[Sca-cooks] Cutting capons into 7ths, Chicken Ambrosino from Libro di cucina

Raphaella DiContini raphaellad at yahoo.com
Wed May 5 12:01:13 PDT 2010


Greetings,  
      After exhaustion induced hiatus, I'm trying to get back on track with working my way through Libro di cucina/ Libro per cuoco and next up is a favorite in my house- Chicken Ambrosino. It's still a bit of a challenge as I'm trying to go back over the instructions step by step and do a new interpretation, hopefully closer to the source. Here's the blog of my (slow)progress: http://allvenicechannel.dreamwidth.org/
  
This is still extremely rough. I'm looking at two different translations, and looking back at the original trying to figure out any differences. I'm still working on learning early culinary Italian (and specifically Venetian, which is just different enough to cause headaches), so I'm mostly relying on the translations others have done.  
  
One of the instructions that currently has me puzzling is “Take the capons and dismember them and make into seven pieces of each". I'm envisioning cutting the wings as one piece each,  the thighs and legs together, separating the breasts from the back and splitting them, and leaving the back whole. Does this make sense? By my tally that would then be 2 wings +2 thighs&legs, + 2 breasts, 1 back, to = 7 pieces. However, as far as cooking time goes, the wings will be done far before the other pieces. Any advice on how to achieve 7 pieces per chicken that will be a more logical cooking choice?  
   
I’m also pondering one of the measurements given- it lists two pounds of almonds but in the cooking instructions first calls for “whole peeled almonds” to be added to the sautéed chicken and spices to be simmered, and then later for “un-skinned almonds” to be ground and tempered with vinegar then strained to make an almond milk for the sauce- but no measurements are given at this point. I’m debating if I should assume that the 2 pounds of almonds initially called for should be split evenly between whole peeled, and un-skinned, at 1 pound each.   
   
Here is the transcription and translations I’m currently working from:  
 IV. Ambrosino bono e perfecto et cetera.
Se tu voi fare ambrosino per XII persone, toy VI caponi magretti e ij libre de mandole, e una libra de uva passa, e 1 datali, e una libra de brognole, e 1 1/2 de genzevro fino, e una 1/2 entra noce moschate e garof. E zafarano intrego, e meza libra de specie dolçe fine, e toy li caponi e smenbrali e fane septe peze de l’ uno, e mitili a sofrizer in lardo desfato e colado in una cita. E quando sono ben sofriti, la prima cossa che tu gli mitti sia lo zenzevro roto e le noce moschate taiate ben trite, e canella rota in bone peçe, e garofalli intrigi, e mandole intriege monde, e datali intrigi ben lavati, e meti dentro specie dolçe [in] gran quantità, e fay coxere un pocho; e quando è coto trai indrieto; quando è coto meti le prime mandole con le gusse non monde, e macenali e destempera con aceto pocho, e
 quando è cota la vivanda, cola li mandole e mettili sugo con specie e zafarano asay. Questa vivanda vuole essere agra e dolza e vermiglia e stretta, traila indietro e dala per scudelle e polveriza specie di sopra le scudelle. 
IV. Ambrosino good and perfect and such~ dueling translations 
If you wish to make ambrosino for twelve persons take six fat capons and two 2 pounds of almonds and one pound of dried grapes (another translation has this as currants) and 1 dates and one pound of prunes. Also take 1 1/2 of fine ginger (no measure is given but ounces seem more likely than pounds), half between nutmeg, cloves, and whole saffron (alternate translation: half a whole nutmeg, cloves, saffron) and half pound of sweet spices. Take the capons and dismember them and make into seven pieces of each, and put them to sauté in melted lard and strain in a vessel (alternate: fry the clean lard in the pan. And when they are well sautéed , the first thing you put on them is the broken ginger, and the nutmeg, sliced well stamped and cinnamon broken into good pieces, and whole cloves, and whole peeled almonds, and whole dates well washed, and put in sweet spices in great quantity, and make it cook a little,: and when it is cook turn it out; when it is
 cooked put the first almonds with the things not peeled. 
(alternate translation: When the capons are well fried add the saffron rubbed, the nutmeg that has been chopped finely, the cinnamon broken into pieces, whole cloves, whole peeled almonds, dates, currants and prunes. Add a large amount of sweet spices and let it cook a little longer. When it is cooked reduce the heat or remove from the flame. Take un-skinned almonds,
 grind and temper with a little vinegar, strain the almonds and add the almond milk to the dish, and add to the sauce spices and enough saffron. This dish should be sharp and sweet and red in color. Serve in a bowl with powdered spices over it). 

I'm using the Troy pound (~373g, 12oz to the lb) to extrapolate amounts into modern oz. as per suggestions here, it seems to be the most appropriate having been used in Renaissance Italy.
Break down in oz. by Troy pound: 
6 young chickens, 2 lb almonds, 1 lb currants, 1 lb dates, 1 lb prunes, 1 1/2 oz ginger, 1/2 oz nutmeg, cloves, saffron and 1/2 lb sweet spices. 

?? Oz chicken (how many pounds/ oz per whole chicken?), 24 oz almonds, 12 oz currants, 12 oz dates, 12 oz prunes, 1 1/2 oz ginger, 1/2 a whole nutmeg, cloves, saffron and 6 oz sweet spices. With the different translations, I'm wondering if some of the spices should instead be 1/6 oz nutmeg, 1/6 oz cloves and 1/6 oz saffron as that would be "1/2 (oz)between". 
  
I plan on at least cutting this recipe in 1/2 if not further. Breaking down all measurements by half (to serve 6) gives a tentative: 3 young chickens, 12 oz almond (6 oz whole peeled,  6 oz unpeeled), 6 oz currants, 6 oz dates, 6 oz prunes, 3/4 oz ginger, 1/4 oz whole nutmeg, 1/4 oz cloves, 1/4 oz saffron, (or should it be 1/12 oz each?), with spices to be measured but added to taste as spices don't always lend themselves well to direct sizing up or down. 
   
In joyous service,  
Raffaella  


      



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