[Sca-cooks] Re: Period or no: drop dumplings

[Louise Smithson]

 How well can drop dumplings be documented?
 
I have something similar to a drop dumpling from 16th C Italy, however the pasta is not served in a soup, but drained and dressed.  Nor is there any leavening.
 

Per fare & cuocere Maccaroni in piu modi per giorno quadregesimale. Cap CCLV.  Terzo libro. 
Piglisi una libra di fior di farina, & una libra di pangrattato, passato per lo foratoro minuto, impastisi ogni cosa con acqua che bolla & oglio d'olive mescolato con un poco di zafferano, e faccia la pasta che non sia troppo soda, ma ben mescolata sopra una tavola, e come havera preso il caldo, faccianosi i gnocchi cioe maccaroni sopra la grattacascio, e poganosi a cuocere in acque che bolla con un poco di sale, & come saranno cotti, cavinosi e ponganosi in un vaso di terra o di legno, e mettavisi sopra una agliata fatta di noci peste, spigoli d'aglioi, pepe, & polpa di pane ammogliata nell'acqua calda, mescolisi ogni cosa insieme, & servanosi con pepe & cannella sopra.  Ma volendo farsi maccaroni tirali ad basta, facciasi la pasta piu sodetto, & lascisi un  pochetto riposare lo sfoglio sopra la tavola, e taglisi con lo sperone a liste quadre o in altro modo, a beneplacito, & faccianosi cuocere all'acqua e sale, e servanosi come i soprascritti.  Et chi vorra potra ancho coprirli di
 salza verde. 
To make and cook maccaroni in many ways for lenten days. 
Take a pound of flour and a pound of grated bread passed through the finest sieve.  Bind everything together with boiling water and olive oil mixed with a little saffron. Make pasta that is not too firm, but well mixed on the table (knead well) and when it has lost its heat make the gnocchi that is maccaroni above the cheese grater (*1) and put them to cook in boiling water with a little salt.  When they are cooked strain and put them in a dish of clay or wood and put above a garlic sauce made of walnuts ground, garlic cloves, pepper and crumb of bread that has been soaked in hot water.  Mix everything together and serve them with pepper and cinnamon above.  But if one wants to make macaroni drawn out enough, make the pasta more firm and leave it to rest as a sheet on the table and cut it with a sperone (*2) into square (four cornered) strips and cook them in water and salt and serve them as it is written above.  And if you want they can also be served covered with green sauce. 
(*1) - The noodles are made in the first instance the way that noodles for paprikash are often made.  A soft dough is grated into boiling water.  This would yield small dumpling style pasta shapes. 
(*2) - The noodles can also be made like tagliatelle.  The pasta is made more firm, rolled out into a sheet and cut with a Sperone.  Scappi carries a picture of a "Sperone da pasticiero" - literal translation spur of the pasta chef.  It has a curved knife on one end, a handle in the middle and what looks like a fluted cutting wheel on the other end.  It would therefore allow you to make very fancy cut pasta. 

  



		
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