Cena of 16th century Italian style food.
A Note for those with Dietary Needs:
All menu items have been coded as follows:
V - a Vegetarian Dish
D - contains Dairy
G - contains Gluten
S - contains Sugar
Please email me if you have any concerns about any of the dishes.
Primo Servitio di Credenza - the first service of the evening, a cold course
- A selection of olives V
- A selection of grapes V
- Pistachios V
- A selection of fresh cheeses (brie, blue brie, camembert) VD
- Calicioni di Marzapane - Marzipan-filled biscuits fried in butter, in the shape of shells VDGS
- Castagnelle - sweet, light meringue-like treats VS
- Chicken-filled wafers1 GS
- Gelatia da Donzena - a rich, light jelly made of pigs' trotters S
Primo Seruitio di Cucina - the second service of the evening, a hot course
- Lombi di Bue alli Allemana - German style beef, marinaded in freshly ground fennel, coriander, white wine, and vinegar, seared and baked, served in its juices and accompanied with Pomegranate Sauce2 S (sauce only)
- Riso con formaggio - the locally-renowned rich dish blending together cheese and rice to create a dish of utmost deliciousness VDS
- Mangiar Bianco - a delicate blend of almonds and chicken, with hints of ginger and rose water GS
- Nosetto3 - a pie of walnuts with three cheeses, delicately herbed and spiced in classic 16th century Italian style VDG - gluten free pies will also be made
- Mushrooms, sauteed in oil and garlic, then mixed through with a blend of verjuice and vinegar, pepper, cinnamon, ginger, saffron, and honey V
- Pea Soup,4 flavoured with marjoram, mint, parsley, and rosemary, spiced with pepper and saffron V
Secondo & Ultimo Servitio di Cucina - the third service of the evening, a hot course
- Fresh Mussels5 - served with parsley, fennel, and pepper
- Pottachio di pesce all'ongaresca - Hungarian-style Fish Pottage, a delicate combination of fish, onions, and apples, cooked in wine and lightly spiced with cinnamon, pepper and saffron G
- Cauliflower Torte6 - pies filled with cauliflower, cooked in broth then blended with several cheeses, and spiced with pepper, cinnamon, cloves, and sugar VGDS - gluten free pies will also be made
- A dish of Broadbeans7 - the broadbean dish that's always a crowd-pleaser, tempting even those normally averse to this vegetable. A combination of broadbeans, onions, apples, and figs, with sage
- Frittada Semplice Verde - a frittata of eggs, made green with the addition of herbs (marjoram, mint, parsley, and sorrel), filled with a mixture of fennel, onions, cheese, pine nuts, and raisins. V
Secondo & Ultimo Seruitio di Credenza - the fourth and final service of the evening, a cold course
- A selection of fresh apples and pears, served sliced
- Roast chestnuts, served with salt & pepper V
- Stuffed fresh dates
- Parmesan cheese
- Sweet wafers8 VGDS
- Whipped cream VD
- Quince jelly - home made VS
- Candied peel - home made, with thanks to all those that dutifully ate oranges to provide me with peel VS
- Candied ginger - home made, with a real kick to it VS
- Candied seeds - to freshen the breath. A selection of caraway, coriander, fennel, and cumin VS
- Fresh fennel - to freshen the breath V
- Toothpicks V :-)
Bibliography
Translations from Messisbugo, Romoli, and Rosselli are my own work and appear on my website, shannon.paradise.gen.nz
Martino of Como, Luigi Ballerini (ed.), Jeremy Parzen (trans.), The Art of Cooking: The First Modern Cookery Book (Berkeley, University of California Press, 2005)
Christoforo di Messisbugo, Banchetti composizioni di vivande e apparecchio generale (Lucio Spineda, Venice, 1610)
Domenico Romoli, La Singolare Dottrina Di M. Domenico Romoli... (Gio. Battista Bonfadino, Venetia, 1593)
Giovanne Rosselli, Epulario: qual tratta del modo di cucinare ogni carne, vccelli, pesci, & ultra qualita di viuande (Altobello Salicato, Vinegia, 1596)
Bartolomeo Scappi, Terence Scully (trans.), The Opera of Bartolomeo Scappi (1570): L'arte et prudenza d'un maestro cuoco(Toronto, University of Toronto Press, 2008)