[Sca-cooks] Torta a la Genovesa

[Lilinah]

I'd like to make the Torta a la Genovesa for the Duchesses Rose Ball.

Here's the Original recipe:

From:  Libro de Guisados (1529)
Translated by Brighid ni Chiarain

127. Torta a la Genovesa
Genovese Tart

A pound of almonds well-peeled, and another of pine nuts, and another 
of toasted hazelnuts, and grind them all together in a mortar and 
after grinding, set them aside. And take a pot with water, and salt, 
and oil. And this shall be on a flesh day, and taste [to see] if it 
is well-salted; and take a half pound of raisins without seeds, and 
three ounces of peeled dates cut into quarters, and three or four 
apples which are sweet-sour or sweet, and quarter them and remove the 
core and seeds, and cast them in the pot to cook. And when it is 
well-boiled, the apples will be cooked. And then remove them from the 
water, and grind them with the dates, and raisins, and almonds, and 
with the hazelnuts, and pine nuts. And after they are well-ground, 
blend it all with the said broth; and if it is a flesh day, you may 
cast into the mortar a dozen eggs ground up with the aforementioned 
things. And then strain it through a sieve, and having done this take 
good dough which is well-kneaded, and make a trencher as large as if 
it were the bottom of the frying pan which you have, and make its 
edges like a empanada without a top; however, let it be the size of 
the frying pan neither more no less, and put it in the frying pan; 
and when it is inside, cast in a little oil underneath so that the 
dough does not stick to the frying pan; and then cast all that sauce 
or foodstuff in the pie, and put it upon good hot cinders; and then 
take a lid which is as large as the frying pan, that will cover it 
well, and put a good fire of charcoal above and below and around it. 
And when it has been like this for a little while, carefully remove 
the lid from the top, and cast into the tart two ounces of sugar, and 
one of ground cinnamon, and then cover it again with its lid; and 
cook two hours until the dough comes away from the frying-pan; and 
then it is cooked, and remove it to a plate as if it were an omelet; 
and put it on the table like a pie.


I've rewritten the recipe in a more modern form, but it is not 
necessarily fully workable:

1 lb. almonds well-peeled
1 lb. pine nuts
1 lb. toasted hazelnuts
water
salt
oil
1/2 lb. seedless raisins
3 ounces pitted dates cut into quarters
3 or 4 apples, quartered, cored and seeded
12 eggs - optional (are these hard boiled?)
empanada dough
a little oil to grease the pan
2 ounces of sugar
1 ounce ground cinnamon

Blanch almonds and slip out of skins.
Toast hazelnuts and when cool enough, rub between hands to remove skins.
Grind all three kinds of nuts together and set aside.

Into a pot put water, salt, and oil and set on medium heat.
Add apples to the pot and cook until tender.
Remove apples from the water, saving liquid.

Grind together apples with dates, raisins, and ground nuts.
And if it is a flesh day, add eggs. (i assume these have been hard-cooked)
After they are well-ground, blend in the apple cooking liquid.
Then strain it through a sieve.

Take good well-kneaded dough, and make a trencher the size of the 
bottom of your frying pan.
Make its edges like a empanada without a top;
Oil a large heavy pan.
Line the pan with the dough.
Pour the fruit and nut mix into the pie shell.
Bake covered for "a little while"
Then remove the lid, and sprinkle onto the tart the sugar and cinnamon.
Then cover it again and bake two hours until the dough comes away 
from the sides of the frying-pan
When it is cooked, remove it to a plate as if it were an omelet; and 
put it on the table like a pie.

(That Frying Pan must have been huge!)

I am intending to make a "normal" sized pie - 8" or 9". I know this 
will effect how long it takes to cook.

So to my questions:
- Eggs... are they hard cooked? Seems that way to me, since it says 
they should be ground.
- Dough... what sort of dough would this have been? For less 
historical authenticity but ease of making, could we use a "normal" 
modern pie crust?
- So what does "Make its edges like a empanada without a top" mean?
- At what temperature should this be baked? 300? 350? 400? (i'm not a 
pastry cook, so i'm not sure)
- I assume that the torta is open face. Does this seem correct?
- What effect would covering the torta with a lid have? Or should 
this be interpreted as being like a testa, to make sure that it is 
evenly heated above and below?
- How long would this take? An hour? Less?

Thanks for any ideas.

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