[Sca-cooks] Posting Menu- Trimaris Spring Coronation

[jimandandi at cox.net]

This is the outcome of the crazy intense Merovingian/Frankish/"Barbarian Edges of Rome" research:

Feast- 

Course 1

A platter of "tidbits"
Fava beans with pork sausages and cabbage- Grant's notes on Anthimus
*Colocasia- a starchy root similar to potato fried in olive oil with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce- Apicius
Salacaccabia- A hollowed out loaf of bread stuffed with crumbs, herbs, garlic, cheese and olive oil- Apicius

Course 2

Roasted chicken basted with honey and pepper- Anthimus
Carrots and Parsnips fried in olive oil with wine sauce- Anthimus/Apicius 
Salmon baked with Dill over Endives and Leeks in Cream- Anthimus and Poems
Fresh butter rolls

Course 3

Sweet and Sour Braised Beef with celery root and fennel bulb- Anthimus (This is one of the only dishes given a full description by him, recipe by Heather Rose Jones, used with permission)
Fenea Caseata- Rich Barley Polenta with Cheese- Grant's notes on Anthimus, Food in the Ancient World
Melon and Cucumber with Vinegar and Mint- Apicius, mentioned briefly in Anthimus

Course 4

Fresh cheese drizzled in honey and hazelnuts- Anthimus
Dates stuffed with walnuts- Apicius
Plums and pears- Anthimus

*Note on the colocasia- this was both surprisingly easy to find and surprisingly delicious. It was sold at our local "hippy" grocery store (Wards in Gainesville, FL) under its common name, Taro root. I found the fact that this plant is an exotic invasive in Florida and I could dig it out of the waterways as a public service amusing. The roots are hairy and thin-skinned, the size and shape of small potatoes. I peeled them and soaked them in cold water, as they oxidize immediately and their sap is rather slimy. Then I cut them up in chunks, dried them well, and deep-fried them until golden in olive oil. The fried chunks taste like starchy potatoes. Delicious! My taste-testers were excited that I was going to serve "period french fries" at feast. 

Madhavi