[Sca-cooks] Pesto(?) recipe from Scappi (LONG)

[Louise Smithson]

Here we go to forstall all further did it (Pesto) or
didn't it exist.  I say NAY.  There were two recipes I
identified that are precursers of the modern pesto but
are obviously not Pesto as we know it.
Just for the record it took me over an hour of
browsing to find them and 1 1/2 hours to do the
transcription and translation.  Hunting through a
cookbook nearly three inches thick for a recipe you
don't know exists or not is a little tricky.  I only
did it because I really wanted the answer.

Note on transcription.  Long s has been substituted
with modern s.  U where appropriate has been
substituted with V.  Ess (the funny B letter) has been
substitued with ss.
Per Far salza verde.  Cap CCLXXII.  Secondo Libro
Piglisi petresemolo, cime di spinaci, acetosa,
pinpinella, ricula, & un poco di menta, e tritisi ogni
cosa minutamente, & pestasi nel mortaro con fettoline
di pane brustolito, e sara in arbitrio, se vi si vorra
mettere amandole o nocelle, ma accioche rimanga piu
verde, si sara senza, & come sara pesta, vi si mettera
pepe & sale, stemperandola con aceto & se sera ben
pesta, non occurrera passarla.  In questo modo si
potra sara capriola cioe viticchi de viti.
To make Green Sauce.
Take parsley, sprouts of spinach, sorrel, burnet,
rocket and a little of mint and cut everythng finely
and paste it in the mortar with small slices of
toasted bread and it will be in your judgement if one
wants to add almonds or hazelnuts, but to the end that
it stays more green it is made without, when it is
ground one puts in pepper and salt, temper it with
vinegar and it will be well blended, it does not
require straining.  In this way it is for roe deer
that is a yearling in life.

Per fare & cuocere Maccaroni in piu modi per giorno
quadregesimale. Cap CCLV.  Terzo libro.
Piglisi una libra di fior di farina, & una libra di
pangrattato, passato per lo foratoro minuto, impastisi
ogni cosa con acqua che bolla & oglio d'olive
mescolato con un poco di zafferano, e faccia la pasta
che non sia troppo soda, ma ben mescolata sopra una
tavola, e come havera preso il caldo, faccianosi i
gnocchi cioe maccaroni sopra la grattacascio, e
poganosi a cuocere in acque che bolla con un poco di
sale, & come saranno cotti, cavinosi e ponganosi in un
vaso di terra o di legno, e mettavisi sopra una
agliata fatta di noci peste, spigoli d'aglioi, pepe, &
polpa di pane ammogliata nell'acqua calda, mescolisi
ogni cosa insieme, & servanosi con pepe & cannella
sopra.  Ma volendo farsi maccaroni tirali ad basta,
facciasi la pasta piu sodetto, & lascisi un  pochetto
riposare lo sfoglio sopra la tavola, e taglisi con lo
sperone a liste quadre o in altro modo, a beneplacito,
& faccianosi cuocere all'acqua e sale, e servanosi
come i soprascritti.  Et chi vorra potra ancho
coprirli di salza verde.
To make and cook maccaroni in more ways for lenten
days.
Take a pound of flour and a pound of grated bread
passed through the finest sieve.  Bind everything
together with boiling water and olive oil mixed with a
little saffron. Make pasta that is not too firm, but
well mixed on the table (knead well) and when it has
lost its heat makethe gnocchi that is maccaroni above
the cheese grater (*1) and put them to cook in boiling
water with a little salt.  When they are cooked strain
and put them in a dish of clay or wood and put above a
garlic sauce made of walnuts ground, garlic cloves,
pepper and crumb of bread that has been soaked in hot
water.  Mix everything together and serve them with
pepper and cinnamon above.  But if one wants to make
maccaroni drawn out enought, make the pasta more firm
and leave it to rest as a sheet on the table and cut
it with a sperone (*2) into square (four cornered)
strips and cook them in water and salt and serve them
as it is written above.  And if you want they can also
be served covered with green sauce.
(*1) - The noodles are made in the first instance the
way that noodles for paprikash are often made.  A soft
dough is grated into boiling water.  This would yield
small dumpling style pasta shapes.
(*2) - The noodles can also be made like tagliatelle.
The pasta is made more firm, rolled out into a sheet
and cut with a Sperone.  Scappi carries a picture of a
"Sperone da pasticiero" - literal translation spur of
the pasta chef.  It has a curved knife on one end, a
handle in the middle and what looks like a fluted
cutting wheel on the other end.  It would therefore
allow you to make very fancy cut pasta.

While both recipes bear some similarity to the modern
pesto there are some differences.  Bear in mind that
even in Italy the use of Pesto is more or less
restricted to the Genova region.  Pesto is properly
referred to as Pesto Genovese and is a regional
specialty.  This form of pesto contains Basil, Pine
Nuts, Garlic, Olive Oil and Parmesan cheese.
The green sauce has plenty of herbs BUT no Basil.  You
may choose to add nuts (almonds or hazel) but are
advised not to.  There is no olive oil, garlic or
cheese.
The second recipe details pasta covered in sauce.  You
may either add a garlic nut sauce (again two of the
ingredients of modern pesto) or the green sauce.  But
again signature ingredients of the Pesto Genovese are
not present.

As to the Bagna Calda I found nothing that in any way
resembled it.

Hope this helps.

Helewyse de Birkestad.





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