[Sca-cooks] English Food

[Barbara Benson]

> <<< Then again, I once served a whole deep fried onion with a
> Garlic/Walnut sauce that went over very well. >>>
>
Stefan> Oh? Any evidence for deep fried onions of any style being
period? I wonder
> how that sauce would work with fried mushrooms.

Actually the recipe to which I refer is in your very own florithingie:

PARA HAZER CEBOLLAS ENTERAS EN CAZUELA EN DIA DE QUARESMA
To Make Whole Onions in Casserole on a Lenten Day
Source: _Libro del Arte de Cozina_, 1599
Translation: Brighid ni Chiarain (Robin Carroll-Mann)
Take the white onions, and sweet ones, and the bigger they are, the
better, and make them cook in water and salt, in such a manner that
they are well cooked, and take them out and let them cool and drain,
and puncture them with the knife, so that the water will come out
better, and being drained moisten them with a bit of cold water, and
flour them, and put them in a tart pan with enough hot olive oil that
they will be more than half covered, and give them fire below and
above, turning them several times, and being cooked serve them with
oil and cinnamon on top.  You can also cover with garlic sauce and
green sauce.

I also played around with a Fried Onion (allium, same family) variant
from The Anon Tuscan Cookbook translated by Vittoria Aureli. It didn't
make it into the feast for logistical reasons - but it was darn tasty:

[28] Another preparation. Take whole leeks, well washed, and cut them
in four pieces, and boil them a little; then take them out, and put
them on a board to drain; then take flour, and dilute it with a little
hot water, and stir it in a bowl thoroughly with a mixing spoon, and
put salt in it. Then take these leeks piece by piece, and coat them in
this batter; and then fry them in a lot of oil.

Those are the only two I can come up with off the top of my head - I
would be willing to wager digging might yield a couple more!

--
Serena da Riva