[Sca-cooks] Martino Corno's pasta recipe?

[Elaine Koogler]

Christiane wrote:

>Does anyone here know of a translation of Martino Corno's cookbook that contains a recipe titled "De arte Coquinaria per vermicelli e macaroni siciliani (The art of cooking Sicilian vermicelli and macaroni)"?
>
>I find many references to this recipe, circa 1000 A.D., but not the recipe itself! Argh!
>
>Gianotta
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I have a copy of the recently published version of Martino's book, De 
arte coquinaria, translated by Jeremy Parzen as "The Art of Cooking, the 
First Modern Cookery Book", and have looked in it for your recipe.  
However, I did not find a recipe titled as you indicate.  There are two 
recipes, one for Sicilian Macaronia, the second for Vermicelli:

Sicilian Macaroni:
Take some very white flour and make a dough using egg whites and rose 
water, or common water.  If you wish to make two platters, do not add 
more than one or two egg whites, and make sure that the pasta is very 
firm; then shape it into long, thin sticks, the size of your palm and as 
thin as hay.  Then take an iron rod as long as your palm or longer, and 
as thin as string and place it on top of each stick, and then roll with 
both hands over a table; then remove the iron rod and the macaroni will 
be perforated in the middle.

These macaroni must be dried in the sun and they will last for two or 
three years; they will last particularly well if you make them under an 
August moon; cook them in water or meat broth; and place them on 
platters with generous quantities with generous quantities of grated 
cheese, fresh butter, and sweet spices.  This macaroni should be 
simmered for two hours.

Vermicelli
Thin the pasta as above, cut into thin strings, and break into small 
piecdes with your fingers just like little worms; and set it to dry in 
the sun, and it will keep for two or three years.  When you wish to cook 
it, do so in meat broth or good fatty pullet broth, for one hour.  Then 
serve in bowls, topped with grated cheese and spices.

In case it is not a meat day, cook it in almond milk with sugar or in 
goat's milk.  Byut because achieve the sufficient boil required by 
vermicelli, boil first in a little water, as is done for rice.  And the 
sme holds for lasagne and /triti/, also called /formentine/.  All of 
these pasta dishes should be made yellow with saffron, except when they 
are cooked in milk.

Hope this helps....

Kiri