[Sca-cooks] Re: period pizza

[Louise Smithson]

Stefan wrote: <snipped>
Helewyse, or anyone else, can you post this recipe from Scappi?
It has been several years since we discussed period pizza or period 
pizza possibilities. A lot of it really depends upon your definition of 
"pizza". Anyway, I'd love to see some additional information.


Stefan, here is the recipe from Scappi, the original in Italian, the translation and how I redacted it for my recent feast. 

(Scappi, B., Opera : (dell' arte del cucinare).  Reprint. First published: Opera di M. Bartolomeo Scappi. Venice, 1570. 1981, Bologna: Arnaldo Forni. [20], 436 leaves [ca. 888 p.], [28] p. of plates. )

Per fare pizza sfogliata dal vulgo detta sfogliata ascuitta. [1] 
Cap CXXVIII, quinto libro,folio 367. 
Piglisi un sfoglio di pasta tirato sottile, fatto come gl’antescritti, & habbisi una tortiera onta di butiro liquefatto, & sopra essa tortiera pongasi un sfoglio d’essa pasta, alquanto grossetto, & sopra esso sfoglio mettansi dieci altri sfogli sottile, onti tra l’uno, & l’altro di butiro, & spolverizzati di zuccaro, & fiore di sambuco secchi, o verdi, & faccisi cuocere al forno, o sotto il testo; & cotto che sarà, servasi calda con zuccaro, & acqua rosa sopra.  A un’altro modo si potrebbe fare, tirato il sfoglio come s’è detto, ongasi di butiro liquefatto, & lascisi alquanto raffreddare, & spargasi un’altra volta d’esso butiro, & spolverizzisi di zuccaro, & faccisi un tortiglione di sei rivolture, & come è fatto ongasi per il lungo, & rivolgasi à foggi di laberinto, & mettasi nelle totiera, dove sia un’altro sfoglio di pasta onta di butiro, & con la mano onta di butiro caldo (acciò la pasta no s’attacchi) venga a spianarsi, di modo che non rimanga piu alta d’un dito, & col nodo del
 pugno vadasocaldando in modo che gli resti il segno, spargasegli butiro liquefatto sopra, & facciasi cuocere al forno con lento fuoco, & servasi caldo con zuccaro, & acqua rosa sopra, se non si volesse spolverizzare di zuccaro, & acqua rosa sopra; mettasi il zuccaro nella pasta, & per bellezza si puo fare essa pizza col tortiglione sfogliato incirca. 

To make pizza of many layers, commonly cold dry layered pastry.  [1] 
Take a sheet of pasta that has been pulled thin, made as is described in the previous recipe, have a tart pan greased with melted butter, and into this pan add a sheet of this pasta that is large enough.  Above this sheet put another 10 thin sheets, greasing between each one with butter and powdering with sugar and elder flowers, either fresh or dried.  And put it to cook in the oven or underneath a “testo”, and when it is cooked serve hot with sugar and rose water on top.  There is another way that one can make this, pull a sheet as is described and grease with melted butter, and let it chill a little, and sprinkle again with this butter, and powder with sugar and make a ring shaped pastry of six turns (roll pastry on itself).  And when it is made grease it along the length, and turn in the shape of a laberinth or knot, and put in the tart pan, where there is already another sheet of the pastry greased with butter, and with hands greased with melted butter (in order that the pasta
 does not stick to them) begin to turn it, in the way that it doesn't become any higher than a finger, and with the flat of your fist push it down so that it remains within, sprinkle with melted butter and put to cook in the oven with slow fire.  And serve hot with sugar and rose water above, and if one does not want to powder it with sugar and rosewater above, one can put sugar in the pastry, and for beauty one can make this pizza with little layered tarts that are in circles. 

Layered pastry 
Ingredients 
1/2 pack filo dough thawed 
1/4 lb butter 
1 cup sugar 
2 tablespoons cinnamon 
Method 
Melt the butter and keep warm so that it will spread.  Working quickly remove a sheet of filo dough from the packet, keep the remainder covered with a damp towel.  Lay the filo dough on a board, brush with butter, cover with another sheet of dough and repeat the butter, cover with another sheet of dough butter and then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.  Repeat this layering, 3 sheets filo then cinnamon and sugar, until 12 sheets of filo have been used.  Finish with a layer of cinnamon and sugar.  Slice the sheet into triangles.   Bake in a pre-heated 400 F oven (or at the temperature recommended on the filo packet) until golden brown.  Allow to cool, serve cold. 
Note: After taste testing this dish made with both dried elder flowers and with cinnamon the consensus was that cinnamon tasted better.  It also prevents the dessert menu from becoming overpowered with flower scented dishes. 

Helewyse


		
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