[Sca-cooks] Catalan and Italian Recipe Questions

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

I'm about to start cooking for the Bardic Feast on this coming
Saturday, Sept. 7, and i have a couple questions:

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FIRST, i found a recipe in Scully's Neapolitan cookbook that looks
intriguing, a savory cooked melon dish.

(Scully, page 181)
36. Melon Dish (Menestra de meloni)

Get good melons and take out the good part and grind it in a mortar
and set it to boil in a little fat broth; then take it a little away
from the fire, and for every bowl, add in one egg beaten with a
little good cheese, a little verjuice, a little ginger or pepper, and
saffron; and when dishing up put sugar and cinnamon on top; this dish
should be somewhat thick.

So, what sort of melons do folks think they would have used? Scully
only says that he accepts that the word meloni designates a fruit
similar to the modern melon. *The* modern melon? I don't know what's
available where folks on the list live, but in California we have so
many varieties - besides the usual cantaloupe and honeydew, we have
Persian melon, Cranshaw, and so many more...

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SECOND,  the ricotta cheese balls ...some folks have mentioned having
difficulty, others seem not to have had problems... what should i be
on the lookout for or against?

from de Nola
133. Toronjas de Xativa que Son Almojavanas - Oranges of Xativa which
Are Cheesecakes

You must take new cheese and curd cheese, and grind them in a mortar
together with eggs. Then take dough and knead those cheeses with the
curd cheese, together with the dough. And when everything is
incorporated and kneaded take a very clean casserole. And cast into
it a good quantity of sweet pork fat or fine sweet oil. And when the
pork grease or oil boils, make some balls from said dough, like toy
balls or round oranges. And cast them into the casserole in such a
manner that the ball goes floating in the casserole. And you can also
make buñuelos (recipe 108) of the dough, or whatever shapes and
ostentations you wish. And when they are the color of gold, take them
out, and cast in as many others. And when everything is fried, put it
on plates. And cast honey upon it, and on top of the honey [cast]
ground sugar and cinnamon. However, note one thing: that you must put
a bit of leaven in the cheeses and in the eggs, and in the other put
flour. And when you make the balls, grease your hands with a little
fine oil, and then [the balls] go to the casserole. And when it is
inside, if the dough crackles it is a signal that it is very soft,
and you must cast in more flour [into the dough] until it is harder.
And when the fritter is made and fried, cast your honey on it, and
[cast] sugar and cinnamon on top as is said above.

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Thanks for any pointers, advice, etc.

Anahita