[Sca-cooks] Torta a la Genovesa

[grizly]

-----Original Message-----
> > > > > SNIP
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. < < SNIP > >

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.> > > > > > >


I'll give a go at a couple of these:
-=
Eggs . . . I would assume raw eggs that are mixed in the mortar when you are
griding eveything else.  Given that whisls are not yet ubiquitous, the
mortar is the mixing implement for lots of this stuff.  It is awkward
syntax, probably because of translating from another language.  The eggs
would 'custardize' the whole thing; without eggs, would be less tender and
more dense.

Dough . . . "well kneaded dough" stumps me in this one.  Traditional modern
pasrty crust would toughen if kneaded, but one with egg and oil would be
less likely.  It almost seems as if it would be some other altogether.  I'm
not familiar enough with the rest of the text to say for certain.  I would
look at other tortas and recipes in the chapter to see what they call for.

"like an Empenada" I would suspect is crimped at top or maybe forked over
the edge.

"Temperature" is rough from what we have.  I'd bake it at about 350F if I
had the raw eggs in it.  With hard boiled or no eggs, I'd go no more than a
little higher to maybe 375F.  Need the crust to cook as the filling does.

"Open faced" is what I read here as well.  It does specify without a top as
part of a description, but I've been trapped with such logic before.

"Covering the torta with a lid" The description sounds to me a lot like they
are telling us to cook as if in a dutch oven, in a bed of coals banked
around the oven, and atop the lid in the ridge.  It would keep coal dust out
of the dish, and even the cooking heat around to the whole pot/pie.

"Time"  I personally would have to test the thing to see the thickness of
the filling and the speed of either an oven or the coals-banked dutch oven.
I'd check it at 35 and 45 minutes if a standard 1.5 inch deep custard pie at
350F.  It'll possibly go to an hour, but I don't have the experience to say
for certain.

Makes me want to try it this holiday, though, and give as gifts to good
friends if it works out.  I'll be very appreciative to hear any results you
may end up having if you try before me, as well as others' impressions on
this recipe and your thoughts!

niccolo difrancesco