Antique Roman Dishes - Collection

 Date: Thu, 22 Jul 93 11:12:07 +0200

Contents

• Native Roman Ingredients
• Conversions
• Isicia Omentata (A kind of Roman Burger)
• Pepones et Melones (water and honey melons
• Patina de pisciculis (souffle of small fishes)
• Patina de Piris (pear souffle)
• Minutal Marinum (seafood fricassee)
• Gustum de Praecoquis (starter with apricots)
• Fabaciae Virides et Baianae (Green and Baian Beans)
• Pullum Frontonianum (Chicken a la Fronto)
• Pullus Fusilis (Chicken With Liquid Filling)
• Dulcia Domestica (Housemade Dessert)
• Aliter Dulcia (Another Kind of Dessert)
• Tiropatinam (A Kind of Soufflee)
• Ova Sfongia Ex Lacte (Pancakes with Milk)
• In Ovis Apalis (Boiled Eggs)
• Vitellina Fricta (Fried Veal)
• In Vitulinam Elixam (Boiled Veal)
• Aliter Baedinam Sive Agninam Excaldatam(Steamed Lamb)
• In Mitulis (Sea Mussels)
• Sarda Ita Fit (Tuna)
• Scillas (Big Shrimps)
• Mustacei (= Must Rolls)

 MARCUS GAVIUS APICIUS: DE RE COQUINARIA

 The book I have is edited and translated from Latin by Robert Maier. My humble person only translated the German translations into English. I hope the recipes are still rather near to the originals...

First I have to introduce you to some native Roman ingredients, such as:

• Caroenum: Boiled must (you have to boil the new wine or grape juice until it is only half the amount you started with).
• Defritum: Either thick fIg syrup, or must that's boiled until you have only a third of the amount with which you started.
• Liebstoeckl: I didn't find an English translation. In Latin it's called 'levisticum officinale'. It's an umbelliferous plant with yellowish flowers. Its dried roots are used as spice. It seems to be a kind of celery.
• Liquamen: a salty fish sauce. Most of the time you can replace it by salt.
• Passum: Very sweet wine sauce, made by boiling the must (new wine or grape juice) to thicken it. (maybe add honey? - just my guess)
• Poleiminze: A kind of mint that's growing in inundated areas. Just replace it by ordinary mint.
• Saturei: I didn't find an English translation. In Latin it's called 'satureia hortensis'. It's a violet or white flowered kind of labiate plants which grows mainly in Southern Europe. It's used as a spice plant, especially for bean dishes.
• Silphium: Its other names are 'Laser' or 'ferula asa foetida'. I've noticed that it's also called 'hing' in the Indian cuisine. It is an onion and garlic substitute and should be used rather sparingly because of its very strong taste and smell.

And here are some useful conversions, taken from the FAQ maintained by mara@kauri.vuw.ac.nz (great job!)

5 ml       =  1 tsp

15 ml      =  1 tblsp

28.3g      =  1 ounce ( ==> 100g = 3.5 ounces ) 

454g       =  1 pound ( ==> 1kg = 2.2 pound )

250ml      =  1 cup

1 l        =  4 cups

180 deg C  =  350 deg F 

220 deg C  =  425 deg F

And now let's come to the meals. All of those are calculated for 4 servings!

Unfortunately the exact cooking temperatures and times haven't been handed down in all cases. You have to rely on your gut feeling. But I hope you enjoy all of it nonetheless!

ISICIA OMENTATA (a kind of Roman Burgers)

(Apic. 2, 1, 7)



Ingredients:

------------



500g  minced meat

1     french roll, soaked in white wine

1/2   tsp freshly ground pepper

50ml  Liquamen (can be replaced by 1/2 tsp salt + a little white wine)

some stone-pine kernels and green peppercorns

a little Caroenum

Baking foil

• Mix minced meat with the soaked french roll.
• Grind spices and mix into the meat.
• Form small burgers.
• put pine kernels and peppercorns into them.
• Put them into baking foil.
• Grill them together with Caroenum.

(Apic. 3, 7)



Ingredients:

------------



1/2       honey melon \       both peeled, diced 

1/2       water melon /       and stoned

500ml     Passum

a little bit of honey (or Passum)

1 tblsp   minced parsley

1/2 tsp   freshly ground pepper

a little bit of Liquamen, or a dash of salt

Poleiminze, Silphium, vinegar, if wanted

Cook diced melons in a pan together with spices and herbs until done.
Sometimes Silphium is added.

(Apic. 4, 2, 30)



Ingredients:

------------



500g      boiled fillet of small fishes or whole sardelles

150g      dried raisins (sultanas)

1/2 tsp   freshly ground pepper

1 tblsp   Liebstoeckl

1 tblsp   oregano

2         small diced onions

200ml     oil

50ml      Liquamen, or 1/2 tsp salt

some cornstarch

(Apic. 4, 2, 35)



Ingredients:

------------



1kg       pears (peeled and without core)

6         eggs

4 tblsp   honey

100ml     Passum

a little bit oil

50ml      Liquamen, or 1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp   ground cumin

ground pepper to taste

(Apic. 4, 3, 1)



Ingredients:

------------



500g   fish fillet (e.g. salmon)

250ml  white wine

500ml  beef broth

3      leek branches (I hope branch is the correct expression...)

100ml  oil

Liquamen or salt, coriander, pepper, Liebstoeckl, Oregano to taste

a little bit of starch or flour to thicken the sauce

(Apic. 4, 5, 4)



Ingredients:

------------



1kg    firm ripe apricots or nectarines

200ml  white wine

250ml  Passum

1      peppermint tea bag (portion for one cup)

       pepper, Liquamen or salt, cornstarch, a little vinegar 

       and honey)

Wash, cut and stone apricots. Put them with a little cold water in a pan. Ground pepper and dried mint (that's where the tea bag comes handy...), add Liquamen, honey, Passum, wine and vinegar. Pour into the pan with a little oil. Cook approximately 20 minutes on small to moderate heat. After it boiled add a bit of cornstarch to thicken the sauce, sprinkle with pepper and serve.

(Apic. 5, 6, 1)



Ingredients:

------------



500g       soybeans with pod, or green beans

50ml       Liquamen, or 1/2 tsp salt with 50ml wine

1-2 tblsp  oil

1 tblsp    minced coriander leaves 

           (or 1/2 tblsp ground coriander seed)

1 tsp      cumin seeds

1/2        minced branch of leek

Cook beans with Liquamen, oil, leek and spices. Serve.

(Apic. 6, 9, 13)



Ingredients:

------------



1      fresh chicken (approx. 1-1.5kg)

100ml  oil

200ml  Liquamen, or 200ml wine + 2 tsp salt

1      branch of leek

fresh dill, Saturei, coriander, pepper to taste

a little bit of Defritum

(Apic. 6, 9, 15)



Ingredients:

------------



1        fresh chicken (approx. 1-1.5kg)

300g     minced meat (half beef, half pork)

100g     groats (of oat)

2        eggs

250ml    white wine

1 tblsp  oil

1 tblsp  Liebstoeckl

1/4 tsp  ground ginger

1/4 tsp  ground pepper

1 tsp    green peppercorns

50g      stone-pine kernels

Liquamen or salt to taste

(Apic. 7, 13, 1)



Ingredients:

------------



200g    fresh or dried dates

50g     coarsely ground nuts or stone-pine kernels 

a little bit salt

honey, or red wine with honey (to stew)

Note:
-----
You may also fill some dates with ground pepper. (I wonder how this
might taste - but that's a suggestion made in the original recipe.)

(Apic. 7, 13, 5)



Ingredients:

------------



250g        coarsely ground nuts

100g        coarsely ground stone-pine kernels

3-4 tblsp   honey

1 tsp       minced rue

50ml        Passum

50ml        milk

2           eggs

honey to drip on afterwards

a small amound of ground pepper

(Apic. 7, 13, 7)



Ingredients:

------------

500ml     milk

6         eggs

3 tblsp   honey

a little bit of ground pepper

(Apic. 7, 13, 8)



Ingredients:

------------



8      eggs

600ml  milk

100ml  oil

a little bit honey

a little bit ground pepper

(Apic. 7, 19, 3)



Ingredients:

------------



8    hard boiled eggs (not too well done - boil ca. 4 minutes)

50g  stone-pine kernels

honey, pepper, vinegar, Liebstoeckl, Liquamen (or salt) to taste

(Apic. 8, 5, 1)



Ingredients:

------------



800g - 1kg  veal

300g        dried raisins (sultanas)

1 tblsp     honey

2 tblsp     vinegar

200ml       wine

100ml       oil

100ml       Defritum

100ml       Liquamen (or 1tsp salt)

pepper, celery seeds, Liebstoeckl, cumin, 

oregano, dried onion to taste

• Fry veal in olive oil until well done.
• Mix raisins, wine, vinegar, honey, oil, liquamen and spices together in an extra pan
• shortly boil the sauce.
• Pour over the veal, then leave the meat for 10 minutes in the sauce and cook on low heat.
• Serve.

(Apic. 8, 5, 3)



Ingredients:

------------



800g - 1kg  veal

pepper, Liebstoeckl, cumin, celery seeds to taste

2 tblsp     honey

2 tblsp     vinegar

100ml       oil

100ml       Liquamen (or 100ml white wine + 1 tsp salt)

a little bit of cornstarch

• Cook the veal for about 1 1/2 hour until well done.
• Mix together honey, vinegar, oil, ligamen and spices in an extra pan.
• Boil the sauce only shortly and thicken it with cornstarch.
• Then pour sauce over the veal and let boil on low heat for another 10 minutes.
• Serve.

(Apic. 8, 6, 2)



Ingredients:

------------



10       lamb cutlets

1 l      white wine

100ml    oil

2        big onions, diced

2 tblsp  ground coriander 

1 tsp    ground pepper

1 tblsp  Liebstoeckl

1 tsp    ground cumin

200ml    Liquamen (or 2 tsp salt)

• Put cutlets into pot, together with diced onion and spices.
• Add liquamen, oil and wine.
• Cook 45-60  minutes.
• Pour sauce into a pan and thicken itwith starch.
• Serve cutlets together with the sauce.

IN MITULIS (Sea Mussels)

(Apic. 9, 9)



Ingredients:

------------



1kg        fresh sea mussels

100ml      Liquamen

1          branch of leek, finely minced

1 tsp      cumin

200ml      Passum

1 tblsp    minced Saturei

500ml      white wine

ca. 500ml  water

• First water mussels, and clean them.
• Mix together Liquamen, wine, water, passum and spices.
• Boil the broth for about 20 minutes
• Add mussels.
• Boil additional 10 minutes.
• Serve.

(Apic. 9, 10, 2)



Ingredients:

------------



500g       cooked tuna fillet

1/2 tsp    ground pepper

1/2 tsp    Liebstoeckl

1/2 tsp    thyme

1/2 tsp    oregano

1/2 tsp    rue

150g       dates (without stones)

1 tblsp    honey

4          hard boiled eggs (in quarters)

50ml       white wine

2 tblsp    wine vinegar

50ml       Defritum

2-3 tblsp  green olive oil

• Cook tuna fillet.
• Mesh fillet together with dates, honey, wine, vinegar, defritum and oil.
• Put mass into a bowl and garnish with egg quarters.
• Serve.

(Apic. exc. 17)



Ingredients:

------------



500g       cooked and prepared big shrimp

1 tsp      green pepper

1 tblsp    Liebstoeckl

1/2 tsp    ground celery seeds

2-3 tblsp  vinegar

100ml      Liquamen (or 1/2 tsp salt)

4-5        hacked hard-boiled egg yolks

• Cook shrimp.
• Grind pepper, celery seeds and Liebstoeckl.
• Pour vinegar, liquamen and egg yolks over it and mix thoroughly.
• Pour the mixture over the shrimp
• Serve.

(Cato: De agricultura, 121)



Ingredients:

------------



500g     wheat flour 

300ml    grape juice (or young wine)

2 tblsp  anise seeds 

2 tblsp  cumin seeds 

100g     lard

50g      grated cheese (sheep's cheese would be best)

ca. 20   bay leaves

• Pour some must over the flour
• add anise and cumin seeds, the lard and cheese.
• Work it together until you have a reasonable dough.
• Form rolls.
• put one bay leaf under each of them.
• Bake 30-35 minutes at 180 deg C.