A Sampling of Renaissance Cuisine
Recipes curated by Lauretta Carrick
Jean-Baptiste de Saive - Kitchen Interior With Maid - 1563
The enormous changes that occurred during the Renaissance period influenced agriculture and therefore the culinary practices of the time. Mediterranean food was transformed from the gruel of substance to the plate of cuisine. Various regions championed diets of vegetables and meats that evolved from simple beginnings into sophisticated dishes for the bourgeois.
Why Recipes?
Lauretta sees parallels between culinary skills and musical skills. “My approach to cooking and music is the same. Each begins with a creative and open mind and a willingness to strive for the best possible results and yet maintain individuality. Collect all ingredients and proceed to give each one the individual attention required to be at its peak for the final assembly.” Just like a choir in the hands of a great conductor like ours!
Below chorister Lauretta Carrick offers a delicious lamb stew flavoured with saffron and mint, and some homemade bread to serve with it!
Lamb Stew
This lamb stew from Syria is called shaqriyya or shakriyeh which translates as “the blond”. In both Muslim and Christian medieval culture, alchemy influenced the gastronomic world and colours had symbolic connections. Saffron, safflower and turmeric were important spices, adding color and flavour. Because saffron was the rarest, it was considered to be the most powerful, like gold..
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, lightly toasted and gently pounded in a mortar with 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 quart yogurt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter or clarified butter
1 1/2 pounds onions, coarsely chopped
1 1/4 pounds boneless leg of lamb, trimmed of fat and cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup black peppercorns
1/4 cup allspice berries
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoons
Dried mint to taste
Salt to taste
1 cup water
Stir the saffron and salt into the yogurt until blended. Leave to steep stirring occasionally. The more finely ground the saffron, the more yellow the yogurt will become.
In a large casserole, sweat the unions until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the lamb and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add the spices and mint, season with salt, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Cover the meat with water, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until the water is evaporated and the meat thick with sauce, about 1 1/4 hours, stirring occasionally.
Heat the yogurt gently over low heat (to avoid curdling). Then pour over the meat, stir, and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer until meat is tender, about 1 hour.
Basic Bread
During the Middle Ages, it was grain that made possible the defeat of famine and poverty. Grain was considered to have magical qualities and was the foundation of the most basic food - bread. Historians have calculated the daily consumption of bread at 1 1/4 pounds per person per day and even more in Sicily. Because of the versatility and sacredness of bread, it appeared in many different shapes, even commemorating certain holidays by taking on unusual and highly expressive shapes.
1 1/3 cups warm water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 cups bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted
In a large bowl, previously warmed, stir the yeast into the warm water and let rest for 5 minutes. Add salt and shake gently.
Add the flour and mix until you can knead with your hands. The dough will stick for the first few minutes but will form into a ball with more kneading. Once it has done so, put onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 12 minutes.
Place in a lightly floured bowl and cover with a tea towel. Let it rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours.
Punch down the dough, form into a ball, and let rise another hour. The second rise is necessary for good-tasting bread. Shape the bread and score the top with a sharp knife.
Place a pan of water in the oven and then the bread. Spray the top of the loaf with water before putting in the oven. (This will result in a crisp crust.) Bake about 40 minutes at 375 degrees F until golden brown on top. Cool on a rack before slicing.
The following 2 recipes were added to this page December 2020.
Chorister Lauretta Carrick has selected two vegetable-based recipes for your tasting pleasure: one vegetarian and one vegan. Both use ingredients and methods easily found today and should appeal to modern tastes. The source is “A Mediterranean Feast” by food historian Clifford A. Wright, published by William Morrow and Company in 1999.
The story of meat is linked directly to the Black Death. Almost half of the European population was wiped out. The shortage of fewer farm workers left more land available for livestock and contributed to a rise in meat consumption. As European cities grew, people demanded meat in their diets. We hope to share some meat recipes in a future issue of The Quill.
Fennel with Béchamel Sauce (vegetarian)
The city of Naples was known as a city of mangiafoglie (leaf eaters). What started as peasant food was soon adopted by the bourgeois families whose professional chefs created new, interesting vegetarian dishes.
2 fennel bulbs (large), fronds and stems removed
2 Tbs unsalted butter
3 Tbs flour
1 1/2 cups hot milk
Pepper to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Preheat oven to 375 Fahrenheit
Cook fennel bulbs in boiling water and drain well. Make the béchamel sauce by forming a roux with butter and flour. Whisk in milk, a little at a time, until all blended. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg and cook, stirring until thick, 6-7 minutes. Arrange drained fennel in baking dish and cover with béchamel sauce. Sprinkle with cheese and dot with slivers of butter. Bake 45 minutes.
Andalusi Vegetable Ragout (vegan)
This recipe is from the Andalusian region in Spain and was found in a thirteenth century Hispano -Muslim cookbook.
1 large eggplant, peeled and diced
Salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lb onions
4 green peppers, seeded and chopped
2 zucchinis, peeled and diced
1 1/4 lbs ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 1/2 Tbs paprika
Salt to taste
Sprinkle salt on eggplant and leave to drain for 30 minutes. Pat dry. Heat olive oil and sauté onions until translucent. Stir in peppers, zucchini and tomatoes, stirring occasionally. Cook 30 minutes. Add paprika and salt and cook for another 15 minutes.