> SC - Period pesto recipe- Roman Moretaria- LONG

[ChannonM at aol.com]

In a message dated 10/3/00 1:21:47 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
owner-sca-cooks at ansteorra.org writes:
>  >So is there any evidence of whether pesto sauce is period or not?
>  
>  IIRC, the word "pesto" derives from the use of a mortar and *pestle* to
>  pound herbs, cheese, garlic, and generally nuts into a paste. The 
Epicurious
>  Food Dictionary states that an uncooked sauce of fresh basil, garlic, pine
>  nuts, parmesan or romano, and olive oil originated in Genoa, but gives no
>  date. Obviously, there are variations using Romano instead of Reggiano,
>  walnuts instead of pignolas, and parsley instead of basil, etc.

There is the "morataria" recipes that originate in Apicius. These are recipes 
with garlic, cheese, pinenuts, herbs and then the detailed recipe has layers 
of bread soaked in vinegar, sometimes chicken shredded and cucumbers layered 
inbetween. Yum.

The biggest debate is whether or not the recipe that calls for 4 heads of 
garlic actually is intended to mean cloves. IMO, they could mean fresh heads 
of young garlic (I've harvested some and tried it, they are much more subtle 
than mature garlic). Anyhow, here are some origina recipes and redactions. 
Sorry if you have seen this recipe before.
Hauviette


Original recipe
Appendix Vergiliana, Moretum
Four garlic cloves, celery, rue, coriander, salt grains, and cheese 



Apicius Book IV, I-3 Other
Sala cattabia 
Hollow out an Alexandrine loaf , soak in water mixed with vinegar. Put in the 
mortar pepper, honey, mint, garlic, fresh coriander, salted cow’s milk 
cheese, water and oil,  cool in snow and serve. 
Modern version 
.25 lb cheese ( I used a fresh cheese- I have made my own recently, but it 
has been suggested to use a stronger one like Parmigianno Regiano or Pecorino 
Romano)
1 large clove garlic minced 
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
 
Combine the ingredients and let cool 1 hour. Let soften before serving
A Redacted Recipe
Sala cattabia
Original Recipe
This recipe is found in Book IV -Many Ingredients, of our main work. It is 
included with recipes for  patinas ( mostly egg dishes) , fish dishes,  fried 
dishes of various sorts, stews to be served with the first course(Gustum 
versatile)   
The original recipe I am redacting from uses the same method outlined in the 
Sala cattabia recipe from Apicius noted below. In it, it directs you to

 “Have Ready some pieces of bread soaked in water mixed with vinegar. Squeeze 
out the moisture, and arrange in a mold, followed by layers of cow’s milk 
cheese, cucumbers, alternating with pine-kernels. Add  finely chopped capers 
alternating with chicken liver” 
The second sala cattabia recipe uses layers of various meats including 
chicken and goat’s sweatbread.   The meat can be omitted where a vegetarian 
version is desired. This version omits  any meat, however, a boiled chicken 
breast meat would is an excellent choice. 
Sala cattabia 
1 round loaf of sour dough  bread hollowed out. Cut the center in cubes  and 
soak in 1cup water  with 1 Tblsp good red wine vinegar of your choice and 
1tsp ground cumin. Flower & Rosenbaum point out that Alexandrine bread is 
thought to contain cumin.   I  was advised to taste the vinegar alone to 
determine if  it tastes fine, if so use it.  I chose Tosca brand, which can 
be easily found in Canada. 
Mix the soaking bread  well and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Squeeze out the 
excess moisture  by pressing it in a seive and set aside.
Mash in a mortar or put in food processor and blend;
1tsp white pepper ground

1 Tblsp honey
1 tsp fre sh mint chopped or ½ tsp dried 1 Tblsp fresh coriander  or 1 tsp 
dried
1 med clove of garlic, chopped
.5 lbs ricotta (you may wish to increase this ingredient to fill out your 
mold) 
 ½ thinly  sliced cucumber (if done in a food processor and very finely, do 
not peel)
1-  125 ml jar  of capers
2-3 ounces chopped pine nuts 
Dressing: 1 Tblsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar, ½ tsp salt.
The next step will vary depending on how large your mold is. Divide the 
soaked bread into 3 portions, the cheese and capers,  into 2 .* Using a 
mold(you may want to rub a small amount of olive oil into the mold  if you 
are concerned about the food sticking to the sides, I used less than a tsp)  
place a layer of cucumbers  on the bottom (top when righted) in a pattern if 
possible, then place a layer of bread pressing down firmly. Next place a 
layer of overlapping cucumber  slices.  Spoon in ½ of the cheese mixture and 
spread over  the cucumbers. Sprinkle on ½ of the  chopped pine nuts and 2-3 
tsp chopped capers. Repeat.
Finish with a final layer  of  bread.
.
Place a  plate on  top of the mold. Put  the two  in the refridgerator for at 
least 2-3 hours to ensure that the mold sets.  Turn the molded dish  onto a 
serving platter and surround with sliced pieces of the outer part of the loaf 
of bread. Pour over the dish the prepared dressing.  Garnish with some fresh 
mint or parsley in the center and serve chilled. Serves 6-8 as main dish or 
10- 12 as an appetizer  in a large feast.
*Note; in practice, I used 2 - 1 ½ lb molds. Each allowed 2 layers of bread 
and cucumber and 1 layer of cheese, pine nuts and capers. Had I used a 2-3 lb 
mold my resulting dish would have simply been larger, and appeared more 
varied.
I have also used a fish mold and placed the cucumbers to appear as scales and 
capers for eyes, it was a hit.  The decision at this point is up to the cook. 
Enjoy the labours!!