[Sca-cooks] Next set of recipes- trying three

[Raphaella DiContini]

Looking at all (135) of the recipes in the Anon. Venetian manuscript as I'm working my way through interpreting all of them and thinking it might be a good idea to try to do multiple at once, if I can. I haven't gotten there yet but further down the road there is a series of jellies/ aspics that I may try to dedicate a weekend to, and another just to sausages. 

To dip a toe in, I'm looking at starting to try this with the next three recipes in order, V Bramangere (Blancmange), VI Brodo de polastri (Broth of chickens), and VII Bon savore da polastri (Good taste for chickens). 

I think if I take the water the chicken was boiled in for the Bramangere, and continue using it and the bones for the Brodo de polastri once that first chicken has been shredded it will optimize both time, space and be more accurate to the recipe calling for broth as I'd rather use that than suppliment with commercial. 

Here are the measurements if given and a very brief overview of instructions: 
Bramangere (Blancmange),  
4 lb almonds, 1 lb rice, 4 hens, 2 lb lard, 1 1/2 sugar, 2 oz cloves. 
Break down by 1/4: 1 lb almonds,  1/4 lb rice (flour), 1 hen, .5 lb lard, .375 l lb sugar, .5 oz cloves. 
Peel almonds, leave some whole (not mentioned here, but inferred is Toast/ fry  the almonds that are left whole) grind the rest, and prepare almond milk with clean water. Boil cut up chickens, shred meat then fry in lard. Take hulled (white) rice and grind into rice flour. Boil most of the almond milk, mix the cold almond milk with rice flour and let soak, when the first milk boils mix it with the soaked rice flour and boil the rice flour/ almond milk until it thickens, add the shredded fried chicken and fat from pan. Mix frequently to prevent burning- add sugar. Pour into bowl and serve. Dress with rosewater, sugar and reserved almonds that have been fried and cloves. 
   
Brodo de polastri (Broth of chickens)
Chicken, skinned almonds, chicken broth, rose water, verjuice, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, sugar. 
No amounts given in this recipe- bone in chicken, skinless boneless (I'm guessing not as that would make for a less rich stock). I also wonder if at some point the whole spices are sifted back out of the broth, at which time the chicken is removed as well because it calls tell you to put themn back in and make sure everything is hot. 

Bon savore da polastri (Good taste for chickens)
This recipe also lists no amounts, so I will have to experiment. 

Juice of Pomegranates or Apples- if apples what breed would be most appropriate? The confustion comes from two different points in the transctiotion, once which reads "toy pomegranate e fane vino a mane", and another further along says "Altri usa a fare vino de pome granate agre e vino de bona uva dolze" The first phrase to me comes up as Pomegranate, so I'm not sure if I'm missing something, maybe apple is listed as an alternate but I can't seem to get a clear translation of "de pome granate", but Florio says Pome is any type of apple so I'm totally confused as often thing that are "apple shaped" are refferred to as Pome- something.  I really need to get a good Venetian-Italian dictionary to reference. The rest of the ingredients are:” good sweet spices”, dill/ anise ground, or rose water, sweet grape juice, honey as grape juice alternate. 

If you want to look at the transcriptions and translations I'm working from you can find them here: http://allvenicechannel.dreamwidth.org/3202.html

Please let me know if you have any comments, questions or suggestions. 

In joyous service, 
Raffaella