a manner that no grease falls upon the plate, straining it through a woolen cloth; and when it has been half strained, put bay leaves all around the edge of the plate, and leave it in this way and it will congeal soon; and if by chance it does not congeal promptly, cast in a little galingale or spikenard (35) and soon it will doubtlessly congeal; (36) and in this way is made good geladea or gelatine.
44. POTTAGE OF MERRITOCHE
Take peeled, clean, blanched almonds and grind them well in a mortar, and blend them with good broth of mutton or hen, and strain it through a woolen cloth; and when it has all been strained, cast it in the pot with a piece of sugar and set it to cook, stirring it constantly with a stick; and when it is more than half cooked, take sage, and make four pieces of each leaf, and to a pound of almonds you may put ten leaves of sage; and then take the sage which is needed, give it a boil and then cast it in the pot with the almond milk and cook it all together; and while it cooks, cast a great deal of pot-grease into the sauce and also cast in ground grains of paradise; and after it is cooked, prepare dishes, and cast upon them sugar and ground ginger mixed together.
45. SAUCE FOR GEESE (37)
You will take peeled almonds, clean and blanched and grind them in a mortar; and after they are well-ground, take the livers of the geese or of hens which have been cooked in a pot, and grind them with the almonds; and after they are well-ground and mixed, blend it all with good hen's broth and strain it through a woolen cloth; and after it has been strained, cast it in the pot with sugar, and stir it constantly with a stick and cast all fine spices in it except saffron; and the sauce should be a little between sour and sweet; and cast sugar and cinnamon upon the dishes.
46. Pottage of Onions That is Called Cebollada
POTAJE DE CEBOLLAS QUE DICEN CEBOLLADA
You will take onions, peeled and well-washed and cleaned and cut them in large pieces; and cast them in a pot of water that is boiling; and when they have boiled once or twice in the pot, remove them from the pot and squeeze them between two wooden chopping blocks; and then gently fry them with melted good fatty bacon or with bacon grease, moving them about with a spatula, and stirring them in the frying pan with said spatula which is of wood. And if the onions become at all dry, cast in good fatty mutton broth until the onions are well-cooked. And then take almonds which are well-peeled and blanched. And grind them well in a mortar, and then mix them with good mutton broth and strain them through a woolen cloth. And then cast the almond milk in the pot with the onions. And mix it well. And then cook them well until the onions are cooked with the almond milk. And cast into the pot some good cheese of Aragon, grated, and mix them well with a haravillo as if they were gourds. And when they are well-mixed with the cheese, and you see that it is cooked, prepare dishes, first casting into the pot a pair of egg yolks for each dish; and if you wish, cast sugar and cinnamon on the dishes, and it is good.
47. Stuffing for Kid
RELLENO DE CABRITO
You will take loins of mutton and entrails of kid. And cook them in a pot with a good piece of streaky bacon. And when it is cooked, mince it very finely on a wooden chopping block and put with it a little grated bread and a little grated cheese. And mix it well, and chop it again very well with a little finely-chopped parsley. And mix it with some eggs, the white and the yolks together (38). And cast all the fine spices on it, and enough saffron, because this pottage should be very yellow; and mix it well, so chopped and fine that it will appear to be ground, and then gently fry the kid or suckling pig; if it is a suckling pig, it is not usual to add parsley.
48. Kid pie
And if by chance the kids are too fat to be roasted, you may cut them in pieces, and make them into pasteles or empanadas (39) And you may take fine spice and chopped parsley and put them in the empanadas with a little sweet oil and take this food to the oven; and a little before you remove it from the oven, beat some eggs with verjuice or orange juice and put it in the empanada though the vent hole on the top of the empanada, and then return it to the oven for the space of three Paternosters. And then remove it, and put this pastel before the lord on a plate, and open it and give it to him.
49. Barding for Peacocks or Capons
After the peacocks or capons are half-roasted on the spit, take good fatty bacon and make wide slices the size of the peacock or capon breasts, and put this slices on the breasts in such a way that they cannot fall off. And after they are well-fastened, return them to the fire to roast; and before you put it on the fire, put the head of the capon in such a manner that it will not burn. And put the head with the beak stretched out lengthwise inside the carcass; you can cover peacock and capons with white paper well-fastened over the bacon.
50. Eggplant in Casserole
Take eggplants and peel off the skin very well, and cut each one of them into three or four pieces and cook them in good mutton broth, with a pair of onions; and cook them until they are well-cooked; and being cooked, take them out of the pot and chop them very finely on a chopping block, and then cast on them good cheese of Aragon, grated, and some egg yolks. And resume chopping with your knife as if it were for stuffing for kid, (40) and cast fine spice upon it and put all these spices in the casserole, well-mixed: ginger, mace, nutmeg and green coriander and parsley; and then take the casserole to the oven; and when it is cooked, cast sugar and cinnamon on top.
51. Thick eggplant
Clean the skin off the eggplants and put them in cold water; and then set them to cook in a pot with a pair of clean onions in meat broth that is fatty. And while it cooks, stir it constantly with a wooden stirrer; and then take peeled blanched almonds, and grind them well in a mortar and blend them with good mutton broth or hen's broth, and strain them through a woolen cloth. And when the eggplants have been strained, they will be close to cooked, then cast them into the milk until they are cooked. And cast on them good cheese of Aragon, grated, then turn them about with a haravillo, just like gourds. And when they are thoroughly stirred with the haravillo, cast on them egg yolks and other things: ground dry coriander; and upon the coriander, cast in the pot nutmeg and caraway and cinnamon and cloves, all ground; and cast it in the pot, and then prepare dishes; and upon each one, cast grated cheese of Aragon, which is very good.
52. MOORISH EGGPLANT
Peel the eggplants and quarter them, and their skins having been peeled, set them to cook; and when they are well-cooked, remove them from the fire, and then squeeze them between two wooden chopping blocks, so they do not retain water. And then chop them with a knife. And let them go to the pot and let them be gently fried, very well, with good bacon or with sweet oil, because the Moors do not eat bacon. And when they are gently fried, set them to cook in a pot and cast in good fatty broth, and the fat of meat, and grated cheese which is fine, and above all, ground coriander; and then stir it with a haravillo like gourds; and when they are nearly cooked, put in egg yolks beaten with verjuice, as if they were gourds.
53. POTTAGE OF JUNGLADA OR COOKED HARE
Take a hare and skin it, and being well-cleaned and washed, cast it in the pot and give it a boil; then take it out and set it to roast on a spit. And when it is more than half-roasted, remove it from the spit and cut it into pieces which are rather large. And then take onion chopped very finely, and gently fry it with good fatty bacon. And then gently fry the hare also, and take toasted almonds and grind them well with a crustless piece of bread soaked in white vinegar, and grind it all together; and then grind with all this, livers of hens, or kid, or sheep, or spleens, roasted in the coals, and grind them all together; and when they are well-ground, cast in a pair of eggs for each dish. And then blend it with good broth of mutton or hen, and strain it through a woolen cloth; and when it has been strained, set it to cook, and put a good quantity of ginger and cinnamon on top. And it must taste a little of vinegar; and if you wish, put sugar or honey according to your will.
54. THICK GOURDS WITH MEAT BROTH
Take gourds, and scrape them very well so that they become very white and clean. And then cut them into very long thin slices; and take good fatty bacon, and a piece of mutton together with the bacon, and when everything is very well melted, strain it through a sieve and cast it in the pot where the gourds must cook with the fatty bacon, and stir it constantly with a stick; and cast in an onion, and gently fry it with the gourds; and when they are gently fried, take good kidney suet of a sheep, and set it to cook separately with a pair or two of squabs; and you will make good broth which is well-salted; and when the broth is made, little by little cast it upon the gourds, and always take the fattiest [broth]; and when the gourds are well-cooked, and quite mushy, take almond milk or milk of goats or sheep — but the almond milk is never lacking — and cast the milk in the pot; and when the milk is cooked with the gourds, turn them about with a haravillo in such a manner that not even the smallest piece of gourd remains undissolved; and cast good cheese of Aragon which is grated and very fine, in with the gourds; and when this is done take two egg yolks for each dish, well-beaten with verjuice, then mix them with the gourds; then make [them] in such a manner that they taste a little of verjuice; and then prepare dishes, and cast upon them sugar and cinnamon.
55. MOORISH GOURDS
CALABAZAS A LA MORISCA
Scrape the gourds very well until they are very clean and white, and then make wide slices and cut them like round fingers; and take onion and cut it in the same way as the gourd, and to each gourd put two onions; and when they are cut, cast them in good mutton broth that is boiling well; and when they are cooked, cast upon them goat milk or sheep milk, and if there is none, cast in almond milk; and cook the milk well with the gourds; and when the milk is cooked, turn them well with your haravillo and cast upon them good grated cheese and fine spices; and also cumin, and caraway, and a pair of eggs for each dish; and turn it all together and prepare dishes; and cast sugar and cinnamon upon them.
56. GOURDS IN ANOTHER WAY
Take the most tender gourds that you can get, and clean them so that they become very white, and cut them into slices which are very thin, and fry them gently with good fatty bacon; and when they are gently fried, cast upon them good mutton broth which is very fatty, in which has been cooked a loin of a good fat cow; and with this broth, cook them very well, and when they are cooked, cast almond milk or goat milk upon them; and finish cooking them with the milk, and turn them a great deal with your tornillo (42) or haravillo in such a manner that not a lump remains; and this is a good style of gourds, in which there is no cheese in them, nor eggs, nor onions; however, while cooking, you must cast in a little verjuice, because otherwise they aren't worth much.
57. RICE WITH MEAT BROTH
You must take rice and wash it with cold water or tepid water three or four times; and when it is well-washed, set it to dry on a wooden chopping block in the sun, and if there is none, near the fire; and when it is dry, clean it well of the stones and filth; then put a very clean pot on the fire with meat broth, which is fatty and well-salted, and put it on the fire; and when the broth begins to boil, cast the rice in the pot; and when the rice is more than half-cooked, cast in goat or sheep milk, and for lack of these cast in almond milk; and cook everything in the pot, stirring it from time to time with a large spoon so that it does not stick to the pot or burn; and when it is cooked, remove it from the fire and put the well-covered pot inside a pannier or basket of bran, and leave it there to rest for a while, which should be for the space of an hour or at least half. Then take egg yolks and beat them well when you wish to prepare dishes, and cast them in the pot, mixing them with the rice, and giving them a few turns with the large spoon. Then prepare dishes, and cast upon each one sugar and cinnamon.
But note one thing, as I said in the chapter on semola: that in none of these pottages, such as rice, semola, farro, and fideos, when cooked with meat broth, is it necessary to put in any kind of milk; but everything is according to the appetites of the men who eat it; and with this pottage, there is no need to cast sugar upon the dishes; however, sugar never harms the food; and the excellence is in this, that each one does according to his taste.
58. RICE CASSEROLE IN THE OVEN
Clean the rice well of stones and filth, and wash it with two or three [changes of] cold water and then with hot water. And after it is well-washed, set it to dry on a wooden chopping block in the sun or by the heat of the fire. And when it is dry, clean it again in such a manner that it is very clean; then take a very clean casserole and cast in good meat broth which is fatty, and set it to boil on the fire; and when it begins to boil, put in two or three threads of saffron so that the broth becomes quite yellow. And when the broth is quite yellow, cast in the rice bit by bit, stirring it with a stick or with a large spoon; and when the rice is in the casserole cast in whatever quantity of broth that seems necessary to you to so that it cooks no more. and taste it to see that it is well-salted and fatty; and put it to cook in the oven; and a little before it finishes cooking, remove it from the oven and cast some whole fresh egg yolks over the rice. And then return the casserole to the oven to finish cooking; and it is cooked when you see that the rice has made a good crust on top; and then prepare dishes, and in each one put one or two of the egg yolks which were upon the rice; and if by chance the oven was not prepared, put the casserole on a coal fire and put an iron lid full of coals on it; and in this manner it will come out of there as if it had been cooked in the oven, and perhaps better because it remains nearer for sampling, and this is good rice.
59. POTTAGE OF NOODLES
Clean the fideos of their filth, and when they are well-cleaned (44) put a very clean pot on the fire with good fatty hen's broth or mutton broth that is well-salted; and when the broth begins to boil, cast the fideos into the pot with a piece of sugar; and when they are more than half cooked, cast goat or sheep milk into the pot with the hen's broth or mutton broth; or instead of that, almond milk, for that can never be lacking; and cook everything well together, and when the fideos are cooked, remove the pot from the fire and let it rest a little while; and prepare dishes, casting sugar and cinnamon upon them; but as I have said in the chapter on rice, many say that with pottages of this kind which are cooked with meat broth that one should not cast in either sugar or milk, but this is according to each one's appetite; and in truth, with fideos or rice cooked in meat broth, it is better to cast good grated cheese upon the dishes.
60. POTTAGE WHICH IS CALLED PORRIOL) (45)
Take finely-cut onions and chop them with a knife on a chopping block, and while you are chopping them cast salt and cold water on top; and this you will do many times; and each time, squeeze them between two chopping-blocks so that all the viscosity comes out. And this being done, cook them with a good quantity of bacon fat or common oil which is very sweet and good, and then cast on sweet white wine tempered with vinegar. and when it has boiled a little, cast on pepper and ground salt; taste it, and if it seems very strong to you, cast in a little water, and taste it again to see if it is of a good strength and well-salted; and then cast on cut-up or whole partridges or other birds.
61. POTTAGE WHICH IS CALLED PORRIOLA
Take the quantity of onions according to which you wish to make the pottage, and chop them a great deal on a chopping block, and cast upon them your ground salt and cold water, and press them between two chopping blocks so that the viscosity comes out of them; and do the same again, pressing them well between your two chopping blocks, so that no viscosity remains in them; and then scald them well three or four times, and each time let them be well-pressed so that all of the viscosity comes out; and then gently fry the onion very well with pork grease little by little; then cast good spices upon it, and cast them in the best broth that you have, and set them to cook; and then cast in egg yolks and well-chopped hens' livers if you wish.
62. POTTAGE WHICH IS CALLED NERRICOQUE (46)
Take mutton and make small pieces three fingers long and set it to cook in a clean pot with your salt and your provisions (47) and skim it very well; and when it is well skimmed, take parsley, and mint, and marjoram, and savory, and hyssop, and other good herbs, and onions cut small, and cast it all into the pot and cook it well; and then grind almonds which are well-peeled and blanched; and when they are well-ground, cast upon them livers of hen or kid, which are of equal worth if they are tender, and cook it in your pot. And grind everything together with the almonds; and after it is ground, blend it with good hen's broth, and strain it through a woolen cloth; and after it is strained, take a pair of eggs for each dish and blend them with the same milk, and strain them through a woolen cloth; and then mix everything; and when the meat is cooked, cast milk in the pot; and when it has turned thick it is cooked; and consider that you must cast in a lot of herbs; and you can dish it out, casting meat into the dishes.
63. MADAME'S BRUET
Take almonds which are not peeled, and pine nuts which are very white and clean, and grind everything together; and after grinding them, blend them with good hen's broth, and strain it through a woolen cloth; and cast it in your clean pot where it must cook; and cast upon it these spices: ginger, long pepper, and galingale, all ground; putting it all in the pot with parsley, and oregano, and a little pennyroyal, and cook everything together with saffron; and when it has boiled well, so that you know that it should be removed from the fire, take a dozen eggs beaten with vinegar and put them in the pot; and make it so that the broth is a little sour, but not much; and when you cast them into the broth, you must see that it is not very hot so that the eggs do not harden immediately; and stirring it constantly with a stick when the eggs are there in the broth, because they will curdle promptly.
64. Good Bruet with Meat Broth
If you wish to make the said bruet with a pullet or with cockerels, it will be better. Take the chickens and have them cooked in a very clean pot with good mutton or bacon; and taste the pot to see that it is well-salted; and then take the best broth from the pot, and strain it through a woolen cloth; and then put it in a clean pot and let it cool well; and cast on it all fine spices and ground saffron; and take two egg yolks for each dish and blend them with the cold broth and verjuice so that it does not curdle, and then strain them through a woolen cloth so that they are quite thin; and after straining them, cast them in the pot of broth, and cast in ginger, tasting the pot for saltiness and for sourness before putting it on the fire; and then set it to cook on the fire and stir it constantly with a stick until it is cooked; and if you wish to add milk for half of the broth—however it should be from almonds—the bruet will be better; and when the said bruet is totally cooked, cast the chicken in it, cut into pieces, as if to serve portions; and when they have boiled a little in the pot, take them out and put them on a plate; and before preparing dishes, cast a little shredded or chopped parsley in the pot, and then prepare dishes.
65. Another Good BrUet Which is Called "OF VERINES"
Take almond milk and set it aside; then take parsley that is well-ground and strain it through a woolen cloth, and then mix it with the almond milk which you have made with hen's broth or mutton broth which is quite fatty; and also cast in ground ginger; then set it on the fire to cook, and stir it constantly with your stick until it boils; and when it has boiled, stir it gently until it is thick. There are also those who cast in shredded parsley and do not grind it; and prepare dishes a little while before you bring them to the table, and you will see that inside the dish that it is green and on top it is white, and because of this it is called broete de verines. (49)
66. Good Bruet with Meat Broth Which is Called "Sponge"
You must take a clean pot and cast in it the best and fattiest broth of the pot which is well-salted, and strain this broth through a woolen cloth; and cast it in your pot, and leave it there to cool until it has lost its heat; and while it is cooling, cast into the pot cinnamon, and ginger, and saffron all ground up; and then take two egg yolks for each dish, and beat them with verjuice, and with just a little white vinegar, that the broth should be a little bit sour; and then cast it in the pot, and set it to cook stirring constantly until it boils; because if you do not stir it, it will immediately curdle and separate; and when it is well-cooked, remove it from the fire; and prepare dishes; and if you wish, then you can cast a little broth in each dish and it will look a little like yellow sponge; and because of this it is called "bruet of sponge".
67. pottage of fat
For six dishes, take a half pound of grated cheese with half of a grated hard bread, all mixed, and lastly take six egg yolks beaten very well; and take up to four dishes of well-skimmed pot-grease, and put this broth to boil over coals that do not give off smoke; and grind three madres of cloves, (50) and pepper, and saffron, and cast them into the broth; and cast into it four ounces of sugar, or in place of that as much honey; and cast in a few drops of vinegar to give flavor, and set it to boil; and when it has boiled, set it apart outside and beat the bread with the eggs and the cheese; and cast it into the pot, stirring it with a large wooden spoon so that it does not separate; and cast it in little by little; and when everything has been cast in, return it to the coals until it is thick; and sample the flavor, and if it is good, remove it from the fire.
68. The Same Pottage Made from Milk
For six dishes, take a half azumbre of milk, and a half pound of rice flour; and take a half pound of boneless mutton leg, and cook it with water and salt until it is very well-cooked; and then remove it from there, and grind it, and continually grind it while casting in the broth of the same meat; and when it is well-ground, cast half of the milk into it and strain it with your woolen cloth, or with a horsehair sieve, or with a clean linen cloth; and when it is well-strained, stir it constantly in one direction with a large wooden spoon; and make it in a large pot or in a new glazed earthenware pot; and take the flour and cast it in, little by little, stirring in one direction; and if you see that it is very thick, cast in all the other milk; and cast in, after that, half a pound of sugar; and set it to cook on the coals where there is no smoke, stirring it around constantly in one direction, and in every part, so that it does not stick; and when it is thick, sample the taste, and if it is good, set it apart outside; and dish it out, and cast sugar and cinnamon over the dishes.
69. Good French Sauce
You must take almonds that are peeled and very clean and blanched, and pine nuts, and grind them very well with ginger and pepper; and put in a lot of cinnamon; and blend it with sour pomegranate wine so that the flavor remains between sour and sweet; and similarly you can make the sauce with the juice of sour pomegranates and with only cinnamon mixed in and cast on top.
70. THIN Sauce for Wild Birds, Such as Wild Doves, WOODPigeons and Wild Ducks
SALSERON PARA AVES SALVAJES, COMO SON PALOMAS SALVAS, TORCAZAS Y ANADES SALVAJES
You must take wild doves, and woodpigeons, or wild ducks which in Valencia they call fotjas (51), and roast the said doves, which should not be very roasted, but a little more than half-roasted; and cut them up like one cuts a hen; and cast them into two basins or on two large deep plates; and cast on top of them: ground salt, and vinegar, pepper, and orange juice, all mixed in wine; and beat it a great deal between two plates a long while, so that the juices or thin sauce mix; and mingle it with the cut-up birds; and put them on your plates with your thin sauce and it is good.
71. POTTAGE CALLED THIN WHITE SAUCE
You must take peeled almonds and grind them well; then blend them with orange juice or other sour stuff, or with water; and cast in enough white sugar; this sauce does not have to be strained through a woolen cloth, except that it should be well-ground, and sweet-sour. And you can put this sauce on all fowls.
72. THIN Sauce for RoastED Squabs
Take the livers of the squabs, and roast them in the coals so that they are not very roasted; and you can add a little liver of kid, or of sheep; and grind everything with a crustless piece of toasted bread soaked in white vinegar; and when it is all well-ground, blend it with broth or with water that is well-salted, and strain it through a woolen cloth; and then put it in a pot, and cook it there; and cast in pepper, and ground ginger, and give it a brief boil.
73. Another THIN Sauce for Roasted Squabs
Roast the livers of the squabs over the coals and grind them in a mortar; and take grated cheese, and vinegar, and grind them all together with the said squab livers; and after it is ground, blend it with broth or hot water, and strain it through a sieve, and cast it in the pot where it must boil; and cast in these ground spices: pepper and grains of paradise; and boil it, little by little, stirring with a stick constantly in one direction, otherwise the thin sauce will separate.
74. THIN Sauce for Roasted Fowl
You must take fowl, and roast (52) their livers in a pot with good mutton broth or hen's broth, if you have it; and when they are roasted, grind them; and after they are ground, cast a little fine ground ginger on them, so that the thin sauce will taste a little of ginger; and cast a piece of sugar upon it in the mortar, and resume grinding everything together; and when it is ground, blend the sauce with some sour stuff such as verjuice or white vinegar which has been watered down or mixed with wine, so that it does not remain very strong, or with orange juice; but see that you do not blend it until your lord is at table so that it will not be cold.
75. THIN Sauce for roasted partridges or hens
Grind almonds which are clean, peeled, and blanched; and blend them with juice of sour pomegranates; then cast pulverized sugar in the mortar, and cinnamon, and ginger, because its color and flavor should tend almost towards cinnamon; there is no need to strain it through a sieve.
76. Pottage which is called Higate because it is made from figs
Take white and black figs and put them in cold water, or tepid which would be better; and with this water wash the figs very well, and remove the stems; and when they are very clean and washed, set them to gently fry with good, very fatty bacon; and when they have gently fried for a while, take good hen's broth or mutton broth, and cast it in little by little, in such a manner that it can cook for an hour and a half; (53) and while it cooks, cast all these spices upon it in the pot, which should be well-ground: sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and pepper, and other good spices; and if the pottage is of black figs, cast in a little saffron, so that it has a yellow color; and when it is half cooked, stir it with a haravillo, like someone stirring gourds, in such a manner that it will be thick; and do not remove your hand from them until they are well-thickened, tasting it for saltiness and sourness and sweetness; and when it is removed from the fire, let it rest a little while; and prepare dishes, and cast sugar and cinnamon upon them.
77. THIN Sauce from the juice of sour pomegranates
Take a cup of the seeds of sour pomegranates and thoroughly extract the juice from them; and then take a roasted hen's liver, and grind it well in a mortar with eight egg yolks; and when it is all well-ground, strain it through a woolen cloth; and when it has been strained, put it in the pot or an earthenware casserole. And take an ounce of cinnamon, or cast in the spice according to the quantity which you desire to make, and let it be ground and blended with the said juice; and cast four ounces of sugar on it, and then set it on a fire of coals and cook it until it begins to thicken; and this sauce is good for all fowls in place of sauce for peacock; and it is made very quickly.
78. POTTAGE OF ALIDEME (54) OF EGGS (55)
Take a casserole that is very clean, and cast into it onions, and parsley, and mint, and marjoram, which is called moraduj in the kingdoms of Aragon, with salt and oil, all mixed with water, and set it all to cook; and when it is cooked, grind these a little of these herbs, that have cooked in the pot or casserole, with a little of that same onion. And when they are ground, blend them with the same broth; and when they are blended, set them to cook in a clean pot. And then take egg yolks, and beat them very well with verjuice or white vinegar; and cast into the pot all fine spices, and ground saffron, more rather than less; and when it has cooked a little, remove it from the fire. And leave it a little while to rest or cool; and then cast in the eggs little by little; then return it to the fire; and when it has cooked a little while longer, remove it from the fire and stir it well constantly and in such a manner that never ceases while it boils. And then dish it out.
79. CAKE (56) of eggs which is called salviate
Take some sage leaves, and grind them quite vigorously; and take a good quantity of eggs, and beat them and mix them with the sage; and then take a frying pan, and cast in lard in such a manner that after melting there is a finger's breadth or more in the frying pan; and if there is no lard, take common oil which is sweet and very good, the same quantity; and when the lard or oil boils, cast in the eggs with the sage, and make of them an omelet (57) which is well-cooked; and this omelet should be two fingers thick, or more. And when it is well-cooked or fried, cast it on a good plate with much sugar above and below; and this omelet should be eaten hot.
80. ILL-COOKED MILK (58)
Grind blanched almonds with a crustless piece of bread, and when it is well-ground strain it through a woolen cloth, and when it is all strained put it in a clean pot, and put it on the fire, and when it has boiled remove it from the fire, and take some beaten egg yolks, and cast them in the pot stirring them a few times, and then prepare dishes, and if you set the crustless piece of bread to soak in rosewater it cannot be anything but better; although the other suffices, rosewater is always good in many dishes.
81. Jusello (59) with meat broth
Take good meat broth which is fatty, and strain it through a woolen cloth; and put this broth in a clean pot, and set it to cook on the fire; and when it has boiled, take a good handful of parsley and clean it well, and grind it very well in a mortar; and blend it with the broth from the pot of meat, and strain it through a woolen cloth; and put it in your pot; and take half a pound of very good cheese of Aragon which should be fine, and grate it very well. And when it is grated, put it in a large dish; and take a pair of eggs with their whites for each dish, and beat it all a great deal, and cast it in the cheese; and let everything be well-beaten together with good fine spice in the large dish; and when everything is very well-beaten, cast it in the pot where the broth is, and give it a boil; and when it boils, give it two or three stirs with a large spoon or spoon, and then remove the pot from the fire; and cut or shred a little parsley. And cast it in the pot, and then prepare dishes of this jusello.
82. POTTAGE LIKE THE ABOVEMENTIONED ONE WITH SOMETHING ADDED,
WHICH IS CALLED JUSELLO
The above-mentioned pottage of jusello can be made for a lesser cost by adding well-grated hard bread to the grated cheese; and mix everything together with your eggs and your fine spice; and it is also good and costs less.
83. To make a good comforting verjuice
When you grind the unripe grapes (60) to extract the juice, grind them with a sprig or some leaves of basil. And it is very good for comforting the heart. And it is of good flavor.
84. MODERN POTTAGE
Take well-cleaned and washed spinach, and chard, and borage; give them a boil with meat broth which is well-salted. And see that it does not cook too much, but they should be half-cooked. And remove them from the pot. And press these herbs between two wooden chopping blocks. And then chop them very well. And when they are well-chopped, take good fatty bacon; and gently fry it so that all of its fat comes out, and cast the fat of this bacon in a very clean pot, and gently fry the said herbs with this fat. And when they are gently fried, cast into the pot good strained milk of goats, or sheep, or almond milk, and cook it in your pot, and when the milk is cooked, the herbs should not yet be cooked. And then cast into the pot: cinnamon, ginger, and pepper, well-ground; and likewise, good streaky bacon cooked in the pot; and prepare dishes.
85. Another Modern Pottage
Take the fleshy leaves of the bledas (61) which is chard, and clean them very well; and give them a brief boil with water and salt, so that they come out half-cooked. And then remove it from the fire, and remove more than half of the broth; and return it to cook on the fire with a little good sweet oil; and when they are cooked, taste them for salt; and then prepare dishes and cast good grated cheese upon them, and also cast some of this cheese beneath them; and they are good for Lent, if you have a dispensation. (62)
86. Chopped Spinach
You must take spinach and clean it, and wash it very well, and give it a brief boil with water and salt; then press it very well between two chopping-blocks, then chop it very small. And then gently fry it in bacon fat; and when it is gently fried, put it in a pot on the fire, and cook it; and cast in the pot: good broth of mutton, and of bacon which is very fatty and good, only the flower (63) of the pot; and if by chance you wish it, in place of the broth, cast upon it milk of goats or sheep, and if not, of almonds; and take the bacon, and cut it into pieces the size of fingers, and cast them in the pot with the spinach; and depending on what the season it is, if you wish, cast in fresh cheese; you may do it likewise, like the abovementioned slices of bacon; and if you put in a great deal, do not put it in until the spinach is entirely cooked, and cast this in a little before dishing it out; and if you wish also to cast in tender raisins which are cooked, you can do it all around the spinach; and if you do not wish to put in these things, neither bacon nor grated cheese of Aragon, cast parsley and mint with it likewise; and the spinach will be better.
87. A VERY SINGULAR DISTILLED BROTH FOR SICK AND WEAKENED PEOPLE (64)
Take a hen well-plucked and cleaned, and cut it to pieces in such a manner that it will fit through the neck of a jug; and break the bones well in such a manner that the substance can well come out of them. And when it is in the jug, cast in for each hen a glass of rosewater, and fifteen or twenty cloves of gilofre; and cast everything inside the jug, and then stop it up very well, in such a manner that none of the substance of the hen can come out, with your dough made with rosewater; and then you must take a cauldron full of water with a handful of straws of barley or hay at the bottom of the cauldron, and upon the straw put the jug and set it to cook on the fire; and boiling the water of the cauldron will also boil the jug; and let the boil not be vigorous, but gentle; and cook it in this manner a good three and a half hours (65), and there will remain in the jug a reasonable quantity of broth; and this broth is a very extraordinary thing for those who are ill; and the straw must be put on the bottom of the cauldron so that the jug does not touch the bottom of the cauldron; because otherwise, the boiling of the cauldron would run the risk of breaking the jug, and if it did not break, the broth would absorb the flavor of the cauldron.
And if you desire to make this broth of greater sustenance for invalids who are very weak and are consumptive, you can cast in the juice of a roasted mutton leg; and not much, but something more than half-roasted, giving it some cuts until the knife goes to the bone; and press it vigorously between two chopping blocks, so that all the juice comes out of said leg, and let it fall upon the dish of concentrated broth; (66) and cast in a little bit of unripe grapes, well-ground, with some basil leaves; and this broth is a very singular thing, and of very great sustenance; and if you wish to make it of a much greater sustenance that will revive half-dead bodies and those who are at the end of life, cast into the embers or live coals, fifty pieces of gold which are very fine; and when the said pieces are glowing a great deal, remove them with very clean tongs and cast them in the broth; and if you do this two or three times, the broth will be of greater virtue; and however much more it is done, its virtue will multiply; and this broth is of such excellence that it has no price nor can its value be estimated.
88. ANOTHER SOLSIDO OF HENS OR OF MUTTON OR CAPONS
You must take a hen or capon, and arrange it as if you were going to roast it, and make pieces of it; and with a pestle, break the bones very well in such a manner that the substance can come out of it and put it in a new, very clean pot; and put whole cinnamon in the pot, and whole cloves, and a little saffron, because it cheers the heart, and all tied inside a linen cloth, clean and well-washed; and put the little rag in the pot hanging from a very clean thread, or loose if you wish;, and cover the pot very well with its lid; and fasten it at the junctures between the pot and the lid with dough and water, and a wet rag around the dough, in such a manner that no substance or steam can come out of the pot; and let the pot be situated upon the coals, and covered by them up to the middle of the pot, and cook it in this manner a good three hours; and when it is cooked, remove the rag with the spices and prepare dishes; and this broth will return a nearly dead man to life, by being so singular and of such sustenance.
89. DISTILLED TORTA (67) FOR INVALIDS
You must take a hen, well-plucked and well-cleaned, and cut it to pieces, and chop it on a chopping block with the bones and all; and when it is well-chopped, mix with it a quarter of an ounce of cinnamon, and another quarter of an ounce of cloves, and a quarter of an ounce of white saunders, and muscatel grapes, and more than a glassful of water of endive, and [water] of bugloss and [water] of borage; and all this well-mixed and chopped, being put in an alembic of glazed earthenware or of glass, and distill it over a gentle fire; and a very clear water will come out; this is so cordial and so singular that it will return a dead man to life; and this torta is customarily given only to those who cannot eat.
90. BLANCMANGE FOR INVALIDS WHO ARE NOT EATING ANYTHING
Make solsido of a hen, and then put a pot on the fire; and when it boils, cast a pullet into it, and this solsido is made in this manner: take a hen, and break its bones well, and then put a pot on the fire and cook it until it boils a great deal, and never ceases to boil. And when you see that there are two dishes of broth, remove the pot from the fire. And then take a few blanched almonds and grind them. And when they are well-ground, strain them with that broth. And then take a pullet that was killed the night before, and remove the breasts, and set it to roast; and when it is half-roasted, remove it from the spit and grind it; and being well-ground, strain it with that milk you made; and strain it thickly, so that nothing has to be taken away from the breasts of the pullet; (68) and put sugar in proportion, and cook it over a few coals; and when it turns thick, let it cook a little more; and if you wish make some sauce for the invalid, take a few toasted almonds, and grind them with a liver of a roasted hen, and likewise, blend it with the solsido of hen, and put [in] those almonds which should be quite thick. And then put a good quantity of sugar, and cinnamon, and a pair of cloves, and go to the fire to cook. And when it is cooked, cast in a little of the melted enjundia (69) of the hen so that it has more liquor and flavor; and dish it out with your sugar and cinnamon.
91. MARZIPANS FOR INVALIDS WHO HAVE LOST THE DESIRE TO EAT, VERY GOOD AND OF GREAT SUSTENENCE
MAZAPANES PARA DOLIENTES QUE PIERDAN EL COMER, MUY BUENOS Y DE GRAN SUSTANCIA
Take a very fat capon or a hen which is very fat, and cook it with just your salt until it is very well-cooked; then take the breasts from it, and all the white meat without skin, and weigh that meat, and take as much peeled almonds, and combine the meat and the almonds; and take as much fine white sugar as all of this, and grind the almonds a great deal, and then the meat with them, and then the sugar; and then grind everything together, and stretch that dough upon a wafer, and make little marzipans of the size that you wish; and make the edges a little high, and let it be a little deep in the middle; and moisten it with orange-flower water with some feathers. And then sprinkle fine ground and sifted sugar over that water, and then moisten it again, and sprinkle it as before; and then cook them in the oven in some flat casseroles, and paper underneath; and let the fire of the oven be moderate; and upon removing it from the casserole, the paper must be cast off of each one, (70) in such a manner that the marzipan does not break. And this is a very singular dish and of great support for the invalids who have lost the [desire] to eat; because the little of this that they eat is of more sustenance than any other thing; principally drinking in addition to it the sulsido of hens made in the jug; and this cannot have a value placed upon it.
92. Casserole for Invalids
Take a pullet or a cockerel and kill it the night before, and cut it to pieces. And then take orange juice and rosewater so that the juice will not be very strong. And then you will take a small casserole, and cast into it the cockerel or pullet with good enjundia of a hen, or its fat with the said juice, and then put it in the oven, and when it is almost cooked take a pair of fresh eggs and beat them with orange juice and rosewater, and cast it into the casserole; and then return it to the oven and leave it there for the space of a credo (71) and remove it; and give it to the invalid who has lost appetite.
93. Stuffing for Invalids
You will take a pullet that was killed the night before, and is well-plucked and cleaned, and take a few blanched almonds, and a few raisins, and the fat of a hen, and a small piece of whole cinnamon, and a clove of gilofre, and mix everything; and put it all inside the pullet, and cook it so that the stuffing does not come out; and then roast it on a spit, and baste it with grease from a hen; and in this manner one makes the poultry stuffing for invalids.
94. Barley-water for Invalids
ORDIATE (72) PARA DOLIENTES
You will take barley and cook it the night before, according to the quantity that you wish to make. Then take a pullet or cockerel, and break its bones and then make a pot boil with water that is clean; and moderately, in such a manner that when you cast in the pullet or cockerel, the water only covers it; and [this is] if it is little, of necessity you will have to cast in more water if the pullet is larger, and it is necessary that it cooks longer; and it must cook or boil constantly, and never cease to boil. And do not cast in salt until the last, when you know that there is no more than a dishful of broth, because it will be more flavorful. And having done this, after the patient has supped, you will take a few peeled almonds and grind them with a little of the white meat of the pullet in a mortar; and blend them with the broth of the cockerel or pullet; and when you have strained it, put this milk in a little pot; and if you wish, cast in a tiny bit of starch; you can cast it in at the same time as the milk; and then take the barley or ordio when it is cooked, and take a hemp-tow (73) which should not be very thin, and put it in that ordio or barley, and press down the hemp-tow very well, in such a manner that all the liquor comes out of the barley; then take that milk that you removed, and strain it through a sieve, in such a manner that little of the starch passes through it; and then strain everything again, the barley and all; and it should be a little clear and thin. Because in resting overnight it will turn thick. And I wish to say this now: let it cook the night before with sugar; and in the morning, when the patient is going to drink it, make it boil a little, and that will make it of great benefit; and when you give this barley-water, cast a little sugar over the dish; and if you don't wish to cast in starch, do not cast it in, [and see] that nothing goes into it.
95. ALMOND DISH FOR INVALIDS
For two dishes; take a pound of almonds and peel them so that they become blanched, not with boiling water, because they lose their virtue and flavor, but rather that which is hot, and leave them there a little while until they peel. And grind them in a stone mortar two or three times, each time extracting the milk; and three dishes of milk will come out of them; and after cooking, two dishes will remain; and while cooking, cast in a little bit of salt, and your sugar and a little rosewater; and cook it away from the fire over the coals, where it does not smoke; and if the invalid has great fever and heat in his kidneys, you may cast in seeds of melon or gourd; (74) and if he has any tightness in the chest, extract milk from the almonds with water from cooked bran, which is called talvina (75).
96. ANOTHER ALMOND DISH FOR VERY WEAKENED INVALIDS
For one dish take a half pound of blanched almonds, and grind them in a mortar with a breast of capon or hen, roasted or boiled; and keep wetting the pestle of the mortar in rosewater; and when it is well-ground, blend it with the same broth of capon or hen, and strain it through a woolen cloth; and give it a brief boil or two with a half ounce of sugar, and a little rosewater; you can add fine melon seeds with the almonds.
97. ANOTHER ALMOND DISH FOR INVALIDS WHO HAVE GREAT HEAT AND GREAT BURNING
OTRA ALMENDRADA PARA DOLIENTES QUE TIENEN GRAN CALENTURA Y GRANDES ARDORES
Cook a very tender gourd with water and salt until it is almost cooked; and then press it between two chopping blocks or silver plates, until the water comes out of them; and empty out the water in which they were cooked, and return them to the pot, and cast almond milk on them, little by little; and stir it constantly with a stick or spoon until the gourd is thick and quite mushy; and cast upon it a half ounce of sugar, stirring constantly; and cast on it a little rosewater to comfort the heart.
98. ELECTUARY (76) OF SOUR CHERRIES FOR SICK PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOST THE DESIRE TO EAT
LETUARIO DE GUINDAS PARA LOS ENFERMOS QUE HAN PERDIDO LA GANA DE COMER
Take as many sour cherries as you wish and put them in a saucepan upon the fire; and cast them in water by themselves, and let them cook in that water until they turn very tender and appear white; and then throw out that water of theirs in which they cooked; and then take a sieve of very thin horsehair, in which you can strain them, and rub them so much with your hands that everything passes through. Then for each pound of these cherries prepared like this, take half a pound of sugar and mix it in your saucepan on a gentle fire, constantly stirring with a cane until they are cooked; and then put it aside; and put this electuary in a vessel of glazed earthenware, well-stoppered; if you wish, you can put some cloves and a little cinnamon in it.
99. TO BRING COLD TO THOSE WHO HAVE SHARP FEVERS, EVEN THOUGH IT IS OUTSIDE THE TOPIC
PARA HACER VENIR EL FRIO AL QUE TIENE FIEBRES AGUDAS, AUNQUE SEA FUERA DE PROPOSITO
Extract the juice of semi-sweet (77) pomegranates (78), as much as could be contained in a good egg, and cast on it a little sugar, and set it to settle overnight; and in the morning, give it to him to drink; and let him drink it cold right away; and if he drinks it cold, the invalid is in no danger; and this is done for seven or nine mornings, and it is a singular experience. Many other foods can be made for invalids that I omit writing in order not to be tedious; and this is enough of the foods for the invalids.
100. TO EAT FIGS IN THE FRENCH MANNER
Take dried figs, the sweetest that you can get, black and white, and remove the stems and wash them with good white wine which is sweet; and when they are very well-cleaned, take an earthenware casserole which is big enough, which has a flat bottom, and cast them inside, stirring them a little; and then put this casserole upon the coals, and well-covered in a manner that it is stewed there. And when they are stewed, and they will have absorbed all of the moisture of the wine, stir them a little, and cast fine spice on top of them; and turn them, stirring in a manner that incorporates that spice in them; and then eat this food; and it is an elegant thing; and it should be eaten at the beginning of the meal.
101. THIN WHITE SAUCE
Take three pounds of almonds, and peel them and grind them well in a mortar; then blend them with broth that is very lean and without fat, which should be from hens or mutton, and strain them through a woolen cloth; and then set this milk aside and take a pot, and cast the best broth and the fattiest into it, and set it to cook; and when it boils, you should cast in an ounce of whole cinnamon or that which seems right to you, and tie it with a thread together with a small bunch of mint; and when it has boiled well, take the cinnamon and the mint out of the pot. And then cast into the pot an ounce of fine sugar and the almond milk. And boil it a little; and when it is cooked, prepare dishes; and there should be exactly four dishes of thin sauce.
102. BRUSCATE FOR TWELVE DISHES WHICH IS MADE FROM KID'S LIVER AND SPLEEN
BRUSCATE PARA DOCE ESCUDILLAS QUE SE HACE DE HIGADO DE CABRITO Y DE BAZO
You must take two pounds of toasted almonds, and grind them well in a mortar; and take three sheep spleens, and a kid's liver, and a handful of these herbs which are: moraduj, which in Castile is called marjoram, and savory, and mint, and parsley, tying it all with a thread, and set it all to cook in a casserole; and when it is cooked with that broth, you will prepare the almond milk together with the liver and the herbs; and grind it all with twelve eggs, all together with a little white vinegar; and when everything is ground, blend it with the broth, and strain it through a woolen cloth; and when it has been strained, mix it with the almond milk, and then let it go to the fire to cook; and while boiling it, and stirring it, put into the pot an ounce or a half of fine spice; and stir it constantly with a stick until it is thick; and if it does not become thick, cast in a little starch; and make it in such a manner that the sauce has good color; and then prepare dishes.
103. Biza Sauce for Ten Dishes
You must take three pounds of peeled almonds and grind them well in a mortar; and then blend them with good hen's broth; and make it strain through a sieve, in such a manner that the milk comes out well; then set it aside. And then take the livers of ducks or hens, and grind them in a mortar, then take three or four heads of garlic roasted in the coals, and grind them with the livers. And after chopping everything well, blend it all with the broth and strain it through a woolen cloth; and then put it in a pot together with the milk; and cast into the pot: ginger, and cinnamon, and pepper, all ground, and of each item one dinero; and one egg yolk, well-beaten, for each dish; and two ounces of sugar; cast it into the pot.
104. Sauce Which is Called PINE NUT DISH of Garlic
You will take a pound of pine nuts, and another of peeled almonds, and grind them very well, each by itself, and then both together. And cook two heads of garlic in a little pot with broth of hen or mutton; and then when the garlic is well-cooked, grind it with the pine nuts and with the well-peeled almonds; first [grind] the garlic, and when it is all well-ground, grind also with it a little grated cheese, which is very good, with eight or nine hard-boiled egg yolks; and when everything is well-ground, blend it with the broth of hen, and mutton. And set it to cook in a very clean pot; and cast into it one or two ounces of sugar, and a little bit of rose vinegar tempered with rosewater in which crushed cloves, and ginger, and cinnamon, and pepper have been steeping overnight; and cook it until it is cooked and quite thick; and prepare dishes, and cast sugar and cinnamon over it.
105. LEEK POTTAGE
POTAJE DE PORRADA
You must take leeks, well-peeled, and washed and cleaned the night before, set them to soak in an earthen bowl filled with water, in the night air; and let them be this way all night until the morning; and then give them a boil, moderately, because they are very difficult to cook; and when they are well-boiled, press them a great deal between two chopping blocks, and gently fry them with the fat of good bacon; and do not cast salt upon them; and when they are well gently fried, set them to cook in a little good broth which is fatty; and then take almond milk and cast it in the pot and cook it until it is quite thick; and when it is thick, taste it for salt, and if it lacks salt cast it in; and then prepare dishes, and [cast] upon them sugar and cinnamon.
106. GOOD MEMBRILLATE WHICH IS A POTTAGE OF QUINCES
You must take as many quinces as you wish to make dishes, and quarter them, and remove the core and the pips from them, and pare off the skin; and when they are well-peeled, wash them with tepid water; then remove them from that water and set them to cook in cold water; and when they begin to get mushy, then they are cooked; and remove them from the kettle and grind them well in a mortar; and blend them with a little of that same water of theirs, and strain them through a woolen cloth; and then take three pounds of unpeeled almonds, but only wash them in cold water, or tepid which would be better, and grind them well in a mortar; and when they are well-ground, strain them through a woolen cloth, having been blended with tepid water (and if it is a meat day, blend it with meat broth); and cast the milk in with the quinces; and then cast into the pot all manner of fine spices, which are: good ginger, and good cinnamon, and saffron, and grains of paradise, and nutmeg, and mace, and if it is a meat day, you will cast in two egg yolks for each dish; and if it is a fish day, it is not needful; and when it is quite thick, prepare dishes, and [cast] upon them sugar and cinnamon.
107. GIROFLINA (79) SAUCE
You will take three sheep spleens and cook them in the pot; and after cooking them, grind them well in a mortar; and then [take] a good quantity of toasted bread, and let it be well-toasted and soaked in the broth from the spleens, and grind it with the said spleens; and cast into the mortar a dozen or a half of eggs, and grind it with the spleens and with the bread; and when it is well-ground, cast in good fine spice, except for saffron; and grind everything together; and when it is all well-ground, blend it with the broth from the spleen, and strain it through a woolen cloth; and then set it to cook in your pot; and cook it little by little with very little fire, stirring it constantly with a stick until it is quite thick; and then prepare dishes.
108. cameline sauce (80)
Take two or three white pomegranates (81) and seed them on a very clean linen cloth; and when they are seeded, press them a great deal, in such a way that all the juice comes out; and then take a little bread, toasted and soaked in the said juice, and then take a good quantity of ground cinnamon, and cast it in with the bread, and grind it well in a mortar; and after grinding it, blend it with good broth from the pomegranates or with vinegar, which should not be very strong; and then set it on the fire to cook, stirring it constantly until it is thick; and before it boils, put a piece of fine sugar in the pot.
109. WHITE CAMELINE SAUCE
You must take well-peeled blanched almonds and grind them in a mortar; and blend them with good hen's broth, which is well-salted, and then strain it through a woolen cloth; and set aside this almond milk, and then take the livers from the hens, and grind them well in a mortar; and then blend them with the almond milk and set it on the fire to cook; and cast sugar and the juice of sour pomegranates into the pot, and white vinegar, and cloves, and nutmeg, and cinnamon, and ginger, and long pepper, and white sugar; and all this should be well-ground and cast into the pot so that it can boil; and stir it constantly with a stick; and when it is thick, it will be cooked; but taste for salt, and for flavor, and for spice, and for sweetness, and sourness; and before it is cooked, cast in good hen's broth, which is quite fatty, into the pot, and it must be from the juice that falls from the roasting hens into a casserole.
110. DOBLADURA OF MUTTON
You will take a crustless piece of bread and remove the crust (82), and toast it so that it is not burnt, and set it to soak in the meat broth; and then take fatty bacon and fry it gently until all of the fat comes out; and then gently fry with it an onion, very clean, and cut small; and take a good quantity of toasted hazelnuts, and grind them with the toasted bread that was soaked in the broth; and after grinding it well, blend it with the meat broth, and strain it through a woolen cloth; and then take the meat and make pieces as big as two fingers and gently fry them with the bacon fat; and after gently frying it, mix it with the onion; and then take fourteen egg yolks, and all fine spices, and a little saffron, so that it has the color of the flowers of hiniesta or broom (83), and beat the eggs very well with the spice, and cast them into the pot to cook with the bacon and with the onions; and cook it long enough to turn quite thick; and when it is cooked, prepare dishes; and [cast] upon them ground cinnamon, and [cast] upon the cinnamon, seeds of sweet pomegranates.
111. DOBLADURA OF VEAL
Roast good veal, and when it is more than half-roasted, remove it from the fire and from the spit; and cut it to pieces the size of two fingers or even smaller; and then take an onion, well-peeled and clean and cut it very small, and gently fry it with good meat broth (64) that is fatty and when it has been gently fried, moderately, take streaky bacon, and cut it just like the veal. And then cast the veal and the bacon in the casserole with the onion and gently fry everything together. And after gently frying it, put into the casserole: ginger, and cinnamon, and cloves, all well-ground; and give it three or four stirs; and then take a little malmsey (85) or wine of San Martin (86), and a little bit of vinegar and cast it into the casserole. And then make milk from almonds which are not peeled, but only rubbed with a very rough hemp-tow, and grind them with a crustless piece of toasted bread soaked in vinegar and watered down with meat broth; and when the cinnamon (87) is nearly cooked, cast in the almond milk and let it cook until it is quite thick, and then put it on plates. There are many who cast parsley, and mint, and marjoram in the casserole, but if you do not cast it in, it doesn't matter much.
112. SMOOTH SAUCE FOR FOWLS IN THE POT
SALSA LISA PARA VOLATERIA DE OLLA
Set hens or capons to cook in your pot; and when they are cooked you will take two and remove the breasts, and all the white meat of the breasts and grind it well in such manner that none of the substance is lost; and then take peeled almonds and grind them separately in a mortar, and then strain them through a woolen cloth; and blend the meat [by] grinding it with the milk; and then strain it again and put it in the pot where it must cook; and when it has boiled a little, cast in verjuice, or juice of orange, or of lemons, or white vinegar, and ground white ginger; and you can also put in scrapings of ginger in pieces the size of a finger, soaked a little while in broth, or in the sour juices of the pot; and then take cinnamon, and whole cloves, and set them in the pot tied with a thread, in such a manner than when they have lost their flavor you can take them out; and you must know that with the white meat of two hens and with a pound of almonds, you can make ten dishes; and this sauce goes with boiled hens or capons, and it must be deep in color; and there need not be saffron in it because it will be yellow.
113. GRANADA SAUCE
Cook the livers of the hens in a pot; and when they are cooked, grind them in a mortar with egg yolks; and blend them with good broth, which is well-salted; and then cast in a little orange juice, and then a little of spices for peacock (88), well-ground; and being well-thinned, let it go to cook on the fire until it becomes thick, stirring it constantly with a stick, in such a manner that the pot is half-full (89) and prepare dishes.
114. brown Sauce for Partridges and Doves
You will take the livers of the partridges or doves, and roast them in the coals; and when they are roasted, grind them with a crustless piece of bread, toasted and soaked in white vinegar, tempered with red wine; then cook eggs in water until they are quite hard, and remove the yolks and grind everything together with the livers and the bread; and then blend it with a little red wine and a little vinegar, and then strain it through a woolen cloth. And then put all these things in the pot: and a little honey, and pepper, and cinnamon, and ginger, and cloves, and nutmeg, all well-pulverized, and boil it with little fire until it turns thick, because the wine does not tolerate much fire, for it evaporates and goes away in steam; and this sauce goes with roasted partridges or doves.
115. Rosemary Sauce for Four Dishes
You will take a pound of almonds and rub them very vigorously with a rough hemp-tow, and then grind them in a mortar with a crustless piece of toasted bread soaked in white vinegar, but it is better in rosemary water; then blend it with good meat broth and strain it through a woolen cloth; and then taste it for flavor [to see] if it tastes of rosemary; and if it does not, put in a little of the herb, which should be well-ground and dry, but take care that you don't cast in much, so that for each little bit that you cast in take a taste; and then set it upon the fire until it turns thick; and then remove it from the fire, and let it rest; and prepare dishes, [cast] upon them sugar and cinnamon.
116. Agalura Sauce for One Dish
Take almonds toasted in the coals, a handful of them, and grind them well in a mortar, and cast an egg yolk in the mortar, and then three blancas or two maravedis (90) of ground cinnamon, and one maravedi of ground spice, and vinegar watered down with sweet wine; and blend everything in the mortar. And then strain it through a sieve; and this sauce can be made in Lent, not casting in eggs, but in its place you can put a crustless piece of toasted bread soaked in vinegar, and three blancas of small raisins, ground with the bread; then set it to cook on the fire; and when it is thick, prepare dishes, and this sauce must have the color of sauce for peacock. (91)
117. BOILed or Stewed wheat
Take coarse summer wheat and put it in a mortar of marble or stone, and crush it, striking it continuously and in such a manner with the pestle, which should be of box-wood, in the center of the mortar, however take care that the wheat is not ground, but peeled. While crushing it, cast in water little by little, because it is the water which peels it; and when the wheat is well-peeled, put it in a rough canvas of hemp-tow and rub [the wheat] with [the canvas] vigorously in such a manner that the peel or bran comes off it completely. When it is clean, wash it with two or three [changes of] water, and let the water be moderately hot. Then the night before, cast the wheat in to cook, and cook it until the grains are burst or pressed; (92) and then remove it from the fire; and put it in a wooden bowl or in a deep plate, and cover it well, and let it be there all night until the morning; and when the morning comes, move it from one pot to another, and set it to cook on the fire; and when it is cooked, cast upon it almond milk that has been strained through a sieve; and you must know that for two dishes of wheat three pounds of almond are needed, and at least three ounces of coarse or summer wheat; and [cast] upon the dishes, sugar and cinnamon.
118. Oatmeal Gruel and Barley Gruel
Take peeled almonds and grind them in a mortar; then blend them with good broth if you will have it so; if not, [blend them] with salt and water and oil; then strain it through a woolen cloth so that it will be thin; then take the oats and make flour from it, then set it to cook by itself; and when it is more than half cooked, strain it through a woolen cloth that is thick; and let the oats be somewhat thin that they may be better strained; and when you have strained them, mix it with the almond milk, and set it to cook on the fire with a piece of sugar in it, which is white, in the pot; and cook it a good hour and a half until it is quite thick, and taste it for salt; and prepare dishes, and cast sugar upon them; and in this same manner barley is made.
119. MOJI CASSEROLE (93)
Take eggplants, neither very big nor very small, but middling, and open them in the middle and cast them to cook with your salt; and when they are well-cooked, drain them with a cloth which is rough; and then chop them a great deal, and cast them in a frying-pan or kettle and cast in a good deal of oil; and take toasted bread and grate it, cast it there within, and cast in aged grated cheese; and when it is stirred for a good while over the fire, have ground dry coriander, caraway, and pepper, and cloves, and a little ginger, and stir it over the fire; and cast in some eggs, and stir it over the fire until it is hard; and then take a casserole, and cast in a little bit of oil, and place it in [the casserole]; and beat some eggs with pepper, and saffron, and cloves, and some of the same toasted bread that is contained in the casserole, and some of the grated cheese; and make it thick and place it on top in the manner of a facing (94) and put your yolks on it; and coagulate it in the oven or with a cuajadera, which is an iron pot-lid with coals on top, and when it is coagulated, remove it from the fire; and cast on top of it a dish of honey which is very good and your duke's powder (95). This same casserole can be made from chard or carrots.
120. for Pickled Eggplants
You will take small eggplants, and make four quarters as if for casting them in a pot, and cast them in water and salt in something which should be of earthenware and not of iron; and let them be there until the third day; and empty out that water and cast in other water and salt, and let them be [in it] another three days; and empty out this water and cast them into clear water for another three days, and after the three days have passed, cast them to cook, covered with vine leaves; and cast into them a handful of cumin and cook them [until they are] well-cooked; and cast them in a basket, and cover them with cloth; and when all of the vapor has gone, put them on a board to chill; and grind cloves, and cinnamon, and ginger. When it is very well-ground, cast it in, as they cast salt on the eggplants for the pot; and place them in a jar until it is full; and for a hundred eggplants, take two pounds of honey, and cast very strong vinegar on them, and give it a boil; and then set it to cool in something of earthenware, and not of iron; and when it is cold, cast it on top of the eggplants until they are covered; and put a lid on them, and keep them for a whole year.
121. Fleshy Leaves of Cabbages
You will take the fleshy leaves of cabbages which are clean and set them to cook with good fatty broth; and take pork grease or lardo, which is melted bacon; and take two onions and cut them in the fashion of a cross, and set them to cook with the fleshy leaves of the cabbages; and when the cabbages begin to fall apart, turn them with a haravillo until they turn yellow, and they shall be thoroughly mushy and they will be thick. Then remove them from the fire, and let them rest before preparing dishes.
122. Garlic Sauce for Geese
Roast three or four heads of garlic between the embers or hot ashes; and after roasting them, peel off the husks and skins and taste one grain; and if it seems strong to you, cook them in a pot with only water and give them a boil; and then take a pound of pine nuts, and half of peeled almonds, and grind them (97) in a mortar; and when they are more than half ground, grind those pine nuts and garlic with them very forcefully; and then blend them with good broth which is fatty, and strain it through a woolen cloth; and then set it in the pot to cook; and cast in four ounces of sugar, and whole cinnamon tied with a thread and soaked in rosewater. And put everything together in the pot. And leave it to cook until it is well-thickened; and it is necessary to cook it a good hour.
123. Roast Cat (98) as You Wish to Eat It
You will take a cat that is fat, and decapitate it. And after it is dead, cut off the head and throw it away because it is not for eating, for they say that eating the brains will cause him who eats them to lose his senses and judgment. Then flay it very cleanly, and open it and clean it well, and then wrap it in a cloth of clean linen. And bury it beneath the ground where it must be for a day and a night; and then take it out of there and set it to roast on a spit. And roast it over the fire. And when beginning to roast it, grease it with good garlic and oil. And when you finish greasing it, whip it well with a green twig (99), and this must be done before it is well-roasted, greasing it and whipping it. And when it is roasted, cut it as if it were a rabbit or a kid and put it on a big plate; and take garlic and oil blended with good broth in such a manner that it is well-thinned. And cast it over the cat. And you may eat of it because it is very good food.
124. Meat Casserole
You must take meat and cut it into pieces the size of a walnut, and gently fry it with the fat of good bacon; and when it is well gently fried, cast in good broth, and cook it in a casserole; and cast in all fine spices, and saffron, and a little orange juice or verjuice, and cook it very well until the meat begins to fall apart and only a little broth remains; and then take three or four eggs beaten with orange juice or verjuice, and cast it into the casserole; and when you wish to eat, give it four or five stirs with a large spoon, and then it will thicken; and when it is thick, remove it from the fire; and prepare dishes, and cast cinnamon upon each one. However, there are those who do not wish to cast in eggs or spice, but only cinnamon and cloves, and cook them with the meat, as said above, and cast vinegar on it so that it may have flavor; and there are others who put all the meat whole and in one piece, full of cinnamon, and whole cloves, and ground spices in the broth, and this must be turned little by little, so that it does not cook more at one end than the other. And so nothing is necessary but cloves and cinnamon, and those moderately.
125. Rorolas of Livers, Which is a Fritter
You must take livers of hens, or capons, or of kid, which is very good, and roast them in the coals. And then grind them in a mortar. And then, according to the quantity that they are, take as much toasted bread soaked in white vinegar which should be well watered-down, with a little fine rosewater, so that it will not be too strong. Then grind everything together with the livers; and for two livers put one egg in the mortar together with the bread and cheese; and the bread and cheese should be as much as the quantity of the all the livers. And grind everything together. And then take a little dried mint, and toast it a little so that it can be ground. And when it is ground, mix everything together in a mortar. And when it is well-mixed, take fine spice and cast in the quantity that seems [right] to you. Then take a frying pan and put in it lard, or pork grease without salt, and oil if you wish it to be very sweet, and set it on the fire. And when it boils, cast in a ladleful of said pottage. And fry it in this way, ladleful by ladleful. And when it is the color of gold, take it out of the frying pan because they are cooked. And when all the plates are prepared, cast upon them fine ground cinnamon, and sugar, if you wish, although it is not very necessary. But nothing by itself will harm the food. However, you must cast it with prudence.
126. BASIN of Figs
You will take very good dried figs, very sweet, and flatten them well, one by one, and remove from them the hard part of the stems, and take a basin or a deep plate which is new and very clean. And put at the bottom of the basin a layer of red roses, removing the white part of them with scissors. And upon the roses a little sugar, and then a layer of the figs, and in this manner, making a layer of the roses and sugar and another of the figs, fill up the basin or plate. And having done this, cover the basin well, so that it is there for fifteen or twenty days. And then eat those figs, and this is a very exquisite food.
127. Genovese Tart
A pound of almonds well-peeled, and another of pine nuts, and another of toasted hazelnuts, and grind them all together in a mortar and after grinding, set them aside. And take a pot with water, and salt, and oil. And this shall be on a flesh day, and taste [to see] if it is well-salted; and take a half pound of raisins without seeds, and three ounces of peeled dates cut into quarters, and three or four apples which are sweet-sour or sweet, and quarter them and remove the core and seeds, and cast them in the pot to cook. And when it is well-boiled, the apples will be cooked. And then remove them from the water, and grind them with the dates, and raisins, and almonds, and with the hazelnuts, and pine nuts. And after they are well-ground, blend it all with the said broth; and if it is a flesh day, you may cast into the mortar a dozen eggs ground up with the aforementioned things. And then strain it through a sieve, and having done this take good dough which is well-kneaded, and make a trencher as large as if it were the bottom of the frying pan which you have, and make its edges like a empanada without a top; however, let it be the size of the frying pan neither more no less, and put it in the frying pan; and when it is inside, cast in a little oil underneath so that the dough does not stick to the frying pan; and then cast all that sauce or foodstuff in the pie, and put it upon good hot cinders; and then take a lid which is as large as the frying pan, that will cover it well, and put a good fire of charcoal above and below and around it. And when it has been like this for a little while, carefully remove the lid from the top, and cast into the tart two ounces of sugar, and one of ground cinnamon, and then cover it again with its lid; and cook two hours until the dough comes away from the frying-pan; and then it is cooked, and remove it to a plate as if it were an omelet; and put it on the table like a pie.
128. Venetian Xinxanella
Take fat cheese, and grate a good handful of it, and grated bread from a small loaf of three blancas, and three maravedis of fine spice, and one maravedi of saffron, and eight eggs, and let all be well-mixed, and kneaded all together; and when all is well-mashed, take the cheese grater turned back to front, and put this paste on it; and when the broth is boiling vigorously and is fatty you must make this paste pass through the holes of the grater above the pot in such a manner that what passes through goes into the pot; and when everything has been passed through, let it cook like fideos or like morteruelo; and when it is cooked, prepare dishes. But let it be thin, mixed with a little of the broth, so that it is not as thick as fideos. However, let the broth be fatty, and if it is fatty beef broth, it will be a very good dish, amongst the best in the world; and with the quantities mentioned above you can make about eight dishes.
129. SECTIONS OR SLICES OF NEW CHEESE WHICH ARE FRITTERS OR
PANCAKES
REBANADAS O TAJADAS DE QUESO FRESCO QUE ES FRUTA DE SARTEN
Take new cheese, and make slices as thick as your finger; and take dough which is well-leavened and is from good flour, and let it be kneaded very thin and take some egg yolks, and mix them well with the dough, and the slices of cheese above and below, and then put them to fry in a pan with very good lard, and turn it promptly so that it cannot burn. But if you cook it with grease, like fritters, it will be much better. And when they are cooked, cast sugar on top of them, and eat them hot, because this dish is worthless in any other manner.
130. Meat or Fish PASTRY
You must take meat or fish, and give it a boil. But if it is meat, boil it more than the fish. And when it is well-boiled, take it from the fire and put it in cold water. And then make the empanada. And put in the meat or fish which is cut into small pieces, as big as two fingers, or even smaller. And put them in the empanada, and then go to the oven and make a vent hole on top of the lid of the empanada so that it can breathe, or else it will burst in the oven. And when you put the meat in the empanada, also put fine spice with it. And if it is fish, use a good deal of pepper. And if it is meat, use a good deal of spice; and a little before it is time to remove the empanada from the oven, put into the vent hole some eggs beaten in a dish with verjuice or orange juice or rose-scented white vinegar. And then return it to the oven for the space of a Paternoster and an Ave Maria. And take it out and put it on the table.
131. PASTRIES OF FINE SUGAR
EMPANADAS DE AZUCAR FINO
You must take a pound of peeled almonds and grind them dry without casting any water or broth on them so that they will become very oily, because the oilier they are the better they will be. And then take a pound and a half of white sugar that has been pulverized. And mix it well with the almonds. And when everything is well-mixed and ground, if it should be very hard, soften it with a little rosewater. And when the dough has been softened a little, dust a little ginger over it, at your discretion, well-ground. And then take dough made from flour and knead it with good eggs and sweet fine oil. And from this dough make tortillas, or empanadillas, (102) or spiral cakes. And fill them with said dough. And then put a casserole on the fire with good sweet oil. And when it boils cast in these empanadillas. And cook them until they turn yellow like the color of gold. And when you take them from the fire, cast liquefied honey on top. And upon the honey, [cast] sugar and cinnamon.
132. ROASTED CHEESE
QUESO ASADERO
Whatever sort of cheese that is buttery or fit for roasting is good: that which they make in Lombardy or Parma, or Brufalino (103) or Cascavallo (104) or cheese from Aragon and Navarre. And in some parts of Castile they make it very good. Take this cheese, and grate it well if it can be grated. And if not, cut it small or as you wish. And take meat broth which is very fatty, and put it in a casserole. And cast the cheese in with it. And put it on the fire, stirring it constantly with a stick. Then take for each dish of broth, a well-beaten egg yolk. And cast them into the cheese, constantly stirring with a spoon. And cast in a piece of sugar to cook. And when the cheese forms thongs it is done; cast upon it ground sugar.
133. ORANGES (105) of Xativa (106) which are Cheesecakes (107)
You must take new cheese and curd cheese, and grind them in a mortar together with eggs. Then take dough and knead those cheeses with the curd cheese, together with the dough. And when everything is incorporated and kneaded take a very clean casserole. And cast into it a good quantity of sweet pork fat or fine sweet oil. And when the pork grease or oil boils, make some balls from said dough, like toy balls or round oranges. And cast them into the casserole in such a manner that the ball goes floating in the casserole. And you can also make buñuelos (108) of the dough, or whatever shapes and ostentations you wish. And when they are the color of gold, take them out, and cast in as many others. And when everything is fried, put it on plates. And cast honey upon it, and on top of the honey [cast] ground sugar and cinnamon. However, note one thing: that you must put a bit of leaven in the cheeses and in the eggs, and in the other put flour. And when you make the balls, grease your hands with a little fine oil, and then [the balls] go to the casserole. And when it is inside, if the dough crackles it is a signal that it is very soft, and you must cast in more flour [into the dough] until it is harder. And when the fritter is made and fried, cast your honey on it, and [cast] sugar and cinnamon on top as is said above.
134. spiral cakes of fritter Which They Call CASQUETAS (109) in
Valencia and in Barcelona
ROSQUILLAS DE FRUTA QUE LLAMAN CASQUETAS EN VALENCIA Y EN BARCELONA
Make a spiral biscuit in the oven which is thoroughly twice-baked (110), and at the time of kneading it, put in a little oil because it will be better to cut and to grind, and when it is all grated, grind it very fine. And then take as much fritter-stuff as the biscuit, grated and powdered, which is hazelnuts and toasted almonds and some ground pine nuts. And grind everything together; and when it is well-ground, mix the flour as one with the ground biscuit; and when it is all well-mixed and ground, take fine spices, and the greatest amount should be pepper. And mix it very vigorously with the paste in such a way that the spice incorporates well with the paste; and then take honey, and set it to cook. And when bubbles burst or boil, skim it well. And then boil it a little, (but not much, because if it were very cooked it would not remain able to mix well with the paste, because it would be very hard) in such a manner that it is better to be cooked a little than much. And this being done, remove it from the fire so that it cools a bit; and then, cast the fritter-stuff upon the honey, and when you can bear to handle it with your hands, knead it very well on a smooth stone table. And knead it as vigorously as well-kneaded dough. And upon each of these rosquillas you can stick in pine nuts before finishing it.
However, before all of this, you must have dough made of very good flour, well-kneaded with oil, and quite firm, which you will knead with water which has a little saffron blended in it, so that the dough has color. However, don't cast in much saffron. And when it is well-kneaded, take little pieces of it, and with a smooth and round cane make it very thin, in such a way that it remains quite thin. And with a knife cut it into equal strips, and each will serve for one casqueta. And then each strip is filled up with your paste or put your pine nuts stuck in between the paste and the fritter-stuff, as I have said; and this being done, cover the rosquillas with your covering of dough. And being covered, paint (111) them with your small tongs very well painted. And then put them in the oven, it is to be understood, after they have taken all the bread out of the aforesaid oven, so that there only remains the heat that is necessarily required to cook this fritter. And in this way they cannot burn, nor is it possible that they burn, but [hot] enough that they cook well. And when they are very well-cooked, take them out with much circumspection, so that they do not burn.
And if you wish to make them royal, in place of fritter paste, put paste of marzipan, of almonds, or of royal paste. And these you can give to any king or great lord.
135. Marzipans
Take almonds which are select, and wholesome, and well-peeled in boiling water. And grind them very well, moistening the pestle of the mortar in rosewater so that they don't become oily. And when they are well-ground, cast in as much syrupy sugar as there will be almonds; and let it be well-ground, and strained through a silk sieve; and make good paste incorporating the sugar little by little, and not with large amounts, so that you don't make the paste viscous, and spread them out very well.
The way to cook and glaze them:
Take fine sugar which is very well-ground, and strain it through a sieve of silk; and for a syrup put it in this way, and blend it with rosewater which is reasonably thick.
It is necessary that the oven is not very intense, but temperate; and take the sheet on which you will cook the marzipans, and heat it in the oven; and when it is hot, cast flour on it, under the marzipans, so that they don't stick; and put them in the oven until you see that you cannot bear to touch them with the back of your hand; and if the outside is not cooked, be sure to return it to the edge of the sheet with the outside on the inside. And then take them out and with a little spoon cast glaze upon them, and with some feathers spread it out all over. And then return them gently to the oven until the glaze hardens, as you think [right] according to the practice you have seen.
136. Custard Which Is a fritter
Take new cheese, and curds which should be very dry, and grind them well in a mortar with as much again of eggs; and you can also put a little of fat buttery cheese which should be grated and ground with the new cheese, and the curds, all together with a little dried and powdered mint; and then cast a little rosewater into the mortar, and it should not be much, but medium, and then make dough of very good flour, and knead it with sweet oil, which is very fine, and in such a manner that it is very well-kneaded, and that it remains and becomes very hard; and then make from the said dough some empanadillas to put the cheese into; but before you put them in and you fill them, warm the dough a little, however it should be firm; and after filling them with the said pottage, and before the empanadillas or custards are all filled, take some little tongs and shirr the edges. And then they go to the fire to cook. And when they are cooked, that they have lost the color on top and have a little color; then as they are hot, cast on them melted honey or sugar syrup, but not made with rosewater; and when they have absorbed the honey or the syrup, cast sugar and cinnamon on top of them.
137. Fritter
You will take aged grated cheese and flour, and cast it in a kettle; and grind sugar, and beat it very well with your eggs. And then take good lard and cast it in a frying pan; then cast in the fritter.
138. Fritter of blancmange
FRUTA DE MANJAR BLANCO
You will take a little flour which is very well sifted, and knead it with two eggs; and with a little bit of cow's butter, and white wine, and knead it very well; and then take a little stick for making leaf-pastry (112), and make some tartlets; and then take the blancmange (113), and cast it on top of the tartlets in the middle, and make it in such a manner that it is covered; and then set a frying pan to heat with lard which is very hot, and then cast in the tartlets.
139. fritter of Marzipan
Take blanched almonds [which are] very well-ground; and when they have been ground, cast in sugar; and for a pound of almonds another pound of sugar; and grind it all together, and as you are grinding it, feed it with rosewater, and let all be as well ground as you can; and then take well-sifted flour, and knead it with eggs and lard, and a little white wine, and make little cakes; and cast that paste in them, and set a frying pan with lard; and after heating it well, cast the fritter within, and fry it slowly; and then on the plate cast honey, and sugar, and cinnamon on it.
140. Fritter of New Cheese
You will take new cheese, which should be from sheep, and grind it in a mortar. And after grinding cast it in a tub, and cast on it a little flour well-sifted and cast within; take eggs and beat it all together; and then set a frying pan to heat with lard; and when it is well heated make some tartlets, and cast them in, and fry them slowly, and have honey and rosewater, and as [the tartlets] are fried, cast them in the honey, and then remove them to a plate; and cast upon them sugar and honey.
141. Fritter Called Robioles (114) in Catalonia
You will take goat milk, and almond milk, and then take the flower of wheat flour, and rosewater, and sugar, and egg yolks, and let all this be well-mixed; and make paste from it which is neither very soft or very hard, but moderate; and then make from it little cakes; and take hazelnuts, and pine nuts, and yolks of hard-boiled eggs, and grind them all together; and then take raw eggs, and blend them with said hazelnuts and pine nuts; and this moderately, so that it is neither very thin nor very thick. And then take sugar, and rosewater, and cinnamon, and a little ginger, and make little cakes of all this mixture with that paste; and fry these little cakes with lard and with fresh melted pork fat, in a casserole of tinned copper or bronze; and when this lard is well heated, cast in the little cakes; and after they are fried, take them out with a skimmer, and put them on a plate; and cast into it rosewater and honey; and when they are to be eaten, cast sugar and cinnamon on top of them.
142. Fritters Called Garbias in Catalonia
Take borage and chard and clean them very well, and set them to cook with water and salt; and when they are cooked, remove them from that water where they were cooked; and set them between two chopping-blocks so that all the water comes out; and then take good new cheese, and all good and fine spices, and then take a little of the finest of the wheat flour, and take hog's grease without salt, and knead this flour with the fat of the hog, and a little lukewarm water; and then take the borage, and the chard, and the cheese, and the spices, and chop it very well all together on a chopping-block or smooth board. And then take many egg yolks which are quite hard, and again chop everything together. And then make the dough which should be quite thin; and take new cheese, and mix it with all the other chopped things. And then make from that dough some little cakes as big as your hand; and put this paste inside the little cakes, and cover them very well; and then take a casserole of tinned copper, and then heat the fresh hog's grease or lard; and when it is hot, put the little cakes inside and cook them; and remove them to a plate, and put rosewater and honey on it; and at the time of eating, cast sugar and cinnamon on top of them.
143. Blancmange in a Briefer Summary
You must take a pound of rice and grind it, and strain it through a sieve; and take a breast from a recently killed hen and cook it, and then shred it and cast it in a kettle; and take a little milk and dissolve (115) it [the chicken breast] thoroughly, then take the ground rice and cast it within and beat it a great deal; and for one pound of rice, one hen's breast, and one azumbre of milk and one pound of sugar. And cast it all within the kettle; and set it to cook so that the fire strikes it in the middle, and when it is thick, cast in the pot-grease, well purified, and beat it a great deal with the grease; and then set it aside on a few embers, and then cast your sugar in the dishes.
144. Pottage Which is Called Flank
You must take a flank of mutton and cook it, and after cooking, chop it well. And cast honey in a kettle, and cast in up to three dozen blanched almonds, and let them be in the honey for a bit; and then cast in the ground meat, and cast in the fattest broth of the pot and cook with it; and then cast in saffron, cloves, and cinnamon, and your taste of vinegar, and cook with it; then cast in grated bread until it is quite thick, and then remove it to the fireside.
145. Pastry in A JAR (116)
Take a leg of mutton, and chop it very well without fat; and take a piece of fatty bacon, and chop it all together; and after chopping it well, cast it into a pot; and cast in the pot-grease and cook it well; and as it cooks, continue casting in the pot-grease; and then cast in saffron, and pepper, and cloves, and cook it a little with the spices; then cast in bread and grated cheese until it thickens; and after it has thickened, set it aside.
146. Marinated Mutton
Take a piece of mutton, and make little pieces of it, and cast it to cook in an earthen pot, with the broth of the pot. And after cooking it well, take saffron, and cloves, and pepper, and blend it with a taste of vinegar and cook it a little with that; and then take egg yolks without the whites, and beat them very well and cast them within; and stir it in one direction until it is thick; and cast in your taste of honey and then remove it.
147. Gratonada in Another Manner (117)
Take a rabbit cut into pieces, and then fry it in lard; and after it is well fried, cast it in a pot; and cast in the broth of the pot; and then having well boiled [the rabbit] with it, take a little parsley, and cloves, and saffron, and pepper, and a crustless piece of bread, and grind everything together; and cast egg yolks into the mortar, and grind it all together; and then cast it within [the pot]; and cast in your taste of vinegar; and cook it a little until it thickens, and remove it.
148. PICKLED RABBITS
Roast the rabbits, and cut them at the joints; and take in a frying-pan: two parts of vinegar and one of water if the vinegar is weak; if [the vinegar] is strong, equal parts [of vinegar and water]; and cast in salt until you see that it has flavor; and cast in the salt in stages, not all together, so that it does not become salty; and cast in oil which is sweet, the quantity that seems [right] to you, because some wish a little and others, a lot; and give it a boil without the rabbits; and then cast everything together into a pot, and set it apart so that it will cool; and cast in ginger, cloves, and saffron; and this escabeche will last many days.
149. Mirrauaste in Another Way (118)
Cook a hen, and then cut it up; and take unpeeled almonds, slightly toasted, and grind them; and extract the milk from them and cast them in a kettle; and cast in ground sugar and cinnamon, and cook the milk a little. And then take the hen, and cast in within, and cook it a little; and then, take a little grated white bread and cast it within; and after it is thick, set it aside; and on the dishes cast sugar and cinnamon.
150. Good Arugula (119)
Take a pound of the loaves (120) of clean arugula and grind them well in a mortar; and after grinding them well put them inside a cloth which is white and very clean, and fasten it well; and then put water on the fire in a kettle; and when it starts to boil, put the arugula into the water, fastened as it was in the cloth; and when you have given it a boil, remove it, and press it between two chopping blocks until the water comes out well; and when it is well pressed, remove it from the cloth and blend it with good white vinegar and honey, eight pounds; and purify it on the fire, skimming it constantly; and when the honey is clarified, cast it over the arugula, and mix it well with a stick; then take a quarter (121) of cinnamon, and a quarter of saffron, and three quarters of ginger, all well-ground and cast it on top of the arugula, stirring it four or five turns around, so that the sauce can mix well, and incorporate; and if it should be very thick, thin it with a little white vinegar.
151. Arugula in Another Good Manner
Take a pound of arugula very well scraped with a knife (122), and grind it very well and finely, and strain it through a fine sieve; then set it to soak in good red vinegar, that it should be more thin than thick, for six or eight days; then take ten pounds of honey and melt it while you bring it to a boil; and remove it from the fire, and cast in three maravedis of good red wine; and take the soaked arugula, and empty it into the kettle where you must prepare the arugula; and empty out the melted honey on top of it, straining it through a sieve; again stirring the arugula very well with a stick, and set it to cook until it thickens as it should; and remove it from the fire, and take two arienzos (123) of saffron, well-ground, and blended with red wine, cast it into the prepared arugula, etc.
152. Another Good Arugula to be Made Swiftly
Take the little loaf of the arugula and scrape it on top where you see that it is dirty; and [take] the quantity of cinnamon that you wish to make, and toast a crustless piece of bread, and having soaked it in vinegar, grind it with the arugula; and cast in your honey and a little red or white wine with it; and heat it on a fire of coals in a kettle; and give it a little boil, so that the honey will incorporate with the arugula and with the other things and it is made. You can add a little cinnamon and ginger if you wish.
153. Mustard (124)
You must take mustard seed, and clean it of the dust and the soil and the stones, and grind it well in a mortar; and when it is ground, strain it through a cloth strainer; and then take the mustard powder and put it in a mortar with a crustless piece of bread soaked in meat broth, and grind it all together; and when it is well-ground, blend it with a little bit of lean broth without fat which is well-salted; and when it is blended in a good manner so that it is not too thin, take honey which is good, and melted on the fire, and cast it in the mortar and stir it well until it is well-mixed, and prepare dishes. Some cast a little vinegar in the broth; you can add peeled, toasted almonds, ground-up with the mustard.
154. French Mustard
You must take a cantaro (125) of the must of wine, either red or white, and grind a dishful of mustard that is select and very good; and after straining it through a sieve or a sifter, grind with it, if you wish: a little cinnamon, and cloves, and ginger, and cast it all, very well-mixed in the mortar, into the cantaro or jar of wine; and with a cane stir it around a long while, so that it mixes with the must; and each day you must stir it with the cane seven or eight times; and you will boil the wine with this mustard; and when the wine has finished boiling, you can eat this mustard. And when you want to take it out to cast it in the dish to eat, first stir it with the cane a little; and this is very good mustard and it will keep all year.
155. Another Very Good French Mustard Which Lasts All Year
Take a caldron which will hold two cantaros, and fill it with red grapes and set it to cook upon the fire until it is reduced by half and there remains half a caldron which is one cantaro; and when the grapes are cooked, remove the scum with a wooden spoon; and stir it now and then with a stick; and strain this must through a clean cloth and cast it into a cantaro; and then cast in the mustard, which should be up to a dishful well-ground, little by little, stirring it with the stick. And each day you should stir with it, four or five times a day; and if you wish, you can grind with the mustard three parts cinnamon, two parts cloves, and one part ginger. This French mustard is very good and lasts all year and is mulberry-colored.
156. PARSLEY
You must take the parsley and remove the roots, and strip off the leaves very well and clean it; and grind those leaves a great deal in a mortar; and after it is well-ground, toast a crustless piece of bread, and soak it in white vinegar, and grind it with the parsley; and after it is well-ground, cast a little pepper into the mortar, and mix it well with the parsley and the bread. And then cast in honey, which should be melted, in the mortar, stirring constantly in one direction until the honey incorporates itself with the sauce in the mortar; and if the sauce should be very thick, thin it with a little watered vinegar, so that it should not be very sour; and having done that, take two smooth pebbles from the sea or river, and cast them in the fire; and when they shall be quite ruddy and red, cast them with some tongs in the mortar in such a manner that they are quenched there; and when all this is done, taste it for flavor. And make it in such a manner that it tastes a little of pepper, and a little sweet-sour, and of parsley; and if any of these things is lacking, temper [the dish] with it.
157. Sauce of Horseradish and of Clary Sage
In the same manner as the parsley, you can also make sauce from the root of the horseradish. And the same from the leaves of clary sage.
158. Lombardy Sops
Make broth from good meat which should be quite fat; and cast much saffron into it, that it should be quite yellow and very deep in color; and the broth should be well-salted; and then take slices of bread, removing the crust, and toast them and scrape off the burnt part, and scald these sops with the said broth; and when they are scalded, place them in an iron casserole, making a layer of sops and another layer of buttery cheese of Parma, or of Aragon, or of Navarra; and so fill all the casserole; when it is full, set it on the fire to cook over good coals or in the oven, and cook it little by little; and as it cooks, cast in that broth, from time to time, fatty and yellow, by spoonfuls inside the casserole, sprinkling it over the sops; and when it is more than half cooked, cover the casserole or frying pan with an iron lid which should be laden with coals on top; and cook it in this way for an hour, looking and ascertaining occasionally that it should not dry up too much, and that it should be well supplied with said broth, which should be the fattest; and when you put it on the table, do it in such a manner that they go dry. And having done this, prepare dishes or if you wish to make plates of them, let it be as you wish.
159. Good Gualatina Sauce
You will take apples that are sour, and also sweet ones, and then make almond milk the night before. And prepare the apples the night before, and cut them small, just like a finger; and you must blend the almonds with good meat broth; and set the apples to soak with the said milk the night before; and take cinnamon, and cloves, and ginger according to the quantity that you wish to make and set these spices to soak the night before in rosewater; and in the morning take a little rice flour, and set it to cook with the almond milk; however, do not cast in the apples until it is half cooked, and the spices likewise; and when the sauce turns thick, cast in the best broth that you have, and let it cook completely; and the spices should be tied with a thread.
160. Marinated Mutton
You must take breasts of mutton, and cook them in a pot with your salt; and when it is almost half cooked, remove it from the pot, and cut them into pieces the size of two fingers; and then gently fry it with bacon fat. And then take honey and all spices, and put it in a little pot; and take grated hard bread and cast it inside that honey and the spices; and let there be a greater quantity of cinnamon than the other spices; and then take the best pot-broth and cast it inside, and then the fat which is necessary, according to the quantity of the bread and the meat; then cast in a good cup of white vinegar because the sauce of this pottage needs to be sweet-sour; and cook all this. And while it boils, cast in the meat with a little saffron, because this sauce needs to be deep in color; then prepare dishes of the said pottage, and upon them cinnamon. However you should cast in pears, and quinces which should be cut and have first been brought to a boil, and set them on the meat.
161. Pepper Sauce for Wild Game
You must take a few almonds, and pine nuts, and hazelnuts. And everything should be toasted and ground well in a mortar; and after it is ground, grind with it a crustless piece of bread soaked in vinegar in such a manner that it is not very sour. And then strain it and put it into the pot, and take a piece of wild game and grind it very well in a mortar. And when it is well-chopped, cast it into the said sauce and put pepper to it.
But when you strain the almonds and the other things, also strain many hard-boiled eggs -- only the yolks -- and set all this to cook on the fire. And upon giving it to a boil, remove it from the fire; and it is cooked. And this sauce needs to be a little strong with pepper, and likewise the color. And do not put in any other thing, because if you put in any other thing it would not be called pepper sauce.
162. Bastard (126) Cameline Sauce
You will take a few toasted almonds. And grind them well with a toasted bread with the livers of some fowl which they will be eating. And all this should be well-ground, and strained with juice of sour pomegranate, and broth, and with much cinnamon, and with a little of the other spices except saffron; and when all this is strained, let it go to the fire. And this sauce must be sweet-sour. And when it is cooked, cast in enough fat, and sugar and cinnamon on top.
163. Lardy Broth of Wild Pig
You will take a piece of wild pig or wild boar. And cut it into slices like two fingers; and make thin slices of fatty bacon. And lay them across the pieces of wild boar, as many as you desire. And put it in a pot over the coals to gently fry. And when it is almost half-cooked -- with a cut onion -- cast in all spices except saffron and cinnamon, all mixed with the onion; and then cast in a little red wine and a little vinegar. And leave it to cook very well. And cast in all chopped herbs. And in this way the lardy broth is made. And when you wish to make some pieces of boiled pig, and the lord wishes to eat some lardy broth, make it in this manner. When the piece is scalded and is well-cleaned of hair, set it to cook in the water which should be half wine and half water. And you also can cast in all whole spices because they give flavor and odor to the broth and likewise cast in all herbs. And let it be good with salt and everything. And some cast in onion, and do not call it bad.
164. Capirotadas (127) of Truffles
CAPIROTADAS DE TOFERAS O CRIADAS DE TIERRA O TURMAS (128)
You will take truffles or criadas de tierra, and scald them well with boiling water; and give them a boil with that same water; and then peel off the first peel or membrane, and cut them in round slices. And gently fry them with good fat bacon. And then take a few almonds, and pine nuts, and hazelnuts, and toasted bread, and grind all this, and with the fattest broth strain it quite thick; and when it is strained, set it inside a pot, and cast in all ground spices, and put in a little sugar, and set it to cook. And when it boils, put in the truffles so that they will finish cooking with this sauce. And when the truffles or criadas are cooked, prepare dishes, and cast sugar and cinnamon on them, and a little broth, which should be thick, from the pot. And if you wish to eat them fried without the sauce, do this: when they have been gently fried, cast in a little pepper and vinegar; and so they cook the truffles; but above all they are better when they are roasted between two hot cinders, and soaked in vinegar; and these are the truffles.
165. Pottage called Peach dish
POTAJE LLAMADO PERSICATE (129)
You will take the peeled peaches, and cut them into slices, and cook them in good fat broth; and when they are cooked, take a few blanched almonds and grind them; and when they are well-ground, strain them rather thick with that broth. And then cook this sauce with sugar and a little ginger, and when it is cooked, cast in enough pot-broth or that which falls from the roasting-spit. And let it stew well for a little; and then prepare dishes, and upon each one cast sugar; and in this same way you can make the sauce of quinces in the same manner; but the quinces need to be strained with [the] almonds, and they should not be sour, and likewise the peaches.
166. Golden Sops
Take a loaf of bread and make slices of it. And toast them moderately, so that they do not burn, and take good broth and cook it in a separate pot with all your provisions, and skim it well, and then have ready grated cheese, and when you want to eat take some egg yolks, and blend them with the best fatty beef broth of the pot. And cast in a little ginger and then take those toasts, and soak them in the broth, and when they are done soaking, remove them from that broth; and prepare dishes of those slices of bread or sections; and cast upon them the broth with the eggs. Then cast the cheese on them. And these are called golden sops.
167. Busaque of Rabbits
You will take the rabbit, skinned and well-cleaned of its hair, and being opened, set it to roast, and when it is roasted, cut it to pieces and gently fry it a little, and take toasted bread, well burnt, and toasted almonds, and grind them well, and strain them with the juice of the rabbit, and put in all common spices, and make this sauce which should be a little sour, and cook it; and when it is cooked, cast in the rabbit and let it finish cooking, and if you wish cast in some onions, all this shall be according to your pleasure and will. But you must cook them first with the rabbits and then strain the onions with the other things and let it finish cooking.
168. Mirrauste (130) of pears which can be given to sICK PEOPLE
Take the most tender pears, and peel off their skin and cut them into four quarters and remove the pips and the core. And then cook them in good meat broth, which should be well-salted, and grind peeled almonds; and when they are well-ground, blend them with the broth from the pears. And if this broth does not suffice, take the broth of mutton, and strain it quite thick though a woolen cloth; and when it is strained, put this milk in the pot. And then take a little rice flour, and blend it with that milk and set it to cook on the fire with a good quantity of sugar. And take a little bit of fine whole cinnamon and tie it with a thread and put it into the pot. And send everything [to the fire] to cook; and when it turns thick, and if you do not have milk to cast in, cast in the best and fattiest pot-broth, and let it cook a good hour; and when you know that the flour is cooked, remove it from the fire.
And if by chance, it tastes of smoke, or of charring, or of burning, take a little leaven which is quite sour and tie it in a linen cloth; and make the pot boil constantly; and cast it in so that everything boils together; and know that if the pot does not boil, it will not as swiftly remove the taste of the smoke nor of the scorching; and this you can do in all sauces and pottages; and when the sauce or pottage shall be made, put in those pears which were cooked in the said broth and a little rosewater. And prepare dishes, and upon them cast fine sugar. And this sauce is good for invalids.
169. Quinces cooked in the pot
Take a casserole or pot, and the cover which should have many small holes; and the pot should be new so that the food does not absorb any other flavor. And cast the quinces in, well-cleaned, and then fill [the pot] with almonds and boiled wine, so that it becomes in the manner of thick honey, like ointment; and with these quinces put certain little splinters of cinnamon, and cloves of gilofre, and nutmeg, and the best mace, and grains of paradise; and with all this put it over the coals with little fire up to the neck, and cook it at your pleasure; and it should be covered; and when it is cooked, cut them cleanly and remove the core, and then put them on a plate, and [cast] upon them sugar, and cinnamon, and cloves of gilofre.
170. Parsley DISH
You must take a great quantity of parsley, and cloves, and being well-mixed , grind it very vigorously with a crustless piece of white bread; and strain it in such a manner that all the juice comes out very thick; and cast in a great strength of ginger, and of cinnamon, and grind it all together; and if you wish to cast in sugar, let it be according to your will; and make it be quite thick and quite green, and do not make it boil because it would lose all its greenness; and then cast on sugar or honey.
171. Pomegranate juice
You will take the seeds of the pomegranates and crush them in a mortar in such a way that you do not break the seeds; and strain them through a clean linen cloth; and put in it the juice of toasted almonds and pine nuts. And you can cast in a little rosewater; and from this juice you can make sweet cameline sauce. And if you wish to make it sour, cast in red wine and vinegar, and all spices, and more cinnamon than the other spices, and cook it before you strain it.
172. Golden gratonada of the entrails of kid
Take the entrails and the head of the kid, and set it to cook. And remove the head in such a manner that the brains are not lost; and when it is cooked, remove it from the pot, and cut the entrails small, in the manner of a few fingers; and take fresh pork grease, and the head split into two parts, gently fry them, and all this with that grease; and take egg yolks, and the best ginger, and cinnamon, and good herbs; and chop everything together very well. And then set aside the fat of the frying pan at one end, and cast all this in the other part of the frying pan; and little by little grease it with two feathers; and when it is well fried, take it out and then cast in the entrails just as they are, chopped small, and gently fry them in this way. And if you wish, cast in a dozen or two of eggs beaten with , it will be better. And cast it into the frying pan and then stir it, moving it well with a spoon. And if you wish to gently fry chick peas, everything is good; and then take the yolks of beaten eggs, and a little ginger mixed with the eggs and well-beaten in a dish; and then put it into the frying pan upon the other food, and then stir it all, in such a way that everything mixes very well; and when it is cooked, take it from the frying pan and put it on a large plate; and on top of the food, [cast] sugar and cinnamon.
173. Sauce which is called cinnamon of must
You must take raisins and black grapes and all the crumb of a little loaf; and take grapes according to the quantity of the sauce which you wish to make, and put them in a pot to cook with sweet red wine which should be good and fine and very strong and very red, and temper it as you see fit; and boil it vigorously until the raisins and the grapes are all consumed and turned into broth; and then strain all this through a woolen cloth; and after it is strained, set it to cook a little in a small pot so that it turns thick and has the color of gold; and then take sugar and cinnamon; and it must taste a little of nutmeg, and of cloves, and of ginger, and this is served with roasted or fried fowl.
174. PASTRY OF Roast hen on the Spit
You must take a very plump hen, and remove the wings and the feet and the neck, and stuff it entirely with the yolks of hard-boiled eggs, and cinnamon and cloves stuck in the egg yolks, and raisins, and blanched almonds, and cooked meat from a calf or a kid, and finely chopped, and mint and parsley, also raw egg yolks. And spices which are fine and saffron-colored; and with all this, mixed with the raisins and almonds, stuff it inside the hen and then sew it up so that none of the stuffing falls out; and then put it on the spit and roast it. And when it is almost roasted, take a large plate and cast upon it a little rice flour which is very fine, and goat milk, and raw egg yolks, and sugar, and cinnamon, and other spices which are fine and saffron-colored; and beat this all together vigorously. And thin the said dough with the milk; if you have no milk, take rosewater and a little pot-broth, and mix it all together. And then, with some hen feathers, spread the said dough over the hen and rub it. And anoint it, and be careful that you do not thin it too much because it will not be able to cling to the flesh of the hen. And anoint it enough times that this dough or sauce forms a crust on the hen as thick as the crust of a empanada; and if you wish, you may put wholesome herbs, such as parsley, marjoram and mint, well then you may do it; and turn the spit in such a manner that the said dough stays upon the hen.
175. treballa (131) Which is Called White Sauce for Geese
You must take blanched almonds, and the white [meat] of a chicken, and a clove of garlic, that it is barely scented with garlic, and a crustless piece of bread soaked with broth, and grind it vigorously. And then strain it through a woolen cloth, and take yolks of hard boiled eggs and cast upon them ginger and cinnamon and sugar, and a little verjuice, so that it is barely scented, and then set the geese to roast and when they are half-roasted put a casserole beneath them to catch the juice of the geese and when it has all come out, mix it with said dough or sauce in a pot and when it becomes thick prepare dishes and when they go to the table cast sugar on them, and cinnamon on top.
176. LARDY BRUET IN A VERY GOOD FASHION
You will take the breasts of mutton or the flanks, and give them a boil, so that they lose the color of blood; and then make pieces as big as your thumb. And take very fatty bacon and make little slices of it, small and thin as a feather; and cast each piece lengthwise along that cut bacon. And then take the bacon and melt it; and when you have extracted all the grease, gently fry the said meat with it; and then put it into a pot with the broth of another pot; and then take a hen's liver, and a little mutton, and make everything boil together. And then take toasted bread, and grind everything together; and strain everything through a woolen cloth; and then blend it with good pot-broth mixed with verjuice and vinegar, and small spices, and give it the color of a hare; and this is very good sauce.
177. Pottage in good fashion
Take a good fat hen, and cook it; give it only one boil, and cut it to pieces; and then take melted fatty bacon, and gently fry it [the hen] in such a manner that it does not lose its whiteness; and then cast in good broth, and cook it slowly in this broth; and then take yolks of hard-boiled eggs, and blanched almonds ground with a crustless piece of bread soaked in broth; and strain everything together, and then cook it in a separate pot in such a manner that it does not come apart or separate, and a little verjuice, but no vinegar, and sweet spices. And when it is almost cooked, take egg yolks tempered with rosewater, and mix it all together.
178. Pottage called jota
You will take chard, and parsley, and mint, and borage, and put everything to cook so that it comes to a boil; and then put it on a chopping-block, and chop it small with spices; and when it is well-chopped, strain it through a woolen cloth, and put it in a pot; and you must give it a boil in such a manner that it does not lose its greenness. And do not cover it until the hour of dinner, and if you wish to cook it the night before, make it in the same manner, but you must put in some bacon from fresh pork and fry it to extract the juice; and with that juice, gently fry the above-mentioned things; and with pot-broth in the manner of spinach, and then prepare dishes, and upon each dish put a piece of that bacon which you have gently fried.
179. Emperor's Sauce
You will take hen's livers roasted in the coals, and take toasted almonds and grind them with the livers and with a crustless piece of bread, and temper everything with good hen's broth and when it is well-ground take eighteen or twenty raw egg yolks and grind them with the said almonds which should be about a handful, and three livers of capons or hens and grind it all together in a mortar, and strain it through a sieve just like peacock sauce, (132) after straining it, set it to cook in a clean pot with little heat stirring it constantly with a spoon, and cast in plenty of sugar, and a little mustard, and five or six ground cloves, and ginger according to your will. And it must be a little sour with the juice of oranges or of unripe grapes or of pomegranates. And it should taste a little of all the said spices, and more of ginger. And it must be thick, like peacock sauce, and it should have a dun color; and prepare dishes; and cast sugar and cinnamon on top of them.
HERE ENDS THE FOODS FOR MEAT
DAYS
[NOTE - See the file: Guisados2-art
for the second half of the recipes in this cookbook]
DEO GRATIAS
This book was printed for the second time in the city of Logrono by Miguel de Eguia; distributed by Diego Perez Davilla, mayor of the said city. And it was finished in the year 1529, on the 24th of November.
FOOTNOTES
(1) The spice mix for clarea, recipe 3, does not contain pepper. In the 1525 edition, the title of this recipe is Pimientas de Clarea. The word seems to be used here as a synonym for "spices".
(2) The name comes from the Catalan Mig-Raust, meaning "half-roasted". It can also be made with chickens, partridges, or doves. Platina says, regarding Mirause of Catelonia, "I do not remember having eaten a better dish…" See also recipes 149, 168, 243.
(3) The Libre del Coch and the 1525 Libro de Cozina call for 4 oz. ginger, 3 oz. cinnamon, 1 oz. pepper, 1/2 oz. each of cloves, nutmeg, and mace, and 1/4 oz. saffron.
(4) The earlier versions specify 1/4 oz. of grains of paradise and 1/2 oz. of saffron.
(5) These are very different proportions from earlier versions. The 1525 edition calls for 5 oz. ginger, 6 oz. cinnamon, 1/8 oz. grains of paradise, and 1 oz. cloves.
(6) A measurement approximately equivalent to two liters.
(7) The sleeve was a long cloth bag, used to strain the wine so that no spice sediment remained in it.
(8) A spiced wine drink, sweetened with sugar or honey.
(9) Barbara Santich suggests that this recipe title is a misnomer, and an indication of Italian influence on Catalan cooking. A very similar blend of spices – minus the sugar -- is found in an anonymous Venetian cookbook of the late 15th century. It is called specie dolce, "sweet spices". Several recipes in that cookbook call for dishes to be topped with sugar and unspecified spices before serving. Santich theorizes that specie dolce was the spice blend which was sprinkled with the sugar. The Italian name specie dolce, "sweet spices", may have been mangled in translation to become the Catalan polvora de duch, "powder of the duke".
(10) The Libre del Coch has a second recipe for this spice mix, De altra polvora de duch, which contains 2 oz. ginger, 1/2 drachm galingale, 1 oz. cinnamon, 1 oz. long pepper, 1 oz. grains of paradise, 1 oz. nutmeg, 1/4 oz. fine sugar. The Libre de Sent Sovi gives yet another recipe: 1 pound sugar; 1/2 oz. cinnamon; 3/4 oz. ginger; 1/4 oz. total of cloves, nutmeg, galingale, and cardamon.
(11) Spices, unlike other ingredients, are weighed in apothecary measurements, in which there are 12 ounces in a pound.
(12) There seems to have been some differences between Catalan and Castilian measurements. The Libre del Coch specifies that a drachm weighs 2 diners, whereas the Spanish versions say that 3 dineros weigh a drachm. Both sources say that a diner/dinero weighs the same as a scruple.
(13) Escudilla, "a bowl". See the glossary for a full explanation of this word.
(14) Estameña, a woolen cloth used for straining.
(15) En buen punto, literally, "to a good point".
(16) Pigeons and doves are taxonomically identical, and are all members of the family Columbidae, which includes stock doves, woodpigeons (also called ring-doves), rock doves (also called rock pigeons), and turtledoves. "Pigeons" is the generic term for members of this family. Palomino means a young male wild pigeon (or a young pigeon of undetermined gender). It is not clear if Nola is referring to a specific species in the recipes for palominos. I have translated it as "squab", which is a word used for young pigeons and doves of all kinds.
(17) See also recipes 90, 138, 143, 236, 237.
(18) Ie., if you don't have goat milk, take the four pounds of almonds and make almond milk.
(19) The word used here is desatar, which means "to untie, undo, unfasten". The already shredded chicken breasts are to be stirred and beaten in the broth until they nearly dissolve, giving the blancmange its desired smooth texture.
(20) The word used here is requeson, which the RAE defines as curds formed from cooking the leftover whey after cheese has been made. A soft, freshly-made whey cheese (such as ricotta) would be appropriate.
(21) Ie., avoirdupois ounces, of which there are 16 in a pound, not the apothecary ounces which are used to measure spices.
(22) Refers to the feet of sheep, especially when used as food. The Spanish word translates literally as "hands".
(23) Ie., cut them into individual portions.
(24) Freixura is Catalan for "entrails".
(25) Pardo is a grayish-brown color – "dun" is the closest English equivalent. Pardilla is the Spanish name for the European robin, whose back and wings are dun-colored.
(26) The name comes from mortero, "mortar", because the ingredients are finely ground. There are several such recipes in the Libre de Sent Sovi. The ingredients vary, but usually include ground meat and organ meats, liquid (generally broth or almond milk), and eggs and bread as thickeners. The earliest mention of the dish is in Arte Cisoria (1423), which states that chopped hog's liver is served in morteruelo, and indeed, the modern Spanish version is a kind of hog's liver paté. Other parallel medieval recipes include "mortrews" (England), mortereul (France), and mortadelle (Italy).
(27) To bard is to cover meat or poultry with a wide, thin piece of bacon or pork fat. The barding fat is tied in place with string during cooking, and is then removed. Its main purpose is to baste the meat or poultry during roasting and protect it from drying out.
(28) The name comes from ginestra, the broom plant. This yellow-flowered shrub is the "sprig of broom", the planta genesta that gave the Plantagenet dynasty their name and emblem. Most recipes for ginestada call for large amount of saffron to color it yellow. This particular one gives the cook the option to leave it white. See also recipe 238.
(29) This refers both to hulled cracked barley, and to the boiled dish made from it.
(30) This refers both to partly-ground wheat, and to the boiled dish made from it.
(31) Almodrote is a garlic-cheese sauce. In the Libre de Sent Sovi, it is an accompaniment to roast pork, partridges, or chicken.
(32) Mentioned in Arte Cisoria as a dish that can be made with roasted hens, partridges, or doves, usually layered between slices of bread. The etymology of the name is a bit uncertain, but may derive from capirote, "hood", because the sauce covers the dish just as a hood covers a head. See also recipe 164 for a version made with truffles.
(33) Pater noster, the opening words of the Lord's Prayer in Latin. The patridges are to be placed on the coals for the short time that it takes to recite this prayer. Similar instructions appear in other medieval and Renaissance cookbooks. See also recipes 48 and 130.
(34) Geladia or giladea is archaic Catalan for "gelatin".
(35) Spikenard (Nardostachys jatamansi) is a flowering plant, related to Valerian. Its aromatic root was used in the ancient world as an ingredient in perfume, and as a flavoring in certain medieval recipes. It should not be confused with American Spikenard (Aralia racemosa).
(36) Both galingale and spikenard are among the spices that were often used to flavor meat jellies. I have found no other references to adding them at the last moment to ensure that the jelly congeals.
(37) Ansarón is the term for a young adult goose.
(38) Ie., whole raw eggs, and not the yolks alone.
(39) Pies filled with meat or fish. For a detailed discussion of pies and crusts, see the glossary.
(40) Ie., very finely minced. See recipe 47.
(41) From the Spanish liebre, "hare".
(42) In the 1726 RAE dictionary, tornillo is defined as a screw or a bolt. In this text, it refers to some kind of stirring implement, possibly spiral-shaped.
(43) Thin, short noodles.
(44) This seems to be a scribal error, repeating the opening phrase of the previous recipe. Rice often needs to be rinsed and to have foreign objects removed from it; noodles do not.
(45) Similar recipes appear in the Libre de Sent Sovi, which recommends Puriola as a condiment for roasted hens, capons, partridges, and rabbits, and for roasted or grilled fish.
(46) The same recipe is found in the Livre de Sent Sovi, under the name of arricoch. Grewe believes it is an ancestor of the modern French "haricot of mutton". The haricot recipes in medieval French cookbooks call for small pieces of mutton, stewed with onions and herbs. However, the French recipes use beef broth (sometimes mixed with wine) rather than almond milk. The name of the recipe has no known meaning in Catalan or Spanish. The French name is believed to come from the verb haricoter, "to cut into small pieces".
(47) Recaudo (Catalan, recapte). It means collection, supply, materials. Nola uses it in the sense of necessary ingredients.
(48) Perez says this is an alternate spelling of verdines. According to the RAE, verdin is a word that describes the green color of newly-sprouted plants. However, Leimgruber says that it is a mistranslation of the original Catalan vernís, meaning "varnish". The white layer of almond milk covers the green broth like a coat of varnish.
(49) Although the recipe does not specify, it would appear that the almond milk which is set aside is later poured on top of the parsley-almond milk mixture. The green coloration of the broete, under its concealing layer of white makes it a soteltie, a medieval "surprise" food.
(50) Madres de clavos or madreclavos: literally, "mothers of cloves", these are cloves which have remained on the tree for two years.
(51) Catalan name of Fulica atra, the common coot.
(52) "Roast" the liver in a pot with broth? In every other instance where liver is roasted, the recipe specifies "on the coals". Possibly it should say "cook" instead, or perhaps the liver is meant to be first roasted and then simmered in the broth. Either would be consistent with procedures followed in other dishes. The Libre del coch says "cook".
(53) This is the first instruction to cook something for a specific amount of time. Like most medieval cooks (and many modern ones), de Nola usually says to cook an item until it is done, or is of a certain consistency. Some recipes instruct us to cook something for the length of time it take to say certain common prayers, such as a Paternoster.
(54) The exact meaning is unknown. Grewe believes it is of Arabic origin. There are several recipes for alidem in the Libre de Sent Sovi. The common thread is that all of them are thickened with beaten eggs.
(55) Possibly this recipe was intended for a day of abstinence, when the Church permitted eggs and dairy, but not meat products. Unlike the other recipes for egg-thickened pottages, it doesn't specify broth as the liquid. Instead, it calls for water, oil, and salt – the mixture which Nola recommends as a broth substitute in his chapter on Lenten foods.
(56) Torta means a round cake or pie. This is a recipe for an omelet, which is usually called tortilla.
(57) The word used here is tortilla.
(58) The recipe title tells us that this is a dish made with almond milk. The text of the recipe takes it for granted that the cook will know to add liquid – probably broth – to the ground almonds before straining them through the cloth.
(59) There are several recipes for "Jussell" in 14th and 15th century Anglo-Norman cookbooks. All of them are a dish of broth thickened with eggs. Several include bread and parsley and/or other green herbs. None include cheese. In the glossary to Curye on Inglysch, Hieatt & Butler say the dish is "probably so-called from the 'juice' in the sense of broth."
(60) Agraz means "unripe grapes". It is also used as a shortened version of zumo de agraz, "juice of unripe grapes" (ie., verjuice).
(61) In most of the recipes for chard, Nola uses the Catalan name, bledas. Here he also identifies it by the Spanish name, acelgas.
(62) The consumption of animal products was prohibited as part of the Lenten fast. This often included dairy foods. A dispensation to eat dairy during Lent could sometime be obtained.
(63) Ie., the very best.
(64) There is a similar recipe in the 15th century French cookbook, Du Fait de Cuisine. It is a concentrated chicken soup, to which is added gold coins and a selection of gemstones.
(65) Tres horas y media gruesas – this is an odd phrase. The last word means large, fat, or heavy. The phrase would be literally translated as "three and a half large hours". The meaning seems to be that the hen should cook for at least that amount of time.
(66) Sulsido (or solsido) apparently comes from the Catalan verb sulsir, meaning to be consumed or dried up.
(67) The recipe title is confusing. Torta means a round cake or pastry, but this is a chicken broth.
(68) Ie., strain the chicken breasts coarsely enough so that no meat is left behind.
(69) The fat contained in the ovary of a bird.
(70) Apparently, each marzipan is placed on a separate piece of paper. A similar technique is used in Granado's recipe for bizcochos – the biscuits are baked on small squares of paper.
(71) Credo, a Latin prayer. The casserole is to be returned to the oven for the length of time it take to recite the Credo.
(72) Ordi is Catalan for "barley".
(73) A sturdy, coarse fabric woven from the fibers of the hemp plant.
(74) The theory of humors, which dominated medieval medicine, held that every food or herb had an inherently cold or hot nature. A 1530 Spanish medical manual by Luis Lobera de Avila explains that melon seeds, being cold and humid, are good for reducing fevers. He also asserts that they will expel kidney stones.
(75) From the Arabic talbina, a kind of gruel. It was made with milk or almond milk, flour or other starches, and honey.
(76) The electuary, a conserve used for medicinal purposes, eventually evolved into a confection.
(77) "Agras dulces", literally "sour-sweet". Varieties of pomegranates are classified by their flavor as sweet, sour, or semi-sweet.
(78) Lobera de Avila says that pomeganates have a cold nature and will counteract fevers.
(79) Giroflina seems to be derived from [clavos de] girofle, the Catalan /Spanish name for cloves. Perhaps, though the recipe does not specify, the dominant spice flavor in this sauce should be clove?
(80) Possibly the best-known sauce in European medieval cuisine. Its name comes either from its signature flavoring – cinnamon (canel) – or from the fact that it is camel-colored. See also recipes 109, 162, 171.
(81) Some varieties of pomegranates have a pale rind which is nearly white. These tend to be particularly sweet in flavor.
(82) A redundant instruction, but that's what the text says. Take a migajon and remove its crust.
(83) "Hiniesta o retama" – both are words for the broom plant.
(84) How are we to "gently fry" the onion in broth??
(85) A sweet white wine.
(86) Possibly the wine produced in San Martin de Valdeiglesias, in the province of Madrid. Antonio de Guevara, a 16th century bishop, described it as the best wine in Spain.
(87) Apparently a scribal error. The Libre del Coch says, "and when the casserole is nearly cooked..."
(88) See recipe 2.
(89) Apparently, the sauce is cooked until it is reduced by half.
(90) Spanish coins. At this time, one maravedi was worth three blancas.
(91) See recipe 7.
(92) Estrujados, the same word that is used in Spanish to describe pressed grapes.
(93) Grewe points out that this dish appears in the Anonymous Andalucian manuscript under its original Arabic name of muhshi.
(94) Haz, which can mean a face or visage, the facing of a building, or the right side of fabric. The meaning here is to make a coating or crust on the top of the eggplant mixture in the casserole.
(95) See recipe 6.
(96) Escabeche is a method of preserving food – primarily fish – in a vinegar-based sauce. Santich says the name and the dish come from the Arab sikbaj, though the basic technique dates back to Roman times. Apicius gives a brief recipe: "To Preserve Fried Fish. The moment they are fried and taken out of the pan, pour hot vinegar over them." See also recipes 148, 221, 222, 224, 229, 230.
(97) The feminine pronoun at the end of majarlas ("grind them") indicates that Nola is referring to the almonds (almendras). When the almonds are half-ground, then the softer pinenuts and garlic are added to the mortar.
(98) Although Nola assures us that this is "very good food," there is an old Spanish proverb, vender gato por liebre, "to sell cat as hare", meaning to deceptively substitute a less desirable item. The Manual de mugeres, a 16th century household manual, says that eggs fried in cat grease are a remedy for asthma.
(99) Colman Andrew suggests that this may have been a bundle of herbs, to flavor the roast.
(100) Fruta de sarten, literally, "fruit of the frying-pan", is the term for fritters and pancakes. It is sometimes shortened to fruta.
(101) Irazno says this is alburnia (also spelled albornia), which is a large bowl-shaped vessel of glazed earthenware.
(102) The 1726 RAE dictionary says it refers to little empanadas, especially those which are made from a sweet dough with a filling of marzipan or other sweets.
(103) Perez and Irazno both transcribe this as Brusalino, though the fourth letter clearly has the cross-bar of an f. The Libre del Coch says de brofolins. Leimgruber says this comes from the Catalan brúfol, "buffalo", and that it refers to Italian cheese made from buffalo milk.
(104) Possibly this refers to Caciocavallo, an Italian cheese made from cow's milk.
(105) Toronja is the modern Spanish word for "grapefruit", but the grapefruit as we know it was not developed until the 17th century. The word in the Libre del Coch is toronges, which is Catalan for "oranges".
(106) Xativa or Jativa: a city in Valencia.
(107) Almojabana comes from the Arabic word for cheese. Similar recipes for cheese-dough fritters appear in the anonymous 13th century Andalucian cookbook.
(108) A kind of fritter, still popular in Spain today.
(109) A recipe for Casquetes appears in the Libre de totes maneres de confits, a 14th century Catalan confectionary manual. The ground, toasted nuts are mixed with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, mace, and cloves, and are then cooked in honey and rosewater. They are then combined with leavened dough and are deep-fried in oil. The fried casquetes are next placed in a separate kettle containing honey and rosewater, then removed to a serving dish, where they are sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon.
(110) Biscochar, to bake twice. The Spanish biscocho, the Italian biscotti, and the English biscuit are all so-named because they are baked twice. This fritter recipe uses crumbs of grated biscochos as an ingredient. There are two recipes in Diego Granado's Libro del Arte de Cozina (1599):
BIZCOCHOS — Biscuits
Take twelve eggs, and remove the whites from four of them, and with a little orange-flower water beat them a great deal, and grind a pound of sugar, and cast it in little by little, always beating quickly, and cast in flour, or powdered wheat starch, and beat it with force. Having cast in the said flour, when they see that it is necessary, and very fine, and the dough must remain white, just as for fritters, and then cast it in your pots, and carry them to the oven, and when half-cooked remove them, and dust them with well-ground sugar, and cut them to your taste, and return them to the oven, and let them finish baking a second time: and if they wish when they beat them, cast in as much white wine as an eggshell, it will be good.
PARA HAZER BIZCOCHO — To Make Biscuit
Take a dozen eggs, and ten of them without whites, and beat them in a kettle with one hand, and after they are well-beaten cast in a pound of well-ground sugar, and beat it well together with the eggs, and cast in a pound of very well-sifted wheat starch, and a little anise, and salt, and beat it a good while, and have a small oven of good temper, and make your squares of papers with your wafers underneath, and cast them there, and dust them with sugar on top, and watch them moment by moment, until they are done, and before watching them prick them with a knife, and if it comes out wet they are not cooked.
(111) Paint?? There is no mention of a glaze here, and tongs are not the usual implement to apply one to pastry. Perhaps it should say "to pinch".
(112) Hojaldrar, to make leaf-pastry. (The prefix hoja means "leaf".) This is an early form of puff-pastry, made from a lard-based dough which is rolled out thin. The "stick for making leaf-pastry" is apparently some kind of rolling-pin.
(113) Blancmange is used as a filling for this fritter. See recipes 9 and 143 for instructions on making it.
(114) Leimgruber says this is an adaptation of the Italian word ravioli.
(115) Apparently, the shredded chicken breast is cooked in the milk until it is "dissolved", and then the ground rice and sugar are added to thicken and sweeten the dish.
(116) This is a meat-pie filling which is cooked in a pot, rather than baked in a crust. Similar recipes for crustless "pot pies" appear in Platina and the anonymous Neapolitan collection.
(117) Compare to recipe no. 26.
(118) See also recipes 8, 168, 243.
(119) The Libre de Sent Sovi says that arugula sauce is served with roasted beef or pork.
(120) Panes. Plural of pan, which means bread, but can also refer to something shaped like a loaf of bread. The meaning here is not completely clear, but possibly arugula leaves were gathered or sold in loaf-like bundles.
(121) Presumably this means a quarter ounce.
(122) If arugula is not harvested when young and tender, its leaves become furry on the underside.
(123) A unit of weight used in Aragon, equal to 123 centigrams.
(124) The Libre de Sent Sovi says that mustard is served with fresh boiled beef or pork.
(125) A wine-vessel and/or unit of measurement for wine. It varied in size from region to region.
(126) "Bastard" means false or imitation. I don't know what makes this recipe "false". There are many variants of cameline sauce in medieval European cookbooks. The one thing they all have in common is a large amount of cinnamon.
(127) See also recipe 42.
(128) These are all terms for truffles.
(129) Durazno is the Spanish for "peach", but Persico ("Persian") is the word for the peach tree. The Latin name, prunus persica, means Persian plum, because the fruit was introduced to Europe from Persia.
(130) See also recipes 8, 149, 243.
(131) According to Leimgruber, treballa comes from the Catalan verb treballar, "to work" or "to labor". One of its meanings is to prepare something by handling it in a forceful manner, such as kneading bread dough.
(132) See recipe 7.
(133) A ring or spiral shape.
(134) The barbel (barbus spp.) is a bottom-feeding fish found in swift-flowing rivers.
(135) Sturgeon and pike are not related. Sturgeons belong to the family Acipenseridae; pike to the family Esocidae.
(136) Dentex dentex, a fish related to the sea bream.
(137) Presumably fish broth, since this is a Lenten recipe.
(138) The recommended method of killing a moray eel is to hold it by the tail and striking its head against a stone or other hard surface. The Larousse Gastronomique insists that for the best flavor, all eels should be kept alive until just before cooking.
(139) Alan Davidson, in Mediterranean Seafood says of the moray eel, "avoid the bony tail".
(140) Manteca, translated here as "fat", usually refers to lard, and sometimes to butter. Lard would be strictly prohibited during Lent. Butter might be permissable during Lent, if one had a dispensation from the Church; it would also be allowed on less stringent fast days outside of Lent. It is also possible that the recipe variation with rice and fat was only cooked on meat days.
(141) Perez says this fish is unidentified. Leimgruber says it is the red scorpionfish (Scorpaena scrofa).
(142) Perez says that this is an unknown fish. Grewe, in the appendix to the Libre De Sent Sovi, identifies bisol (pl. of bis) as Scomber japonicus colias.
(143) Boops boops, a member of the sea bream family.
(144) This is a Catalanism. The Libre del coch says saytó (modern spelling, seitó), which is anchovy.
(145) "Mix them" (mezclarlas) seems to refer to the spices; the pronoun las is feminine plural, so it cannot refer to the anchovy, which is a masculine noun. It might also mean the blanched almonds, in which case the instructions are a bit redundant.
(146) Lobo de mar -- literally, "sea wolf". Lobo is the Spanish name for the ocean catfish, also known as wolffish, Anarhichas lupus.
(147) Perhaps recipe 156 or 170?
(148) The Libre del Coch uses varrals, which Leimgruber says is a variant of verat, the Catalan word for a kind of mackerel. Leimgruber says verat is the chub mackeral, Davidson and Grewe each identify it as the Atlantic mackerel.
(149) Perez says that tallinas is an unknown word, and mentions that tollina is a term used in the tuna fisheries of Andalucia to describe a variety of small tuna. However, this recipe is clearly for a bivalve, not a finfish. Irazno defines tallinas as pechinas -- scallops -- which is more plausible. Granado's Libro del Arte de Cozina has a recipe "To cook tallinas with the shell and without it". Again, the recipe clearly describes a bivalve, and he concludes by saying that one can cook pechinas and other shellfish in this manner. This would indicate that tallinas and pechinas are separate species.
Arte de Cortar gives instructions for "carving" oysters, and says that almejas (clams) and tellinas are served in the same way (Villena, 167). The 1726 RAE dictionary identifies telinas as clams. Leimgruber identifies the Catalan tellines as a member of the genera Donax. These are known in English as wedge clams or coquina clams.
(150) Pelaya is Catalan for "flounder". Here, it seems to refer to a different variety of flounder.
(151) This fish is Coryphaena hippurus, the common dolphin. Many people know it by the Hawaiian name of mahi-mahi. It is not the familiar sea mammal.
(152) Cecial refers to dried fish which are air-cured.
(153) This probably refers to the spice mix in recipe no. 1
(154) This would be rice flour, the standard thickener for blancmange, not wheat flour. See recipes 9 and 143.
(155) See recipe no. 54.
(156) See also recipe no. 39.
(157) Eggs were prohibited during Lent. There were other fast days throughout the year, when meat was prohibited, but eggs and dairy were permitted.
(158) See also recipes 8, 149, 168.
GLOSSARY
A unit of liquid measure, about 2 liters.
Blanca
A Spanish coin, of small value.
Translation of broete. The Catalan word is broet, a variant of brou, "broth". I have translated it as "bruet", which is the equivalent term from medieval English cookbooks.
Cazuela
Translated as "casserole". A round cooking vessel, wider than it is deep. They came in various sizes.
Cedazo
A sieve. There were different kinds. Some recipes specify a horsehair sieve or one made of silk.
Many of the recipes call for buen queso de Aragon, "good cheese of Aragon". It's not clear if Nola is referring to a specific type of cheese. This may be a general recommendation to use cheeses from that region, just as a modern cook might say, "and add a splash of good French wine".
This verb can mean "to cook", in the general sense of preparing food with the application of heat. Many of the recipes say, "and when it is cooked..." (cocido/cocida), whether the item in question is a soup, a casserole, a pie, a roast, or a fritter. It also has the more specific meaning of cooking food in liquid. I have sometimes translated cocido as "boiled" when appropriate.
Crustless piece of bread
Migajon. A chunk of bread (or even the entire loaf), minus the crust. There is no exact English equivalent.
Desatar — Destemplar
Nola uses both of these verbs to refer to combining liquid and solid ingredients, such as mixing ground almonds with broth to make almond milk, steeping saffron threads in a sauce, or adding egg yolks to liver paste. Desatar means "untie, undo, unfasten". Destemplar means "infuse" or "untemper". I have translated these terms as "blend" "thin" or "dissolve", as appropriate.
Deshacer
Literally, "undo" or "unmake". It is used to describe foods that are so thoroughly cooked that they are almost dissolving. I have generally translated deshecho as "falling apart" or "mushy".
Dinero
A unit of weight, derived from a coin of the same name. The Spanish text says that three dineros are equal in weight to one drachm; the Catalan text says that two diners equal one drachm.
Empanadas and pasteles
Pastries filled with meat or fish.
The 1726 RAE dictionary says an empanada is made with bread dough, and that the word comes from "en pan", meaning "in bread". It describes a pastel as having a bottom crust made of a lard pie-dough, and a top crust of hojaladre, leaf-pastry.
Villena, in his 1423 carving manual, Arte Cisoria, includes both pasteles and enpanadas in his list of foods that a carver must know how to serve.
Granado, in Libro del Arte de Cozina (1599), gives several recipes for meat and fish pastries. His pastel of meat in "oxaldre" has a bottom crust of flour and water, kneaded for half an hour until it is firm, and a top crust of leaf-pastry. Granado suggests coloring it with beaten eggs or saffron-tinted water before baking, or greasing it with a bacon rind immediately after it comes out of the oven. He recommends using whole-wheat flour for the pastel, because leaf-pastry made of it is less likely to break than one made of white flour, although it isn't as tasty. This pastry is able to serve as a storage container – Granado says it will last 3 days in summer and 8 in winter. His recipe for a meat empanada has a top and bottom crust made of well-sifted flour (ie., white flour), cold water, salt, and a little lard. It is colored before baking with eggs or saffron.
Granado's fish-day version of the empanada has a crust made of dough from coarsely-sifted flour. The fish-day pastel is more delicate, being made of white flour, water, and salt. He adds that one can make it of better quality by adding eggs and butter to the dough.
It is not clear what kind of crust Nola would have used in his various pastry recipes. Certainly, he knew of leaf-pastry, because recipe 138 mentions a rolling-pin used to make it. Recipe 48 mentions both pasteles and empanadas. It is not clear if Nola is using the two terms interchangeably, or if he is offering the cook a choice between different kinds of crust.
Escudilla, "Dish" is used in three ways in the text. First, it refers to a bowl. Second, it is used as a synonym for "a serving". Many of the recipes say, "and this will make x number of escudillas". Lastly, it is a measurement of volume, much like 19th century recipes call for a "wineglass" or a "teacup" of a certain ingredient. A recipe for preserved dates in Granado calls for "three pounds of water, or three escudillas" (Granado, 395) which seems to indicate that the escudillas of that time held about 16 fl. oz. Studies of 15th and 16th century Iberian pottery found at archeological sites show that escudillas varied in size, with rim diameters ranging from 8 cm. to 15 cm. (about 3-3/8 to 6 inches), but 13-14 cm. (about 5-1/4 to 6 inches) seems to have been the most common. A modern bowl in my kitchen, whose shape and proportions are similar to illustrations of medieval escudillas has a rim diameter of 13-1/2 cm. and a capacity of 600 ml. (about 20 fl. oz.).
There is also a verb, escudillar, meaning "to dish out".
Estameña
A woolen cloth for straining food.
Farro
This refers both to peeled barley, and to the boiled dish made from it.
Fideos
A form of noodle.
Salsa fina. This phrase is repeated in recipe after recipe: "Take fine spice... take all fine spices... take all fine spices except saffron..." In some cases, Nola goes on to specify which particular spices are meant for that recipe. These include: cinnamon, cloves, ginger, grains of paradise, mace, nutmeg, and saffron. In other recipes, when he says "all fine spices," without further detail, it's not clear if he intends the cook to add all of the spices above, or simply to use his own judgement.
Another possibility is that salsa fina may sometimes refer to a blend of spices. Spice mixtures, such as those in recipes 1-6, were common in medieval cooking. The Libre de Sent Sovi gives a recipe for a pound of spice mixture called salsa ffina: 7 oz. ginger, 1-1/2 oz. cinnamon, 1 oz. pepper, 1 oz. cloves, 1/4 oz. mace, 1/4 oz. nutmeg, 1-1/2 oz. saffron. (Spices were measured in apothecary pounds, which contained 12 oz. This formula adds up to 12-1/2 oz.) Nola's salsa fina may have been a similar blend.
Many of the recipes use "finger" (dedo) as a way of indicating size. "Cut them into pieces the size of two fingers..." The dedo was an actual unit of measurement in medieval Spain: 1/48 of a vara. The vara, which was divided into three feet (pies), varied in length from locale to locale, but was slightly smaller than the modern yard or metre. A dedo was somewhere between 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch (about 1.6 cm).
Fruta de sarten, literally, "fruit of the frying-pan", is the term for fritters and pancakes. Often shortened to fruta. Translated as "fritter". It also can mean the uncooked fritter dough or the ingredients for the fritter, which I have translated it as "fritter-stuff".
Untar. The primary meaning of this verb is "to grease" – ie., to coat something with fat. In a few instances, Nola uses it untar to describe coating food with some other substance, and then I have rendered it as "to anoint".
A kind of implement for stirring/beating food. Its description and the meaning of its name are unknown. It appears in those recipes in which the food (such as boiled gourds and eggplant) is to be so well-stirred that it is nearly pureed, with not a lump remaining. Several of the parallel recipes in the Libre de Coch use the term estrijol, which in Catalan means a brush with iron bristles, used for currying horses.
Hemp-tow
Cañamazo. A sturdy, coarse fabric woven from the fibers of the hemp plant.
Manteca
This word means animal fat – most commonly lard – but it can also mean butter. In recipe 138, Nola calls for manteca de vacas, and this I have translated as "cow's butter". Where manteca appears without any further description, I have generally translated it as "lard". However, in recipe 211, manteca is to be added to the rice that accompanies the fish. Since this is a recipe for Lent, when lard would be prohibited, I have translated the word as "fat".
Maravedi
A Spanish coin. The value of a maravedi was altered several times during the Middle Ages. A law 1497 law set the value of one maravedi equal to three blancas.
Dinero – a coin, and also a unit of weight.
Zumo de naranjas refers to the juice of bitter oranges, not the sweet variety. It is used in many recipes (along with vinegar, verjuice, lemon juice, and sour pomegranate juice) to add a sour flavor to food.
Paleta (see Spatula)
Medieval recipes for chicken are often specific about the age and gender of the bird to be cooked.
Capon – capon, a castrated male
Gallina – hen, a mature female. The preferred choice for making soup, as they are flavorful, but generally too tough for roasting. Many of the recipes call for caldo de gallina, and I have translated this literally as "hen's broth".
The modern meaning of the word is "sauce", and Nola frequently uses it in that sense. However, he also uses it to mean "spice". The phrase salsas finas "fine spices" appears over and over, sometimes with a list of which spices should be included. In recipe 106, he instructs the reader to add "all manner of fine spices, which are: good ginger and good cinnamon and saffron and grains of paradise, and nutmeg, and mace...".
Salseron
A sauce of a more liquid consistency than a salsa. Translated as "thin sauce".
Salsilla
A delicately-flavored sauce. Translated as "light sauce"
Semola
This refers both to partly-ground wheat, and to the boiled dish made from it.
To pan-fry food slowly over low heat. There is no exact English equivalent. Translated as "gently fry".
Solsido/Sulsido
A concentrated broth of meat or poultry. The word does not appear in the RAE dictionaries, and is probably a Catalanism. The Catalan word used in the Libre del Coch is "solsit", which apparently comes from the verb solsir-se, meaing "to be consumed" or "to dry up".
Paleta, literally, "little shovel". According to the RAE, this kitchen implement is a flat disc attached to a long handle. It is usually made of iron, though in several recipes, Nola specifies a paleta made of wood. Diego Granado, who reprinted 55 of Nola's recipes in his 1599 cookbook, substituted the term espatula. The RAE defines espatula as a particular kind of paleta, used by apothecaries to mix ointments.
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---. Diccionario de la Lengua Española. Madrid: Real Academia Española, 1992.
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Copyright 2001 by Robin Carroll-Mann, <rcarrollmann at gmail.com>. Permission is granted for republication in SCA-related publications, provided the author is credited and receives a copy.
If this article is reprinted in a publication, I would appreciate a notice in the publication that you found this article in the Florilegium. I would also appreciate an email to myself, so that I can track which articles are being reprinted. Thanks. -Stefan.
<the end>