[Sca-cooks] interesting sighting at the greengrocer

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

Devra wrote:
>Yesterday on my way to Weight Watchers, I stopped to buy some fruit at a
>local green grocer's run by some Orientals. There I saw a sign that said 'Baby
>grapes'. And indeed, so they were - long stems with small clusters 
>of very small
>very green grapes on them.  I asked the cashier what they were used for, and
>she said, 'No good. Very sour.'
>
>Huh. You wouldn't want to make verjuice out of them, because there were only
>a few grapes on each stem.  Not enough to be worth working with, and they were
>probably too young to have that much juice anyway.
>
>Comment? Suggestion?

We used them in a 14th/15th C. Tuscan Libro della Cocina recipe. 
Vittoria Aureli translated it for a feast for the West Kingdom Royals 
at June Crown just past that she head cooked.

I should be getting her translation of the cookbook on line next week.

Here's the recipe:
Recipe 121. You can make a pie from beef, mutton and pork, sliced 
very small with garlic, onion, scallions, clean green grapes, or with 
herbs, in whatever way you like.

Vittoria chose to use sliced broiled beef steak (fine slices cut into 
about 1 or 1-1/2 inch lengths) (because she had to use kosher meat 
for the hosts, the Prince and Princess of the Mists and it was what 
she could find), fresh marjoram and fresh thyme, those tiny sour 
green grapes, finely sliced garlic, scallions cut in about 1 inch 
lengths, and onions fairly finely sliced. I suspect there was some 
salt in the pie, but i don't remember. We made the crust with 
unbleached white flour and olive oil. The tarts were excellent.

>  Devra (down 13 pounds)

Congrats!
-- 
Urtatim (that's err-tah-TEEM)
the persona formerly known as Anahita