[Sca-cooks] Spanish recipe question.

[Robin Carroll-Mann]

I'll second Adamantius' recommendation of an olla podrida.  Recipes 
appear in the Spanish corpus in the late 16th century.  Digby, who is 
post-period, has a simplified version


A PLAIN BUT GOOD SPANISH OGLIA

Take a Rump of Beef, or some of Brisket or Buttock cut into pieces, a loin
of Mutton, with the superfluous fat taken off, and a fleshy piece of the
Leg of Veal or a Knuckle, a piece of enterlarded Bacon, three or 4 Onions
(or some Garlike) and if you will, a Capon or two, or three great tame
Pigeons. First, put into the water the Beef and the Bacon; After a while,
the Mutton and Veal and Onions. But not the Capon or Pigeons till only so
much time remain, as will serve barely to boil them enough. If you have
_Garavanzas_, put them in at the first, after they have been soaked with
Ashes all night in heat, and well washed with warm water, after they are
taken out; or if you will have Cabbage, or Roots, or Leeks, or whole
Onions, put them in time enough to be sufficiently boiled. You may at first
put in some Crusts of Bread, or Venison Pye crust. It must boil in all five
or six hours gently, like stewing after it is well boiled. A quarter or
half an hour before you intend to take it off, take out a porrenger full of
broth, and put to it some Pepper and five or six Cloves and a Nutmeg, and
some Saffran, and mingle them well in it. Then put that into the pot, and
let it boil or stew with the rest a while. You may put in a bundle of
Sweet-herbs. Salt must be put in as soon as the water is skimmed.
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16441/16441-8.txt

By way of comparison, here's a translation I did of an olla podrida 
recipe from Granado.

Source: Diego Granado, _Libro del Arte de Cozina_ (Spanish, 1599)
PARA HAZER VNA OLLA PODRIDA -- To make an olla podrida

Take two pounds of salted hog's gullet, and four pounds of de-salted 
shoulder ham, two snouts, two ears, and four feet of a hog, divided and
removed the same day, four pounds of wild boar with the fresh 
intestines, two pounds of good sausages, and everything being clean,
cook it in water without salt.  And in another vessel of copper, or 
earthenware, also cook with water and salt: six pounds of mutton, and
six pounds of calf's kidneys, and six pounds of fat beef, and two capons 
or two hens, and four fat domestic pigeons.  And of all these things,
those which are cooked first should be removed from the broth before 
they come apart, and be kept in a vessel, and in another vessel of
earthenware or of copper, with the aforementioned broth, cook two 
hindquarter of hare, cut in pieces, three partridges, two pheasants, or
two large fresh wild ducks, twenty thrushes, twenty quail, and three 
francolins.  And everything being cooked, mix the said broths and strain
them through a hair-sieve, taking care that they should not be too 
salty.  Have ready black and white chickpeas which have been soaked, whole
heads of garlic, divided onions, peeled chestnuts, boiled French beans 
or kidney beans, and cook it all together with the broth, and when the
legumes are almost cooked, put in white cabbage and cabbage, and 
turnips, and stuffed tripes or sausages.  And when everything is cooked
before the firmness is undone, taste it repeatedly in regard to the 
salt, and add a little pepper and cinnamon , and then have ready large 
plates,
and put some of this mixure upon the plates without broth. And take all 
the birds divided in four quarters, and the salted meats cut into slices,
and leave the little birds whole, and distribute them on the plate upon 
the mixture, and upon those put the other mixture with the sliced
stuffing, and in this manner make three layers.  And take a ladleful of 
the fattest broth, and put it on top, and cover it with another plate, and
leave it half an hour in a hot place, and serve it hot with sweet 
spices. You can roast some of the said birds after boiling them.

 You can see why Digby's version is called "simple".

As for vegetarian, nothing leaps immediately to mind, but I'll be glad 
to look around in my sources.

-- 

Brighid ni Chiarain
Barony of Settmour Swamp, East Kingdom
Robin Carroll-Mann *** rcmann4 at earthlink.net