SC - For submission to the Chronus Draconum

[Mordonna22 at aol.com]

FROM MORDONNA’S KITCHEN

CAZUELA DE SALMON
>From Libro de Guisados by Ruperto de Nola (Spanish, 1529)
Translation by Lady Brighid ni Chiarain of Tethba, Settmour Swamp (Robin
Carrol-Mann) as found on the SCA Cooks e-mail list on Sunday October 3, 1999.

You must take the clean and well-washed salmon, and put it in a casserole 
with your spices which are galingale, and a little pepper and ginger and 
saffron, and all of this well ground, and cast upon the fish with salt, and a 
little verjuice or orange juice, and let it go to the fire of embers, and 
then take blanched almonds and raisins and pine nuts and all herbs.  That is 
moraduj, which is called marjoram, and parsley, and mint, and when the 
casserole is nearly half-cooked, cast all this inside.

2 lb. Salmon Steaks
1 teaspoon galingale
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 pinch saffron
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup slivered, blanched almonds
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 tsp. each fresh marjoram, parsley, mint finely diced

Place fish steaks in a large, heavy covered cast iron pan.  Mix spices and 
vinegar and water together and sprinkle over fish.  Bring to a simmer, 
covered, over medium heat and allow to simmer 15 minutes.  Turn steaks, add 
nuts, raisins,  and herbs and re-cover and allow to simmer another 15 
minutes.  Add more water if necessary to keep pan from drying out.

Notes:  As I had no verjuice, or sour orange juice, I used diluted cider 
vinegar.  Next time I will try the juice of Seville oranges.  Verjuice is the 
juice of sour fruit, such as green (as in not-ripe) grapes or pomegranate and 
was a common ingredient in medieval cooking.  Sweet oranges did not reach the 
Spanish peninsula until very late period, so Seville orange juice would be 
more suited to the recipe than sweet juices such as Valencia.

I cooked this for my parents and grandson.  I served it with a green salad 
with vinegar and oil dressing, and spring peas in butter and garlic.  My 
father swore he doesn’t like salmon any other way than in fried croquets, but 
when we convinced him to try it, he liked it a lot.  He expressed  regret 
that I had not made more.  My fourteen month old grandson demolished his with 
gusto, but then again, we have not found a food he does not demolish with 
gusto.  My mother took a couple of spoonfuls of the juices and herbs from the 
dish and used it instead of dressing on her salad and declared it delicious. 
 
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Mordonna the Cook is head cook for House Warrior Haven.  She is from late 
sixteenth century Ireland and can read and write.  She has studied all the 
great chefs of history.  She is a widow.  She is the alter ego of Anne 
Francoise DuBosc, an early 14th century French noblewoman who can neither 
read nor write, and who has never learned to cook.  Both are loyal subjects 
of the Barony of SunDragon, Kingdom of Atenveldt.
Pat Griffin is a customer service tech for Conair Corporation, an avid cook, 
and has been n the Society for over three years and four Estrellas.  
All three can be reached at Mordonna22 at AOL.COM
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