[Sca-cooks] Caraway

[Robin Carroll-Mann]

This is a recipe I cooked recently with ground caraway.  The original does
not specify if the spices are to be whole or ground.  I chose to grind them
(including the caraway seeds), because I wanted a more subtle, blended
flavor.


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 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.
Ruperto de Nola, Libro de Guisados, 1529



Redaction:
1 med. gourd (about 1-1/2 lbs), peeled & cubed
1 cup. chopped onion
2 TBS olive oil
3/4 cup. whole milk + 1/4 cup. heavy cream
1/4 tsp ground caraway seed
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
1/2 cup. grated Romano cheese

Bring a pot of salted water to boil.  Add olive oil, onion, and gourd.  Simmer
until tender, about 20 minutes.  Drain the cooked vegetables.  When cool
enough to handle, squeeze them in a clean tea-towel to remove as much
excess water as possible.  Place the milk, cream, gourd, onion, and spices
in a clean pot.  Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.  Do not boil.  Use a
large spoon or a potato-masher to break up the pieces of gourd.  Cook long
enough for the flavors of the spices to blend, and the mixture to thicken.
Just before serving, reduce heat to low.  Add the grated cheese to the
mixture, and stir until the cheese is melted and thoroughly blended  in.
Taste for seasonings, and add salt if necessary.

The gourd I used was long gourd, from an Asian grocery store.  Because I
wanted to make this a vegetarian dish, I used the Lenten option of cooking
with water, oil, and salt instead of meat broth.

I omitted the eggs.  I have tried the dish with them, and other than a slight
thickening, they don't make a noticeable difference.


Brighid ni Chiarain *** mka Robin Carroll-Mann
Barony of Settmour Swamp, East Kingdom
rcmann4 at earthlink.net