Recipes from Medieval Italy 1, 2, 3

As the story goes, the architect Brunellschi was faced with the age-old problem of keeping stonemasons on at lunch hour during the construction of the famous dome at the cathedral in Florence. When the spicy aroma of the following dish went wafting through the construction site in 1436 — problem solved! With pots of peposo bubbling nearby, the work crews no longer wandered far, so the completion of the city's famous dome was assured. Peposo (Peppery Beef Stew) Peposo is named for the copious amount of pepper called for in the recipe. Here's a modern version: 2 lbs. beef stew meat cut in large pieces 10 cloves garlic, peeled 2 tbsp. (or more) crushed black pepper 1 1/4 lbs. canned whole tomatoes, coarsely chopped 1/2 cup dry red wine salt to taste Put all ingredients into a pot, cover and set over low heat. Cook for 3-4 hours or until the meat is tender almost to the point of dissolving. Serve with generous helpings of crusty bread. Serves 4. Petonciane in Agrodolce (Sweet & Sour Eggplant) A young student of a noted Tuscan physician wanted to test the medieval theory that eggplants led to insanity, and so ate only eggplants for a week. When he logically reported that he had not, in fact, gone mad, the older physician argued that the experiment had only proved the theory's validity. "Who," he said, "would eat only eggplant for seven days except someone who had completely lost his mind?" As seen in this recipe, the marriage of sweet and sour was a medieval Italian specialty. Dishes sometimes included the juice of sour pomegranates, oranges, or verjuice, the juice from unripe grapes. Here, red wine vinegar is a good substitute. 1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into large chunks salt 1/4 cup olive oil 1 tbsp. tomato paste 1 small stalk celery, diced 1 tbsp. sugar 2 1/2 tbsp. red wine vinegar 1/4 cup water Salt the eggplant chunks. Heat the oil in a skillet and fry the eggplant until soft. Drain on paper towels. Remove the oil, wipe the pan of any excess oil and add the remaining ingredients, along with the cooked eggplant. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Serve at room temperature. Scottiglia (Spicy Stew) It's been said that scottiglia derives from the word "scottare" (to burn) reflecting the heavy doses of black pepper medieval Italians craved. Today, a hot pepper (a New World discovery) is more commonly used. This version calls for wild boar, but almost any type of meat can be prepared as a scottiglia - veal, chicken, rabbit, lamb or, more interestingly, the entire combo. 3 lb. wild boar, cut into cubes 1 clove garlic, crushed 6 tbsp. olive oil Sprig of sage Sprig of rosemary 3/4 cup dry red wine Salt and pepper to taste 1 pound peeled fresh or canned tomatoes, chopped 1 hot pepper Sliced Italian bread Brown boar on all sides in their own fat. Fry the crushed garlic clove in the 6 tablespoons of olive oil until golden brown and remove. Add boar, sage and rosemary, saute briefly and add the wine. Simmer gently until wine evaporates, approximately two hours. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add chopped tomatoes and simmer for another hour until a thick sauce forms. Adjust seasoning and serve over slices of Italian bread. Serves 6-8. Ricciarelli (Almond Cookies) Sienna has claimed these chewy treats as its own since the 14th century. Today, they're enjoyed throughout Tuscany as a popular Christmas cookie. 2 cups peeled whole almonds 1 cup sugar 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar and extra for dusting 1/4 cup orange peel, finely chopped 1 egg white, beaten stiff rice paper Spread the almonds out on a cookie sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 3-5 minutes. Grind them in a mortar and pestle and put into a mixing bowl. Stir in the sugars, orange peel and fold in the egg white. Shape into small ovals. Place on cookie sheets line with rice paper and let rest for about 10 hours. Bake in a preheated oven at 300 degrees for about 1 hour or until golden. DO NOT BROWN and they should remain soft for several days. Cool and dust with extra powdered sugar. Serves 6-8. Recipes from Medieval Italy 1, 2, 3   also see -> Italian Cooking Travel Tours