[Sca-cooks] Late Italian feast

Louise Smithson helewyse at yahoo.com
Wed Feb 20 13:49:23 PST 2008


Vitha, 
Here are my comments about the organization of your feast. These are based on my research of the menus of Scappi (1575) who does count as a late Italian feast.  My class notes on menu organization are available on my website at: 
http://www.geocities.com/helewyse/italianfeastplanning.html
for other menus from Romoli Domenico see here: 
http://www.geocities.com/helewyse/yulefeast.html#Menu%20translations
I'm not sure whether you are really going for a feast designed as the Italians would have had it or rather using Italian dishes in what is your areas standard formatting. But as this is a list for learning I'll give you my commentary, which, because this is YOUR feast for YOUR area you are welcome to ignore as the unreasonable comments of an authenticity nut. :-)  My intent is not to offend but to educate.  
Helewyse 

 
> 
Here 
is 
my 
menu:  
Any 
thoughts?  
It 
has 
been 
over 
2 
yrs 
since 
I've
done 
a
 
> 
feast 
and 
I'm 
a 
little 
rusty.
 
>
 
>
 
> 
*1st*
 
> 
Pie 
in 
a 
Pipkin 
(beef 
stew) - 
 
> 
Vegetable 
soup 
w/ 
barley 
- 
(still 
looking 
for 
a 
source)
 
> 
flat 
bread/ 
crackers
 
> 
Torta 
Sambucea 
(elderflower 
& 
ricotta 
cheese 
pie)
 
>
First course
Two recipes taken from Martino and one soup, if you haven't found a recipe for vegetable soup with barley it is probably because it doesn't exist.  I have recipes for barley porridge (think risotto with barley) and recipes for stewed vegetables but not one combining both.  In fact that sort of combination appears rare across the whole recipe corpus. What is odd is that the first course in most menus is served cold for both authors, and stewed items show up much much later (usually in the 2nd course from the kitchen).  The elderflower tart is OK where it is, the flat bread too to a certain extent. 

 
> 
*Intermezzo*
 
> 
Lemon 
Ice 
with 
Pizzelle 
Cookies
 
The evidence I have for ice is slender, and mostly taken from harvest of the cold months.  It is therefore more of a sherbet with a syrup poured over grated ice than what we currently think of lemon ice in the Italian context.  Pizelle or wafers were only ever served at the end of a meal. 

 
> 
*2nd*
 
> 
Stuffed 
Fish 
(Neopolitan 
#79) 
- 
Sea 
Bass 
wrapped 
in 
parchment 
&
baked
 
> 
Orzo
 
> 
Insalata 
di 
carote 
cotte 
- 
salad 
of 
roasted 
carrots
 
> 
Peas 
with 
salt 
pork 
(Neo 
#21)  
- 
may 
pull 
this 
- 
it 
is 
only 
good
steaming
 
> 
hot.
 
> 
Italian 
Mushle 
(shell 
bread 
– 
sweet)
 
>
In all the recipes of Scappi there is not one instance I can find where fish turns up in a meat day menu.  The menus tend to be exclusively meat or fish.  Additionally salads are exclusively found in the first course and no later, they are there in the menu to stimulate the appetite for what is to come next.  How do you plan on dressing your orzo?  Standard late Italian way is with cinnamon, sugar, butter (or oil) and cheese.  You have two starches with this course I hope that you are serving little of each or people will explode. 
 
>
 
> 
*Intermezzo*
 
> 
Hand 
made 
Cheese  
(fontine, 
parmesan, 
mozzerella, 
Mascarpne)
 
> 
Machete 
bread 
(baked 
fresh)
 
> 
In 
season 
Fruit 
garnish
 
>
The hard cheeses appear in the Italian menus exclusively with the last course from the Credenza, the soft cheeses from the first course Credenza.  Hard cheeses were considered to "stop" up the stomach and close it for digestion.  More bread.  

 
> 
*3rd*
 
> 
Chicken 
w/ 
lemon 
sauce 
(Neopoltian 
#56)  
(1/2 
chicken 
per 
table)
 
>
 
> 
Catalan 
Style
Chicken 
(Neapolitan 
#61) 
(1/2 
chicken 
per 
table)
 
> 
Minestra 
di 
Tagliatelli 
(handmade 
noodles 
– 
plain)
 
> 
*Insalate 
di 
verdura 
- 
green 
salad*
 
> 
Armored 
Turnips 
? 
(may 
pull 
this)
 
>
The roast chicken dishes are OK, but they turn up too late for a real Italian feast, roast dishes turn up either cold or in the first course from the kitchen.  Salad turns up in the first course from the credenza, Turnips are OK where they live.  More starch pasta this time.  I hope that you are planning to serve no more than about 10oz of starch per person throughout the feast, otherwise there will be lots and lots left. 

 
> 
*Finale*
 
> 
Dried 
Fruit 
Pizza 
(To 
make 
a 
tart 
with 
various 
things, 
by 
the
residents of > 
Naples 
called 
pizza.  
Scappi, 
Chapter 
121)
 

This is a great recipe, holds well and is a little bit more like a fruit tart than anything else. Have fun with it. 








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