[Sca-cooks] ancient Roman cookery

[Barbara Benson]

Greetings,

I also am fascinated by the Ancient Roman cuisine. I didn't realize
how fascinated I was by it until I looked at my cookbook collection
and realized that I had managed to accumulate quite a few books on the
subject, more so than any other specific period cuisine (except maybe
German).

Here is an interpretation of a Roman Dish that I served at my
Norman-Sicilian feast. It went over like gangbusters. I dropped the
number of spices used to adjust it towards what I felt was a later
style (losing the things that were out of favor by the 12th century).
But I do not believe adding stuff back in would do anything but make
it taste better. And I used canola oil to cut down on the cost of
Olive Oil that I had in the feast.

Another Style for Roasts: Take 6 scruples of parsley, of laser just as
many, 6 of ginger, 5 laurel berries, 6 scruples of preserved laser
root, Cyprian rush 6, 6 of origany, a little costmary, 3 scruples of
chamomile, 6 scruples of celery seed, 12 scruples of pepper, and broth
and oil as much as it will take up.

Recipe:
3 lbs Beef Roast
1 t Pickling Salt
3/4 t Black Pepper
2 t Ground Ginger
2 T Nuc Nam
1 t Dried Oregano
1 T Canola Oil

Combine all ingredients except pepper and allow to marinate for
several hours in refrigerator. Before cooking, add the pepper and seal
tightly in aluminum foil pouch. Preheat oven to 350° F and roast for 1
hour and 25 minutes, or until you have reached desired internal temp.

Glad Tidings,
Serena da Riva

> > My culinary interests are ancient Roman recipes (with fresh ingredients, of
> > course, har har.) Does anyone else out there experiment with ancient cookery? If
> > you've ever made anything with garum, I'd love to hear from you.
> >
> > Aurelia
>