[Sca-cooks] armored turnips ????

[Nick Sasso]

For those who are Neapolitan Cuisine Challenged, here is the text
referenced:

#27 Garnished Turnips  (Rappe Armate in original text)

	Cook the turnips under the coals, or else boil them whole, then
cut them into slices the thickness of a knife blade; get Parmesan
cheese* or some other good fat cheese cut into slices as broad as the
turnip slices, but thinner; and get sugar, pepper and mild spices mixed
together; lay out these slices in a torte pan in layers — on the
bottom the slices of cheese with good fresh butter on top and the slices
of turnip, and so on from layer to layer always adding spice mixture
everywhere; you cook it like that in the pan, with a good amount of
butter, for a quarter of an hour or more like you would a torte.  This
banquet dish is served after the others.

* per Scully's commentary, only the Neapolitan text (of the several
reviewed) mentions this specifically.

There is mention there of Rapa Armata from another text (Anonimo
Veneziano), which could be the source of the ubiquitous "Armoured
Turnips", but which Scully suggests is translated closer to "dressed" or
Garnished. The sentence Scully provides from Anonimo Veneziano is
directions: lassa...ben confectarre insieme; the infinitive he says
describes making a confection.  Not knowing what the rest of the recipe
states, is it possible that this was sweeter that we would normally make
it to our tastes?  It does say to use sugar, but no indication of
amounts.  It would be truly an interesting dish to be both sweet and
cheesy/buttery at once.  Probably served last due to cheese, at the very
least, and it's value/result of closing the stomach to cook the humours.


pacem et bonum,
fra niccolo difrancesco




----- Original Message -----
From: "Daniel Myers" <doc at medievalcookery.com> proffered:
T

There's also a version of this recipe, called "Garnished Turnips", in
"The Neapolitan Recipe Collection: Cuoco Napoletano",  Terence Scully,
(trans.), University of Michigan Press.  ISBN: 0-472-10972-3

I used provalone when I made it for feast a while back (was it
determined if provalone is perioid or not?).  It worked reasonably
well, but due to unexpected circumstances I lacked oven space and they
had to be served luke-warm instead of piping hot.

In Scully's notes on the recipe he says something to the effect that
this dish should be served at the end of the feast.  Maybe it's so the
cheese can fill in all the empty corners or something.  ;-)
- DM
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  Edouard Halidai  (Daniel Myers)