[Sca-cooks] Interesting food article by Charles Perry published inWednesday'

[Denise Wolff]

>From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius" <adamantius.magister at verizon.net>
>Reply-To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
>To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
>Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Interesting food article by Charles Perry 
>published inWednesday's LA Times
>Date: Fri, 11 Mar 2005 08:48:56 -0500
>
>Also sprach Huette von Ahrens (quoting Charles Perry):
>
>>In particular, Martino apparently invented
>>battuto, the mixture of onions, carrots and
>>celery fried together that is the foundation of
>>so many Italian dishes.
>
>Hmmm. Battuto, mirepoix, and sofrito all appear to be fairly similar 
>mixtures, often used in similar ways. Not that there's anything wrong with 
>that...
>
>Does anyone have a copy of Martino handy to expand on this reference?
>
>Adamantius
Page 30  The Art of Cooking  MArtino of Como.

"Martino devotes much attentoion and space to pasta en brode (pasta in 
broth),and, as in the above mentioned ravioli, to pasta filled with meat 
,cheese,or vegetables. He devotes an equal amount of space and attention to 
fava beans,peas, chickpeas,squash,cauliflower,elderberry,fennel,eggplants, 
and still other vegetables. Thanks to Martino, vegetable dishes that had 
been the hallmark of the paupers diet for centuries shed their demure aspect 
and found a dignified place next to the roast and brined fish on the table 
of the rich.
Above and beyond this rehabilitation of vegetables, Maestro Martino turned 
his ingenuity toward assigning new functions to onions, dill, parsley, 
celery, and carrots (which, oddly enough were not orange,but 
purple)-functions quite similar to those Itallians ascribe to them even 
today. It is hard to say whether these preparations were full-fledged 
anticipation of today's household battuto (the common chopped onion,carrot, 
celery, and parsley base that would become a staple of Italian cuisine from 
the nineteenth century onward),but they sure came close."

Direct quote from the book......


Andrea MacIntyre
"One can never know too much; the more one learns, the more one sees the 
need to learn more and that study as well as broadening the mind of the 
craftsman provides an easy way of perfecting yourself in the practice of 
your art."
Auguste Escoffier

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