[Sca-cooks] Cilantro Potaje

[a5foil]

You did not use Spanish Marcona almonds, did you? They are significantly
oilier than California snack almonds, and we have found that they grind very
differently. Also, if you have to use Cal nuts, instead of adding water try
adding almond oil.

Cynara

----- Original Message -----
From: <lilinah at earthlink.net>
To: <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 1:58 PM
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Cilantro Potaje


> Saturday His Grace, Duke Cariadoc, and his Lady Betty Cook, hosted a
> cooking experium - they printed out a bunch of recipes and those
> attending each selected one and gave it a whirl. This time they were
> all from either the Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook or the 1529 De Nola.
>
> One recipe that was worked out was the Potaje de Culantro from De
> Nola (trans. of orig. recipe below).
>
> While the final dish was interesting and i would eat it again, it was
> certainly not worth the enormous amount of effort Halima, who cooked
> it, expended.
>
> The text implies that it is moist, but grinding the quantity of nuts
> and cilantro that Halima used did not result in anything at all
> moist. Halima tried grinding the ingredients by hand, then grinding
> them in a food processor and grinding the resultant stiff paste by
> hand in a mortar (enlisting the assistance of some other
> participants). I suggested adding some water, which she did (a
> relatively small amount), then forcing the resultant paste through a
> wire sieve. The final dish was almost as thick as a nut butter, but
> not as oily. Now, i like eating nut butters straight from the jar,
> but others might not, so...
>
> I was wondering if anyone else had tried it, what they did, and what
> were the results.
>
> I suspect that, among other things, we needed a lot more cilantro and
> fewer nuts...
>
> Anahita
>
> 30. ANOTHER POTTAGE OF CORIANDER CALLED THE THIRD
> OTRO POTAJE DE CULANTRO LLAMADO TERCIO
> http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD-MANUSCRIPTS/Guisados1-art.html
>
> You must take green coriander, and cut it finely, and grind it in a
> mortar together with dry coriander, and then take toasted almonds and
> toasted hazelnuts, and grind them separately in a mortar; and when
> they are well-ground, mix them with the almonds, and resume grinding
> everything together; and when it is well-ground, strain it through a
> woolen cloth, and set it to cook in the pot; and cast in all fine
> spices with saffron, and vinegar, and sugar; and set it to cook with
> little fire just until it is a little thickened; and remove it from
> the fire, and prepare dishes, and upon them cast sugar and cinnamon.
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