Sunday, December 13, 2009

Bartolomeo Scappi Dinner 1570


Yesterday I cooked for a benefit, directly from Scappi's Opera. Pictured here is the first cold antipasti course, a not untypical 16th c. starter: my olives and salami, a fennel salad, and my first mozarella (made from raw milk). I saw someone doing the whole pasta filata trick and thought, I can do that. My hands are still tingling - ouch. It went with my sourdough nicely. The second course was a minestra di foglie di rape (II:205) followed by a charming subtlety of sausages made from trout (III:153). The process was wacky, chopped trout into casings, poached in red wine, smoked for an hour and finally sauteed. They looked exactly like pork sausages, so I served them with my fresh sauerkraut and a pickled lady apple. I think Scappi would have approved the nod northward. The main course was a petto della Vitella mongana (II:34) braised in a clay pot in the oven for about 8 hours with prunes, cherries and a riot of spices. It was dizzyingly unctuous and went so well on bright yellow saffron and rose scented rice. A simpler apple pie to end. In all not a very expensive meal, but in terms of man-hours, an absurdity. Scappi had an army of cooks in the Papal kitchens and we are beginning to understand why.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow, sounds delicious and fun! :D

ephemeralist said...

Very impressive. You really did it all alone, no army in the background?

Saffron Paisley said...

Very impressive, indeed. Next time you cook such a meal, can I make a reservation for 20?

kryssie's daily photo said...

Bravo. What a scrumptious feast, so fitting for this time of year. I'm so jealous. Come cook with me for Christmas Eve.

Ken Albala said...

It would be a great honor to cook for all of you! When are you coming?

Channon Mondoux said...

How excellent,

I was just searching for an image to accompany a dinner we are serving in a week- based on Scappi's menu from Aug 8 (and others)on Aug 8, 2010 , as a fundraiser for a young man who has no health insurance.
We are doing several services, would you like to see images/notes/recipes when we're done?
And yes, making mozzarella in 108 degree water can be a challenge!