[Sca-cooks] Polenta was Pre-1600 recipes for "anchient grains"

[Robin Carroll-Mann]

On Tue, Apr 6, 2010 at 8:54 AM, Terry Decker <t.d.decker at att.net> wrote:
> I know of no period recipes for millet polenta, but the grain was available
> and the method of preparation is so simple and common that it was almost
> certainly done.

There's one in Granado which was plagiarized from Scappi.  Since
Scappi is nearer to hand...

186.  To prepare a thick soup of cracked millet or foxtail millet.
     Get cracked millet or foxtail millet, although the latter is much
better and tastier than ordinary millet.  Clean any dust and other
dirt from it -- that is, clean it of any grit the way hard wheat is
done -- and put it into an earthenware or tinned copper pot with a
meat borth.  Cook it along with saveloy or a piece of salt pork jowl
to heighten the flavour.  When it is done, combine it with grated
cheese, beaten eggs, pepper, cinnamon, and saffron.  Those grains can
also be cooked in goat's or cow's milk the way semolina is done in
Recipe 153.  Also, after they are cooked in broth and are fairly firm,
they can be taken out of the pot and let cool on a table or in another
wooden or earthenware vessel.  When they have thoroughly cooled, cut
them into slices and saute those in fresh butter in a pan.  Serve them
hot, dressed with sugar and cinamon.
From: The Opera of Bartolomeo Scappi (1570), translated by Terence Scully.

Brighid ni Chiarain