[Sca-cooks] Spanish Cheese?

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

I'm working out some recipes. Shock of shocks, i'm actually gonna
test the recipes before i cook the feast. I usually don't bother - i
just write out a redaction and cook the dish on the spot untested. So
far the worst that has happened has been two underseasoned dishes (a
cabbage dish and a lentil dish).

But this time i'm trying to decide which one of two recipes to cook
and i figure the proof is in the tasting - and the redaction is in
the preparation, as i can't quite tell how the Moorish Gourds is
supposed to turn out - omelet? fritatta? vegetables in sauce? The
Cazauela Moji is clearly rather like a fritatta.

Both recipes (see below,) Catalan in origin, call for grated aged
cheese. What type of cheeses do you suppose they were using? I'm
willing to test with a more expensive cheese (such as imported
Manchego or other). But i'll probably want to use a less expensive
version at the feast (well, depends on the price around here, of
course). I'm cooking for between 60 and 80. What would be a
reasonable substitute to use at the feast?

I suspect that a couple of the folks most knowledgeable in Catalan
food are away at the moment, but, well, i thought i'd ask. I'm
planning to test this weekend.

Anahita


VEGETABLE RECIPES
from de Nola, translated by Lady Brighid, publicly available on the Florilegium

55. CALABAZAS A LA MORISCA - MOORISH GOURDS

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 [whisk? - i figure this is to mash them a
bit] 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.

Anahita sez: I'm looking for a suitable: " good grated cheese"


119. CAZUELA MOJI - MOJI CASSEROLE

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; 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.

Anahita sez: this appears to make a fritatta. Also, I'm looking for a
suitable: "aged grated cheese"

6. POLVORA DE DUQUE - DUKE'S POWDER

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.