SC - candied spices and other stuff

[Robin Carroll-Mann]

And it came to pass on 2 Aug 99,, that Sharon R. Saroff wrote:

> I am also looking for information as to the periodness of pudding using
> grains such as rice and wheat or using noodles.  I am particularly
> intersted in a middle eastern connection.  Could someone look up noodle
> kugel or rice pudding in "A Drizzle of Honey"?
> 
> THanks in advance.
> 
> Sindara

Is Spanish close enough?  Here are two recipes from the _Libro de 
Guisados_ (1529) for ginestada, which is a pudding-like dish made with 
rice flour, dates, and nuts.

GINESTADA (1)

Take rice and make flour of it and sift it through a hair 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 hazel nuts: and the dates cut into the 
size of fingers, and cast all fine spices into the pot and stir it always 
with a stick, and if you wish to make the ginestada white you may 
make it thus; and likewise you may put cinnamon instead of sugar upon 
the dishes, and seeds of sour pomegranates and it is necessary that 
the pot should rest a little while before you prepare the dishes.


GINESTADA (2)

Take blanched almonds and remove the milk from them, and it would be 
better with the milk of goats; and take the spices the night before which 
are whole cinnamon and ginger and cloves, however everything, and put 
them to soak in rosewater and then take for each dish two ounces of 
rice flour and one ounce of sugar; and for five dishes take a pound and a 
half of almonds; and then in the morning take the milk, and put it in the 
pot where it must cook and cast in the flour little by little; and stirring it 
always so that the flour does not become like plaster with the milk; and 
so go to the fire with great care to cook; and when you see that it is half 
cooked, take peeled almonds and cut them into four quarters, and take 
dates, and cut them in the same manner; and pine nuts, and mix them 
all together; and when the sauce is half cooked cast all this inside; and 
then take a little saffron, and grind it well and dissolve it with a little 
rosewater; and cast it in the pot, because this sauce should have a lot 
of color, and leave it to cook a good while with all these things until it is 
cooked; and let it be on a day of eggs, because you will take beaten 
egg yolks, and when you want to remove the sauce from the fire cast 
the yolks inside; but to be called ginestada there is no necessity for 
eggs, and prepare dishes and cast sugar and cinnamon upon them.

notes: the second recipe comes from the Lenten chapter of the _Libro 
de Guisados_, hence I assume that a "day of eggs" is one when the 
religion fasting laws permitted the consumption of eggs.  Those who are 
less than fond of saffron may wish to note that the first recipe is for a 
saffron-free "white" ginestada, in contrast to the second recipe, which is 
meant to be brightly colored.    I made the white version once in my pre-
diabetic days (with almonds to replace the hazelnuts I could not find) , 
and found it pleasant.  The nuts and the dates give a nice variety of 
texture and flavor to what might otherwise be an overly bland dish.

Brighid
Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)
mka Robin Carroll-Mann
harper at idt.net
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