Salomene
Fish dishes that will please the general public can be hard to find, and medieval ones are even more elusive. The following recipe makes a wonderfully light dish that is excellent served over rice. The combination of the wine and spices completely eliminates any possible trace of fishiness, so it's perfect for even the most fussy eaters (both of my kids liked it).
4 perch fillets
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup water
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. Powder Fine
1/2 slice bread, ground
olive oil
mace
cloves
pepper
salt
Rinse perch fillets, place in a baking dish, and bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes.
Put wine, water, bread crumbs, and fine spice powder into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Remove the fish from the baking dish and pan-fry it in olive oil for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, cloves, and mace to taste. Serve hot topped with the wine sauce.
Source [Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books, T. Austin (ed.)]: Salomene. Take gode Wyne, an gode pouder, & Brede y-ground, an sugre, an boyle it y-fere; than take Trowtys, Rochys, Perchys, other Carpys, other alle these y-fere, an make hem clene, & aftere roste hem on a Grydelle; than hewe hem in gobettys: whan they ben y-sothe, fry hem in oyle a lytil, then caste in the brwet; and whan thou dressist it, take Maces, Clowes, Quybibes, Gelofrys; an cast a-boue, & serue forth.
The original recipe calls for trout, which I have in the freezer, so I think this might work for dinner. The only spice I don't have is mace but I'm not sure how vital that really is....
No comments:
Post a Comment