[Sca-cooks] Last Minute Genovese Feast

[Claire Clarke]

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Message: 1
Date: Sun, 28 Oct 2012 21:38:17 -0700
From: Karen Lyons-McGann <karenthechef at gmail.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Last Minute Genovese Feast
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*snip*
I've gotten some modern books that tell me that Genoa/Liguria traditionally
uses more herbs than spices because the sailors and merchants, after asking
with the strong smelling spices don't care to eat them. that they used
chickpea and chestnut flours because the narrow bit of land between coast
and mountains was no good for growing grain. Ditto few grazing animals, a
preference for rabbits and chickens and not much cheese made locally.
 I've noted the requisite plausibly period modern recipes that back
documentation would be oh so pleasant to find. (chickpea crepes?  Walnut and
ricotta pesto? Easy to make stamped pasta disks?  Fennel, raisin  and
candied citron bread?).  I've confirmed what I thought I knew: basil pesto
is 19thC.  Although herby blend of wild herbs and greens has been around.
(and is currently used to stuff ravioli which is topped with mushroom
sauce). Also: egg frittata with green herbs.

*snip*


Bonne
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I have seen a period recipe for a Lenten lasagne that is made with ground
walnuts in place of cheese. It put me in mind of pesto, but it didn't, from
memory, have much to it beside the walnuts. Unfortunately I can't remember
off the top of my head where I saw it (except it is not in Martino). Also
proper mediaeval diners would certainly have turned their noses up at a
Lenten dish showing up on a feasting day :-)

Also the Riva del Garda recipes have four 'in the Genovese style' recipes
(which is not to say they actually are Genoese of course). One for macaroni,
one for cooking dried squash (which seems like a good one for your season),
another for salted mushrooms, and one for pepper sauce. In the same set of
recipes there is a 'pottage of lemons' which is basically chicken cooked
with preserved lemons.

Also you can't do mediaeval Italian without cheesecake. This is one of the
rules. Or it should be. :-)

I apologise for all the alsos. I have a cold.

Angharad