Ruperto de Nola

The Libre del Coch was published in 1520 in Barcelona. It was written in Catalan — a language related to, but distinct from, Spanish. The author, listed only as "Maestre Robert", identified himself as the cook to Ferrando (or Fernando), King of Naples. The book was extremely successful. It was republished four more times in Catalan, and ten times in Spanish, and 55 of its recipes were plagiarized by Diego Granado for his 1599 cookbook. The first Spanish edition, in 1525, entitled Libro de Cozina, called the author Ruperto de Nola. He has been referred to by that name ever since. The author's identity and nationality are still matters of speculation. He may well have been Catalan, since he wrote in that language. If "Nola" was truly his surname, he may have been an Italian, from the city of Nola in the province of Naples. The king he served was probably Ferrante I, King of Naples from 1458-1494.The Spanish editions of the Libre del Coch were also revisions. New recipes were added, and some of the old ones changed. Variations in vocabulary and writing style indicate the influence of multiple editors.

This translation is based on the 1529 Spanish edition, entitled Libro de Guisados. It is, in a sense, a translation of a translation, since the parent document was written in Catalan.

The cuisine in this text could well be called "Mediterranean". Medieval Catalan and Italian cookbooks show that both cuisines influenced each other. Some of the recipes in this text claim to be in the style of Genoa, Venice, Lombardy, and France.

Spanish cooking owes an enormous debt to the Arabs, who introduced many important foodstuffs to Iberia, including eggplant, sugar, oranges, rice, and rosewater. In addition to the recipes in this text which are explicitly marked as "Moorish" (52 and 55), others appear to be adaptations of earlier Arab dishes. I have noted some of these, but have probably missed many others.

Only the recipe section — 243 recipes in all — appears here. I have not translated the introductory chapters, which deal with the duties of household officers, dietary health, carving, and serving at table. The numbering of recipes does not appear in the original and is added for the convenience of the reader. Words in brackets [ ] are not in the original Spanish, but are implied by the text. I have tried to be as faithful as possible to the text, while making it comprehensible to the modern reader. Word order and punctuation have been changed as necessary, to make the English text clearer. Some words have been left in Spanish or Catalan, and those are in italics.

I have consulted a number of sources in preparing this translation, including earlier Spanish and Catalan editions of the text, and other Mediterranean cookbooks of the Middles Ages and Renaissance. A full list is in the bibliography.

The following authorities are referred to frequently in the footnotes:

Grewe — Rudolf Grewe, 1979 editor of a 15th century Catalan cookbook, the Libre de Sent Sovi.

Irazno — Carmen Irazno, 1975 editor of the 1525 Spanish edition of Nola

Leimgruber — Veronika Leimgruber, 1977 editor of the 1520 Libre del Coch (oldest known Catalan edition of Nola).

Perez — Dionisio Perez, 1929 editor of the 1529 Spanish edition of Nola.

RAE — The Real Academia Española, the Royal Spanish Academy, is the official arbiter of the Spanish language. I have relied heavily on the RAE dictionaries, especially the first edition (1726).

Table Of Contents

1. Spices For Common Sauce

2. Spices For Peacock Sauce

3. Spices For Clarea

4. Clarea From Water

5. Spices For Hippocras

6. Duke's Powder

7. To Make Sauce For Peacock

8. Mirrauste

9. Blancmange

10. Royal Dish

11. Imperial Dish

12. Dish For The Angels

13. Principal Dish

14. Slow Or Smooth Dish

15. White Sauce

16. Apple Dish

17. Lemon Dish

18. Pottage Of Sheep's Trotters

19. Pottage Of Cañonada

20. Pottage Of Marinated Mutton Which Is Called Janete Of Mutton

21. Pottage Of Marinated Hen Which Is Called Janete Of Hens

22. Pottage Of Marinated Kid Which Is Called Janete Of Kid

23. Pottage Which Is Called Frexurate, Which Is Pottage Of Entrails

24. Pottage Which Is Called Boiled Sauce

25. Pottage Which Is Called Dun-Colored Sauce

26. Pottage Called Gratonada

27. Pottage Called Morteruelo

28. Pottage Of Coriander Called The First

29. Another Pottage Of Coriander Called The Second Celiandrate

30. Another Pottage Of Coriander Called The Third

31. Pottage Which Is Called Hazelnut Dish

32. Pottage Which Is Called Almond Dish

33. Armored Hen

34. Armored Capon

35. Calabacinate Which Is Seeds Of Gourds

36. Vinegar Which Is Marinated Liver

37. Pottage Which Is Called Pine Nut Dish

38. Wheat Starch

39. Broom-Flower Dish

40. Pottage Of Cracked Barley

41. Pottage Of Cracked Wheat

42. Almodrote Which Is Capirotada

43. Hiladea Which Is Called Gelatin

44. Pottage Of Merritoche

45. Sauce For Geese

46. Pottage Of Onions That Is Called Cebollada

47. Stuffing For Kid

48. Kid Pie

49. Barding For Peacocks Or Capon

s50. Eggplant In Casserole

51. Thick Eggplant

52. Moorish Eggplant

53. Pottage Of Junglada Or Cooked Hare

54. Thick Gourds With Meat Broth

55. Moorish Gourds

56. Gourds In Another Way

57. Rice With Meat Broth

58. Rice Casserole In The Oven

59. Pottage Of Noodles

60. Pottage Which Is Called Porriol

61. Pottage Which Is Called Porriola

62. Pottage Which Is Called Nerricoque

63. Madame's Bruet

64. Good Bruet With Meat Broth

65. Another Good Bruet Which Is Called "Of Verines"

66. Good Bruet With Meat Broth Which Is Called "Sponge"

67. Pottage Of Fat

68. The Same Pottage Made From Milk

69. Good French Sauce

70. Thin Sauce For Wild Birds, Such As Wild Doves, Wood Pigeons And Wild Ducks

71. Pottage Called Thin White Sauce

72. Thin Sauce For Roasted Squabs

73. Another Thin Sauce For Roasted Squabs

74. Thin Sauce For Roasted Fowl

75. Thin Sauce For Roasted Partridges Or Hens

76. Pottage which is called Higate because it is made from figs

77. Thin Sauce From The Juice Of Sour Pomegranates

78. Pottage Of Alideme Of Eggs

79. Cake Of Eggs Which Is Called Salviate

80. Ill-Cooked Milk81. Jusello With Meat Broth

82. Pottage Like The Abovementioned One With Something Added, Which Is Called Jusello

83. To Make A Good Comforting Verjuice

84. Modern Pottage

85. Another Modern Pottage

86. Chopped Spinach

87. A Very Singular Distilled Broth For Sick And Weakened People

88. Another Solsido Of Hens Or Of Mutton Or Capons

89. Distilled Torta For Invalids

90. Blancmange For Invalids Who Are Not Eating Anything

91. Marzipans For Invalids Who Have Lost The Desire To Eat, Very Good And Of Great Sustenance

92. Casserole For Invalids

93. Stuffing For Invalids

94. Barley-Water For Invalids

95. Almond Dish For Invalids

96. Another Almond Dish For Very Weakened Invalids

97. Another Almond Dish For Invalids Who Have Great Heat And Great Burning

98. Electuary Of Sour Cherries For Sick People Who Have Lost The Desire To Eat

99. To Bring Cold To Those Who Have Sharp Fevers, Even Though It Is Outside The Topic

100. To Eat Figs In The French Manner

101. Thin White Sauce

102. Bruscate For Twelve Dishes Which Is Made From Kid's Liver And Spleen

103. Biza Sauce For Ten Dishes

104. Sauce Which Is Called Pine Nut Dish Of Garlic

105. Leek Pottage

106. Good Membrillate Which Is A Pottage Of Quinces

107. Giroflina Sauce108. Cameline Sauce

109. White Cameline Sauce

110. Dobladura Of Mutton

111. Dobladura Of Veal

112. Smooth Sauce For Fowls In The Pot

113. Granada Sauce

114. Brown Sauce For Partridges And Doves

115. Rosemary Sauce For Four Dishes

116. Agalura Sauce For One Dish

117. Boiled Or Stewed Wheat

118. Oatmeal Gruel And Barley Gruel

119. Moji Casserole

120. For Pickled Eggplants

121. Fleshy Leaves Of Cabbages

122. Garlic Sauce For Geese

123. Roast Cat As You Wish To Eat It

124. Meat Casserole

125. Rorolas Of Livers, Which Is A Fritter

126. Basin Of Figs

127. Genovese Tart

128. Venetian Xinxanella

129. Sections Or Slices Of New Cheese Which Are Fritters Or Pancakes

130. Meat Or Fish Pastry

131. Pastries Of Fine Sugar

132. Roasted Cheese

133. Oranges Of Xativa Which Are Cheesecakes

134. Spiral Cakes Of Fritter Which They Call Casquetas In Valencia And In Barcelona

135. Marzipans

136. Custard Which Is A Fritter

137. Fritter

138. Fritter Of Blancmange

139. Fritter Of Marzipan

140. Fritter Of New Cheese

141. Fritter Called Robioles In Catalonia

142. Fritters Called Garbias In Catalonia

143. Blancmange In A Briefer Summary

144. Pottage Which Is Called Flank

145. Pastry In A Jar

146. Marinated Mutton

147. Gratonada In Another Manner

148. Pickled Rabbits

149. Mirrauaste In Another Way

150. Good Arugula

151. Arugula In Another Good Manner

152. Another Good Arugula To Be Made Swiftly

153. Mustard

154. French Mustard

155. Another Very Good French Mustard Which Lasts All Year

156. Parsley

157. Sauce Of Horseradish And Of Clary Sage

158. Lombardy Sops

159. Good Gualatina Sauce

160. Marinated Mutton

161. Pepper Sauce For Wild Game

162. Bastard Cameline Sauce

163. Lardy Broth Of Wild Pig

164. Capirotadas Of Truffles

165. Pottage Called Peach Dish

166. Golden Sops

167. Busaque Of Rabbits

168. Mirrauste Of Pears Which Can Be Given To Sick People

169. Quinces cooked in the pot

170. Parsley Dish

171. Pomegranate Juice

172. Golden Gratonada Of The Entrails Of Kid

173. Sauce Which Is Called Cinnamon Of Must

174. Pastry Of Roast Hen On The Spit

175. Treballa Which Is Called White Sauce For Geese

176. Lardy Bruet In A Very Good Fashion

177. Pottage In Good Fashion

178. Pottage Called Jota

179. Emperor's Sauce

Treatise on cooking and preparing foods in the time of Lent

180. OF lamprey in crust

181. Salmon Pie

182. Salmon Casserole

183. Trout in crust or roasted or boiled

184. Barbel in crust

185. Barbel in casserole

186. Shad in crust

187. Swordfish in crust

188. Swordfish in casserole

189. Swordfish on the grill

190. Sturgeon in crust, which is pike

191. Sturgeon or pike in casserole

192. Sturgeon, which is pike, grilled or boiled

193. Dentex in crust

194. Dentex in casserole

195. Boiled Dentex

196. Bonito in crust

197. Bonito in Casserole

198. Bonito on the grill

199. Fresh conger eel in crust

200. Conger eel in casserole

201. Boiled conger eel

202. Conger eel on the grill and on the spit

203. Moray eel in crust

204. Moray eel in casserole

205. Moray eel on the grill

206. Tunny or tuna in crust

207. Tuna Or Tunny In Casserole

208. Boiled Tuna Or Tunny

209. Tunny On The Grill

210. Mullet In Crust

211. Mullet In Casserole

212. Mullet On The Grill

213. Boiled Mullet

214. Escorfeno In Casserole

215. Boiled Escorfeno

216. Sardines In Casserole

217. Chub Mackerel

218. Bogues In Casserole

219. Anchovy In Casserole

220. Wolffish In Crust

221. Good Escabeche

222. Pandoras

223. Pike

224. Sea Bream

225. Pottage Of Squid And Cuttlefish

226. Octopus

227. Variales In Casserole

228. Clams In Casserole

229. How Oysters Are Cooked

230. Pelaya And Flounder Or Sole

231. Fried Dolphinfish

232. Dried Or Cured Conger Eel

233. Hake Which Is Cured Fish

234. Salted Tunny From The Flank Which Is Called ‘Sorra' In Valencia

235. Lobster

236. Blancmange Of Fish

237. Blancmange Of Gourds

238. Broom-Flower Dish

239. Farro Of Rice Flour

240. Wheat Starch

241. Royal Fava Beans

242. Groats

243. Mirrauste Of Apples

[The translation begins with the recipe section, which starts on folio xv. of the 1529 edition]

Now I return to my primary topic, with which I began, and I will speak of the art of cooking, which is the principal goal for which this book was made and arranged; and I will give some doctrines for making many sauces and dishes; and first let us speak of the spices for the common sauces as they must be made, and peppers (1) for clarea, duke's powders, and peacock sauce and other things; and you must know that of the many dishes that there are in the world, these three are the flower and the foremost, and these are: Peacock Sauce, Mirrauste (2) and Blancmange; each one of which should be crowned with a royal crown , because they are generally the flower of all the others; and first [let us speak] of the common sauce.

1. Spices For Common Sauce (3)

Especias De Salsa Comun

Three parts cinnamon, two parts cloves, one part ginger, one part pepper and a little dry coriander, well-ground, and a little saffron if you wish; let everything be well-ground and sifted.

2. Spices For Peacock Sauce (4)

Especias De Salsa De Pavo

Four ounces of cinnamon, one ounce of cloves, one ounce of ginger, enough saffron to color the sauce well, let it be well-ground and sifted; some add grains of paradise.

3. Spices For Clarea (5)

Especias De Clarea

Three parts cinnamon, two parts cloves, one part ginger, all ground and strained through a sieve, and for one azumbre (6) of white wine, put an ounce of spices with a pound of honey, well-mixed and strained through your sleeve (7) of good thick linen, and strained through it often enough that the wine comes out clear.

4. Clarea From Water

Clarea De Aqua

To one azumbre of water, four ounces of honey; you must cast in the same spices as for the other clarea; you must give it a boil with the honey over the fire, and when it is off the fire you must cast in the spices.

5. Spices For Hippocras (8)

Especias De Ipocras

Five parts cinnamon, three parts cloves, one part ginger; half of the wine must be white and half of it red, and for one azumbre, six ounces of sugar, mix everything together and cast it in a small glazed earthenware pot and give it a boil, when it comes to a boil, [cook it] no more, strain it through your sleeve often enough that it comes out clear.

6. Duke's Powder

Polvora De Duque (9)

Half an ounce of cinnamon, one eighth of cloves, and for the lords cast in nothing but cinnamon, and a pound of sugar; if you wish to make it sharp in flavor and [good] for afflictions of the stomach, cast in a little ginger. (10)And the weights of the spices in the apothecary shops are in this manner: one pound is twelve ounces (11), one ounce, eight drachms; one drachm, three scruples; another way that you can more clearly understand this: a drachm weighs three dineros, a scruple is the weight of one dinero, and a scruple is twenty grains of wheat. (12)

7. To Make Sauce For Peacock

Para Hacer Salsa De Pavo

For five dishes, (13) take a pound of toasted almonds, and grind them well in a mortar, and take the livers of the peacocks or capons or hens, which should be cooked in a pot, and grind them with the almonds, and then take a crustless piece of bread which should be soaked in orange juice or white vinegar, and the bread must be toasted; and then grind it all together with the livers and with the almonds; and after everything is ground, thin this sauce with two egg yolks for each dish, and then strain it through a woolen cloth (14) with the said fine spices; and when it has been strained, put it into the pot with the sugar, and taste it or sample it for sourness, which should be moderate, and then cook it until it is done to a turn; (15) and when it is cooked, prepare dishes, and put sugar and cinnamon upon the sauce.

8. Mirrauste

Mirrauste

Sauce for mirrauste is made in this manner. Take a pound of almonds, and four ounces just for five dishes and then toast the almonds, and grind them; and then take a crustless piece of bread which should be soaked in good broth; and then grind it with the almonds, and strain it, that it shall be quite thick; and then let it go to the fire with an ounce of cinnamon, but the cinnamon must be put in when you strain the almonds; and then take the squabs (16) and roast them; and when they are almost half-roasted, remove them from the fire, and cut them into pieces; and then cook the sauce with half a pound of sugar in the sauce; however, stir it constantly with a stick of wood or a large wooden spoon, and when it is cooked put the squabs in this sauce with the other birds or pullets or hens; let it all be done in this manner, and then take the pot-grease and put it into the sauce with the squabs; and then you may prepare dishes; and of the slices of the birds you may put four in each dish; and on top put sugar and cinnamon moderately; and in this way you make perfect mirrauste.

9. Blancmange

Manjar Blanco (17)

For blancmange: take a hen and eight ounces of rice flour and half a pound of rosewater, and a pound of fine sugar, and eight pounds of goat milk; if you don't have it, take four pounds of blanched almonds (18) and then take the hen, which should be good and plump and large, and when you wish to make the blancmange, kill the hen and pluck it dry, and wash it well and cook it in a new pot in which nothing has ever been cooked; and when the hen is more than half cooked, take the breasts from it and shred them like threads of saffron, and then sprinkle these shredded breasts with the rosewater, from time to time, repeatedly; then put all this in the pot, but it should not be of copper or newly tinned, because it will absorb the flavor of the tin, although commonly it is made by most cooks in very bright saucepans without tin, but if it has been recently tinned, boil a lot of bread in it, and sweat it very well, because all the flavor will come out of the tin, and then put the hen in and take its own broth and put it right over the hen, and with a large wooden spoon undo (19) it, beating it well, because it will not absorb the flavor of the wood, and take half of the milk and put it in the pot with said hen and then put in the flour, little by little, and stirring it constantly so that it does not stick to the pot, and put eight dineros of sugar, that is twelve maravedis, into the pot, and set it to cook, and stir it constantly with a stick in one direction, without ever resting, and when the milk runs out, add some of it in a moderately, and not all at once, and guard it well from the smoke, and when the blancmange turns clear or thin the hen is good, and if not, take care that under no circumstances do you put in more milk, and when the blancmange becomes like roasted cheese, that is the sign that it is cooked, and you can then put in the rosewater and then the pot-grease, however it must be clean, so that there is no bacon in it, and know that from one hen you will get six dishes, and take it off the fire to sweat until it has exuded thoroughly, and then make dishes of it and put fine sugar on top. And in this manner you make the perfect and good blancmange.

10. Royal Dish

Manjar Real

Royal dish is made with leg of mutton boiled and shredded, according to the method for blancmange, except that you color it with saffron so that it should be yellow, for the rest you follow the aforesaid method for blancmange.

11. Imperial Dish

Manjar Imperial

For half a dozen dishes, take a half azumbre of milk and a half pound of ground and sifted rice and half a dozen eggs (only the yolks); and set the milk and the rice flour to cook in a saucepan; and stir it constantly in one direction until it is well-beaten–away from the fire–and dissolved; and this is before it is set to cook on the fire, and then cast the half pound of sugar into it and put it to cook on the fire upon the coals, keeping it away from the flames so that the smoke doesn't reach it; and when it becomes thickened, take it off the fire; and take the well-beaten egg yolks, and cast a spoonful of milk into them; and blend them well and cast them into the food, casting them in little by little and stirring it constantly in one direction; and return it to the coals that it may properly finish thickening; and when this is done, take it off the fire and leave it aside to rest; and if you wish to eat it, dish it out immediately; and cast sugar and cinnamon on the dishes.

12. Dish For The Angels

Manjar De Angeles

For twelve dishes, take one azumbre of milk at the time of [making] curds, (20) and take the curds and cast them into the milk; and take nine ounces of sugar and cast it in. And take a quarter pound of aged cheese which is four Castilian ounces (21), and grate it, and grate just as much hard bread. And take twelve egg yolks and beat them with the grated cheese and with the bread; and cast in a little milk with it to thin it, and cast it in the saucepan, turning it with the milk and the curds. And after turning it, beat it very well. And take a little mint and grind it very well. And cast in two maravedis of saffron with it. And dissolve it with a little milk. And cast it in the saucepan with the other [stuff]. And when it is of a good color put it on top of the coals, very distant from the fire so that the smoke doesn't touch it and stir it constantly in one direction. And when you see that it is thick enough, sample the taste. And if you see that it is good, take it away and cover it and set it to rest while the dinner is prepared. And grind a quarter pound of sugar and grind the quantity of cinnamon that seems [right] to you, and mix it, ground, with the sugar in a mortar to cast it on the dishes.

13. Principal Dish

Manjar Principal

For a half dozen dishes, take a half azumbre of strained milk and six egg yolks and four ounces of grated aged cheese, and just as much of grated hard bread; and thoroughly mix the cheese and the grated bread with the egg yolks and beat it very well, and thin it with a little milk; and then take a half pound of sugar and remove two ounces of that sugar to grind with the cinnamon to cast on the dishes; and the other portion that remains will be six ounces that you will cast into the milk; and set it to heat on your coals away from the fire; and when it is hot, remove it from the fire, and cast the abovementioned beaten eggs into it, stirring it constantly in one direction until it is good and thick; and sample it for taste; and if it is good, set it aside to rest while the meal is prepared, and dish it out with your sugar and cinnamon on top.

14. Slow Or Smooth Dish

Manjar Lento O Suave

For half a dozen dishes, take a half azumbre of strained milk, and half a dozen egg yolks, and beat them well, and thin them with a little milk; and set the other milk to heat alone by itself on a fire of coals away from the fire; and when it is hot, remove it from the fire, and cast the beaten egg yolks into it, and three or four ounces of sugar, and return it to the coals; and if you wish to give it color, cast in a little saffron, and then return it to the coals, stirring it constantly in one direction until it is thick so that it seems good to you; and then sample it for taste; and if it is good, set it aside from the fire to rest, and grind sugar and cinnamon to cast upon the dishes.

15. White Sauce

Salsa Blanca

Take white ginger which is fine and peel off the skin so that it remains white; and make of it little pieces like half a finger, and put them to soak in fine rosewater the night before; and in the morning you will take almonds well-peeled and blanched and grind them well in a mortar; and then blend them with hen's broth that is well-salted and strain it through a woolen cloth; and then put the milk in the pot where it must cook; and take whole cinnamon which is long and tie it with a thread and scald it with boiling hen's broth, with cloves of gilofre scalded in the same fashion; and when the sauce is more than half cooked, put the cinnamon and the cloves in the pot, and the ginger soaked in rosewater; and if it does not taste enough of ginger, cast in a little which is ground, because this sauce should taste of a little of ginger and of rosewater; but the rosewater should not be cast in until everything is cooked; and when the sauce is cooked, prepare dishes and put fine sugar on them.

16. Apple Dish

Pomada

Take apples which should be sour and sweet, and quarter each of them; and peel them, and remove the core; and then put them in cold water, and if they are very sour give them a boil; and then take peeled almonds and grind them well; and put the apples in the mortar and grind them together with the almonds very vigorously; and when they are well-ground, blend it all with good hen's broth and strain it all through a woolen cloth; and put everything in the pot where it must cook; and take ginger which is fine, peel off the skin until it is white, and make of it little pieces the size of half a finger; and put them to soak the night before in good rosewater until the morning; then take whole cinnamon, and tie it with a thread together with cloves and scald them with hot broth and when the cloves and the cinnamon are scalded, put the pot on the fire with the apples; and put a good quantity of sugar in it, and when it is more than half cooked, take the soaked ginger and cloves and cinnamon; and put them all in the pot, and if it does not taste enough of ginger, put in a little which is ground until the sauce tastes of ginger; and when it is cooked you will cast the rosewater in the pot; and prepare dishes; on top of them cast sugar, and cinnamon if you wish.

17. Lemon Dish

Limonada

Take blanched almonds and peel them, and grind them in a mortar, and blend them with good hen's broth; and then take new raisins, and clean them well of the seeds, and grind them by themselves and strain them through a woolen cloth; and after they are strained, mix them with the almonds, and put everything in the pot where it must cook; and put sugar and a little ginger in that same way, and set it to cook, constantly stirring it with a stick of wood. And when it is cooked, put a little lemon juice, and then stir it a little with the wooden stirrer so that the lemon juice is well-mixed within it. And then dish it out and cast fine sugar on the dishes.

18. Pottage Of Sheep's Trotters (22)

Potaje De Manos De Carnero

Take peeled almonds and grind them well in a mortar; and then blend them with good mutton broth, and then strain them through a woolen cloth. And put this almond milk in a pot, and put ground ginger within it in such a manner that it will taste of ginger; and then take sheep's trotters that have been well-cooked, and cut them as if to make plates (23) of them; and when they have been cooked with the milk, put them in a pot of the fattest mutton broth, and a good piece of sugar; and in this way the boiled sauce is made.

19. Pottage Of Cañonada

Potaje De Cañonada

Take almonds which should be toasted, and grind them well in a mortar; and take a crustless piece of toasted bread, and soak it in white vinegar, and squeeze it well with your hand, and grind it with the almonds all together; and after it is all ground, blend it with sweet white vinegar; and before you blend it, put into the mortar two or three bunches of white grapes and another two of black ones at the same time, and then strain it all through a woolen cloth; and put it in the pot, and put sugar and ground cinnamon in it. And this sauce must taste a little of vinegar; and cook it; and when it is cooked, prepare dishes, and put sugar on each.

20. Pottage Of Marinated Mutton Which Is Called Janete Of Mutton

Potaje De Carnero Adobado Que Se Dice Janete De Carnero

Take mutton breasts cooked in a pot, and cut them into pieces the size of walnuts; and take good fatty bacon, and fry it with a little bit of onion; and when it is gently fried, mix with it quince and pears which have been preserved with honey, or boiled, and if you so desire it will be better; and then take the mutton with the onion all mixed in the pot, and gently fry it all together; and take almonds, and toast them and grind them in a mortar with a crustless piece of bread toasted and soaked in white vinegar; and with this grind a good quantity of sheep's or kid's liver; and grind all this together with the almonds, and when it is well-ground, blend it with good mutton broth. And then strain it all through a woolen cloth; and when it has all been strained, put it in the pot where the sauce must cook; and cast all fine spices into the pot; and this sauce must taste a little sour; and when it is cooked, cast a little shredded parsley on it, and prepare dishes.

21. Pottage Of Marinated Hen Which Is Called Janete Of Hens

Potaje De Adobado De Gallina Que Se Dice Janete De Gallinas

Take a hen which is more than half-cooked and cut it up as if to make portions; and take good bacon which is fatty, and gently fry it with a little bit of onion. And then gently fry the cut-up hen with it. And take toasted almonds, and grind them, and mix with them quinces or pears which have been conserved in honey; and take the livers of the hens, and roast them on the coals. And when they are well-roasted put them in the mortar of the almonds, and grind everything together; and then take a crustless piece of bread toasted and soaked in white vinegar, grind it in the mortar with the other stuff. And when it is well-ground, blend it with hen's broth that is well-salted; and strain it all through a sieve; and cast it in a pot; and cast the hen in also; and cast in all fine spices, and a good quantity of sugar. And this sauce must be a little bit sour. And when the sauce is cooked, cast in a little finely shredded parsley, and prepare your dishes, and then [cast] upon them sugar and cinnamon.

22. Pottage Of Marinated Kid Which Is Called Janete Of Kid

Potaje De Cabrito Adobado Que Se Dice Janete De Cabrito

Take a forequarter of kid and cook it in a pot, and after it is cooked take it out, and cut it into pieces as big as a walnut; and take fatty bacon, and gently fry [the kid] with it and with a little bit of onion; then take toasted almonds and grind them in a mortar with a piece of kid's liver roasted on the coals and with a crustless piece of bread soaked in white vinegar; and all of this should be ground together with a pair of egg yolks for each dish; and after it is all well-ground, blend it with good broth. And then strain it through a woolen cloth; and when it has been strained, put it in the pot where it must cook. And cast in all fine spices; and put the kid in the pot together with the sauce. And cook it, and when it is cooked, cast a little cut-up parsley in the pot, and sugar, and make it in such a manner that it tastes a little of vinegar; and cast on it the pot-grease from the first cooking of the kid, and cast on enough.

Prof Ken Albala's translation

Take the front thigh of a young goat and cook it in a pot. And when it is cooked remove from the pot and cut it into pieces as large as a nut. Then take good salt pork that is fatty and fry the kid with a bit of onion. Then take almonds that are toasted and pound in a mortar with a good piece of the goat's liver cooked on the coals along with the crumb of bread toasted and soaked in white vinegar. And all should be pounded together with a pair of egg yolks for each plate. And when it is all well pounded moisten it with good broth. And after pass it through a sieve and when it is sieved, place it in the pot where it should boil with all fine spices and add likewise the kid in the pot together with the sauce and let it cook. When it is cooked add a bit of chopped parsley in the pot and also sugar. And make it so that the sauce tastes a little of vinegar and place in the grease from the pot in which was first cooked the goat and put in a lot, and thus it is done.

23. Pottage Which Is Called Frexurate (24), Which Is Pottage Of Entrails

Potaje Que Se Llama Frexurate, Que Es Potaje De Asadura

Take entrails of kid or of sheep or of goat, and cook them by themselves in a pot; and when they are cooked with your salt, take them out of the pot, and cut them in round pieces the size of a finger, and gently fry them with a little bit of fatty bacon with onion; and put it all together; then take almonds well-toasted and ground in a mortar with sheep liver roasted on the coals, and a crustless piece of toasted bread soaked in white vinegar, and grind it all together; and when it is well-ground, blend it with good mutton broth, and then strain it all through a woolen cloth. And then mix the sauce with the entrails. And let it go to the fire to cook it. And cast all fine spices into the pot; and cast in a pair of egg yolks for each dish; and make the pottage taste a little of vinegar, and it is done.

24. Pottage Which Is Called Boiled Sauce

Potaje Que Se Dice Salsa Cocida

Take almonds which are well-toasted, and grind them well in a mortar with a good quantity of the livers of hens, or of kid, or of sheep, roasted on the coals, with a crustless piece of bread toasted and soaked in white vinegar; and grind everything together in a mortar. And when it is well-ground, put in an egg for each dish in the mortar where the other things are. And grind them all together. And when it is ground, blend it with good mutton broth which is well-salted and strain it through a woolen cloth. And when it has been strained, put it in the pot where it must cook and put in it all fine spices, and set it to cook, and cast your sour stuff in the sauce. And then prepare your dishes, and cast upon them seeds of sour pomegranates.

25. Pottage Which Is Called Dun-Colored Sauce

Potaje Que Se Dice Salsa Pardilla (25)

Take well-toasted almonds and grind them well in a mortar. And after grinding them put with them livers of hens, roasted on the coals, with a crustless piece of bread, toasted and soaked in white vinegar, and grind it all together. And then blend it with good hen's broth which is well-salted. And then strain it through a woolen cloth or through a sieve, and then put it in your pot to cook; and with it cast in a little pork fat which is clarified, and well-fried. And also put in all fine spices except saffron; and also cast in a pair of egg yolks for each dish. And upon the dishes cast sugar and cinnamon; however, it must taste a little sour, which should be from pomegranate juice.

26. Pottage Called Gratonada

Potaje Llamado Gratonada

Take chickens that have been half-roasted on a spit, and then cut them at their joints as if to serve them on plates, and then gently fry them with good fatty bacon. And then take well-toasted almonds, and grind them with the chicken livers that have been roasted on the coals; and when they are well-ground, blend it with good hen's broth which is well-salted, and cast in a pair of eggs for each dish. And strain it through a woolen cloth; and when it has been strained, cast it in the pot, and cook with the chickens, and cast in all fine spices. And sample the taste for sourness so that it is a little sour. And then cast these herbs in the pot: mint and parsley and sweet marjoram, which is a Moorish basil with broad leaves. And then cast in sugar. And this sauce is good for kid or for breasts of mutton.

27. Pottage Called Morteruelo (26)

Potaje Dicho Morteruelo

Grate bread which is very hard and toast it in a frying pan or casserole; and then take very good cheese of Aragon, and grate it, and mix it with the bread that you have toasted; and then put a leg of mutton to cook in a separate pot with a piece of streaky bacon; and when the leg is cooked, and the bacon, take it out of the pot and cut it small and then grind it in a mortar. And when it is ground, mix the meat with the cheese and the toasted bread, and resume grinding everything together, and then put one egg for each dish in the mortar. And when this is done, thin it with goat milk, and if there is none, with almond milk, which is as good. And when you have thinned it, set it to cook in the pot. And cast in all fine spices, and even cinnamon, and [put] sugar in the pot, and set it to cook. And when the pottage is cooked, remove it from the fire, and let it rest a little. And you will prepare dishes, and you will cast shredded green coriander and green parsley on top.

28. Pottage of Coriander Called the First

Potaje De Culantro Llamado Primo

You will take dry and green coriander and grind it all together in a mortar. And then take well-toasted almonds, and grind them well together with the coriander, and a crustless piece of bread toasted and soaked in white vinegar, and grind it all together; and after grinding it, take a hen which has been cooked in a pot and take the breasts from the hen, and grind them all together with the other things; and when everything has been ground, strain it all through a woolen cloth; and when everything has been strained, put it in the pot where it must cook and cast in a good quantity of sugar, and of all fine spices which are good, strained with the other things and cook it on the fire; and put in the pot, nutmeg, and mace, and cinnamon, and ginger, and cloves; and when it is cooked remove it from the fire and cover it as if it were rice, and let it rest. And then prepare dishes, and cast sugar and cinnamon upon them.

29. Another Pottage of COriander Called the Second Celiandrate

Otro Potaje De Culantro Llamado Celiandrate Segundo

Take grains of dry coriander, and clean it and grind it well in a mortar; and then take well-peeled almonds, and grind them well with the coriander; and when everything is well-ground, put these ground spices with it: cinnamon, ginger and cloves; and when it is well-ground, blend the sauce with the juice of sour oranges and sweet white grapes, so that it is not very sour, and put it on the fire to cook; and sample the taste, which must be between sour and sweet; and the color of this sauce must be a gray color. And this sauce is good for roast partridges and chickens; and upon the sauce [put] sugar and cinnamon.

30. Another Pottage Of Coriander Called The Third

Otro Potaje De Culantro Llamado Tercio

You must take green coriander, and cut it finely, and grind it in a mortar together with dry coriander, and then take toasted almonds and toasted hazelnuts, and grind them separately in a mortar; and when they are well-ground, mix them with the almonds, and resume grinding everything together; and when it is well-ground, strain it through a woolen cloth, and set it to cook in the pot; and cast in all fine spices with saffron, and vinegar, and sugar; and set it to cook with little fire just until it is a little thickened; and remove it from the fire, and prepare dishes, and upon them cast sugar and cinnamon.

31. Pottage Which Is Called Hazelnut Dish

Potaje Que Se Dice Avellanate

You must take hazelnuts which are toasted and blanched and peeled, and almonds which are toasted and peeled and blanched; grind them all in a mortar little by little, in such a way that they do not make oil. And if they make it, dampen the pestle of the mortar in very fine rosewater. And when it is ground, blend it with hen's broth, and then strain it through a woolen cloth. And when it has been strained, put it in the pot to cook, and cast a good quantity of sugar in the pot, and let it all go cook together. And stir it constantly with a stick until it is well-cooked and becomes very thick, and then test if it tastes of rosewater; and when it is well-cooked let it rest a little; and dish it out and cast fine sugar upon the dishes.

32. Pottage Which Is Called Almond Dish

Potaje Que Se Dice Almendrate

You must take almonds which are peeled and blanched, and grind them well with a crustless piece of bread. And when everything is well-ground, take a pair of egg yolks for each dish, and blend it all with the almonds; and take good meat broth, and you must strain it through a woolen cloth so that it will be quite thick with the eggs, and put this sauce in a pot; and put a little bit of sour stuff in the pot, and sugar and whole cinnamon and a little ginger, and cook it; and sample it that it is sour and sweet in a good fashion.

33. Armored Hen

Gallina Armada

Roast a good hen. And when it is nearly half-roasted, baste it with bacon. Then take well-beaten egg yolks, then with a spoon or with the tip of a large wooden spoon rub the hen with these yolks, little by little. And then sprinkle wheat flour well-sifted with ground salt over the eggs, turning the hen constantly and swiftly; and the crust is worth more than the hen.

Prof Ken Albala's translation

Take a chicken and place to roast before the fire and when it is nearly half cooked cover it with lard. Then take egg yolks beaten well and then place the yolks little by little on the chicken. Then take flour and place it on the chicken over the eggs. Turn the chicken the whole time and crust is even better than the chicken. And this is the way you make armored chicken.

34. Armored Capon

Capon Armado

Bard (27) a capon, and roast it; and when it is half-roasted remove the barding fat. And take egg yolks beaten with parsley and sugar, and let them be very well-beaten, and put these eggs all over the capon; and take pine nuts and peeled almonds, and while you put on the egg yolks, put on the pine nuts and almonds bit by bit in such a way that they will adhere to the sauce. And then put the barding fat back on over the eggs and the capon. And it shall be upon the fire until it is completely roasted.

35. Calabacinate Which is Seeds of Gourds

Calabacinate Que Es Simiente De Calabazas

Take the seeds of the gourds, and peel them so that they become white like almonds, and grind them in a mortar with as many peeled almonds, all mixed together. And when it is well-ground, blend it with good hen's broth and strain it through a woolen cloth, and put it in a pot; and cast on it what sugar seems [right] to you, and cook it until it is well-thickened. And then prepare dishes, and cast sugar on them. This pottage can be made with just the seeds of gourds. And it is very good for the afflictions of the kidneys, with sugar.

36. Vinegar Which is Marinated Liver

Vinagre Que Es Higado Adobado

You will take onions, and cut them very small, like fingers. And fry them gently with fatty bacon. And then take the liver of a kid, or a lamb, or a goat and cut them into slices the size of a half walnut; and fry it gently with the onion until the liver loses its color. Then take a crustless piece of toasted bread soaked in white vinegar. And grind it well. And thin it with sweet white wine. And then strain it through a woolen cloth. And then cast it over the onion and the liver, all together in the casserole, and cast in ground cinnamon, and cook until it is well-thickened; and when it is cooked, prepare dishes

.37. Pottage Which is Called Pine Nut Dish

Potaje Que Se Dice Piñonada

Take pine nuts, a good quantity, which are well-peeled and clean, and as many almonds, and grind them all together in a mortar; when it is well-ground, blend it with hen's broth. And strain it through a woolen cloth. And then put it in a clean pot, and cook it and cast sugar into it, stirring it constantly with a stick; and when it is cooked take it away from the fire, and let it rest a little while, covered with a cloth. And cast sugar upon the dishes.

Prof Ken Albala's translation

Take a good quantity of pine nuts that are cleaned and add almonds and pound completely in a mortar. After they are pounded moisten it with chicken broth and pass it through a sieve. And when it is strained, place in a clean pot and let it boil and place in sugar, all the time stirring with a whisk. And when it is cooked remove from the fire and let it rest a while covered with a cloth and sprinkle sugar over the bowls.

38. Wheat Starch

Almidon

You will take starch which is very white and clean and grind it in a mortar. And then take well-peeled blanched almonds and grind them by themselves; and when they are well-ground, blend them with hen's broth and strain it through a woolen cloth. And when the almond milk is strained, blend what remains of the milk with the starch, and put it in your pot and cook it and cast sugar on it; and when it is more than half cooked, cast in the almond milk which is thicker, and cook it until it is well-thickened. And when it is cooked, remove it from the fire. And let it rest a little while, covered with a cloth, and cast sugar upon the dishes.

39. Broom-Flower Dish

Ginestada (28)

Take rice and make flour of it and sift it through a sieve; and take milk of goats or of sheep, and if this is not to be found, take almond milk and dissolve this rice flour in the almond milk or goat milk, in such a way that it shall be quite clear; and then set it to cook in the pot; and into the pot you shall cast these things: sugar, and peeled dates, and pine nuts, and whole, clean, blanched hazelnuts, and the dates cut into the size of fingers; and cast all fine spices into the pot and stir it constantly with a stick; and if you wish to make the ginestada white you may make it in this way, and likewise you may put cinnamon instead of sugar upon the dishes, and seeds of sour pomegranates; and it is necessary that the pot rests a little while before you prepare the dishes.

40. Pottage Of Cracked Barley

Potaje De Farro (29)

You will take farro and wash it with cold water two or three times; and when you have washed it well, put it in the pot where it must cook and cast in good hen's broth with the farro all together and cook it on the fire; when it is more than half cooked, you will take good almond milk and cast it in the pot; and then you will put good sugar in the pot while the pot cooks; and when it is well-cooked, take it away from the fire wrapped in a cloth. And when it has rested well, prepare dishes and cast sugar and cinnamon on them.

And likewise if you wish to make sauce you can make it just the same. And if perhaps you wish to make a dish of cracked barley which will be delicate, make it in this manner: take the farro and cook it in good hen's broth, or mutton broth, and when it is more than half cooked, strain it through a woolen cloth; and the strained liquor that comes out must finish cooking with the almond milk; and cook it until it is thickened and then cast sugar upon the dishes; and this dish is good for invalids because it is very delicate.

41. Pottage Of Cracked Wheat

Potaje De Semola (30)

You must take semola and wash it with two or three waters until it is quite clean; and pass the semola between two dishes, passing it from one dish to the other; and this is done in case it contains any dirt; and when this is done put it in the pot and cook it with your broth, stirring it constantly with a stick until it is cooked, and then grind blanched peeled almonds and blend them with good hen's broth and strain it through a woolen cloth, and then cast in it the pot with the semola, and stir it constantly and vigorously until it is cooked; and then put ground sugar in the pot and stir it no more than two or three turns; and prepare dishes and cast fine sugar upon them.

But note one thing: when you wish to prepare semola or farro or similar foods, with hen's broth, the broth must be good and quite fatty; and in this manner it will not be necessary to cast in almond milk, but rather cook it with the broth alone; nor is sugar necessary in the pot, nor upon the dishes if you do not wish to cast it on, it is not necessary; and if you wish it to be yellow, let the broth in which you cast it to cook be blended with ground saffron, and set it to cook and to become a very elegant yellow color.

Each time that you blend any kind of saffron with whatsoever type of broth, see that the broth is well-salted; and in this manner you will always make good stews and pottages.

42. Almodrote (31) Which Is Capirotada (32)

Almodrote Que Es Capirotada

You shall take partridges and after they have been well-plucked, put them between the embers; and when they have been there for the space of a Paternoster (33), take them out and clean everything off them, and roast them, and baste them sufficiently with your bacon fat; and when they are roasted, cut them as if to make portions of them, and then grate good cheese of Aragon that is fine; and take two whole heads of garlic roasted between the embers and then peel them very well and cleanly, and grind them in a mortar; and then put the cheese in the mortar, and resume grinding it all together; and while you are grinding them, cast a good spoonful of lard into the mortar, with some egg yolks, and grind it all together; and when it is all well-ground, blend it with good mutton broth that is half cooled, because if it were very hot it would consume the cheese; and then make slices of bread and toast them, and scrape off the burnt parts, and then scald or soak these toasted slices of bread with good mutton broth in an earthenware bowl or a deep plate; and then take them out and put them on a large plate, all around, in this manner: a layer of bread slices, and another of partridges, and in this manner fill up the plate with a platform of bread slices and another of partridges; and when the plate is full, cast the almodrote on top of it all and then take melted lard and scatter it over the plate.

43. Hiladea (34) Which Is Called Gelatin

Hiladea Que Se Dice Gelatina

Take calves' trotters, well-plucked and clean and white, which are not skinned, and break them in half and wash them well; and set them to cook with another two pairs of sheep's trotters; and if four or six bowlfuls of water are necessary to cook them, only cast in half of that; and for the rest, in place of water, cast in white wine, very fine and fragrant, and cook it all in a pot until it is well-cooked; and cast into the pot, ginger, anise, cinnamon cut small, and pepper, and nutmeg and mace and saffron, all whole; and according to the quantity that you wish to make, you must cast the white wine in the pot; and when they are well-cooked, take them out of the pot and make pieces as big as a finger; and then take hens that have been cooked in a separate pot, and cut them as if to make portions; and then take a large plate, and put those cut-up hens and cut-up trotters on the plate, and cast upon it the broth from the trotters in such a manner that no grease falls upon the plate, straining it through a woolen cloth; and when it has been half strained, put bay leaves all around the edge of the plate, and leave it in this way and it will congeal soon; and if by chance it does not congeal promptly, cast in a little galingale or spikenard (35) and soon it will doubtlessly congeal; (36) and in this way is made good geladea or gelatine.

44. Pottage Of Merritoche

Potaje Merritoche

Take peeled, clean, blanched almonds and grind them well in a mortar, and blend them with good broth of mutton or hen, and strain it through a woolen cloth; and when it has all been strained, cast it in the pot with a piece of sugar and set it to cook, stirring it constantly with a stick; and when it is more than half cooked, take sage, and make four pieces of each leaf, and to a pound of almonds you may put ten leaves of sage; and then take the sage which is needed, give it a boil and then cast it in the pot with the almond milk and cook it all together; and while it cooks, cast a great deal of pot-grease into the sauce and also cast in ground grains of paradise; and after it is cooked, prepare dishes, and cast upon them sugar and ground ginger mixed together.

45. Sauce For Geese (37)

Salsa De Ansarones

You will take peeled almonds, clean and blanched and grind them in a mortar; and after they are well-ground, take the livers of the geese or of hens which have been cooked in a pot, and grind them with the almonds; and after they are well-ground and mixed, blend it all with good hen's broth and strain it through a woolen cloth; and after it has been strained, cast it in the pot with sugar, and stir it constantly with a stick and cast all fine spices in it except saffron; and the sauce should be a little between sour and sweet; and cast sugar and cinnamon upon the dishes.

46. Pottage of Onions That is Called Cebollada

Potaje De Cebollas Que Dicen Cebollada

You will take onions, peeled and well-washed and cleaned and cut them in large pieces; and cast them in a pot of water that is boiling; and when they have boiled once or twice in the pot, remove them from the pot and squeeze them between two wooden chopping blocks; and then gently fry them with melted good fatty bacon or with bacon grease, moving them about with a spatula, and stirring them in the frying pan with said spatula which is of wood. And if the onions become at all dry, cast in good fatty mutton broth until the onions are well-cooked. And then take almonds which are well-peeled and blanched. And grind them well in a mortar, and then mix them with good mutton broth and strain them through a woolen cloth. And then cast the almond milk in the pot with the onions. And mix it well. And then cook them well until the onions are cooked with the almond milk. And cast into the pot some good cheese of Aragon, grated, and mix them well with a haravillo as if they were gourds. And when they are well-mixed with the cheese, and you see that it is cooked, prepare dishes, first casting into the pot a pair of egg yolks for each dish; and if you wish, cast sugar and cinnamon on the dishes, and it is good.

47. Stuffing for Kid

Relleno De Cabrito

You will take loins of mutton and entrails of kid. And cook them in a pot with a good piece of streaky bacon. And when it is cooked, mince it very finely on a wooden chopping block and put with it a little grated bread and a little grated cheese. And mix it well, and chop it again very well with a little finely-chopped parsley. And mix it with some eggs, the white and the yolks together (38). And cast all the fine spices on it, and enough saffron, because this pottage should be very yellow; and mix it well, so chopped and fine that it will appear to be ground, and then gently fry the kid or suckling pig; if it is a suckling pig, it is not usual to add parsley.

48. Kid pie

Pastel De Cabrito

And if by chance the kids are too fat to be roasted, you may cut them in pieces, and make them into pasteles or empanadas (39) And you may take fine spice and chopped parsley and put them in the empanadas with a little sweet oil and take this food to the oven; and a little before you remove it from the oven, beat some eggs with verjuice or orange juice and put it in the empanada though the vent hole on the top of the empanada, and then return it to the oven for the space of three Paternosters. And then remove it, and put this pastel before the lord on a plate, and open it and give it to him.

49. Barding for Peacocks or Capons

Emborrozamiento De Pavos O Capones

After the peacocks or capons are half-roasted on the spit, take good fatty bacon and make wide slices the size of the peacock or capon breasts, and put this slices on the breasts in such a way that they cannot fall off. And after they are well-fastened, return them to the fire to roast; and before you put it on the fire, put the head of the capon in such a manner that it will not burn. And put the head with the beak stretched out lengthwise inside the carcass; you can cover peacock and capons with white paper well-fastened over the bacon.

50. Eggplant in Casserole

Berenjenas En Cazuela

Take eggplants and peel off the skin very well, and cut each one of them into three or four pieces and cook them in good mutton broth, with a pair of onions; and cook them until they are well-cooked; and being cooked, take them out of the pot and chop them very finely on a chopping block, and then cast on them good cheese of Aragon, grated, and some egg yolks. And resume chopping with your knife as if it were for stuffing for kid, (40) and cast fine spice upon it and put all these spices in the casserole, well-mixed: ginger, mace, nutmeg and green coriander and parsley; and then take the casserole to the oven; and when it is cooked, cast sugar and cinnamon on top.

Prof Ken Albala's translation

Take eggplants and clean them of the skin and cut each in three or four slices and place them to them to cook in good mutton broth with an equal amount of onions and cook until they are well done. Being cooked remove them from the pot or casserole and press them well with a board. And when they are well flattened add in good Aragonese cheese which is grated and egg yolks and after flatten everything as if it were a stuffing of kid. Then place on fine sauce. To make the sauce place in the casserole ginger, mace, nutmeg, as well as fresh cilantro and parsley all mixed together. Then place the casserole in the oven and when it is cooked sprinkle on sugar and cinnamon and serve it forth.

51. Thick eggplant

Berenjenas Espesas

Clean the skin off the eggplants and put them in cold water; and then set them to cook in a pot with a pair of clean onions in meat broth that is fatty. And while it cooks, stir it constantly with a wooden stirrer; and then take peeled blanched almonds, and grind them well in a mortar and blend them with good mutton broth or hen's broth, and strain them through a woolen cloth. And when the eggplants have been strained, they will be close to cooked, then cast them into the milk until they are cooked. And cast on them good cheese of Aragon, grated, then turn them about with a haravillo, just like gourds. And when they are thoroughly stirred with the haravillo, cast on them egg yolks and other things: ground dry coriander; and upon the coriander, cast in the pot nutmeg and caraway and cinnamon and cloves, all ground; and cast it in the pot, and then prepare dishes; and upon each one, cast grated cheese of Aragon, which is very good.

52. Moorish Eggplant

Berenjenas A La Morisca

Peel the eggplants and quarter them, and their skins having been peeled, set them to cook; and when they are well-cooked, remove them from the fire, and then squeeze them between two wooden chopping blocks, so they do not retain water. And then chop them with a knife. And let them go to the pot and let them be gently fried, very well, with good bacon or with sweet oil, because the Moors do not eat bacon. And when they are gently fried, set them to cook in a pot and cast in good fatty broth, and the fat of meat, and grated cheese which is fine, and above all, ground coriander; and then stir it with a haravillo like gourds; and when they are nearly cooked, put in egg yolks beaten with verjuice, as if they were gourds.

53. Pottage Of Junglada Or Cooked Hare

Potaje De Junglada O Lebrada (41)

Take a hare and skin it, and being well-cleaned and washed, cast it in the pot and give it a boil; then take it out and set it to roast on a spit. And when it is more than half-roasted, remove it from the spit and cut it into pieces which are rather large. And then take onion chopped very finely, and gently fry it with good fatty bacon. And then gently fry the hare also, and take toasted almonds and grind them well with a crustless piece of bread soaked in white vinegar, and grind it all together; and then grind with all this, livers of hens, or kid, or sheep, or spleens, roasted in the coals, and grind them all together; and when they are well-ground, cast in a pair of eggs for each dish. And then blend it with good broth of mutton or hen, and strain it through a woolen cloth; and when it has been strained, set it to cook, and put a good quantity of ginger and cinnamon on top. And it must taste a little of vinegar; and if you wish, put sugar or honey according to your will.

54. Thick Gourds With Meat Broth

Calabazas Espesas Con Caldo De Carne

Take gourds, and scrape them very well so that they become very white and clean. And then cut them into very long thin slices; and take good fatty bacon, and a piece of mutton together with the bacon, and when everything is very well melted, strain it through a sieve and cast it in the pot where the gourds must cook with the fatty bacon, and stir it constantly with a stick; and cast in an onion, and gently fry it with the gourds; and when they are gently fried, take good kidney suet of a sheep, and set it to cook separately with a pair or two of squabs; and you will make good broth which is well-salted; and when the broth is made, little by little cast it upon the gourds, and always take the fattiest [broth]; and when the gourds are well-cooked, and quite mushy, take almond milk or milk of goats or sheep – but the almond milk is never lacking – and cast the milk in the pot; and when the milk is cooked with the gourds, turn them about with a haravillo in such a manner that not even the smallest piece of gourd remains un-dissolved; and cast good cheese of Aragon which is grated and very fine, in with the gourds; and when this is done take two egg yolks for each dish, well-beaten with verjuice, then mix them with the gourds; then make [them] in such a manner that they taste a little of verjuice; and then prepare dishes, and cast upon them sugar and cinnamon.

55. Moorish Gourds

Calabazas A La Morisca

Scrape the gourds very well until they are very clean and white, and then make wide slices and cut them like round fingers; and take onion and cut it in the same way as the gourd, and to each gourd put two onions; and when they are cut, cast them in good mutton broth that is boiling well; and when they are cooked, cast upon them goat milk or sheep milk, and if there is none, cast in almond milk; and cook the milk well with the gourds; and when the milk is cooked, turn them well with your haravillo and cast upon them good grated cheese and fine spices; and also cumin, and caraway, and a pair of eggs for each dish; and turn it all together and prepare dishes; and cast sugar and cinnamon upon them.

56. Gourds In Another Way

Otra Manera De Calabazas

Take the most tender gourds that you can get, and clean them so that they become very white, and cut them into slices which are very thin, and fry them gently with good fatty bacon; and when they are gently fried, cast upon them good mutton broth which is very fatty, in which has been cooked a loin of a good fat cow; and with this broth, cook them very well, and when they are cooked, cast almond milk or goat milk upon them; and finish cooking them with the milk, and turn them a great deal with your tornillo (42) or haravillo in such a manner that not a lump remains; and this is a good style of gourds, in which there is no cheese in them, nor eggs, nor onions; however, while cooking, you must cast in a little verjuice, because otherwise they aren't worth much.

57. Rice With Meat Broth

Arroz Con Caldo De Carne

You must take rice and wash it with cold water or tepid water three or four times; and when it is well-washed, set it to dry on a wooden chopping block in the sun, and if there is none, near the fire; and when it is dry, clean it well of the stones and filth; then put a very clean pot on the fire with meat broth, which is fatty and well-salted, and put it on the fire; and when the broth begins to boil, cast the rice in the pot; and when the rice is more than half-cooked, cast in goat or sheep milk, and for lack of these cast in almond milk; and cook everything in the pot, stirring it from time to time with a large spoon so that it does not stick to the pot or burn; and when it is cooked, remove it from the fire and put the well-covered pot inside a pannier or basket of bran, and leave it there to rest for a while, which should be for the space of an hour or at least half. Then take egg yolks and beat them well when you wish to prepare dishes, and cast them in the pot, mixing them with the rice, and giving them a few turns with the large spoon. Then prepare dishes, and cast upon each one sugar and cinnamon.

But note one thing, as I said in the chapter on semola: that in none of these pottages, such as rice, semola, farro, and fideos, when cooked with meat broth, is it necessary to put in any kind of milk; but everything is according to the appetites of the men who eat it; and with this pottage, there is no need to cast sugar upon the dishes; however, sugar never harms the food; and the excellence is in this, that each one does according to his taste.

58. Rice Casserole In The Oven

Arroz En Cazuela Al Horno

Clean the rice well of stones and filth, and wash it with two or three [changes of] cold water and then with hot water. And after it is well-washed, set it to dry on a wooden chopping block in the sun or by the heat of the fire. And when it is dry, clean it again in such a manner that it is very clean; then take a very clean casserole and cast in good meat broth which is fatty, and set it to boil on the fire; and when it begins to boil, put in two or three threads of saffron so that the broth becomes quite yellow. And when the broth is quite yellow, cast in the rice bit by bit, stirring it with a stick or with a large spoon; and when the rice is in the casserole cast in whatever quantity of broth that seems necessary to you to so that it cooks no more. and taste it to see that it is well-salted and fatty; and put it to cook in the oven; and a little before it finishes cooking, remove it from the oven and cast some whole fresh egg yolks over the rice. And then return the casserole to the oven to finish cooking; and it is cooked when you see that the rice has made a good crust on top; and then prepare dishes, and in each one put one or two of the egg yolks which were upon the rice; and if by chance the oven was not prepared, put the casserole on a coal fire and put an iron lid full of coals on it; and in this manner it will come out of there as if it had been cooked in the oven, and perhaps better because it remains nearer for sampling, and this is good rice.

59. Pottage Of Noodles

Potaje De Fideos (43)

Clean the fideos of their filth, and when they are well-cleaned (44) put a very clean pot on the fire with good fatty hen's broth or mutton broth that is well-salted; and when the broth begins to boil, cast the fideos into the pot with a piece of sugar; and when they are more than half cooked, cast goat or sheep milk into the pot with the hen's broth or mutton broth; or instead of that, almond milk, for that can never be lacking; and cook everything well together, and when the fideos are cooked, remove the pot from the fire and let it rest a little while; and prepare dishes, casting sugar and cinnamon upon them; but as I have said in the chapter on rice, many say that with pottages of this kind which are cooked with meat broth that one should not cast in either sugar or milk, but this is according to each one's appetite; and in truth, with fideos or rice cooked in meat broth, it is better to cast good grated cheese upon the dishes.

Prof Ken Albala's translation

Take the noodles and clean them of dirt. And when they are nice and clean take a pot that is clean and fill with good chicken broth or mutton that is very fatty and salted and place on the fire and when it begins to boil place the noodles in the broth with a pinch of sugar. And when the noodles are half cooked in the chicken or mutton broth, add in the pot goat's or sheep's milk. If perchance you can't find or don't have any, add that of almonds, for these should never be missing. And leave it so that everything cooks together. And when it is well cooked, lift the pot off the fire and let it rest a bit. And after take plates and sprinkle each with sugar and cinnamon ... Many prefer that things which are cooked in broth or meat should not have sugar or milk added. But all this is according to the appetite of the master and each person. And those noodles which are cooked in meat broth deserve good Aragonese cheese which is fine and well grated.

60. Pottage Which Is Called Porriol) (45)

Potaje Que Se Dice De Porriol

Take finely-cut onions and chop them with a knife on a chopping block, and while you are chopping them cast salt and cold water on top; and this you will do many times; and each time, squeeze them between two chopping-blocks so that all the viscosity comes out. And this being done, cook them with a good quantity of bacon fat or common oil which is very sweet and good, and then cast on sweet white wine tempered with vinegar. and when it has boiled a little, cast on pepper and ground salt; taste it, and if it seems very strong to you, cast in a little water, and taste it again to see if it is of a good strength and well-salted; and then cast on cut-up or whole partridges or other birds.

61. Pottage Which Is Called Porriola

Potaje Que Se Dice Porriola

Take the quantity of onions according to which you wish to make the pottage, and chop them a great deal on a chopping block, and cast upon them your ground salt and cold water, and press them between two chopping blocks so that the viscosity comes out of them; and do the same again, pressing them well between your two chopping blocks, so that no viscosity remains in them; and then scald them well three or four times, and each time let them be well-pressed so that all of the viscosity comes out; and then gently fry the onion very well with pork grease little by little; then cast good spices upon it, and cast them in the best broth that you have, and set them to cook; and then cast in egg yolks and well-chopped hens' livers if you wish.

62. Pottage Which Is Called Nerricoque (46)

Potaje Que Se Dice Nerricoque

Take mutton and make small pieces three fingers long and set it to cook in a clean pot with your salt and your provisions (47) and skim it very well; and when it is well skimmed, take parsley, and mint, and marjoram, and savory, and hyssop, and other good herbs, and onions cut small, and cast it all into the pot and cook it well; and then grind almonds which are well-peeled and blanched; and when they are well-ground, cast upon them livers of hen or kid, which are of equal worth if they are tender, and cook it in your pot. And grind everything together with the almonds; and after it is ground, blend it with good hen's broth, and strain it through a woolen cloth; and after it is strained, take a pair of eggs for each dish and blend them with the same milk, and strain them through a woolen cloth; and then mix everything; and when the meat is cooked, cast milk in the pot; and when it has turned thick it is cooked; and consider that you must cast in a lot of herbs; and you can dish it out, casting meat into the dishes.

63. Madame's Bruet

Broete De Madama

Take almonds which are not peeled, and pine nuts which are very white and clean, and grind everything together; and after grinding them, blend them with good hen's broth, and strain it through a woolen cloth; and cast it in your clean pot where it must cook; and cast upon it these spices: ginger, long pepper, and galingale, all ground; putting it all in the pot with parsley, and oregano, and a little pennyroyal, and cook everything together with saffron; and when it has boiled well, so that you know that it should be removed from the fire, take a dozen eggs beaten with vinegar and put them in the pot; and make it so that the broth is a little sour, but not much; and when you cast them into the broth, you must see that it is not very hot so that the eggs do not harden immediately; and stirring it constantly with a stick when the eggs are there in the broth, because they will curdle promptly.

64. Good Bruet with Meat Broth

Buen Broete Con Caldo De Carne

If you wish to make the said bruet with a pullet or with cockerels, it will be better. Take the chickens and have them cooked in a very clean pot with good mutton or bacon; and taste the pot to see that it is well-salted; and then take the best broth from the pot, and strain it through a woolen cloth; and then put it in a clean pot and let it cool well; and cast on it all fine spices and ground saffron; and take two egg yolks for each dish and blend them with the cold broth and verjuice so that it does not curdle, and then strain them through a woolen cloth so that they are quite thin; and after straining them, cast them in the pot of broth, and cast in ginger, tasting the pot for saltiness and for sourness before putting it on the fire; and then set it to cook on the fire and stir it constantly with a stick until it is cooked; and if you wish to add milk for half of the broth–however it should be from almonds–the bruet will be better; and when the said bruet is totally cooked, cast the chicken in it, cut into pieces, as if to serve portions; and when they have boiled a little in the pot, take them out and put them on a plate; and before preparing dishes, cast a little shredded or chopped parsley in the pot, and then prepare dishes.

65. Another Good Bruet Which Is Called "Of Verines"

Otro Broete Bueno Que Se Dice De Verines (48)

Take almond milk and set it aside; then take parsley that is well-ground and strain it through a woolen cloth, and then mix it with the almond milk which you have made with hen's broth or mutton broth which is quite fatty; and also cast in ground ginger; then set it on the fire to cook, and stir it constantly with your stick until it boils; and when it has boiled, stir it gently until it is thick. There are also those who cast in shredded parsley and do not grind it; and prepare dishes a little while before you bring them to the table, and you will see that inside the dish that it is green and on top it is white, and because of this it is called broete de verines. (49)

66. Good Bruet with Meat Broth Which is Called "Sponge"

Buen Broete Con Caldo De Carne Que Se Dice De Esponja

You must take a clean pot and cast in it the best and fattiest broth of the pot which is well-salted, and strain this broth through a woolen cloth; and cast it in your pot, and leave it there to cool until it has lost its heat; and while it is cooling, cast into the pot cinnamon, and ginger, and saffron all ground up; and then take two egg yolks for each dish, and beat them with verjuice, and with just a little white vinegar, that the broth should be a little bit sour; and then cast it in the pot, and set it to cook stirring constantly until it boils; because if you do not stir it, it will immediately curdle and separate; and when it is well-cooked, remove it from the fire; and prepare dishes; and if you wish, then you can cast a little broth in each dish and it will look a little like yellow sponge; and because of this it is called "bruet of sponge".

67. Pottage Of Fat

Potaje De Grasa

For six dishes, take a half pound of grated cheese with half of a grated hard bread, all mixed, and lastly take six egg yolks beaten very well; and take up to four dishes of well-skimmed pot-grease, and put this broth to boil over coals that do not give off smoke; and grind three madres of cloves, (50) and pepper, and saffron, and cast them into the broth; and cast into it four ounces of sugar, or in place of that as much honey; and cast in a few drops of vinegar to give flavor, and set it to boil; and when it has boiled, set it apart outside and beat the bread with the eggs and the cheese; and cast it into the pot, stirring it with a large wooden spoon so that it does not separate; and cast it in little by little; and when everything has been cast in, return it to the coals until it is thick; and sample the flavor, and if it is good, remove it from the fire.

68. The Same Pottage Made from Milk

El Mismo Potaje De Leche

For six dishes, take a half azumbre of milk, and a half pound of rice flour; and take a half pound of boneless mutton leg, and cook it with water and salt until it is very well-cooked; and then remove it from there, and grind it, and continually grind it while casting in the broth of the same meat; and when it is well-ground, cast half of the milk into it and strain it with your woolen cloth, or with a horsehair sieve, or with a clean linen cloth; and when it is well-strained, stir it constantly in one direction with a large wooden spoon; and make it in a large pot or in a new glazed earthenware pot; and take the flour and cast it in, little by little, stirring in one direction; and if you see that it is very thick, cast in all the other milk; and cast in, after that, half a pound of sugar; and set it to cook on the coals where there is no smoke, stirring it around constantly in one direction, and in every part, so that it does not stick; and when it is thick, sample the taste, and if it is good, set it apart outside; and dish it out, and cast sugar and cinnamon over the dishes

.69. Good French Sauce

Buena Salsa Francesa

You must take almonds that are peeled and very clean and blanched, and pine nuts, and grind them very well with ginger and pepper; and put in a lot of cinnamon; and blend it with sour pomegranate wine so that the flavor remains between sour and sweet; and similarly you can make the sauce with the juice of sour pomegranates and with only cinnamon mixed in and cast on top.

70. Thin Sauce For Wild Birds, Such As Wild Doves, Woodpigeons And Wild Ducks

Salseron Para Aves Salvajes, Como Son Palomas Salvas, Torcazas Y Anades Salvajes

You must take wild doves, and woodpigeons, or wild ducks which in Valencia they call fotjas (51), and roast the said doves, which should not be very roasted, but a little more than half-roasted; and cut them up like one cuts a hen; and cast them into two basins or on two large deep plates; and cast on top of them: ground salt, and vinegar, pepper, and orange juice, all mixed in wine; and beat it a great deal between two plates a long while, so that the juices or thin sauce mix; and mingle it with the cut-up birds; and put them on your plates with your thin sauce and it is good.

71. Pottage Called Thin White Sauce

Potaje Llamado Salseron Blanco

You must take peeled almonds and grind them well; then blend them with orange juice or other sour stuff, or with water; and cast in enough white sugar; this sauce does not have to be strained through a woolen cloth, except that it should be well-ground, and sweet-sour. And you can put this sauce on all fowls.

72. Thin Sauce For Roasted Squabs

Salseron Para Palominos Asados

Take the livers of the squabs, and roast them in the coals so that they are not very roasted; and you can add a little liver of kid, or of sheep; and grind everything with a crustless piece of toasted bread soaked in white vinegar; and when it is all well-ground, blend it with broth or with water that is well-salted, and strain it through a woolen cloth; and then put it in a pot, and cook it there; and cast in pepper, and ground ginger, and give it a brief boil.

73. Another Thin Sauce For Roasted Squabs

Otro Salseron Para Palominos Asados

Roast the livers of the squabs over the coals and grind them in a mortar; and take grated cheese, and vinegar, and grind them all together with the said squab livers; and after it is ground, blend it with broth or hot water, and strain it through a sieve, and cast it in the pot where it must boil; and cast in these ground spices: pepper and grains of paradise; and boil it, little by little, stirring with a stick constantly in one direction, otherwise the thin sauce will separate.

74. Thin Sauce For Roasted Fowl

Salseron Para Volateria Asada

You must take fowl, and roast (52) their livers in a pot with good mutton broth or hen's broth, if you have it; and when they are roasted, grind them; and after they are ground, cast a little fine ground ginger on them, so that the thin sauce will taste a little of ginger; and cast a piece of sugar upon it in the mortar, and resume grinding everything together; and when it is ground, blend the sauce with some sour stuff such as verjuice or white vinegar which has been watered down or mixed with wine, so that it does not remain very strong, or with orange juice; but see that you do not blend it until your lord is at table so that it will not be cold.

75. Thin Sauce For Roasted Partridges Or Hens

Salseron Para Perdices O Gallinas Asadas

Grind almonds which are clean, peeled, and blanched; and blend them with juice of sour pomegranates; then cast pulverized sugar in the mortar, and cinnamon, and ginger, because its color and flavor should tend almost towards cinnamon; there is no need to strain it through a sieve.

76. Pottage which is called Higate because it is made from figs

Potaje Que Se Dice Higate Porque Se Hace De Higos

Take white and black figs and put them in cold water, or tepid which would be better; and with this water wash the figs very well, and remove the stems; and when they are very clean and washed, set them to gently fry with good, very fatty bacon; and when they have gently fried for a while, take good hen's broth or mutton broth, and cast it in little by little, in such a manner that it can cook for an hour and a half; (53) and while it cooks, cast all these spices upon it in the pot, which should be well-ground: sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and pepper, and other good spices; and if the pottage is of black figs, cast in a little saffron, so that it has a yellow color; and when it is half cooked, stir it with a haravillo, like someone stirring gourds, in such a manner that it will be thick; and do not remove your hand from them until they are well-thickened, tasting it for saltiness and sourness and sweetness; and when it is removed from the fire, let it rest a little while; and prepare dishes, and cast sugar and cinnamon upon them.

77. Thin Sauce From The Juice Of Sour Pomegranates

Salseron De Zumo De Granadas Agras

Take a cup of the seeds of sour pomegranates and thoroughly extract the juice from them; and then take a roasted hen's liver, and grind it well in a mortar with eight egg yolks; and when it is all well-ground, strain it through a woolen cloth; and when it has been strained, put it in the pot or an earthenware casserole. And take an ounce of cinnamon, or cast in the spice according to the quantity which you desire to make, and let it be ground and blended with the said juice; and cast four ounces of sugar on it, and then set it on a fire of coals and cook it until it begins to thicken; and this sauce is good for all fowls in place of sauce for peacock; and it is made very quickly.

78. Pottage Of Alideme (54) Of Eggs (55)

Potaje De Alideme De Huevos

Take a casserole that is very clean, and cast into it onions, and parsley, and mint, and marjoram, which is called moraduj in the kingdoms of Aragon, with salt and oil, all mixed with water, and set it all to cook; and when it is cooked, grind these a little of these herbs, that have cooked in the pot or casserole, with a little of that same onion. And when they are ground, blend them with the same broth; and when they are blended, set them to cook in a clean pot. And then take egg yolks, and beat them very well with verjuice or white vinegar; and cast into the pot all fine spices, and ground saffron, more rather than less; and when it has cooked a little, remove it from the fire. And leave it a little while to rest or cool; and then cast in the eggs little by little; then return it to the fire; and when it has cooked a little while longer, remove it from the fire and stir it well constantly and in such a manner that never ceases while it boils. And then dish it out.

79. Cake (56) Of Eggs Which Is Called Salviate

Torta De Huevos Que Se Dice Salviate

Take some sage leaves, and grind them quite vigorously; and take a good quantity of eggs, and beat them and mix them with the sage; and then take a frying pan, and cast in lard in such a manner that after melting there is a finger's breadth or more in the frying pan; and if there is no lard, take common oil which is sweet and very good, the same quantity; and when the lard or oil boils, cast in the eggs with the sage, and make of them an omelet (57) which is well-cooked; and this omelet should be two fingers thick, or more. And when it is well-cooked or fried, cast it on a good plate with much sugar above and below; and this omelet should be eaten hot.

80. Ill-Cooked Milk (58)

Leche Mal Cocida

Grind blanched almonds with a crustless piece of bread, and when it is well-ground strain it through a woolen cloth, and when it is all strained put it in a clean pot, and put it on the fire, and when it has boiled remove it from the fire, and take some beaten egg yolks, and cast them in the pot stirring them a few times, and then prepare dishes, and if you set the crustless piece of bread to soak in rosewater it cannot be anything but better; although the other suffices, rosewater is always good in many dishes.

81. Jusello (59) With Meat Broth

Jusello Con Caldo De Carne

Take good meat broth which is fatty, and strain it through a woolen cloth; and put this broth in a clean pot, and set it to cook on the fire; and when it has boiled, take a good handful of parsley and clean it well, and grind it very well in a mortar; and blend it with the broth from the pot of meat, and strain it through a woolen cloth; and put it in your pot; and take half a pound of very good cheese of Aragon which should be fine, and grate it very well. And when it is grated, put it in a large dish; and take a pair of eggs with their whites for each dish, and beat it all a great deal, and cast it in the cheese; and let everything be well-beaten together with good fine spice in the large dish; and when everything is very well-beaten, cast it in the pot where the broth is, and give it a boil; and when it boils, give it two or three stirs with a large spoon or spoon, and then remove the pot from the fire; and cut or shred a little parsley. And cast it in the pot, and then prepare dishes of this jusello.

82. Pottage Like The Abovementioned One With Something Added, Which Is Called Jusello

Potaje Como El Mismo Sobredicho Y Algo Añadido Que Es Dicho Jusello

The above-mentioned pottage of jusello can be made for a lesser cost by adding well-grated hard bread to the grated cheese; and mix everything together with your eggs and your fine spice; and it is also good and costs less.

83. To Make A Good Comforting Verjuice

Para Hacer Buen Agraz Confortativo

When you grind the unripe grapes (60) to extract the juice, grind them with a sprig or some leaves of basil. And it is very good for comforting the heart. And it is of good flavor.

84. Modern Pottage

Potaje Moderno

Take well-cleaned and washed spinach, and chard, and borage; give them a boil with meat broth which is well-salted. And see that it does not cook too much, but they should be half-cooked. And remove them from the pot. And press these herbs between two wooden chopping blocks. And then chop them very well. And when they are well-chopped, take good fatty bacon; and gently fry it so that all of its fat comes out, and cast the fat of this bacon in a very clean pot, and gently fry the said herbs with this fat. And when they are gently fried, cast into the pot good strained milk of goats, or sheep, or almond milk, and cook it in your pot, and when the milk is cooked, the herbs should not yet be cooked. And then cast into the pot: cinnamon, ginger, and pepper, well-ground; and likewise, good streaky bacon cooked in the pot; and prepare dishes.

85. Another Modern Pottage

Otro Potaje Moderno

Take the fleshy leaves of the bledas (61) which is chard, and clean them very well; and give them a brief boil with water and salt, so that they come out half-cooked. And then remove it from the fire, and remove more than half of the broth; and return it to cook on the fire with a little good sweet oil; and when they are cooked, taste them for salt; and then prepare dishes and cast good grated cheese upon them, and also cast some of this cheese beneath them; and they are good for Lent, if you have a dispensation. (62)

86. Chopped Spinach

Espinacas Picadas

You must take spinach and clean it, and wash it very well, and give it a brief boil with water and salt; then press it very well between two chopping-blocks, then chop it very small. And then gently fry it in bacon fat; and when it is gently fried, put it in a pot on the fire, and cook it; and cast in the pot: good broth of mutton, and of bacon which is very fatty and good, only the flower (63) of the pot; and if by chance you wish it, in place of the broth, cast upon it milk of goats or sheep, and if not, of almonds; and take the bacon, and cut it into pieces the size of fingers, and cast them in the pot with the spinach; and depending on what the season it is, if you wish, cast in fresh cheese; you may do it likewise, like the abovementioned slices of bacon; and if you put in a great deal, do not put it in until the spinach is entirely cooked, and cast this in a little before dishing it out; and if you wish also to cast in tender raisins which are cooked, you can do it all around the spinach; and if you do not wish to put in these things, neither bacon nor grated cheese of Aragon, cast parsley and mint with it likewise; and the spinach will be better.

87. A Very Singular Distilled Broth For Sick And Weakened People (64)

Para Enfermos Caldo Destilado Y Para Debilitados Muy Singular

Take a hen well-plucked and cleaned, and cut it to pieces in such a manner that it will fit through the neck of a jug; and break the bones well in such a manner that the substance can well come out of them. And when it is in the jug, cast in for each hen a glass of rosewater, and fifteen or twenty cloves of gilofre; and cast everything inside the jug, and then stop it up very well, in such a manner that none of the substance of the hen can come out, with your dough made with rosewater; and then you must take a cauldron full of water with a handful of straws of barley or hay at the bottom of the cauldron, and upon the straw put the jug and set it to cook on the fire; and boiling the water of the cauldron will also boil the jug; and let the boil not be vigorous, but gentle; and cook it in this manner a good three and a half hours (65), and there will remain in the jug a reasonable quantity of broth; and this broth is a very extraordinary thing for those who are ill; and the straw must be put on the bottom of the cauldron so that the jug does not touch the bottom of the cauldron; because otherwise, the boiling of the cauldron would run the risk of breaking the jug, and if it did not break, the broth would absorb the flavor of the cauldron.

And if you desire to make this broth of greater sustenance for invalids who are very weak and are consumptive, you can cast in the juice of a roasted mutton leg; and not much, but something more than half-roasted, giving it some cuts until the knife goes to the bone; and press it vigorously between two chopping blocks, so that all the juice comes out of said leg, and let it fall upon the dish of concentrated broth; (66) and cast in a little bit of unripe grapes, well-ground, with some basil leaves; and this broth is a very singular thing, and of very great sustenance; and if you wish to make it of a much greater sustenance that will revive half-dead bodies and those who are at the end of life, cast into the embers or live coals, fifty pieces of gold which are very fine; and when the said pieces are glowing a great deal, remove them with very clean tongs and cast them in the broth; and if you do this two or three times, the broth will be of greater virtue; and however much more it is done, its virtue will multiply; and this broth is of such excellence that it has no price nor can its value be estimated.

88. Another Solsido Of Hens Or Of Mutton Or Capons

Otro Solsido De Gallinas O De Carnero O Capones

You must take a hen or capon, and arrange it as if you were going to roast it, and make pieces of it; and with a pestle, break the bones very well in such a manner that the substance can come out of it and put it in a new, very clean pot; and put whole cinnamon in the pot, and whole cloves, and a little saffron, because it cheers the heart, and all tied inside a linen cloth, clean and well-washed; and put the little rag in the pot hanging from a very clean thread, or loose if you wish;, and cover the pot very well with its lid; and fasten it at the junctures between the pot and the lid with dough and water, and a wet rag around the dough, in such a manner that no substance or steam can come out of the pot; and let the pot be situated upon the coals, and covered by them up to the middle of the pot, and cook it in this manner a good three hours; and when it is cooked, remove the rag with the spices and prepare dishes; and this broth will return a nearly dead man to life, by being so singular and of such sustenance.

89. Distilled Torta (67) For Invalids

Torta Destilada Para Dolientes

You must take a hen, well-plucked and well-cleaned, and cut it to pieces, and chop it on a chopping block with the bones and all; and when it is well-chopped, mix with it a quarter of an ounce of cinnamon, and another quarter of an ounce of cloves, and a quarter of an ounce of white saunders, and muscatel grapes, and more than a glassful of water of endive, and [water] of bugloss and [water] of borage; and all this well-mixed and chopped, being put in an alembic of glazed earthenware or of glass, and distill it over a gentle fire; and a very clear water will come out; this is so cordial and so singular that it will return a dead man to life; and this torta is customarily given only to those who cannot eat.

90. Blancmange For Invalids Who Are Not Eating Anything

Manjar Blanco Para Dolientes Que No Comen Nada

Make solsido of a hen, and then put a pot on the fire; and when it boils, cast a pullet into it, and this solsido is made in this manner: take a hen, and break its bones well, and then put a pot on the fire and cook it until it boils a great deal, and never ceases to boil. And when you see that there are two dishes of broth, remove the pot from the fire. And then take a few blanched almonds and grind them. And when they are well-ground, strain them with that broth. And then take a pullet that was killed the night before, and remove the breasts, and set it to roast; and when it is half-roasted, remove it from the spit and grind it; and being well-ground, strain it with that milk you made; and strain it thickly, so that nothing has to be taken away from the breasts of the pullet; (68) and put sugar in proportion, and cook it over a few coals; and when it turns thick, let it cook a little more; and if you wish make some sauce for the invalid, take a few toasted almonds, and grind them with a liver of a roasted hen, and likewise, blend it with the solsido of hen, and put [in] those almonds which should be quite thick. And then put a good quantity of sugar, and cinnamon, and a pair of cloves, and go to the fire to cook. And when it is cooked, cast in a little of the melted enjundia (69) of the hen so that it has more liquor and flavor; and dish it out with your sugar and cinnamon.

91. Marzipans For Invalids Who Have Lost The Desire To Eat, Very Good And Of Great Sustenence

Mazapanes Para Dolientes Que Pierdan El Comer, Muy Buenos Y De Gran Sustancia

Take a very fat capon or a hen which is very fat, and cook it with just your salt until it is very well-cooked; then take the breasts from it, and all the white meat without skin, and weigh that meat, and take as much peeled almonds, and combine the meat and the almonds; and take as much fine white sugar as all of this, and grind the almonds a great deal, and then the meat with them, and then the sugar; and then grind everything together, and stretch that dough upon a wafer, and make little marzipans of the size that you wish; and make the edges a little high, and let it be a little deep in the middle; and moisten it with orange-flower water with some feathers. And then sprinkle fine ground and sifted sugar over that water, and then moisten it again, and sprinkle it as before; and then cook them in the oven in some flat casseroles, and paper underneath; and let the fire of the oven be moderate; and upon removing it from the casserole, the paper must be cast off of each one, (70) in such a manner that the marzipan does not break. And this is a very singular dish and of great support for the invalids who have lost the [desire] to eat; because the little of this that they eat is of more sustenance than any other thing; principally drinking in addition to it the sulsido of hens made in the jug; and this cannot have a value placed upon it.

92. Casserole for Invalids

Cazuela Para Dolientes

Take a pullet or a cockerel and kill it the night before, and cut it to pieces. And then take orange juice and rosewater so that the juice will not be very strong. And then you will take a small casserole, and cast into it the cockerel or pullet with good enjundia of a hen, or its fat with the said juice, and then put it in the oven, and when it is almost cooked take a pair of fresh eggs and beat them with orange juice and rosewater, and cast it into the casserole; and then return it to the oven and leave it there for the space of a credo (71) and remove it; and give it to the invalid who has lost appetite.

93. Stuffing for Invalids

Relleno Para Dolientes

You will take a pullet that was killed the night before, and is well-plucked and cleaned, and take a few blanched almonds, and a few raisins, and the fat of a hen, and a small piece of whole cinnamon, and a clove of gilofre, and mix everything; and put it all inside the pullet, and cook it so that the stuffing does not come out; and then roast it on a spit, and baste it with grease from a hen; and in this manner one makes the poultry stuffing for invalids.

94. Barley-water for Invalids

Ordiate (72) Para Dolientes

You will take barley and cook it the night before, according to the quantity that you wish to make. Then take a pullet or cockerel, and break its bones and then make a pot boil with water that is clean; and moderately, in such a manner that when you cast in the pullet or cockerel, the water only covers it; and [this is] if it is little, of necessity you will have to cast in more water if the pullet is larger, and it is necessary that it cooks longer; and it must cook or boil constantly, and never cease to boil. And do not cast in salt until the last, when you know that there is no more than a dishful of broth, because it will be more flavorful. And having done this, after the patient has supped, you will take a few peeled almonds and grind them with a little of the white meat of the pullet in a mortar; and blend them with the broth of the cockerel or pullet; and when you have strained it, put this milk in a little pot; and if you wish, cast in a tiny bit of starch; you can cast it in at the same time as the milk; and then take the barley or ordio when it is cooked, and take a hemp-tow (73) which should not be very thin, and put it in that ordio or barley, and press down the hemp-tow very well, in such a manner that all the liquor comes out of the barley; then take that milk that you removed, and strain it through a sieve, in such a manner that little of the starch passes through it; and then strain everything again, the barley and all; and it should be a little clear and thin. Because in resting overnight it will turn thick. And I wish to say this now: let it cook the night before with sugar; and in the morning, when the patient is going to drink it, make it boil a little, and that will make it of great benefit; and when you give this barley-water, cast a little sugar over the dish; and if you don't wish to cast in starch, do not cast it in, [and see] that nothing goes into it.

95. Almond Dish For Invalids

Almendrada Para Dolientes

For two dishes; take a pound of almonds and peel them so that they become blanched, not with boiling water, because they lose their virtue and flavor, but rather that which is hot, and leave them there a little while until they peel. And grind them in a stone mortar two or three times, each time extracting the milk; and three dishes of milk will come out of them; and after cooking, two dishes will remain; and while cooking, cast in a little bit of salt, and your sugar and a little rosewater; and cook it away from the fire over the coals, where it does not smoke; and if the invalid has great fever and heat in his kidneys, you may cast in seeds of melon or gourd; (74) and if he has any tightness in the chest, extract milk from the almonds with water from cooked bran, which is called talvina (75).

96. Another Almond Dish For Very Weakened Invalids

Otra Almendrada Para Dolientes Muy Debilitados

For one dish take a half pound of blanched almonds, and grind them in a mortar with a breast of capon or hen, roasted or boiled; and keep wetting the pestle of the mortar in rosewater; and when it is well-ground, blend it with the same broth of capon or hen, and strain it through a woolen cloth; and give it a brief boil or two with a half ounce of sugar, and a little rosewater; you can add fine melon seeds with the almonds.

97. Another Almond Dish For Invalids Who Have Great Heat And Great Burning

Otra Almendrada Para Dolientes Que Tienen Gran Calentura Y Grandes Ardores

Cook a very tender gourd with water and salt until it is almost cooked; and then press it between two chopping blocks or silver plates, until the water comes out of them; and empty out the water in which they were cooked, and return them to the pot, and cast almond milk on them, little by little; and stir it constantly with a stick or spoon until the gourd is thick and quite mushy; and cast upon it a half ounce of sugar, stirring constantly; and cast on it a little rosewater to comfort the heart.

98. Electuary (76) Of Sour Cherries For Sick People Who Have Lost The Desire To Eat

Letuario De Guindas Para Los Enfermos Que Han Perdido La Gana De Comer

Take as many sour cherries as you wish and put them in a saucepan upon the fire; and cast them in water by themselves, and let them cook in that water until they turn very tender and appear white; and then throw out that water of theirs in which they cooked; and then take a sieve of very thin horsehair, in which you can strain them, and rub them so much with your hands that everything passes through. Then for each pound of these cherries prepared like this, take half a pound of sugar and mix it in your saucepan on a gentle fire, constantly stirring with a cane until they are cooked; and then put it aside; and put this electuary in a vessel of glazed earthenware, well-stoppered; if you wish, you can put some cloves and a little cinnamon in it.

99. To Bring Cold To Those Who Have Sharp Fevers, Even Though It Is Outside The Topic

Para Hacer Venir El Frio Al Que Tiene Fiebres Agudas, Aunque Sea Fuera De Proposito

Extract the juice of semi-sweet (77) pomegranates (78), as much as could be contained in a good egg, and cast on it a little sugar, and set it to settle overnight; and in the morning, give it to him to drink; and let him drink it cold right away; and if he drinks it cold, the invalid is in no danger; and this is done for seven or nine mornings, and it is a singular experience. Many other foods can be made for invalids that I omit writing in order not to be tedious; and this is enough of the foods for the invalids.

100. To Eat Figs In The French Manner

Comer Higos A La Francesa

Take dried figs, the sweetest that you can get, black and white, and remove the stems and wash them with good white wine which is sweet; and when they are very well-cleaned, take an earthenware casserole which is big enough, which has a flat bottom, and cast them inside, stirring them a little; and then put this casserole upon the coals, and well-covered in a manner that it is stewed there. And when they are stewed, and they will have absorbed all of the moisture of the wine, stir them a little, and cast fine spice on top of them; and turn them, stirring in a manner that incorporates that spice in them; and then eat this food; and it is an elegant thing; and it should be eaten at the beginning of the meal.

101. Thin White Sauce

Salseron Blanco

Take three pounds of almonds, and peel them and grind them well in a mortar; then blend them with broth that is very lean and without fat, which should be from hens or mutton, and strain them through a woolen cloth; and then set this milk aside and take a pot, and cast the best broth and the fattiest into it, and set it to cook; and when it boils, you should cast in an ounce of whole cinnamon or that which seems right to you, and tie it with a thread together with a small bunch of mint; and when it has boiled well, take the cinnamon and the mint out of the pot. And then cast into the pot an ounce of fine sugar and the almond milk. And boil it a little; and when it is cooked, prepare dishes; and there should be exactly four dishes of thin sauce.

102. Bruscate For Twelve Dishes Which Is Made From Kid's Liver And Spleen

Bruscate Para Doce Escudillas Que Se Hace De Higado De Cabrito Y De Bazo

You must take two pounds of toasted almonds, and grind them well in a mortar; and take three sheep spleens, and a kid's liver, and a handful of these herbs which are: moraduj, which in Castile is called marjoram, and savory, and mint, and parsley, tying it all with a thread, and set it all to cook in a casserole; and when it is cooked with that broth, you will prepare the almond milk together with the liver and the herbs; and grind it all with twelve eggs, all together with a little white vinegar; and when everything is ground, blend it with the broth, and strain it through a woolen cloth; and when it has been strained, mix it with the almond milk, and then let it go to the fire to cook; and while boiling it, and stirring it, put into the pot an ounce or a half of fine spice; and stir it constantly with a stick until it is thick; and if it does not become thick, cast in a little starch; and make it in such a manner that the sauce has good color; and then prepare dishes.

103. Biza Sauce for Ten Dishes

Salsa Biza Para Diez Escudillas

You must take three pounds of peeled almonds and grind them well in a mortar; and then blend them with good hen's broth; and make it strain through a sieve, in such a manner that the milk comes out well; then set it aside. And then take the livers of ducks or hens, and grind them in a mortar, then take three or four heads of garlic roasted in the coals, and grind them with the livers. And after chopping everything well, blend it all with the broth and strain it through a woolen cloth; and then put it in a pot together with the milk; and cast into the pot: ginger, and cinnamon, and pepper, all ground, and of each item one dinero; and one egg yolk, well-beaten, for each dish; and two ounces of sugar; cast it into the pot.

104. Sauce Which Is Called Pine Nut Dish Of Garlic

Salsa Que Se Dice Piñonada De Ajos

You will take a pound of pine nuts, and another of peeled almonds, and grind them very well, each by itself, and then both together. And cook two heads of garlic in a little pot with broth of hen or mutton; and then when the garlic is well-cooked, grind it with the pine nuts and with the well-peeled almonds; first [grind] the garlic, and when it is all well-ground, grind also with it a little grated cheese, which is very good, with eight or nine hard-boiled egg yolks; and when everything is well-ground, blend it with the broth of hen, and mutton. And set it to cook in a very clean pot; and cast into it one or two ounces of sugar, and a little bit of rose vinegar tempered with rosewater in which crushed cloves, and ginger, and cinnamon, and pepper have been steeping overnight; and cook it until it is cooked and quite thick; and prepare dishes, and cast sugar and cinnamon over it.

105. Leek Pottage

Potaje De Porrada

You must take leeks, well-peeled, and washed and cleaned the night before, set them to soak in an earthen bowl filled with water, in the night air; and let them be this way all night until the morning; and then give them a boil, moderately, because they are very difficult to cook; and when they are well-boiled, press them a great deal between two chopping blocks, and gently fry them with the fat of good bacon; and do not cast salt upon them; and when they are well gently fried, set them to cook in a little good broth which is fatty; and then take almond milk and cast it in the pot and cook it until it is quite thick; and when it is thick, taste it for salt, and if it lacks salt cast it in; and then prepare dishes, and [cast] upon them sugar and cinnamon.

106. Good Membrillate Which Is A Pottage Of Quinces

Buen Membrillate Que Es Potaje De Membrillos

You must take as many quinces as you wish to make dishes, and quarter them, and remove the core and the pips from them, and pare off the skin; and when they are well-peeled, wash them with tepid water; then remove them from that water and set them to cook in cold water; and when they begin to get mushy, then they are cooked; and remove them from the kettle and grind them well in a mortar; and blend them with a little of that same water of theirs, and strain them through a woolen cloth; and then take three pounds of unpeeled almonds, but only wash them in cold water, or tepid which would be better, and grind them well in a mortar; and when they are well-ground, strain them through a woolen cloth, having been blended with tepid water (and if it is a meat day, blend it with meat broth); and cast the milk in with the quinces; and then cast into the pot all manner of fine spices, which are: good ginger, and good cinnamon, and saffron, and grains of paradise, and nutmeg, and mace, and if it is a meat day, you will cast in two egg yolks for each dish; and if it is a fish day, it is not needful; and when it is quite thick, prepare dishes, and [cast] upon them sugar and cinnamon.

Prof Ken Albala's translation

Take as many quinces as you have guests, in the quantity that you wish to make, and quarter them and remove the core and then pare away the peel and when they are well cleaned soak in tepid water. Next remove from this water and place them to boil in cold water and when they begin to be soft, remove them, they will be cooked. Being removed from the cauldron, pound them well in a mortar. Then moisten them with a bit of their water and pass through a sieve. Next take seven pounds of almonds and wash them without peeling in cold water, or tepid which is better, and pound them well in a mortar and when they are well pounded pass though a sieve moistened with tepid water. If it is a meat day moisten with meat broth and add in milk to the quinces. Next add in all manner of fine spices such as good ginger and good cinnamon and saffron, grains of paradise and nutmeg, and mace. And if it is a meat day add in egg yolks for each plate. And if it is a fish day don't. When it becomes well thickened put it in plates and sprinkle on sugar and cinnamon.

107. Giroflina (79) Sauce

Salsa Giroflina

You will take three sheep spleens and cook them in the pot; and after cooking them, grind them well in a mortar; and then [take] a good quantity of toasted bread, and let it be well-toasted and soaked in the broth from the spleens, and grind it with the said spleens; and cast into the mortar a dozen or a half of eggs, and grind it with the spleens and with the bread; and when it is well-ground, cast in good fine spice, except for saffron; and grind everything together; and when it is all well-ground, blend it with the broth from the spleen, and strain it through a woolen cloth; and then set it to cook in your pot; and cook it little by little with very little fire, stirring it constantly with a stick until it is quite thick; and then prepare dishes.

108. Cameline Sauce (80)

Salsa Camellina

Take two or three white pomegranates (81) and seed them on a very clean linen cloth; and when they are seeded, press them a great deal, in such a way that all the juice comes out; and then take a little bread, toasted and soaked in the said juice, and then take a good quantity of ground cinnamon, and cast it in with the bread, and grind it well in a mortar; and after grinding it, blend it with good broth from the pomegranates or with vinegar, which should not be very strong; and then set it on the fire to cook, stirring it constantly until it is thick; and before it boils, put a piece of fine sugar in the pot.

109. White Cameline Sauce

Salsa Blanca Camellina

You must take well-peeled blanched almonds and grind them in a mortar; and blend them with good hen's broth, which is well-salted, and then strain it through a woolen cloth; and set aside this almond milk, and then take the livers from the hens, and grind them well in a mortar; and then blend them with the almond milk and set it on the fire to cook; and cast sugar and the juice of sour pomegranates into the pot, and white vinegar, and cloves, and nutmeg, and cinnamon, and ginger, and long pepper, and white sugar; and all this should be well-ground and cast into the pot so that it can boil; and stir it constantly with a stick; and when it is thick, it will be cooked; but taste for salt, and for flavor, and for spice, and for sweetness, and sourness; and before it is cooked, cast in good hen's broth, which is quite fatty, into the pot, and it must be from the juice that falls from the roasting hens into a casserole.

110. Dobladura Of Mutton

Dobladura De Carnero

You will take a crustless piece of bread and remove the crust (82), and toast it so that it is not burnt, and set it to soak in the meat broth; and then take fatty bacon and fry it gently until all of the fat comes out; and then gently fry with it an onion, very clean, and cut small; and take a good quantity of toasted hazelnuts, and grind them with the toasted bread that was soaked in the broth; and after grinding it well, blend it with the meat broth, and strain it through a woolen cloth; and then take the meat and make pieces as big as two fingers and gently fry them with the bacon fat; and after gently frying it, mix it with the onion; and then take fourteen egg yolks, and all fine spices, and a little saffron, so that it has the color of the flowers of hiniesta or broom (83), and beat the eggs very well with the spice, and cast them into the pot to cook with the bacon and with the onions; and cook it long enough to turn quite thick; and when it is cooked, prepare dishes; and [cast] upon them ground cinnamon, and [cast] upon the cinnamon, seeds of sweet pomegranates.

111. Dobladura Of Veal

Dobladura De Ternera

Roast good veal, and when it is more than half-roasted, remove it from the fire and from the spit; and cut it to pieces the size of two fingers or even smaller; and then take an onion, well-peeled and clean and cut it very small, and gently fry it with good meat broth (64) that is fatty and when it has been gently fried, moderately, take streaky bacon, and cut it just like the veal. And then cast the veal and the bacon in the casserole with the onion and gently fry everything together. And after gently frying it, put into the casserole: ginger, and cinnamon, and cloves, all well-ground; and give it three or four stirs; and then take a little malmsey (85) or wine of San Martin (86), and a little bit of vinegar and cast it into the casserole. And then make milk from almonds which are not peeled, but only rubbed with a very rough hemp-tow, and grind them with a crustless piece of toasted bread soaked in vinegar and watered down with meat broth; and when the cinnamon (87) is nearly cooked, cast in the almond milk and let it cook until it is quite thick, and then put it on plates. There are many who cast parsley, and mint, and marjoram in the casserole, but if you do not cast it in, it doesn't matter much.

112. Smooth Sauce For Fowls In The Pot

Salsa Lisa Para Volateria De Olla

Set hens or capons to cook in your pot; and when they are cooked you will take two and remove the breasts, and all the white meat of the breasts and grind it well in such manner that none of the substance is lost; and then take peeled almonds and grind them separately in a mortar, and then strain them through a woolen cloth; and blend the meat [by] grinding it with the milk; and then strain it again and put it in the pot where it must cook; and when it has boiled a little, cast in verjuice, or juice of orange, or of lemons, or white vinegar, and ground white ginger; and you can also put in scrapings of ginger in pieces the size of a finger, soaked a little while in broth, or in the sour juices of the pot; and then take cinnamon, and whole cloves, and set them in the pot tied with a thread, in such a manner than when they have lost their flavor you can take them out; and you must know that with the white meat of two hens and with a pound of almonds, you can make ten dishes; and this sauce goes with boiled hens or capons, and it must be deep in color; and there need not be saffron in it because it will be yellow.

113. Granada Sauce

Salsa Granada

Cook the livers of the hens in a pot; and when they are cooked, grind them in a mortar with egg yolks; and blend them with good broth, which is well-salted; and then cast in a little orange juice, and then a little of spices for peacock (88), well-ground; and being well-thinned, let it go to cook on the fire until it becomes thick, stirring it constantly with a stick, in such a manner that the pot is half-full (89) and prepare dishes.

114. Brown Sauce For Partridges And Doves

Salsa Bruna Para Perdices Y Palomas

You will take the livers of the partridges or doves, and roast them in the coals; and when they are roasted, grind them with a crustless piece of bread, toasted and soaked in white vinegar, tempered with red wine; then cook eggs in water until they are quite hard, and remove the yolks and grind everything together with the livers and the bread; and then blend it with a little red wine and a little vinegar, and then strain it through a woolen cloth. And then put all these things in the pot: and a little honey, and pepper, and cinnamon, and ginger, and cloves, and nutmeg, all well-pulverized, and boil it with little fire until it turns thick, because the wine does not tolerate much fire, for it evaporates and goes away in steam; and this sauce goes with roasted partridges or doves.

115. Rosemary Sauce for Four Dishes

Romerate Para Cuatro Escudillas

You will take a pound of almonds and rub them very vigorously with a rough hemp-tow, and then grind them in a mortar with a crustless piece of toasted bread soaked in white vinegar, but it is better in rosemary water; then blend it with good meat broth and strain it through a woolen cloth; and then taste it for flavor [to see] if it tastes of rosemary; and if it does not, put in a little of the herb, which should be well-ground and dry, but take care that you don't cast in much, so that for each little bit that you cast in take a taste; and then set it upon the fire until it turns thick; and then remove it from the fire, and let it rest; and prepare dishes, [cast] upon them sugar and cinnamon.

116. Agalura Sauce for One Dish

Salsa Agalura Para Una Escudilla

Take almonds toasted in the coals, a handful of them, and grind them well in a mortar, and cast an egg yolk in the mortar, and then three blancas or two maravedis (90) of ground cinnamon, and one maravedi of ground spice, and vinegar watered down with sweet wine; and blend everything in the mortar. And then strain it through a sieve; and this sauce can be made in Lent, not casting in eggs, but in its place you can put a crustless piece of toasted bread soaked in vinegar, and three blancas of small raisins, ground with the bread; then set it to cook on the fire; and when it is thick, prepare dishes, and this sauce must have the color of sauce for peacock. (91)

117. Boiled Or Stewed Wheat

Trigo Cocido O Guisado

Take coarse summer wheat and put it in a mortar of marble or stone, and crush it, striking it continuously and in such a manner with the pestle, which should be of box-wood, in the center of the mortar, however take care that the wheat is not ground, but peeled. While crushing it, cast in water little by little, because it is the water which peels it; and when the wheat is well-peeled, put it in a rough canvas of hemp-tow and rub [the wheat] with [the canvas] vigorously in such a manner that the peel or bran comes off it completely. When it is clean, wash it with two or three [changes of] water, and let the water be moderately hot. Then the night before, cast the wheat in to cook, and cook it until the grains are burst or pressed; (92) and then remove it from the fire; and put it in a wooden bowl or in a deep plate, and cover it well, and let it be there all night until the morning; and when the morning comes, move it from one pot to another, and set it to cook on the fire; and when it is cooked, cast upon it almond milk that has been strained through a sieve; and you must know that for two dishes of wheat three pounds of almond are needed, and at least three ounces of coarse or summer wheat; and [cast] upon the dishes, sugar and cinnamon.

118. Oatmeal Gruel and Barley Gruel

Avenate Y Ordiate

Take peeled almonds and grind them in a mortar; then blend them with good broth if you will have it so; if not, [blend them] with salt and water and oil; then strain it through a woolen cloth so that it will be thin; then take the oats and make flour from it, then set it to cook by itself; and when it is more than half cooked, strain it through a woolen cloth that is thick; and let the oats be somewhat thin that they may be better strained; and when you have strained them, mix it with the almond milk, and set it to cook on the fire with a piece of sugar in it, which is white, in the pot; and cook it a good hour and a half until it is quite thick, and taste it for salt; and prepare dishes, and cast sugar upon them; and in this same manner barley is made.

119. Moji Casserole (93)

Cazuela Moji

Take eggplants, neither very big nor very small, but middling, and open them in the middle and cast them to cook with your salt; and when they are well-cooked, drain them with a cloth which is rough; and then chop them a great deal, and cast them in a frying-pan or kettle and cast in a good deal of oil; and take toasted bread and grate it, cast it there within, and cast in aged grated cheese; and when it is stirred for a good while over the fire, have ground dry coriander, caraway, and pepper, and cloves, and a little ginger, and stir it over the fire; and cast in some eggs, and stir it over the fire until it is hard; and then take a casserole, and cast in a little bit of oil, and place it in [the casserole]; and beat some eggs with pepper, and saffron, and cloves, and some of the same toasted bread that is contained in the casserole, and some of the grated cheese; and make it thick and place it on top in the manner of a facing (94) and put your yolks on it; and coagulate it in the oven or with a cuajadera, which is an iron pot-lid with coals on top, and when it is coagulated, remove it from the fire; and cast on top of it a dish of honey which is very good and your duke's powder (95). This same casserole can be made from chard or carrots.

120. For Pickled Eggplants

Para Berenjenas En Escabeche (96)

You will take small eggplants, and make four quarters as if for casting them in a pot, and cast them in water and salt in something which should be of earthenware and not of iron; and let them be there until the third day; and empty out that water and cast in other water and salt, and let them be [in it] another three days; and empty out this water and cast them into clear water for another three days, and after the three days have passed, cast them to cook, covered with vine leaves; and cast into them a handful of cumin and cook them [until they are] well-cooked; and cast them in a basket, and cover them with cloth; and when all of the vapor has gone, put them on a board to chill; and grind cloves, and cinnamon, and ginger. When it is very well-ground, cast it in, as they cast salt on the eggplants for the pot; and place them in a jar until it is full; and for a hundred eggplants, take two pounds of honey, and cast very strong vinegar on them, and give it a boil; and then set it to cool in something of earthenware, and not of iron; and when it is cold, cast it on top of the eggplants until they are covered; and put a lid on them, and keep them for a whole year.

121. Fleshy Leaves of Cabbages

Pencas Be Berzas

You will take the fleshy leaves of cabbages which are clean and set them to cook with good fatty broth; and take pork grease or lardo, which is melted bacon; and take two onions and cut them in the fashion of a cross, and set them to cook with the fleshy leaves of the cabbages; and when the cabbages begin to fall apart, turn them with a haravillo until they turn yellow, and they shall be thoroughly mushy and they will be thick. Then remove them from the fire, and let them rest before preparing dishes.

122. Garlic Sauce for Geese

Ajete Para Ansarones

Roast three or four heads of garlic between the embers or hot ashes; and after roasting them, peel off the husks and skins and taste one grain; and if it seems strong to you, cook them in a pot with only water and give them a boil; and then take a pound of pine nuts, and half of peeled almonds, and grind them (97) in a mortar; and when they are more than half ground, grind those pine nuts and garlic with them very forcefully; and then blend them with good broth which is fatty, and strain it through a woolen cloth; and then set it in the pot to cook; and cast in four ounces of sugar, and whole cinnamon tied with a thread and soaked in rosewater. And put everything together in the pot. And leave it to cook until it is well-thickened; and it is necessary to cook it a good hour.

123. Roast Cat (98) as You Wish to Eat It

Gato Asado Como Se Quiere Comer

You will take a cat that is fat, and decapitate it. And after it is dead, cut off the head and throw it away because it is not for eating, for they say that eating the brains will cause him who eats them to lose his senses and judgment. Then flay it very cleanly, and open it and clean it well, and then wrap it in a cloth of clean linen. And bury it beneath the ground where it must be for a day and a night; and then take it out of there and set it to roast on a spit. And roast it over the fire. And when beginning to roast it, grease it with good garlic and oil. And when you finish greasing it, whip it well with a green twig (99), and this must be done before it is well-roasted, greasing it and whipping it. And when it is roasted, cut it as if it were a rabbit or a kid and put it on a big plate; and take garlic and oil blended with good broth in such a manner that it is well-thinned. And cast it over the cat. And you may eat of it because it is very good food.

Prof Ken Albala's translation

Take a fat cat and slit its throat. And when it is dead remove the head and be sure the no one eats it, for they might go mad. And after skin it well and cleanly open so that it is clean. And when it is clean, take it and place it in a cloth of clean linen and bury it in the earth where it should stay a day and a night. And after remove it from there and place it on a spit before the fire to cook. And while it is cooking baste it with good garlic and oil and when it is greased, beat it well with a rod and do this until it is cooked, greased and beaten. And when it's cooked take and carve it as you would a rabbit and place it on a big plate and take the garlic and oil that's been moistened with good broth so that it's clear, and pour it over the cat. And then eat it, truly a singular dish.

124. Meat Casserole

Cazuela De Carne

You must take meat and cut it into pieces the size of a walnut, and gently fry it with the fat of good bacon; and when it is well gently fried, cast in good broth, and cook it in a casserole; and cast in all fine spices, and saffron, and a little orange juice or verjuice, and cook it very well until the meat begins to fall apart and only a little broth remains; and then take three or four eggs beaten with orange juice or verjuice, and cast it into the casserole; and when you wish to eat, give it four or five stirs with a large spoon, and then it will thicken; and when it is thick, remove it from the fire; and prepare dishes, and cast cinnamon upon each one. However, there are those who do not wish to cast in eggs or spice, but only cinnamon and cloves, and cook them with the meat, as said above, and cast vinegar on it so that it may have flavor; and there are others who put all the meat whole and in one piece, full of cinnamon, and whole cloves, and ground spices in the broth, and this must be turned little by little, so that it does not cook more at one end than the other. And so nothing is necessary but cloves and cinnamon, and those moderately.

125. Rorolas of Livers, Which is a Fritter

Rorolas De Higados, Que Es Fruta De Sarten (100)

You must take livers of hens, or capons, or of kid, which is very good, and roast them in the coals. And then grind them in a mortar. And then, according to the quantity that they are, take as much toasted bread soaked in white vinegar which should be well watered-down, with a little fine rosewater, so that it will not be too strong. Then grind everything together with the livers; and for two livers put one egg in the mortar together with the bread and cheese; and the bread and cheese should be as much as the quantity of the all the livers. And grind everything together. And then take a little dried mint, and toast it a little so that it can be ground. And when it is ground, mix everything together in a mortar. And when it is well-mixed, take fine spice and cast in the quantity that seems [right] to you. Then take a frying pan and put in it lard, or pork grease without salt, and oil if you wish it to be very sweet, and set it on the fire. And when it boils, cast in a ladleful of said pottage. And fry it in this way, ladleful by ladleful. And when it is the color of gold, take it out of the frying pan because they are cooked. And when all the plates are prepared, cast upon them fine ground cinnamon, and sugar, if you wish, although it is not very necessary. But nothing by itself will harm the food. However, you must cast it with prudence.

126. Basin Of Figs

Burnia (101) De Higos

You will take very good dried figs, very sweet, and flatten them well, one by one, and remove from them the hard part of the stems, and take a basin or a deep plate which is new and very clean. And put at the bottom of the basin a layer of red roses, removing the white part of them with scissors. And upon the roses a little sugar, and then a layer of the figs, and in this manner, making a layer of the roses and sugar and another of the figs, fill up the basin or plate. And having done this, cover the basin well, so that it is there for fifteen or twenty days. And then eat those figs, and this is a very exquisite food.

127. Genovese Tart

Torta A La Genovesa

A pound of almonds well-peeled, and another of pine nuts, and another of toasted hazelnuts, and grind them all together in a mortar and after grinding, set them aside. And take a pot with water, and salt, and oil. And this shall be on a flesh day, and taste [to see] if it is well-salted; and take a half pound of raisins without seeds, and three ounces of peeled dates cut into quarters, and three or four apples which are sweet-sour or sweet, and quarter them and remove the core and seeds, and cast them in the pot to cook. And when it is well-boiled, the apples will be cooked. And then remove them from the water, and grind them with the dates, and raisins, and almonds, and with the hazelnuts, and pine nuts. And after they are well-ground, blend it all with the said broth; and if it is a flesh day, you may cast into the mortar a dozen eggs ground up with the aforementioned things. And then strain it through a sieve, and having done this take good dough which is well-kneaded, and make a trencher as large as if it were the bottom of the frying pan which you have, and make its edges like a empanada without a top; however, let it be the size of the frying pan neither more no less, and put it in the frying pan; and when it is inside, cast in a little oil underneath so that the dough does not stick to the frying pan; and then cast all that sauce or foodstuff in the pie, and put it upon good hot cinders; and then take a lid which is as large as the frying pan, that will cover it well, and put a good fire of charcoal above and below and around it. And when it has been like this for a little while, carefully remove the lid from the top, and cast into the tart two ounces of sugar, and one of ground cinnamon, and then cover it again with its lid; and cook two hours until the dough comes away from the frying-pan; and then it is cooked, and remove it to a plate as if it were an omelet; and put it on the table like a pie.

128. Venetian Xinxanella

Xinxanella A La Veneciana

Take fat cheese, and grate a good handful of it, and grated bread from a small loaf of three blancas, and three maravedis of fine spice, and one maravedi of saffron, and eight eggs, and let all be well-mixed, and kneaded all together; and when all is well-mashed, take the cheese grater turned back to front, and put this paste on it; and when the broth is boiling vigorously and is fatty you must make this paste pass through the holes of the grater above the pot in such a manner that what passes through goes into the pot; and when everything has been passed through, let it cook like fideos or like morteruelo; and when it is cooked, prepare dishes. But let it be thin, mixed with a little of the broth, so that it is not as thick as fideos. However, let the broth be fatty, and if it is fatty beef broth, it will be a very good dish, amongst the best in the world; and with the quantities mentioned above you can make about eight dishes.

129. Sections Or Slices Of New Cheese Which Are Fritters Or Pancakes

Rebanadas O Tajadas De Queso Fresco Que Es Fruta De Sarten

Take new cheese, and make slices as thick as your finger; and take dough which is well-leavened and is from good flour, and let it be kneaded very thin and take some egg yolks, and mix them well with the dough, and the slices of cheese above and below, and then put them to fry in a pan with very good lard, and turn it promptly so that it cannot burn. But if you cook it with grease, like fritters, it will be much better. And when they are cooked, cast sugar on top of them, and eat them hot, because this dish is worthless in any other manner.

Prof Ken Albala's translation

Take fresh cheese and cut it, each as big as a finger and make a dough that is well risen and made of beautiful flour and is fully mixed. Next take some egg yolks and mix it with the dough and the slices of cheese below and above. Then let them fry in a pan with fat that is good and turn them often so it doesn't burn. But if you make it boil in grease like doughnuts then it will be much better. And when they are cooked put on top sugar and eat them hot for any other way it is not at all a good dish.

130. Meat or Fish Pastry

Empanada De Carne O De Pescado

You must take meat or fish, and give it a boil. But if it is meat, boil it more than the fish. And when it is well-boiled, take it from the fire and put it in cold water. And then make the empanada. And put in the meat or fish which is cut into small pieces, as big as two fingers, or even smaller. And put them in the empanada, and then go to the oven and make a vent hole on top of the lid of the empanada so that it can breathe, or else it will burst in the oven. And when you put the meat in the empanada, also put fine spice with it. And if it is fish, use a good deal of pepper. And if it is meat, use a good deal of spice; and a little before it is time to remove the empanada from the oven, put into the vent hole some eggs beaten in a dish with verjuice or orange juice or rose-scented white vinegar. And then return it to the oven for the space of a Paternoster and an Ave Maria. And take it out and put it on the table.

131. Pastries Of Fine Sugar

Empanadas De Azucar Fino

You must take a pound of peeled almonds and grind them dry without casting any water or broth on them so that they will become very oily, because the oilier they are the better they will be. And then take a pound and a half of white sugar that has been pulverized. And mix it well with the almonds. And when everything is well-mixed and ground, if it should be very hard, soften it with a little rosewater. And when the dough has been softened a little, dust a little ginger over it, at your discretion, well-ground. And then take dough made from flour and knead it with good eggs and sweet fine oil. And from this dough make tortillas, or empanadillas, (102) or spiral cakes. And fill them with said dough. And then put a casserole on the fire with good sweet oil. And when it boils cast in these empanadillas. And cook them until they turn yellow like the color of gold. And when you take them from the fire, cast liquefied honey on top. And upon the honey, [cast] sugar and cinnamon.

132. Roasted Cheese

Queso Asadero

Whatever sort of cheese that is buttery or fit for roasting is good: that which they make in Lombardy or Parma, or Brufalino (103) or Cascavallo (104) or cheese from Aragon and Navarre. And in some parts of Castile they make it very good. Take this cheese, and grate it well if it can be grated. And if not, cut it small or as you wish. And take meat broth which is very fatty, and put it in a casserole. And cast the cheese in with it. And put it on the fire, stirring it constantly with a stick. Then take for each dish of broth, a well-beaten egg yolk. And cast them into the cheese, constantly stirring with a spoon. And cast in a piece of sugar to cook. And when the cheese forms thongs it is done; cast upon it ground sugar.

133. Oranges (105) Of Xativa (106) Which Are Cheesecakes (107)

Toronjas De Xativa Que Son Almojavanas

You must take new cheese and curd cheese, and grind them in a mortar together with eggs. Then take dough and knead those cheeses with the curd cheese, together with the dough. And when everything is incorporated and kneaded take a very clean casserole. And cast into it a good quantity of sweet pork fat or fine sweet oil. And when the pork grease or oil boils, make some balls from said dough, like toy balls or round oranges. And cast them into the casserole in such a manner that the ball goes floating in the casserole. And you can also make buñuelos (108) of the dough, or whatever shapes and ostentations you wish. And when they are the color of gold, take them out, and cast in as many others. And when everything is fried, put it on plates. And cast honey upon it, and on top of the honey [cast] ground sugar and cinnamon. However, note one thing: that you must put a bit of leaven in the cheeses and in the eggs, and in the other put flour. And when you make the balls, grease your hands with a little fine oil, and then [the balls] go to the casserole. And when it is inside, if the dough crackles it is a signal that it is very soft, and you must cast in more flour [into the dough] until it is harder. And when the fritter is made and fried, cast your honey on it, and [cast] sugar and cinnamon on top as is said above.

134. Spiral Cakes Of Fritter Which They Call Casquetas (109) In Valencia And In Barcelona

Rosquillas De Fruta Que Llaman Casquetas En Valencia Y En Barcelona

Make a spiral biscuit in the oven which is thoroughly twice-baked (110), and at the time of kneading it, put in a little oil because it will be better to cut and to grind, and when it is all grated, grind it very fine. And then take as much fritter-stuff as the biscuit, grated and powdered, which is hazelnuts and toasted almonds and some ground pine nuts. And grind everything together; and when it is well-ground, mix the flour as one with the ground biscuit; and when it is all well-mixed and ground, take fine spices, and the greatest amount should be pepper. And mix it very vigorously with the paste in such a way that the spice incorporates well with the paste; and then take honey, and set it to cook. And when bubbles burst or boil, skim it well. And then boil it a little, (but not much, because if it were very cooked it would not remain able to mix well with the paste, because it would be very hard) in such a manner that it is better to be cooked a little than much. And this being done, remove it from the fire so that it cools a bit; and then, cast the fritter-stuff upon the honey, and when you can bear to handle it with your hands, knead it very well on a smooth stone table. And knead it as vigorously as well-kneaded dough. And upon each of these rosquillas you can stick in pine nuts before finishing it.

However, before all of this, you must have dough made of very good flour, well-kneaded with oil, and quite firm, which you will knead with water which has a little saffron blended in it, so that the dough has color. However, don't cast in much saffron. And when it is well-kneaded, take little pieces of it, and with a smooth and round cane make it very thin, in such a way that it remains quite thin. And with a knife cut it into equal strips, and each will serve for one casqueta. And then each strip is filled up with your paste or put your pine nuts stuck in between the paste and the fritter-stuff, as I have said; and this being done, cover the rosquillas with your covering of dough. And being covered, paint (111) them with your small tongs very well painted. And then put them in the oven, it is to be understood, after they have taken all the bread out of the aforesaid oven, so that there only remains the heat that is necessarily required to cook this fritter. And in this way they cannot burn, nor is it possible that they burn, but [hot] enough that they cook well. And when they are very well-cooked, take them out with much circumspection, so that they do not burn.

And if you wish to make them royal, in place of fritter paste, put paste of marzipan, of almonds, or of royal paste. And these you can give to any king or great lord.

135. Marzipans

Mazapanes

Take almonds which are select, and wholesome, and well-peeled in boiling water. And grind them very well, moistening the pestle of the mortar in rosewater so that they don't become oily. And when they are well-ground, cast in as much syrupy sugar as there will be almonds; and let it be well-ground, and strained through a silk sieve; and make good paste incorporating the sugar little by little, and not with large amounts, so that you don't make the paste viscous, and spread them out very well.

The way to cook and glaze them:

Take fine sugar which is very well-ground, and strain it through a sieve of silk; and for a syrup put it in this way, and blend it with rosewater which is reasonably thick.

It is necessary that the oven is not very intense, but temperate; and take the sheet on which you will cook the marzipans, and heat it in the oven; and when it is hot, cast flour on it, under the marzipans, so that they don't stick; and put them in the oven until you see that you cannot bear to touch them with the back of your hand; and if the outside is not cooked, be sure to return it to the edge of the sheet with the outside on the inside. And then take them out and with a little spoon cast glaze upon them, and with some feathers spread it out all over. And then return them gently to the oven until the glaze hardens, as you think [right] according to the practice you have seen.

136. Custard Which Is A Fritter

Flaones Que Es Fruta De Sarten

Take new cheese, and curds which should be very dry, and grind them well in a mortar with as much again of eggs; and you can also put a little of fat buttery cheese which should be grated and ground with the new cheese, and the curds, all together with a little dried and powdered mint; and then cast a little rosewater into the mortar, and it should not be much, but medium, and then make dough of very good flour, and knead it with sweet oil, which is very fine, and in such a manner that it is very well-kneaded, and that it remains and becomes very hard; and then make from the said dough some empanadillas to put the cheese into; but before you put them in and you fill them, warm the dough a little, however it should be firm; and after filling them with the said pottage, and before the empanadillas or custards are all filled, take some little tongs and shirr the edges. And then they go to the fire to cook. And when they are cooked, that they have lost the color on top and have a little color; then as they are hot, cast on them melted honey or sugar syrup, but not made with rosewater; and when they have absorbed the honey or the syrup, cast sugar and cinnamon on top of them.

137. Fritter

Fruta De SartenY

ou will take aged grated cheese and flour, and cast it in a kettle; and grind sugar, and beat it very well with your eggs. And then take good lard and cast it in a frying pan; then cast in the fritter.

138. Fritter Of Blancmange

Fruta De Manjar Blanco

You will take a little flour which is very well sifted, and knead it with two eggs; and with a little bit of cow's butter, and white wine, and knead it very well; and then take a little stick for making leaf-pastry (112), and make some tartlets; and then take the blancmange (113), and cast it on top of the tartlets in the middle, and make it in such a manner that it is covered; and then set a frying pan to heat with lard which is very hot, and then cast in the tartlets.

139. Fritter Of Marzipan

Fruta De Mazapan

Take blanched almonds [which are] very well-ground; and when they have been ground, cast in sugar; and for a pound of almonds another pound of sugar; and grind it all together, and as you are grinding it, feed it with rosewater, and let all be as well ground as you can; and then take well-sifted flour, and knead it with eggs and lard, and a little white wine, and make little cakes; and cast that paste in them, and set a frying pan with lard; and after heating it well, cast the fritter within, and fry it slowly; and then on the plate cast honey, and sugar, and cinnamon on it.

140. Fritter of New Cheese

Fruta De Queso Fresco

You will take new cheese, which should be from sheep, and grind it in a mortar. And after grinding cast it in a tub, and cast on it a little flour well-sifted and cast within; take eggs and beat it all together; and then set a frying pan to heat with lard; and when it is well heated make some tartlets, and cast them in, and fry them slowly, and have honey and rosewater, and as [the tartlets] are fried, cast them in the honey, and then remove them to a plate; and cast upon them sugar and honey.

141. Fritter Called Robioles (114) in Catalonia

Fruta Llamada Robioles A La Catalana

You will take goat milk, and almond milk, and then take the flower of wheat flour, and rosewater, and sugar, and egg yolks, and let all this be well-mixed; and make paste from it which is neither very soft or very hard, but moderate; and then make from it little cakes; and take hazelnuts, and pine nuts, and yolks of hard-boiled eggs, and grind them all together; and then take raw eggs, and blend them with said hazelnuts and pine nuts; and this moderately, so that it is neither very thin nor very thick. And then take sugar, and rosewater, and cinnamon, and a little ginger, and make little cakes of all this mixture with that paste; and fry these little cakes with lard and with fresh melted pork fat, in a casserole of tinned copper or bronze; and when this lard is well heated, cast in the little cakes; and after they are fried, take them out with a skimmer, and put them on a plate; and cast into it rosewater and honey; and when they are to be eaten, cast sugar and cinnamon on top of them.

142. Fritters Called Garbias in Catalonia

Frutas Llamadas Garbias A La Catalana

Take borage and chard and clean them very well, and set them to cook with water and salt; and when they are cooked, remove them from that water where they were cooked; and set them between two chopping-blocks so that all the water comes out; and then take good new cheese, and all good and fine spices, and then take a little of the finest of the wheat flour, and take hog's grease without salt, and knead this flour with the fat of the hog, and a little lukewarm water; and then take the borage, and the chard, and the cheese, and the spices, and chop it very well all together on a chopping-block or smooth board. And then take many egg yolks which are quite hard, and again chop everything together. And then make the dough which should be quite thin; and take new cheese, and mix it with all the other chopped things. And then make from that dough some little cakes as big as your hand; and put this paste inside the little cakes, and cover them very well; and then take a casserole of tinned copper, and then heat the fresh hog's grease or lard; and when it is hot, put the little cakes inside and cook them; and remove them to a plate, and put rosewater and honey on it; and at the time of eating, cast sugar and cinnamon on top of them.

Prof Ken Albala's translation

Take borage and wheatgrass and clean them and after let them boil in salted water and when cooked drain off the water in which they were cooked and place between two cutting boards so that you can press out all the water Next take good fresh cheese and all the good fines spices. Next take a bit of fine wheat flour. Then take fresh lard that has not been salted. Make a dough with this flour and the lard and a bit of tepid water. Then take the borage and wheatgrass and the cheese and spices and chop everything together well. Next take many egg yolks that have been hard boiled and return to chopping everything together. Next make the dough very thin and take the fresh cheese and mix it with the other chopped things. Then make with this dough a disk like your hand and place the mixture in the dish and cover gently. The take a pan of tinned copper and heat the fresh lard or butter and when it is hot, place the coquettes in and cook. The place in a plate and put on rosewater and honey or if you want eat them with sugar and cinnamon.

143. Blancmange in a Briefer Summary

Manjar Blanco En Mas Breve Suma

You must take a pound of rice and grind it, and strain it through a sieve; and take a breast from a recently killed hen and cook it, and then shred it and cast it in a kettle; and take a little milk and dissolve (115) it [the chicken breast] thoroughly, then take the ground rice and cast it within and beat it a great deal; and for one pound of rice, one hen's breast, and one azumbre of milk and one pound of sugar. And cast it all within the kettle; and set it to cook so that the fire strikes it in the middle, and when it is thick, cast in the pot-grease, well purified, and beat it a great deal with the grease; and then set it aside on a few embers, and then cast your sugar in the dishes.

144. Pottage Which is Called Flank

Potaje Que Se Dice Hijada

You must take a flank of mutton and cook it, and after cooking, chop it well. And cast honey in a kettle, and cast in up to three dozen blanched almonds, and let them be in the honey for a bit; and then cast in the ground meat, and cast in the fattest broth of the pot and cook with it; and then cast in saffron, cloves, and cinnamon, and your taste of vinegar, and cook with it; then cast in grated bread until it is quite thick, and then remove it to the fireside.

145. Pastry In A Jar (116)

Pastel En Bote

Take a leg of mutton, and chop it very well without fat; and take a piece of fatty bacon, and chop it all together; and after chopping it well, cast it into a pot; and cast in the pot-grease and cook it well; and as it cooks, continue casting in the pot-grease; and then cast in saffron, and pepper, and cloves, and cook it a little with the spices; then cast in bread and grated cheese until it thickens; and after it has thickened, set it aside.

146. Marinated Mutton

Carnero Adobado

Take a piece of mutton, and make little pieces of it, and cast it to cook in an earthen pot, with the broth of the pot. And after cooking it well, take saffron, and cloves, and pepper, and blend it with a taste of vinegar and cook it a little with that; and then take egg yolks without the whites, and beat them very well and cast them within; and stir it in one direction until it is thick; and cast in your taste of honey and then remove it.

147. Gratonada in Another Manner (117)

Gratonada De Otra Manera

Take a rabbit cut into pieces, and then fry it in lard; and after it is well fried, cast it in a pot; and cast in the broth of the pot; and then having well boiled [the rabbit] with it, take a little parsley, and cloves, and saffron, and pepper, and a crustless piece of bread, and grind everything together; and cast egg yolks into the mortar, and grind it all together; and then cast it within [the pot]; and cast in your taste of vinegar; and cook it a little until it thickens, and remove it.

148. Pickled Rabbits

Escabeche De Conejos

Roast the rabbits, and cut them at the joints; and take in a frying-pan: two parts of vinegar and one of water if the vinegar is weak; if [the vinegar] is strong, equal parts [of vinegar and water]; and cast in salt until you see that it has flavor; and cast in the salt in stages, not all together, so that it does not become salty; and cast in oil which is sweet, the quantity that seems [right] to you, because some wish a little and others, a lot; and give it a boil without the rabbits; and then cast everything together into a pot, and set it apart so that it will cool; and cast in ginger, cloves, and saffron; and this escabeche will last many days.

149. Mirrauaste in Another Way (118)

Mirrauste De Otro Modo

Cook a hen, and then cut it up; and take unpeeled almonds, slightly toasted, and grind them; and extract the milk from them and cast them in a kettle; and cast in ground sugar and cinnamon, and cook the milk a little. And then take the hen, and cast in within, and cook it a little; and then, take a little grated white bread and cast it within; and after it is thick, set it aside; and on the dishes cast sugar and cinnamon.

150. Good Arugula (119)

Oruga Buena

Take a pound of the loaves (120) of clean arugula and grind them well in a mortar; and after grinding them well put them inside a cloth which is white and very clean, and fasten it well; and then put water on the fire in a kettle; and when it starts to boil, put the arugula into the water, fastened as it was in the cloth; and when you have given it a boil, remove it, and press it between two chopping blocks until the water comes out well; and when it is well pressed, remove it from the cloth and blend it with good white vinegar and honey, eight pounds; and purify it on the fire, skimming it constantly; and when the honey is clarified, cast it over the arugula, and mix it well with a stick; then take a quarter (121) of cinnamon, and a quarter of saffron, and three quarters of ginger, all well-ground and cast it on top of the arugula, stirring it four or five turns around, so that the sauce can mix well, and incorporate; and if it should be very thick, thin it with a little white vinegar.

151. Arugula in Another Good Manner

Oruga De Otra Manera Buena

Take a pound of arugula very well scraped with a knife (122), and grind it very well and finely, and strain it through a fine sieve; then set it to soak in good red vinegar, that it should be more thin than thick, for six or eight days; then take ten pounds of honey and melt it while you bring it to a boil; and remove it from the fire, and cast in three maravedis of good red wine; and take the soaked arugula, and empty it into the kettle where you must prepare the arugula; and empty out the melted honey on top of it, straining it through a sieve; again stirring the arugula very well with a stick, and set it to cook until it thickens as it should; and remove it from the fire, and take two arienzos (123) of saffron, well-ground, and blended with red wine, cast it into the prepared arugula, etc.

152. Another Good Arugula to be Made Swiftly

Otra Oruga Buena Para De Presto

Take the little loaf of the arugula and scrape it on top where you see that it is dirty; and [take] the quantity of cinnamon that you wish to make, and toast a crustless piece of bread, and having soaked it in vinegar, grind it with the arugula; and cast in your honey and a little red or white wine with it; and heat it on a fire of coals in a kettle; and give it a little boil, so that the honey will incorporate with the arugula and with the other things and it is made. You can add a little cinnamon and ginger if you wish.

153. Mustard (124)

Mostaza

You must take mustard seed, and clean it of the dust and the soil and the stones, and grind it well in a mortar; and when it is ground, strain it through a cloth strainer; and then take the mustard powder and put it in a mortar with a crustless piece of bread soaked in meat broth, and grind it all together; and when it is well-ground, blend it with a little bit of lean broth without fat which is well-salted; and when it is blended in a good manner so that it is not too thin, take honey which is good, and melted on the fire, and cast it in the mortar and stir it well until it is well-mixed, and prepare dishes. Some cast a little vinegar in the broth; you can add peeled, toasted almonds, ground-up with the mustard.

154. French Mustard

Mostaza Francesa

You must take a cantaro (125) of the must of wine, either red or white, and grind a dishful of mustard that is select and very good; and after straining it through a sieve or a sifter, grind with it, if you wish: a little cinnamon, and cloves, and ginger, and cast it all, very well-mixed in the mortar, into the cantaro or jar of wine; and with a cane stir it around a long while, so that it mixes with the must; and each day you must stir it with the cane seven or eight times; and you will boil the wine with this mustard; and when the wine has finished boiling, you can eat this mustard. And when you want to take it out to cast it in the dish to eat, first stir it with the cane a little; and this is very good mustard and it will keep all year.

155. Another Very Good French Mustard Which Lasts All Year

Otra Mostaza Francesa Muy Buena Y Dura Todo El Año

Take a caldron which will hold two cantaros, and fill it with red grapes and set it to cook upon the fire until it is reduced by half and there remains half a caldron which is one cantaro; and when the grapes are cooked, remove the scum with a wooden spoon; and stir it now and then with a stick; and strain this must through a clean cloth and cast it into a cantaro; and then cast in the mustard, which should be up to a dishful well-ground, little by little, stirring it with the stick. And each day you should stir with it, four or five times a day; and if you wish, you can grind with the mustard three parts cinnamon, two parts cloves, and one part ginger. This French mustard is very good and lasts all year and is mulberry-colored.

156. Parsley

Perejil

You must take the parsley and remove the roots, and strip off the leaves very well and clean it; and grind those leaves a great deal in a mortar; and after it is well-ground, toast a crustless piece of bread, and soak it in white vinegar, and grind it with the parsley; and after it is well-ground, cast a little pepper into the mortar, and mix it well with the parsley and the bread. And then cast in honey, which should be melted, in the mortar, stirring constantly in one direction until the honey incorporates itself with the sauce in the mortar; and if the sauce should be very thick, thin it with a little watered vinegar, so that it should not be very sour; and having done that, take two smooth pebbles from the sea or river, and cast them in the fire; and when they shall be quite ruddy and red, cast them with some tongs in the mortar in such a manner that they are quenched there; and when all this is done, taste it for flavor. And make it in such a manner that it tastes a little of pepper, and a little sweet-sour, and of parsley; and if any of these things is lacking, temper [the dish] with it.

157. Sauce of Horseradish and of Clary Sage

Salsa De Rabano Vexisco Y De Gallocresta

In the same manner as the parsley, you can also make sauce from the root of the horseradish. And the same from the leaves of clary sage.

158. Lombardy Sops

Sopas A La Lombarda

Make broth from good meat which should be quite fat; and cast much saffron into it, that it should be quite yellow and very deep in color; and the broth should be well-salted; and then take slices of bread, removing the crust, and toast them and scrape off the burnt part, and scald these sops with the said broth; and when they are scalded, place them in an iron casserole, making a layer of sops and another layer of buttery cheese of Parma, or of Aragon, or of Navarra; and so fill all the casserole; when it is full, set it on the fire to cook over good coals or in the oven, and cook it little by little; and as it cooks, cast in that broth, from time to time, fatty and yellow, by spoonfuls inside the casserole, sprinkling it over the sops; and when it is more than half cooked, cover the casserole or frying pan with an iron lid which should be laden with coals on top; and cook it in this way for an hour, looking and ascertaining occasionally that it should not dry up too much, and that it should be well supplied with said broth, which should be the fattest; and when you put it on the table, do it in such a manner that they go dry. And having done this, prepare dishes or if you wish to make plates of them, let it be as you wish.

159. Good Gualatina Sauce

Salsa Gualatina Buena

You will take apples that are sour, and also sweet ones, and then make almond milk the night before. And prepare the apples the night before, and cut them small, just like a finger; and you must blend the almonds with good meat broth; and set the apples to soak with the said milk the night before; and take cinnamon, and cloves, and ginger according to the quantity that you wish to make and set these spices to soak the night before in rosewater; and in the morning take a little rice flour, and set it to cook with the almond milk; however, do not cast in the apples until it is half cooked, and the spices likewise; and when the sauce turns thick, cast in the best broth that you have, and let it cook completely; and the spices should be tied with a thread.

160. Marinated Mutton

Adobado De Carnero

You must take breasts of mutton, and cook them in a pot with your salt; and when it is almost half cooked, remove it from the pot, and cut them into pieces the size of two fingers; and then gently fry it with bacon fat. And then take honey and all spices, and put it in a little pot; and take grated hard bread and cast it inside that honey and the spices; and let there be a greater quantity of cinnamon than the other spices; and then take the best pot-broth and cast it inside, and then the fat which is necessary, according to the quantity of the bread and the meat; then cast in a good cup of white vinegar because the sauce of this pottage needs to be sweet-sour; and cook all this. And while it boils, cast in the meat with a little saffron, because this sauce needs to be deep in color; then prepare dishes of the said pottage, and upon them cinnamon. However you should cast in pears, and quinces which should be cut and have first been brought to a boil, and set them on the meat.

161. Pepper Sauce for Wild Game

Pebrada Para Salvajina

You must take a few almonds, and pine nuts, and hazelnuts. And everything should be toasted and ground well in a mortar; and after it is ground, grind with it a crustless piece of bread soaked in vinegar in such a manner that it is not very sour. And then strain it and put it into the pot, and take a piece of wild game and grind it very well in a mortar. And when it is well-chopped, cast it into the said sauce and put pepper to it.

But when you strain the almonds and the other things, also strain many hard-boiled eggs -- only the yolks -- and set all this to cook on the fire. And upon giving it to a boil, remove it from the fire; and it is cooked. And this sauce needs to be a little strong with pepper, and likewise the color. And do not put in any other thing, because if you put in any other thing it would not be called pepper sauce.

162. Bastard (126) Cameline Sauce

Bastarda Camelina

You will take a few toasted almonds. And grind them well with a toasted bread with the livers of some fowl which they will be eating. And all this should be well-ground, and strained with juice of sour pomegranate, and broth, and with much cinnamon, and with a little of the other spices except saffron; and when all this is strained, let it go to the fire. And this sauce must be sweet-sour. And when it is cooked, cast in enough fat, and sugar and cinnamon on top.

163. Lardy Broth of Wild Pig

Caldo Lardero De Puerco Salvaje

You will take a piece of wild pig or wild boar. And cut it into slices like two fingers; and make thin slices of fatty bacon. And lay them across the pieces of wild boar, as many as you desire. And put it in a pot over the coals to gently fry. And when it is almost half-cooked -- with a cut onion -- cast in all spices except saffron and cinnamon, all mixed with the onion; and then cast in a little red wine and a little vinegar. And leave it to cook very well. And cast in all chopped herbs. And in this way the lardy broth is made. And when you wish to make some pieces of boiled pig, and the lord wishes to eat some lardy broth, make it in this manner. When the piece is scalded and is well-cleaned of hair, set it to cook in the water which should be half wine and half water. And you also can cast in all whole spices because they give flavor and odor to the broth and likewise cast in all herbs. And let it be good with salt and everything. And some cast in onion, and do not call it bad.

164. Capirotadas (127) of Truffles

Capirotadas De Toferas O Criadas De Tierra O Turmas (128)

You will take truffles or criadas de tierra, and scald them well with boiling water; and give them a boil with that same water; and then peel off the first peel or membrane, and cut them in round slices. And gently fry them with good fat bacon. And then take a few almonds, and pine nuts, and hazelnuts, and toasted bread, and grind all this, and with the fattest broth strain it quite thick; and when it is strained, set it inside a pot, and cast in all ground spices, and put in a little sugar, and set it to cook. And when it boils, put in the truffles so that they will finish cooking with this sauce. And when the truffles or criadas are cooked, prepare dishes, and cast sugar and cinnamon on them, and a little broth, which should be thick, from the pot. And if you wish to eat them fried without the sauce, do this: when they have been gently fried, cast in a little pepper and vinegar; and so they cook the truffles; but above all they are better when they are roasted between two hot cinders, and soaked in vinegar; and these are the truffles.

165. Pottage called Peach dish

Potaje Llamado Persicate (129)

You will take the peeled peaches, and cut them into slices, and cook them in good fat broth; and when they are cooked, take a few blanched almonds and grind them; and when they are well-ground, strain them rather thick with that broth. And then cook this sauce with sugar and a little ginger, and when it is cooked, cast in enough pot-broth or that which falls from the roasting-spit. And let it stew well for a little; and then prepare dishes, and upon each one cast sugar; and in this same way you can make the sauce of quinces in the same manner; but the quinces need to be strained with [the] almonds, and they should not be sour, and likewise the peaches.

166. Golden Sops

Sopas Doradas

Take a loaf of bread and make slices of it. And toast them moderately, so that they do not burn, and take good broth and cook it in a separate pot with all your provisions, and skim it well, and then have ready grated cheese, and when you want to eat take some egg yolks, and blend them with the best fatty beef broth of the pot. And cast in a little ginger and then take those toasts, and soak them in the broth, and when they are done soaking, remove them from that broth; and prepare dishes of those slices of bread or sections; and cast upon them the broth with the eggs. Then cast the cheese on them. And these are called golden sops.

167. Busaque of Rabbits

Busaque De Conejos

You will take the rabbit, skinned and well-cleaned of its hair, and being opened, set it to roast, and when it is roasted, cut it to pieces and gently fry it a little, and take toasted bread, well burnt, and toasted almonds, and grind them well, and strain them with the juice of the rabbit, and put in all common spices, and make this sauce which should be a little sour, and cook it; and when it is cooked, cast in the rabbit and let it finish cooking, and if you wish cast in some onions, all this shall be according to your pleasure and will. But you must cook them first with the rabbits and then strain the onions with the other things and let it finish cooking.

168. Mirrauste (130) Of Pears Which Can Be Given To Sick People

Mirrauste De Peras Y Puedese Dar A Enfermos

Take the most tender pears, and peel off their skin and cut them into four quarters and remove the pips and the core. And then cook them in good meat broth, which should be well-salted, and grind peeled almonds; and when they are well-ground, blend them with the broth from the pears. And if this broth does not suffice, take the broth of mutton, and strain it quite thick though a woolen cloth; and when it is strained, put this milk in the pot. And then take a little rice flour, and blend it with that milk and set it to cook on the fire with a good quantity of sugar. And take a little bit of fine whole cinnamon and tie it with a thread and put it into the pot. And send everything [to the fire] to cook; and when it turns thick, and if you do not have milk to cast in, cast in the best and fattiest pot-broth, and let it cook a good hour; and when you know that the flour is cooked, remove it from the fire.

And if by chance, it tastes of smoke, or of charring, or of burning, take a little leaven which is quite sour and tie it in a linen cloth; and make the pot boil constantly; and cast it in so that everything boils together; and know that if the pot does not boil, it will not as swiftly remove the taste of the smoke nor of the scorching; and this you can do in all sauces and pottages; and when the sauce or pottage shall be made, put in those pears which were cooked in the said broth and a little rosewater. And prepare dishes, and upon them cast fine sugar. And this sauce is good for invalids.

169. Quinces cooked in the pot

Membrillos Cocidos En Olla

Take a casserole or pot, and the cover which should have many small holes; and the pot should be new so that the food does not absorb any other flavor. And cast the quinces in, well-cleaned, and then fill [the pot] with almonds and boiled wine, so that it becomes in the manner of thick honey, like ointment; and with these quinces put certain little splinters of cinnamon, and cloves of gilofre, and nutmeg, and the best mace, and grains of paradise; and with all this put it over the coals with little fire up to the neck, and cook it at your pleasure; and it should be covered; and when it is cooked, cut them cleanly and remove the core, and then put them on a plate, and [cast] upon them sugar, and cinnamon, and cloves of gilofre.

170. Parsley Dish

Perejilada

You must take a great quantity of parsley, and cloves, and being well-mixed , grind it very vigorously with a crustless piece of white bread; and strain it in such a manner that all the juice comes out very thick; and cast in a great strength of ginger, and of cinnamon, and grind it all together; and if you wish to cast in sugar, let it be according to your will; and make it be quite thick and quite green, and do not make it boil because it would lose all its greenness; and then cast on sugar or honey.

171. Pomegranate juice

Zumo De Granadas

You will take the seeds of the pomegranates and crush them in a mortar in such a way that you do not break the seeds; and strain them through a clean linen cloth; and put in it the juice of toasted almonds and pine nuts. And you can cast in a little rosewater; and from this juice you can make sweet cameline sauce. And if you wish to make it sour, cast in red wine and vinegar, and all spices, and more cinnamon than the other spices, and cook it before you strain it.

172. Golden gratonada of the entrails of kid

Gratonada Dorada De Asadura De Cabrito

Take the entrails and the head of the kid, and set it to cook. And remove the head in such a manner that the brains are not lost; and when it is cooked, remove it from the pot, and cut the entrails small, in the manner of a few fingers; and take fresh pork grease, and the head split into two parts, gently fry them, and all this with that grease; and take egg yolks, and the best ginger, and cinnamon, and good herbs; and chop everything together very well. And then set aside the fat of the frying pan at one end, and cast all this in the other part of the frying pan; and little by little grease it with two feathers; and when it is well fried, take it out and then cast in the entrails just as they are, chopped small, and gently fry them in this way. And if you wish, cast in a dozen or two of eggs beaten with , it will be better. And cast it into the frying pan and then stir it, moving it well with a spoon. And if you wish to gently fry chick peas, everything is good; and then take the yolks of beaten eggs, and a little ginger mixed with the eggs and well-beaten in a dish; and then put it into the frying pan upon the other food, and then stir it all, in such a way that everything mixes very well; and when it is cooked, take it from the frying pan and put it on a large plate; and on top of the food, [cast] sugar and cinnamon.

173. Sauce which is called cinnamon of must

Salsa Que Se Llama Canela De Mosto

You must take raisins and black grapes and all the crumb of a little loaf; and take grapes according to the quantity of the sauce which you wish to make, and put them in a pot to cook with sweet red wine which should be good and fine and very strong and very red, and temper it as you see fit; and boil it vigorously until the raisins and the grapes are all consumed and turned into broth; and then strain all this through a woolen cloth; and after it is strained, set it to cook a little in a small pot so that it turns thick and has the color of gold; and then take sugar and cinnamon; and it must taste a little of nutmeg, and of cloves, and of ginger, and this is served with roasted or fried fowl.

174. Pastry OF Roast Hen On The Spit

Empanada En Asador De Gallina Asada

You must take a very plump hen, and remove the wings and the feet and the neck, and stuff it entirely with the yolks of hard-boiled eggs, and cinnamon and cloves stuck in the egg yolks, and raisins, and blanched almonds, and cooked meat from a calf or a kid, and finely chopped, and mint and parsley, also raw egg yolks. And spices which are fine and saffron-colored; and with all this, mixed with the raisins and almonds, stuff it inside the hen and then sew it up so that none of the stuffing falls out; and then put it on the spit and roast it. And when it is almost roasted, take a large plate and cast upon it a little rice flour which is very fine, and goat milk, and raw egg yolks, and sugar, and cinnamon, and other spices which are fine and saffron-colored; and beat this all together vigorously. And thin the said dough with the milk; if you have no milk, take rosewater and a little pot-broth, and mix it all together. And then, with some hen feathers, spread the said dough over the hen and rub it. And anoint it, and be careful that you do not thin it too much because it will not be able to cling to the flesh of the hen. And anoint it enough times that this dough or sauce forms a crust on the hen as thick as the crust of a empanada; and if you wish, you may put wholesome herbs, such as parsley, marjoram and mint, well then you may do it; and turn the spit in such a manner that the said dough stays upon the hen.

175. Treballa (131) Which is Called White Sauce for Geese

Treballa Que Dice Salsa Blanca Para Ansarones

You must take blanched almonds, and the white [meat] of a chicken, and a clove of garlic, that it is barely scented with garlic, and a crustless piece of bread soaked with broth, and grind it vigorously. And then strain it through a woolen cloth, and take yolks of hard boiled eggs and cast upon them ginger and cinnamon and sugar, and a little verjuice, so that it is barely scented, and then set the geese to roast and when they are half-roasted put a casserole beneath them to catch the juice of the geese and when it has all come out, mix it with said dough or sauce in a pot and when it becomes thick prepare dishes and when they go to the table cast sugar on them, and cinnamon on top.

176. Lardy Bruet In A Very Good Fashion

Broete Lardero De Muy Buena Faccion

You will take the breasts of mutton or the flanks, and give them a boil, so that they lose the color of blood; and then make pieces as big as your thumb. And take very fatty bacon and make little slices of it, small and thin as a feather; and cast each piece lengthwise along that cut bacon. And then take the bacon and melt it; and when you have extracted all the grease, gently fry the said meat with it; and then put it into a pot with the broth of another pot; and then take a hen's liver, and a little mutton, and make everything boil together. And then take toasted bread, and grind everything together; and strain everything through a woolen cloth; and then blend it with good pot-broth mixed with verjuice and vinegar, and small spices, and give it the color of a hare; and this is very good sauce.

177. Pottage in good fashion

Potaje De Buen Modo

Take a good fat hen, and cook it; give it only one boil, and cut it to pieces; and then take melted fatty bacon, and gently fry it [the hen] in such a manner that it does not lose its whiteness; and then cast in good broth, and cook it slowly in this broth; and then take yolks of hard-boiled eggs, and blanched almonds ground with a crustless piece of bread soaked in broth; and strain everything together, and then cook it in a separate pot in such a manner that it does not come apart or separate, and a little verjuice, but no vinegar, and sweet spices. And when it is almost cooked, take egg yolks tempered with rosewater, and mix it all together.

178. Pottage called jota

Potaje Llamado Jota

You will take chard, and parsley, and mint, and borage, and put everything to cook so that it comes to a boil; and then put it on a chopping-block, and chop it small with spices; and when it is well-chopped, strain it through a woolen cloth, and put it in a pot; and you must give it a boil in such a manner that it does not lose its greenness. And do not cover it until the hour of dinner, and if you wish to cook it the night before, make it in the same manner, but you must put in some bacon from fresh pork and fry it to extract the juice; and with that juice, gently fry the above-mentioned things; and with pot-broth in the manner of spinach, and then prepare dishes, and upon each dish put a piece of that bacon which you have gently fried.

179. Emperor's Sauce

Salsa De Emperador

You will take hen's livers roasted in the coals, and take toasted almonds and grind them with the livers and with a crustless piece of bread, and temper everything with good hen's broth and when it is well-ground take eighteen or twenty raw egg yolks and grind them with the said almonds which should be about a handful, and three livers of capons or hens and grind it all together in a mortar, and strain it through a sieve just like peacock sauce, (132) after straining it, set it to cook in a clean pot with little heat stirring it constantly with a spoon, and cast in plenty of sugar, and a little mustard, and five or six ground cloves, and ginger according to your will. And it must be a little sour with the juice of oranges or of unripe grapes or of pomegranates. And it should taste a little of all the said spices, and more of ginger. And it must be thick, like peacock sauce, and it should have a dun color; and prepare dishes; and cast sugar and cinnamon on top of them.

HERE ENDS THE FOODS FOR MEAT DAYS DEO GRATIAS

This book was printed for the second time in the city of Logrono by Miguel de Eguia; distributed by Diego Perez Davilla, mayor of the said city. And it was finished in the year 1529, on the 24th of November.

Treatise on cooking and preparing foods in the time of Lent

TRATADO PARA GUISAR Y APAREJAR LAS VIANDAS DEL TIEMPO CUARESMAL

We have spoken, and in the briefest way that we could have done, of the art of cooking in regard to the foods and dishes for meat days. Although the foods that you can make for meat days are infinite, many of them can be made in Lent, because in the chapters on those foods where I say to blend them with meat broth, those sauces or pottages can be thinned with salt, and oil, and water, but first you have to give it a boil; and in this manner, it is as good as meat broth if it is well-tempered with salt, and if the oil is very fine. And in this manner, many foods which are served for meat days can be made in Lent, and this is nothing but the custom of men to alter foods from one thing to another. And because of this, it seems to me that I have spoken enough on this topic of dishes for meat days; and it is a reasonable thing to talk of the foods for the season of Lent – in the best and briefest [way], as God guides us and strengthens us – for the benefit of human bodies and the honor of the houses of the princes, and great lords, and knights, and persons of whatever estate and condition they may be, according to what they will see in the progress of the following treatise. And first, to prepare a empanada of lamprey or of whatever other fish, to boil or to roast or for a casserole; and other foods, according to what we will say.

180. Of lamprey in crust

De Lamprea En Pan

The lamprey needs to be alive, and scald it with hot water, and in this way you will make it clean and white, and then take toasted bread, so much so that it is all black, and grate off the burnt part. And take the lamprey and open it. And catch that blood and keep it, and remove from it the intestine that it has. And through the mouth pierce it with a knife in such a manner that you do not cut it at all, but only prick it, and remove the bile by means of the head. And leave it so that this blood strains out well, and similarly strain the blood from the holes that the lamprey has, and carefully keep all the blood, and anoint it completely with its own blood. And then take your spices which are long pepper, and galingale, and nutmeg. And all this should be well-ground and mixed with that blood. And then return to anointing the lamprey with it. And put a nutmeg in the mouth. And place a clove of gilofre inside each hole that it has. And then take the lamprey, and put it in a empanada in the form of a rosca. (133) And give it a cut in the center of the spine, because otherwise it could break the empanada. And being put in your empanada, well anointed with its own blood, with the spices and everything, cover the empanada. And cook it in the oven. And then take toasted bread with vinegar and red wine and its own remaining blood. And mix everything together, and strain it very well. And this sauce should not be very sour, but only a little, and for this one puts in the wine. And when the empanada is cooked, take this sauce and cast it into the empanada. And these empanadas of lampreys are better eaten cold rather than hot. And if it is cold, do not cast sauce on it. And the lampreys are not good to eat until the month of January.

181. Salmon Pie

Salmon Empanado

You must take the salmon, well-cleaned and washed, and take your spices, which are long pepper, galingale, and ginger, and all this well-ground with salt, but in such a manner that there is not too much spice, but moderate; then make the empanadas, and put the salmon inside. And cast the spices on top and beneath, and all over. And then cover the empanada and let it go to the oven to cook; and when it is cooked, if you wish to eat the salmon cold, make a hole in the empanada under the bottom crust so that the broth comes out, because with it, it cannot be kept well.

And you must know that the salmon ought to be eaten in the month of October when it starts to get cold.

182. Salmon Casserole

Cazuela De Salmon

You must take the clean and well-washed salmon, and put it in a casserole with your spices which are galingale, and a little pepper, and ginger, and saffron, and all of this well-ground, and cast upon the fish with salt, and a little verjuice or orange juice. And let it go to the fire of coals, and then take blanched almonds, and raisins, and pine nuts, and all herbs. That is, moraduj, which is called marjoram, and parsley, and mint. And when the casserole is nearly half-cooked, cast all this inside.

183. Trout in crust or roasted or boiled

Trucha En Pan O Asada O Cocida

The trout must be scaled, and if you wish to make it in crust, cast in pepper and a little ginger. And if you wish to cook it in some other manner, such as roasted or boiled, cause water to boil in a casserole, and cast in the trout. And when it is almost half cooked, cast in a little salt so that it should have good flavor. And then cast a half glass of vinegar into the casserole, because the vinegar will make it firm, so that it shouldn't break; and eat it with pepper, and with a little broth of the pot or of the casserole itself.

And if they want to eat it roasted, it must be eaten with orange juice and water and salt and a little oil, and all the good herbs; and prepare the plate of the roast trout. And cast this juice on top of everything. And know that the best morsel of it is the snout.

184. Barbel (134) in crust

Barbo En Pan

Take spices which should be pepper, ginger, and salt, all well-ground, and make the empanadas. And put the barbel in them, well-cleaned and washed, with the said spices, and carry them to the oven. And if you wish to cast in a little orange juice or rosewater, it will not lose anything; and before the empanada goes to the oven, cast in a little oil.

185. Barbel in casserole

Barbo En Cazuela

After the barbel is well-cleaned and washed, cut it into round pieces about two fingers in thickness; and take the spices which are pepper, ginger, and saffron and salt, all well-ground; and put the barbel in the casserole with the spices, and the salt, and a little oil, and let it go to the fire over good coals; and then take raisins, and almonds, and a little dry coriander, and all the good herbs; and all this should go into the casserole and cook it until it is well-cooked.

And if you want to eat the barbel boiled, take a pot with water; and when it boils, cast the barbel inside; and make your thin sauce, which is vinegar, and all spices, and all good herbs; and when the barbel is cooked, have ready the plate with the foods and cast on the said juice with the said herbs; and make it in such a manner that it is just a little sour and colored with saffron.

186. Shad in crust

Saboga En Pan

The shad needs to be fresh and very well scaled and clean. And then put it in the crust. And take the spices for the shad which are pepper, and a little ginger, and salt, all well-ground, and cast upon the shad; and being put in the empanada with oil, let it go to the oven to cook. And if you want to eat it cold remove the broth, because to eat any sort of empanada cold, it is necessary to remove the broth, because with it, it is not possible to preserve it well.

And if you wish to eat it boiled or roasted (however, it is not desirable to eat it boiled in any fashion, but rather in crust or roasted), and if you wish to roast it, you need not remove the scales, but rather open it and put it on your grill. And before you put it upon the fire, grease the grill with oil, so that it does not stick to it. And put it on the fire, and do not give it much fire at the beginning, but turn it little by little, and each time you turn it, grease the grill with oil. And then make your thin sauce with orange juice, and oil, and a little water, and salt, and all the herbs cut quite small; and put it on your plate; and [cast] your sauce over it. And in this manner you cook freshwater fish.

187. Swordfish in crust

Emperador En Pan

Take the swordfish, and being well-cleaned and washed, cut it into pieces or rounds; and make the empanadas in the manner that you wish; and take the spices which are long pepper, and ginger, and salt, all well-ground, and cast it upon the rounds of the swordfish. And being put into its empanadas with its spices, and its preparation, let it go to the oven to cook. And when they wish to eat, cast a little juice of oranges or unripe grapes, mixed with rosewater, and before putting it in the oven, cast on a little oil. 

188. Swordfish in casserole

Emperador En Cazuela

After cleaning and washing the swordfish well, make of it slices or rounds as thick as two fingers; and take spices well-mixed with good herbs which are moraduj which is marjoram, and parsley, and mint, and set it to cook over the coals or in the oven; and when it begins to boil, cast in blanched almonds and raisins. And let everything cook together, and cast in a little verjuice or orange juice. But before it is put in the oven, cast in a little oil.

189. Swordfish on the grill

Emperador En Parrillas

Cut the swordfish as if you were going to roast it, and remove everything that is inside; and set it to roast on the grill, greasing it with oil, little by little. Then make your light sauce which is orange juice, and pepper, and oil, and salt, and a little water; and you will put all this in a small pot, and when they want to eat, put it on a plate; and cast on the said sauce with the other herbs: parsley, and mint, and marjoram.

190. Sturgeon in crust, which is pike (135)

Esturion En Pan, Que Es Sollo

After cleaning and washing the sturgeon well, make it into round pieces of two fingers in thickness, and put it in the crust with its spices, which are long pepper, and a little ginger, and salt, all ground, and cast on top of the sturgeon; and put the said pieces in your empanadas with all your preparation; and let it go to the oven. And if they wish to eat it cold, remove the broth. And if they wish to eat it hot, cast in a little orange juice and a little pepper. And before it goes to the oven, cast in a little oil.

191. Sturgeon or pike in casserole

Esturion O Sollo En Cazuela

Clean the sturgeon very well and cut it into rounds as big as a hand; and then take the spices which are pepper, ginger, and a little saffron; and take all herbs, parsley, and marjoram, and mint and a little dry coriander, and let all this be well-mixed. And then put the sturgeon in the casserole with the said spices, and salt, and oil, and the herbs, and let them go to the fire over coals; however, the casserole should be well covered; or if not, let it go to the oven, and cast in oil.

192. Sturgeon, which is pike, grilled or boiled

Esturion, Que Es Sollo, En Parillas O Cocido

Take a pot with water and salt, and all herbs: parsley, and mint, and marjoram. And when all this has boiled, you shall cast in the head or the tail of the sturgeon, or whatever you desire, so that it boils. Then cast in a little oil; and when the fish is nearly cooked, remove half the water; and then take all spices and a good glass of vinegar, and cast it all into the sturgeon; however, let it not have much water, because with that broth you have to make the pottage for that dish; and cast finely shredded or chopped herbs on top and a little ground ginger.

And if you wish to eat the sturgeon roasted, take the part from near the stomach, which is the middle of the body and grease it little by little with oil. And then roast it on the fire over coals. And then make your orange juice, and oil, and pepper, and salt, and a little water, and all the good herbs cut small; and when they want to eat, put the food on the plate; and cast on the juice with the herbs on top of the said fish.

193. Dentex (136) in crust

Dentol En Pan

You must take the dentex, and being well-cleaned and washed, make it into rounds through the middle, and then make empanadas, and take your spices: pepper, and salt, and ginger, and a pair of slivers of whole cinnamon; and then put the fish in the empanada with the spices, and splinters of cinnamon, all together, and cover it. And let it go to the oven, and before you put it on the table after it is cooked, take a little orange juice, and the liver of the same dentex. And roast it in the coals with a toasted bread soaked in the orange juice. And put it inside the pastel; but before the empanada goes to the oven, cast in a little oil.

194. Dentex in casserole

Dentol En Cazuela

Take the dentex, and after cleaning and washing it well, make rounds as big as your hand. And then cast in your spices, which are saffron, and pepper, and nutmeg, and a little salt, all well-ground; and cast it upon the fish, and put it in the casserole with all your preparation; and when the said dentex is half-cooked, cast in all herbs and a little orange juice. And if you wish to put in raisins and almonds afterwards, you can do so; however, cast in a little oil because these things always need a little oil.

195. Boiled Dentex

Dentol Cocido

Take a dentex, clean and washed, make pieces of it; and take the head, and cook it with water, and salt, and good herbs; and then take the dentex and let it go to cook; and you will take chestnuts, and apples, and almonds, and a good piece of its own flesh and a crustless piece of bread, and all this is well-ground and blended with its own broth and strained through a woolen cloth; but when you strain the almonds and all these things, also put bread soaked in orange juice or in vinegar. Then you will take all spices, but not saffron and cinnamon; and then cook this sauce; and you will cast it in that broth that was with the fish that was boiled; and when the sauce boils, put it into the pot; and when you want to eat, prepare the plate with the food, and cast on top of it all herbs, finely cut; and if you do not wish to make this sauce, take vinegar and all spices, and the cut herbs, and all this should be mixed when the fish is boiled, only in water and salt; and prepare the plate and cast that light sauce on top.And know one thing, that every time you cook a fatty boiled fish, you should cast in a glass of vinegar to cook because it will make it firm, and protect it from becoming stained.

196. Bonito in crust

Palamida En Pan

Take the bonito, and after scaling and cleaning it, cut in into round pieces as big as four fingers, and then make the empanadas. And take the spices which are pepper, and ginger, and salt, and all this well-ground; and you can put saffron if you wish; and then cast these spices upon the fish, and put it in your empanadas and let it go to the oven to cook. And the time to eat the bonito is the month of March; and when you have it to send it to the oven, cast on a little oil.

197. Bonito in Casserole

Palamida En Cazuela

If the bonito is small do not bother to cut it; if it is large and thick, make of it pieces as big as three fingers; and then take the spices: know that they are pepper, and ginger, and galingale, and saffron, and salt. And all this being well-ground, cast it on top of the slices of bonito; and then cast in all herbs which are: marjoram, and parsley, and mint, upon the casserole, and let it go to the oven with all its preparations upon good coals; and let the casserole be well covered; if not, put it in the oven; and then cast in a little verjuice, and orange juice, and oil.

198. Bonito on the grill

Palamida En Parillas

Take the bonito and clean it and wash it, and if it is small, do not bother to make pieces of it, but above all the large fish is better than the small one, in such a manner that if it is thick cut it into round pieces. And let them go upon the grill, greasing it first with oil; and being put over the coals, greasing it bit by bit with your oil; and make your light sauce with herbs, and a little pepper, with orange juice and salt and oil, all well-mixed; and when they wish to eat, prepare the plate with the food, and cast this light sauce on top.

And if you wish to eat it boiled, it is not as good as the other way.

And if by chance, your lord wishes to eat it boiled, make it in this manner. Cook it with water, and salt, and your spices, except saffron, and with all the good herbs; and when the fish is cooked, and your lord wishes to eat it make this light sauce. Take vinegar, and all the spices, and blend it with the vinegar; and then prepare the plate, and cast this sauce on top. And if you wish to make sauce with almonds you can do so.

199. Fresh conger eel in crust

Congrio Fresco En Pan

The conger eel needs to be scalded, and cut it with a knife because there are many who flay it, and it is worth more scalded than flayed; [when it is] clean and washed put these spices: pepper, more than the others, and a little ginger, and salt, and all this should be well-ground. And then cut the conger into pieces so that it does not break the empanada, because there are some which are big and others which are little. And in this way, according to [the size of] the conger you must make the empanada; and place it inside like a ring or a spiral; and cast on these spices, and the salt on top, and then cover it; and let it go to the oven to cook with your oil.

200. Conger eel in casserole

Congrio En Cazuela

Take conger eel, well-cleaned, cut into pieces, and put it in a casserole with your spices mixed with salt; and cast them upon the fish with all the finely shredded herbs, and with a little oil, and raisins, and almonds, and pine nuts; and let it go to the oven to cook.

201. Boiled conger eel

Congrio Cocido

The small conger eel is not good except for roasting; and if it is very thick, you can make a boiled plate of it; and so take the conger eel, well cleaned, and scald it with boiling water; and then cut it into thick pieces; and then put a pot with water on the fire; and when the water boils, cast the conger inside; and cast in a lot of salt because it gives the fish flavor.

And consider, do not forget that when you cook a thick fish, cast in enough salt and a good cupful of vinegar, because vinegar makes the fish firm; and always do this to keep it firm within the broth and to give it flavor; and when the conger is cooked, make the sauce for boiled conger.

First, take almonds which have not been peeled, and grind them in a mortar with a few hazelnuts, and with a crustless piece of bread; and all this should be well-ground, and blended with white vinegar, and with broth; (137) and strain it quite thick through a woolen cloth; and this sauce needs to be sour; and then cast in all spices, and all herbs cut small; and when they want to eat, make the sauce boil with all this; and then throw away the broth in which the conger was cooked, and cast the sauce on top of the boiled fish.

202. Conger eel on the grill and on the spit

Congrio En Parillas Y En Asador

If the conger eel is small and you want to roast it on the spit, it is not necessary to cut it into pieces, only pass [the spit] through the middle; and doing this as is customary; and then take a cane and break it in half, and make it so that one piece is at one end and the other [piece] at the other [end]; and tie it with a thread, in such a manner that it cannot fall, and grease it frequently with oil; and if you make it on the grill, cut it lengthwise according to the measure of the grill; and in this way make it according to your pleasure; and then make your thin sauce with orange juice, and with pepper, and salt, and oil, and with all the good herbs cut small; and this should be put into a small little pot; and when they want to eat, cast the food on the plate, and cast on the aforesaid sauce.

203. Moray eel in crust

Morena En Pan

If the moray eel should be alive, take care that it does not bite you because its bite is poisonous; and it being alive, flog it well (138), because the fish bones all descend to the tail; and then scald it just like the conger eel, neither more nor less; and then wash it well with cold water and cut it into pieces; and take your spices: ginger, a little galingale, and salt, and all this should be well-ground and cast upon the cut-up moray; and make the empanadas; and cast a little oil inside and cover them, and let them go to cook in the oven. And being cooked, cast on a little orange juice.

204. Moray eel in casserole

Morena En Cazuela

Prepare the moray eel just like the conger eel; and cut it into pieces; and cut off the tail, because the fish bones always descend to the tail; and then take the spices which are necessary, and all the good herbs finely shredded or cut, and salt, and almonds, and raisins, and pine nuts; and let all this go into the casserole with a little oil; and the almonds should be scalded; and let it go to the oven to cook.

205. Moray eel on the grill

Morena En Parrillas

Scald the moray eel just like the conger eel; and if it is alive, flog it vigorously because all the fish bones will descend to the tail; and if you want to fool your companion, give him the tail to eat; (139) and then remove the head, and cut it into pieces as large as a palm; and then grease the grill with oil. And set the moray to roast; and frequently grease it well with oil.

And there are also many who grease it with garlic and oil. But each one cooks it according to his appetite. Because there are many lords who do not eat garlic and oil, and others who do eat it. And returning to the topic of making the thin sauce which is customarily made for roasted foods, which is orange juice, and ginger, and oil, and a little water. And put all this into a little pot with salt, and all the good herbs cut small; and when they want to eat, put the food on the plate; and cast your sauce on top.

206. Tunny or tuna in crust

Toñina En Pan O Atun

The tunny or tuna needs to be fresh; and cut it into round, thin wheels of three fingers [in thickness], and then wash it very well, and cast upon the wheels: pepper, and salt, and ginger, and a little saffron; and all this should be well-ground; and then make the empanadas and cast a little oil inside and cover it, and let it go to the oven; and if they wish to eat it cold, remove the broth, as I have said in other chapters, because with the juice you can not keep it long.

And tuna is commonly eaten in this manner.

207. Tuna Or Tunny In Casserole

Atun O Toñina En Cazuela

Take the eyes of the tunny, and the best of the entrails which are eaten from it and put it in a casserole with raisins, and almonds, and pine nuts, and a little oil, and orange juice, and take all these spices and all herbs which are: parsley, and mint, and marjoram, and all cut very small; let them go into the casserole with the aforesaid spices; and the almonds should first be scalded; and let it go to the oven.

The royal sauce is made with garlic and oil.

Prof Ken Albala's translation

First take the tuna and if you like for your master, take the eyes of the tuna and place them in a casserole and likewise take the belly and paunch with almonds, pine nuts and place all together with the eyes in the casserole with a bit of oil and juice of oranges. And after take all the spices and all the herbs like parsley and mint and pound all so that it is well crushed and place this in the casserole with the said spices and the said almonds being blanched and place in the oven to cook. And a royal sauce you make with garlic and oil.

208. Boiled tuna or tunny

Atun O Toñina Cocida

Take the head and the tail of the tunny, which is suitable to boil; and if not, from the part that you desire; set a large pot on the fire with water and much salt, and when the water boils, cast in the tunny and when it is cooked cast in a cup of vinegar into the pot because it will sustain it, so that it does not break in the pot with the broth; and then make this sauce.

Take a few almonds which should not be peeled and grind them with a crustless piece of bread. And take the liver of the tunny, or if not, a good piece of the tunny. And blend it with white vinegar, and strain it thickly through a woolen cloth; and then take all the spices, which are: pepper, and ginger, and a little saffron, all very well-ground and blended with good white vinegar, and cast it in the sauce; and this sauce needs to be made with vinegar, and not too much but moderately; and when you want to eat, then cook this sauce quickly; and having put the food on the plate cast the sauce on top; however, let the herbs be already in the sauce when you want to cook it.

209. Tunny on the grill

Toñina En Parrillas

Take from the tunny the part near the belly, well-cleaned, and grease it with oil; and also grease the grill, and set [the tuna] to roast over a few coals, and grease them from time to time with oil; and then make your thin sauce with water, and salt, and oil, and orange juice, and pepper, and all the good herbs shredded or cut small; and when they want to eat, put your fish on the plate and cast that sauce on top; and if you wish to make another sauce, such as arugula or another, let it be according to your pleasure.

210. mullet in crust

Lisa En Pan

After scaling and cleaning the mullet well, take spices, which should be pepper, and salt, and a little ginger; and all this should be well-ground and sprinkled over the mullet; and make the empanadas in the same shape as the mullet, or however you wish; and your empanadas being made with your spices within, and all your provisions with your oil, cover the empanada; and leave your hole on top of the cover and through it cast the oil inside, and carry it to cook in the oven.

211. mullet in casserole

Lisa En Cazuela

The mullet being well-washed and cleaned, put it in a casserole with your oil, and all common spices, and all the good herbs cut finely or shredded; and cast all this in the casserole with the mullet; and if the mullet is very large and thick, make pieces of it; and if you wish to eat it with rice it is very good, and with your spices; and if they eat it with rice, cast in a half spoonful of fat. (140)

212. Mullet On The Grill

Lisa En Parillas

The mullet being very well-cleaned and washed without scaling it, grease it with oil; and also grease the grill and set [the mullet] on it, and a few coals beneath, and grease it frequently with the oil; and then make your light sauce with orange juice, and oil, and salt, and water, and all herbs; and all this [being] together, put it in a little pot; and when they want to eat, put the fish on a plate, and cast that sauce on top.

213. Boiled mullet

Lisa Cocida

The mullet being washed and well-cleaned, set it to cook in a casserole with water and salt and make it boil, and cast in a little oil, and when it is cooked make your sauce with a few almonds, and a crustless piece of bread, all this should be well-ground, and strain it with vinegar and with your broth from the mullet, and then cast in all common spices, and all the shredded herbs and cook all this, and then cast it over the mullet.

Or you can make the thin sauce with vinegar, and common spices, and with your crumbled herbs, and cast all this in a little pot; and when they want to eat, prepare the fish on your plate and cast this sauce on top. But as for me, I tell you that I would prefer the mullet in crust, or in casserole, or on the grill than in any other manner; and I do not think that anyone will say the contrary.

214. Escorfeno(141) in casserole

Escorfeno En Cazuela

This fish is not good except in casserole or boiled; and if you want to roast it, take the escorfeno, and after cleaning and washing it, cut it into pieces if it is very thick or large; and take all herbs, and shed them finely, and put everything inside the casserole with a little oil, and let it go to the oven; then cast in raisins, and almonds and chestnuts, and everything should go together into the casserole; and you can put in something sour if you wish.

215. Boiled escorfeno

Escorfeno Cocido

Take the escorfeno and scald it; and then put a pot on the fire with water and salt, and cook it; and when the water boils, cast the fish inside; and if you wish to make a sauce for it, make it as for the mullet.

And you must know one thing: that all the sauces that are for fresh fish should not be sweet, but sour, because the fish is already sweet by itself.

But for fried fish it is well to make the sauce sour and sweet; but for the boiled, sweetness is not good; and then make your thin sauce with vinegar, and all the common spices; and everything should be prepared in a pot; and when they want to eat, prepare the plate with the fish; and cast this thin sauce upon the sauce.

216. Sardines in casserole

Sardinas En Cazuela

You must take the thickest fresh sardines, and wash them with many waters; and then take pepper, and a little ginger, and saffron, and all this ground. Then take raisins, and almonds, and pine nuts, and all the good herbs, which are parsley and mint. And then take the sardines and the spices, and all mixed, and with the almonds, and raisins, and pine nuts, casting it all into the casserole with a good quantity of oil, and let it go to the fire over coals; and if not, to the oven.

But they are better over coals, because in the oven they cook above and below and throughout; and the sardines, to be made in this manner, should not endure the heat of the oven, but rather coals, and few of those, because they will cook at your pleasure; and if you wish to eat them in another manner, such as fried, they should be eaten with pepper, and a little vinegar or orange juice; and if you want to eat them roasted, they should be eaten with orange juice, and oil, and salt, and a little water, and pepper, and all the herbs except moraduj which is marjoram, which is also called malgilana.

217. Chub Mackerel (142)

Bisoles En Cazuela

Open the mackerel, and having well-cleaned and washed them, take all common spices, and all the herbs except marjoram. Then take raisins, and almonds, and pine nuts, and toasted hazelnuts, and all this together with the herbs; and with the other things, put it in the casserole with a little oil; and when the mackerel are half cooked, take a few hazelnuts and new raisins cleaned of their seeds, and grind it all together, and let it go into the casserole; and if you wish to cook them in another manner, such as roasted, you must cook them in the same manner as the sardines; and doing it in that manner, you cannot err.

218. Bogues (143) In Casserole

Bogas En Cazuela

Scale the bogues; and being cleaned and washed, take all common spices, and all the good herbs finely cut, and take raisins and almonds, and dates cut into quarters if you have them, and put all this in the casserole with your oil; and when it is nearly half cooked, take a few chestnuts, and an equal amount of walnuts, and a crustless piece of bread, and grind it all very well; and strain it with a little vinegar and water, and then cast it into the casserole; and when they want to eat, put the bogues on the plate, and cast the sauce on top with all the things that were there; and if they want to eat them boiled and roasted, and also fried, eat them with vinegar and pepper.

But this fish is better in casserole than in any other manner.

219. Anchovy In Casserole

Saiton (144) En Cazuela

The anchovy is commonly bitter, and because of this you must remove the head together with the intestines and wash it, and clean it well, and then take all common spices, and also put in raisins, and almonds, and pine nuts; and the almonds must be scalded and blanched; and then mix them (145) with the raisins, and almonds, and pine nuts, and with all the good herbs, and with the fish. And let everything be mixed in the casserole with a little oil. These casseroles are better to cook in the house than in the oven; and for the most part, they should be eaten in the month of April.

220. Wolffish in crust

Lobo De Mar (146) En Pan

Wash and clean the wolffish, and cut it in pieces, in such a manner than you can make a empanada of it; and take your spices: long pepper, and ginger, and salt, and everything being well-ground, cast it over the pieces of fish. And then finish your empanadas, and cover them and let them go to the oven with a little oil.

This fish is good in the months of June, July and August.

And if you want it in casserole, cut it in pieces as I said; and take a casserole, and common spices, and all the cut-up herbs and salt. And let all this go inside the casserole with the fish, with a little oil to cook in the oven.

And if you want to eat it roasted on the grill, divide it in half, in such a manner that it is opened from the top towards the bottom, and grease it with oil; and put it upon your grill and [with] coals underneath; and make your light sauce with orange juice, and pepper, and oil, and a little water, and all good herbs, well-crumbled with scissors, or a knife, or with your hands. And when the casserole is cooked, cast this on top.

221. Good escabeche

Buen Escabeche

Take a crustless piece of bread soaked in white vinegar, and take blanched almonds, and toasted hazelnuts, and pine nuts, and grind everything together until it is well-ground; and when it is ground, blend it with fish broth, and then strain it through a woolen cloth; and then take a few raisins with the seeds removed, and grind them well with the other things, and set it to cook. And cast in the pot all fine spices and saffron, because the sauce ought to be very deep in color, and sweet in taste, and black; however, the sweetness should be from honey. And when it is thick, remove it from the fire; and then take the fish when it is cold, and put it on a plate, and cast the escabeche on top.

However, this sauce should be eaten with pandora or dentex before any other fish; and when you cook it, cast on the escabeche. And when it is cold, put a little ground cinnamon on top; and then stick in some pine nuts, point upwards, all around the plate, and shredded parsley.And this sauce is commonly served cold, but [served] hot it is not bad.

222. Pandoras

Pajeles

Pandoras are cooked fried and roasted and boiled; but the best way of eating them is fried with your orange juice and pepper, or in escabeche with your vinegar and the oil in which they are fried; and vinegar, and pepper, and ginger, and saffron, and cloves, and a few bay leaves upon the fish, and orange juice, and your honey.

223. Pike

Sollo

The pike, which is sturgeon, is a large fish, and it has very good flesh in the manner of veal; and thus it is eaten in marinade with your watered-down white vinegar, and salt, and oregano, and a ground clove of garlic for one who eats it; and you can cast in some crushed cloves, and crushed ginger, and with this marinade one customarily eats pike roasted on the grill or in another manner; and it can be eaten in casserole, and boiled, etc., as is described above in the chapter on sturgeon.

224. Sea Bream

Besugo

The sea bream is eaten boiled with your orange juice, and your broth, and pepper, and ginger if they want it. It is also cooked roasted on the grill with your oil, and then your orange juice, and your pepper, and fried with your oil and orange juice and pepper.

And also in escabeche like the pandora.

225. Pottage of squid and cuttlefish

Potaje De Calamares Y Jibias

Squid and cuttlefish should be very well-washed and clean; and then gently fry them -- and not completely -- and when they are almost half cooked, take them out of the frying-pan. And put them in a pot; and then take blanched almonds, and raisins, and pine nuts; and then take a few toasted almonds, and grind them and strain them with a little vinegar watered down with fish broth if you have any; if not, cast in a little water so that it will not be very strong; and when the raisins and the almonds are slightly fried with the squid or the cuttlefish, take them and finish gently frying them [the fish], however they must be cut into pieces, and when this is done, prepare dishes.

226. Octopus

Pulpo

Octopus is a very hard fish, and because of this it is flogged and beaten a great deal; and then wash it well, and put it in a pot to cook with an onion, and a little oil; and do not cast in salt because this fish by itself is salty enough, nor water either, because by itself it makes enough water. And this water becomes like a reddish broth; and if you want to cast in a few spices it will be better, and seal the pot well so that no manner of vapor comes out of it; and remove the intestine that it has in its head; and when you set it to cook, put in a little water.

And eat this fish with parsley sauce (147)And similarly this fish is eaten after being well-beaten and flogged, cut to pieces, and roasted on a spit, repeatedly greased with garlic and oil; and then [served] with your orange juice, and water, and salt, and oil, etc.

It is also eaten in dishes, made into a pottage, cut into small pieces and gently fried with your onion, and oil, and honey, and spices, and your sourness from vinegar, and a crustless piece of bread and your almonds ground with the bread, and blended with your broth, and strained, and cooked in your pot; and then prepare dishes, etc.

227. Variales (148) In Casserole

Variales En Cazuela

Wash the variales well; and with all spices, and all shredded herbs put everything in a casserole with the variales; and cook it all with a little oil over a fire of coals; and these things always need raisins, and almonds, and pine nuts; and you can cook it in the house; and cast in a little water.

228. Clams In Casserole

Tallinas (149) En Cazuela

You must take the clams, and put them inside a casserole with cold water; and leave it there for a good while because in this way they will open, and the dirt will come out of them that they have inside the core; then stir them a lot and put them in a little pot. And let them go over a few coals; and then cast in three blancas of common spices or seasonings, and let them cook little by little; and see that you do not cast in salt; and let it cook; and cast in a little oil, and all the shredded herbs; and if you wish to eat the clams with almond milk, gently fry them a little with the aforesaid herbs; and then cook that milk; and cast it into the clams which should be gently fried with pepper.

229. How Oysters Are Cooked

Como Se Guisan Las Ostias

Oysters are eaten fried with oil, and your pepper, and saffron, and your spices, and orange juice; and cast into your escabeche with your bay leaves.

And they are eaten roasted with your pepper.

And they are eaten boiled in your water, and oil, and spices gently fried first with your onion and oil in a frying-pan; or the onion gently fried alone in the frying pan; and cast in the pot with vinegar to taste, and some good herbs.

And they can be cooked in a casserole with your water and oil and spices and good herbs with onion gently fried in your frying-pan, and cast within, and your little taste of vinegar.

230. Pelaya (150) And Flounder Or Sole

Pelaya Y Lenguados O Acedias

Scale the pelaya well and open it through the side; and when you want to fry it, cast on a little salt, and heat the oil; and when it is hot, cast in the pelaya. And just as it shrinks or withdraws, turn it promptly to the other side, and press your hand (?) over it so that it does not return to shrinking; and when it is well fried, it needs to be eaten with pepper and cut lemons; and then take a little of your oil with which it was fried, and as much again of vinegar, and put it on top of the pelaya, and upon the other things.

And know that the pelaya is a royal fish, and it is as good to eat cold as hot; and they are very good in escabeche with your bay leaves. And it is a species of flounder, and the sole also, except that they are bigger than the flounders, but their meat is not as good to eat.

Prof. Ken Albala's translation:

... To prepare cold flounder. First take the flounder and scale it well, and then open it along the side, then when you want to fry it place on a bit of salt and heat the oil and when it is hot place in the flounder. And as it firms up you quickly turn it to the other side and press your hand on it so that it doesn't curl up while becoming firm. When it's well fried you want to eat it with pepper and lemon slices. And after take some of its oil and enough vinegar and place it on the founder and place on the other things. And you know something, the flounder is a royal fish and is very good to eat cold as hot.

231. Fried Dolphinfish (151)

Lampugas Fritas

Scale the dolphinfish, and open it, and wash it, and fry it in oil; and take a little of your oil, and a little vinegar, and heat it well, and cast it on top.

And you must know that the pelaya and the dolphinfish are no good except fried.

The hake is a fresh fish that is eaten with pepper, and your shredded parsley on top; and it is also eaten with your parsley sauce; it is also eaten fried in oil with your pepper, and orange juice; and it is eaten in crust with your pepper and oil; and at times in casserole with your oil and spices, etc.

232. Dried Or Cured Conger Eel

Congrio Seco O Cecial (152)

You must take the conger eel which should be very good and very white, and cut it into pieces as big as a hand. And wash it two or three times in a good manner with hot water. And then tie it with a thread. And set it to soak in cold water which is very clean. And it must be cooked with this same water. And this must be done the night before you cook it. And in the morning, early in the morning, set it to cook in a clean pot with the water in which it soaked. And cast into the pot a good spurt of oil which should be good, and an onion cut up with a small handful of parsley, and a quantity of heads of garlic, well-cleaned of their primary skin or rind; and then take a few almonds, and as many hazelnuts, and as many walnuts, which should all be toasted. And grind them all together in a mortar, with a crustless piece of toasted bread soaked in the broth of the aforesaid conger. And a piece of the same conger, and the parsley, and the onion, and the garlic; and all this mixed and ground together and blended with the broth of the conger; and then strain it through a woolen cloth or a mill which is a press. And when it has been strained, cast in half an ounce of common sauce. (153) And then set it to cook on the fire. And stir it constantly in one direction without ever resting. And when it is cooked, and you want to prepare dishes, make the sops very thin, and stew them or steam them with the broth. And then remove them from that broth. And cast the sauce over the sops; and put them on the table; and the conger also with its separate plate.

And there are some who serve it as soon as it is cooked, and others who cast the sauce on top, but the best way is as I said before.

233. Hake Which Is Cured Fish

Merluza Que Es Pescada Cecial

You must take the cured fish which is the hardest and whitest that you can get, because it is good, and set it to soak the afternoon before if it is not soaked, and then scale it, and wash it. And make slices of it like a hand, and then set it to cook in cold water. And when it is almost cooked, remove it from that water in which it was cooking. And gently fry it a little, because the fish or hake is of such a quality that the more it is fried the harder it becomes; and then toast a few almonds. And grind them in a mortar with a crustless piece of bread soaked in vinegar, because this sauce needs to be sour and sweet; and strain everything, and after straining it, cast in a few spices, except saffron. And cast in a little cinnamon. And all this should be cast into the sauce with sugar or honey. And cast in the sugar or honey according to the quantity of the sauce; and let it go to cook on the fire; and the fish having been put on the plate, cast a little of the oil in which it was fried into the sauce; and then cast this sauce over the fish.

234. Salted Tunny From The Flank Which Is Called ‘Sorra' In Valencia

Toñina Salada De La Ijada Que Dicen ‘Sorra' En Valencia

Cook the tunny from the flank with cold water; and when it is cooked, remove it from that water. And put it in other cold water, and wash it very well. There are those who eat it in this way with only orange juice or arugula.

And if you wish to eat it at your pleasure do it in this way. Take the flank of the tuna, and cut it in round slices. And put it in a casserole and cook it over a few coals with a little oil inside. Then take raisins, and almonds and pine nuts. And gently fry all this with the tunny in the casserole. And then grind in a mortar a few raisins, and almonds; and when they are ground, strain them with a little vinegar and water; and put this sauce over the slices of tunny and the other things; and put to it a good amount of ground cinnamon and honey and sugar. And then let all that cook a good while with the aforesaid slices of tunny.

And you can also make dishes of these if you wish, and if not make a large platter in this manner.

When the flank is good, and cooked with all your preparations, you can make a plate of it itself, without cutting it, but rather your whole pieces; and cook that sauce, and when it boils, cast it on top.

And if you want it cut, do it in this manner. When the tunny is cooked, cut it, and gently fry it with a little oil; and cast on the sauce; and let it cook a little while; and cast on a little shredded herbs; and prepare dishes.

235. Lobster

Langosta

It seems to me that I have talked enough of many kinds of foods, and of the differences between them; and of serving and preparing all kinds of cooked dishes, and foods for meat days as well as for Lent. And although some say that the Lenten foods are not as advantageous as those for meat days. To this I say, that it is but the choice of individuals -- because there are lords who are more pleased with some foods than others -- and diverse appetites of individuals; but because one desires that it should be so, I have made all my efforts to put in this present book all that I have known and achieved; and because there are some who do not know a certain thing, I want to speak of the lobster, because the blancmange cannot be made without it or without the pandoras; and if the pandoras are not fresh, make it from lobster; which if you do not have it you cannot make the perfect blancmange, as I will tell in the following chapter.

236. Blancmange Of Fish

Manjar Blanco De Pescado

You must take the lobster and the pandoras, and although they are by necessity of different qualities, they are required; but the lobster is much better than the pandora; and from these two take what seems to you to be best, and cook it in a separate pot; and when it is almost half-cooked, remove it from the pot and set it to soak in cold water; and then take the best of the white meat of the lobster, and you must cook it more vigorously. And put them on a plate and shred it thus like threads of saffron. And cast rosewater over this shredded white meat. And then for eight dishes take four pounds of almonds, and a pound of flour, (154) and a pound of rosewater. And then take two pounds of fine sugar, and take the blanched almonds, and grind them in a mortar in such a manner that they do not make oil; and to avoid this, moisten the pestle of the mortar frequently in rosewater. And when they are ground, blend them with lukewarm water, which should be clean. And when they are strained, take a very clean kettle which has not been recently tinned, nor which is made of copper, and take the shreds of the lobster, and let it go into the pot with that rosewater. And then cast in the milk which you made. And not all of it, but that which you know will suffice for the beginning; and afterwards add the milk in two turns rather than in one; and if you cast in everything together you cannot well know if the blancmange will thicken. In the same manner you put in the flour little by little so that it doesn't clump; and beat it or stir it constantly with a stick until it is cooked; and then prepare dishes. And upon them cast fine sugar; and in this manner the blancmange of fish is perfectly made.

237. Blancmange Of Gourds

Manjar Blanco De Calabazas

Take the most tender of the gourds and prepare them, well-scraped with a knife until they are white, and then cut them into pieces as big as your hand, and set water on the fire. And when it boils, cast in the gourds. And when they are cooked, remove them. And put them into a clean cloth. And then make almond milk according to the quantity of the gourds. And squeeze them very well, in such a manner that all the water comes out. And then put it in the pot or kettle where you must make the blancmange; and cast the gourds into the milk; and cast in the sugar that you see is necessary; and let it go to the fire; and before you cast in the gourds, sprinkle them with rosewater; and these gourds need to be beaten a lot; and let them have a good fire so that they boil well; and stir them constantly in such a manner as if they were thick gourds; (155) and when you see that they are thoroughly mushy, let them cook a little while; and then cast on the rosewater; and let it come off the fire; and then prepare dishes, and upon each one cast fine sugar.And know one thing: that in these foods you cannot have a measurement, but rather according to the discretion of the one who cooks it; because the gourds by their nature are all water; and no one can well say what is required, only the same one who cooks it.

238. Broom-Flower Dish

Ginestada (156)

Take blanched almonds and extract the milk from them; and it would be better with goat milk; and take the spices the night before which are: whole cinnamon, and ginger, and cloves, all whole; and put them to soak in rosewater; and then take for each dish: two ounces of rice flour and one ounce of sugar; and for five dishes, take a pound and a half of almonds; and then in the morning take the milk; and put it in the pot where it must cook; and cast in the flour little by little; and stir it constantly so that the flour does not clump with the milk; and so let it go to the fire with your provisions to cook; and when you see that it is half-cooked, take peeled almonds and cut them into four quarters; and take dates, and cut them in the same manner; and pine nuts, and mix all this together; and when the sauce is half-cooked cast all this inside; and then take a little saffron, and grind it well; and blend it with a little rosewater; and cast it in the pot, because this sauce should have a lot of color; and leave it to cook a good while with all these things until it is cooked; and let it be on a day of eggs (157), because you will take beaten egg yolks. And when you want to remove the sauce from the fire, cast the yolks inside; but in order to be called ginestada, there is no need for eggs; and prepare dishes and cast sugar and cinnamon upon them.

239. Farro Of Rice Flour

Farro De Harina De Arroz

For twelve dishes: take three pounds of almonds, and two pounds of rice flour, and one pound of rosewater, and two pounds of sugar and a half ounce of whole cinnamon; and then take the almonds and peel them, and grind them well, and make thick milk; and cast half of the milk into the pot; and the pot should be well tinned, because these things cannot be made well if it is not a very good pot; and then cast in the flour, and stir it constantly so that it does not clump; and cast in more milk if it is necessary; and then cast in half of the sugar, and the cinnamon tied with a thread; and let it go to the fire, stirring constantly in one direction; and when it lacks milk cast in what will make it like blancmange; but don't cast in too much; and if you want to see when it is cooked, remove a little with a spatula; and put it on one edge of the plate; and when it is cold it will make a little bit of water; then you will know that it is not cooked, and because of this, cook it a little more; and when it is cooked, remove it from the fire; and let it sweat a little; then prepare dishes, and cast fine sugar on them.

240. Wheat Starch

Almidon

Starch is made in this way. Take the starch which is fresh, and clean, and white; and for six dishes take a pound of starch, and a pound of sugar, and a pound and a half of almonds, and a pound of rosewater; and then cast the starch into a pot which should be well tinned; and half an ounce of whole cinnamon with it; and then cast in the rosewater and let it soak in that water; and then grind those peeled almonds in a mortar, and strain them with lukewarm clean water; and after straining them, cast half of the milk into the pot and cast in eight ounces of sugar, and blend them well with a spatula of wood; and then let it go to the fire to cook, and stir it constantly in one direction, and if it has need of milk, cast it in little by little until you know that it has enough; and taste it for flavor to see if it lacks anything; and if it lacks something, cast it in; and taste it for the flavor of salt and for everything; and if you see that it makes water it is not cooked; and when it does not make any [water] then it is cooked, and remove it from the fire.

And if by chance it tastes of smoke, take a little bit of very sour leaven, and tie it in a clean cloth; and when you cook, put in this leaven so that it boils vigorously with it; and with this, smoke is removed from such foods, etc.

241. Royal Fava Beans

Haba Real

You must take the whitest favas that have not been eaten by weevils, and remove the skins, in such a manner that they are left white and clean, and cook them in clean cold water; and when you have given them a boil, remove them from the fire; and throw away the water, and drain them in such a way that no water remains; and then take clean blanched almonds and extract milk from them, but goat milk would be better; and put the favas into the pot where they must cook; and then cast in the milk that is necessary, and fine sugar; and let them go to cook on the fire; and stir them with a haravillo with both your hands like someone who makes wax candles between his hands; and in the manner of making gourds; and don't take your hand away from them until they are cooked; and taste them for salt, and for sugar, and for all things; and when they are quite mushy, cast in two splinters of sound cinnamon; and let it cook well; and when they are well-cooked, and mushy, remove them from the fire. But when you cast in the cinnamon, cast in a little rosewater; and then prepare dishes; and upon them [cast] fine sugar.

In these matters of stews and pottages, I have given you advice that when you taste smoke you can remove it with a little sour leaven in this manner. Put the leaven in a cloth of very clean white linen; and when the pot boils, cast in that cloth with the leaven inside the pot; and let it boil continually; and so the smoke will be removed; and also if it is very salty, take a cloth of white linen and wet it in cold water; and when it boils, stir the pottage with your haravillo, and the cloth will move with it through the pot, well stirred with the pottage. And set it upon some coals. And cover it very well while the cloth is inside. And upon the cover put a good double-handful of salt. And likewise under the pot; and then remove that cloth; and take another cloth soaked in rosewater; and cover the pot with the cloth; and cast the cover on top of the cloth. And so salt is removed from these kinds of pottages. And the smoke, and everything, and this is done secretly so that no one sees it.

Prof Ken Albala's translation

Take the whitest favas which have not been eaten be weevils. Then remove the skins so they are nice and white. And after boil them in clean water that is cold. And when they come to the boil remove them from the fire and pour off the water and drain them well in a manner that no water remains. Then take white almonds and clean and make milk of them but if you have goat's milk it will be better. Then put the favas in the pot to let them cook. Then put in the milk enough so that it will be soup and likewise add fine sugar and put it on the fire. And stir them in the manner of gourds and don't stop at all until they are cooked and test them for salt and all things, plus sugar and when it is well cooked place in pieces of sticks of cinnamon and let it cook well. And when it is cooked and soft enough lift it from the fire, and as you have added in the cinnamon, include a bit of rose water. And after plate it and sprinkle with fine sugar. And with such things know that any vegetable what smells of smoke, you remove it with a bit of sour yeast in this manner. Take the yeast and put it in a cloth of linen that is white. And when the pot boils add this cloth with yeast in the pot and let it boil the whole time and it removes the smoke. Also if it is too salty take a white clothe of linen and bathe it in cold water and when it boils stir the cloth in the pot and put on the cover and place if on the coals and cover it very well while the cloth is in the pot and on the cover place a great amount of salt. And also under the pot, and then remove the cloth. Then take another cloth bathed in rose water and cover the pot with the cloth and place the cover over the cloth. And thus remove the salt in this manner from soups and the smoke and everything, it is a secret that no one sees at all.

242. Groats

Grañones

You must take the wheat, the whitest and the most select that you can find, and washed with cold water and then crush it in a thick cloth with a pestle of a mortar. And give it vigorous blows upon a wooden bench, or if not, in a mortar. And if you want to make it more quickly, cast in a little salt in grains, because the salt will flay it, and peel off the skin. And when you see that it is well-cleaned of the bran, wash it very well; and put it in a pot in cold water to cook on the fire. And if it lacks water, always add it; but it is better not to add it, but to cast it in all at once, and not too much, if that can be. And all this must be done the night before. And when you know that it is cooked, remove it from the fire and put the pot inside a basket of bran; and cover it with a cloth; and then in the morning take blanched almonds and extract the milk from them; and if you can have goat milk it will be better; and then take the groats and remove that wheat which was on top. And then cast in the milk, and set it on the fire to cook; and watch that it does not burn; and let it cook in this way very well; and if you want to make a separate dish for your lord, take only the liquor that is on top of the pot, because that is the best; and upon the dish cast sugar and cinnamon.

243. Mirrauste (158) Of Apples

Mirrauste De Manzanas

You must take the sweetest apples and peel off their skin, and quarter them; and remove the core and the pips. and then set a pot to boil with as much water as you know will be necessary; and when the water boils, cast in the apples. And then take well-toasted almonds and grind them well in a mortar; and blend them with the broth from the apples; and strain them through a woolen cloth with a crustless piece of bread soaked in the said apple broth; and strain everything quite thick; and after straining, it cast in a good deal of ground cinnamon and sugar; and then send it to cook on the fire, and when the sauce boils remove it from the fire; and cast in the apples which remain well drained of the broth; but see that the apples should not be scalded; so that you can prepare dishes of them; and when they are done, cast sugar and cinnamon on top.And here ends the present book.

DEO GRATIAS

This book was printed for the second time in the city of Logrono by Miguel de Eguia; distributed by Diego Perez Davilla, mayor of the said city. And it was finished in the year 1529, on the 24th of November.

FOOTNOTES

(1) The spice mix for clarea, recipe 3, does not contain pepper. In the 1525 edition, the title of this recipe is Pimientas de Clarea. The word seems to be used here as a synonym for "spices".

(2) The name comes from the Catalan Mig-Raust, meaning "half-roasted". It can also be made with chickens, partridges, or doves. Platina says, regarding Mirause of Catelonia, "I do not remember having eaten a better dish…" See also recipes 149, 168, 243.

(3) The Libre del Coch and the 1525 Libro de Cozina call for 4 oz. ginger, 3 oz. cinnamon, 1 oz. pepper, 1/2 oz. each of cloves, nutmeg, and mace, and 1/4 oz. saffron.

(4) The earlier versions specify 1/4 oz. of grains of paradise and 1/2 oz. of saffron.

(5) These are very different proportions from earlier versions. The 1525 edition calls for 5 oz. ginger, 6 oz. cinnamon, 1/8 oz. grains of paradise, and 1 oz. cloves.

(6) A measurement approximately equivalent to two liters.

(7) The sleeve was a long cloth bag, used to strain the wine so that no spice sediment remained in it.

(8) A spiced wine drink, sweetened with sugar or honey.

(9) Barbara Santich suggests that this recipe title is a misnomer, and an indication of Italian influence on Catalan cooking. A very similar blend of spices — minus the sugar -- is found in an anonymous Venetian cookbook of the late 15th century. It is called specie dolce, "sweet spices". Several recipes in that cookbook call for dishes to be topped with sugar and unspecified spices before serving. Santich theorizes that specie dolce was the spice blend which was sprinkled with the sugar. The Italian name specie dolce, "sweet spices", may have been mangled in translation to become the Catalan polvora de duch, "powder of the duke".

(10) The Libre del Coch has a second recipe for this spice mix, De altra polvora de duch, which contains 2 oz. ginger, 1/2 drachm galingale, 1 oz. cinnamon, 1 oz. long pepper, 1 oz. grains of paradise, 1 oz. nutmeg, 1/4 oz. fine sugar. The Libre de Sent Sovi gives yet another recipe: 1 pound sugar; 1/2 oz. cinnamon; 3/4 oz. ginger; 1/4 oz. total of cloves, nutmeg, galingale, and cardamon.

(11) Spices, unlike other ingredients, are weighed in apothecary measurements, in which there are 12 ounces in a pound.

(12) There seems to have been some differences between Catalan and Castilian measurements. The Libre del Coch specifies that a drachm weighs 2 diners, whereas the Spanish versions say that 3 dineros weigh a drachm. Both sources say that a diner/dinero weighs the same as a scruple.

(13) Escudilla, "a bowl". See the glossary for a full explanation of this word.

(14) Estameña, a woolen cloth used for straining.

(15) En buen punto, literally, "to a good point".

(16) Pigeons and doves are taxonomically identical, and are all members of the family Columbidae, which includes stock doves, woodpigeons (also called ring-doves), rock doves (also called rock pigeons), and turtledoves. "Pigeons" is the generic term for members of this family. Palomino means a young male wild pigeon (or a young pigeon of undetermined gender). It is not clear if Nola is referring to a specific species in the recipes for palominos. I have translated it as "squab", which is a word used for young pigeons and doves of all kinds.

(17) See also recipes 90, 138, 143, 236, 237.

(18) Ie., if you don't have goat milk, take the four pounds of almonds and make almond milk.

(19) The word used here is desatar, which means "to untie, undo, unfasten". The already shredded chicken breasts are to be stirred and beaten in the broth until they nearly dissolve, giving the blancmange its desired smooth texture.

(20) The word used here is requeson, which the RAE defines as curds formed from cooking the leftover whey after cheese has been made. A soft, freshly-made whey cheese (such as ricotta) would be appropriate.

(21) Ie., avoirdupois ounces, of which there are 16 in a pound, not the apothecary ounces which are used to measure spices.

(22) Refers to the feet of sheep, especially when used as food. The Spanish word translates literally as "hands".

(23) Ie., cut them into individual portions.

(24) Freixura is Catalan for "entrails".

(25) Pardo is a grayish-brown color — "dun" is the closest English equivalent. Pardilla is the Spanish name for the European robin, whose back and wings are dun-colored.

(26) The name comes from mortero, "mortar", because the ingredients are finely ground. There are several such recipes in the Libre de Sent Sovi. The ingredients vary, but usually include ground meat and organ meats, liquid (generally broth or almond milk), and eggs and bread as thickeners. The earliest mention of the dish is in Arte Cisoria (1423), which states that chopped hog's liver is served in morteruelo, and indeed, the modern Spanish version is a kind of hog's liver paté. Other parallel medieval recipes include "mortrews" (England), mortereul (France), and mortadelle (Italy).

(27) To bard is to cover meat or poultry with a wide, thin piece of bacon or pork fat. The barding fat is tied in place with string during cooking, and is then removed. Its main purpose is to baste the meat or poultry during roasting and protect it from drying out.

(28) The name comes from ginestra, the broom plant. This yellow-flowered shrub is the "sprig of broom", the planta genesta that gave the Plantagenet dynasty their name and emblem. Most recipes for ginestada call for large amount of saffron to color it yellow. This particular one gives the cook the option to leave it white. See also recipe 238.

(29) This refers both to hulled cracked barley, and to the boiled dish made from it.

(30) This refers both to partly-ground wheat, and to the boiled dish made from it.

(31) Almodrote is a garlic-cheese sauce. In the Libre de Sent Sovi, it is an accompaniment to roast pork, partridges, or chicken.

(32) Mentioned in Arte Cisoria as a dish that can be made with roasted hens, partridges, or doves, usually layered between slices of bread. The etymology of the name is a bit uncertain, but may derive from capirote, "hood", because the sauce covers the dish just as a hood covers a head. See also recipe 164 for a version made with truffles.

(33) Pater noster, the opening words of the Lord's Prayer in Latin. The partridges are to be placed on the coals for the short time that it takes to recite this prayer. Similar instructions appear in other medieval and Renaissance cookbooks. See also recipes 48 and 130.

(34) Geladia or giladea is archaic Catalan for "gelatin".

(35) Spikenard (Nardostachys jatamansi) is a flowering plant, related to Valerian. Its aromatic root was used in the ancient world as an ingredient in perfume, and as a flavoring in certain medieval recipes. It should not be confused with American Spikenard (Aralia racemosa).

(36) Both galingale and spikenard are among the spices that were often used to flavor meat jellies. I have found no other references to adding them at the last moment to ensure that the jelly congeals.

(37) Ansarón is the term for a young adult goose.

(38) Ie., whole raw eggs, and not the yolks alone.

(39) Pies filled with meat or fish. For a detailed discussion of pies and crusts, see the glossary.

(40) Ie., very finely minced. See recipe 47.

(41) From the Spanish liebre, "hare".

(42) In the 1726 RAE dictionary, tornillo is defined as a screw or a bolt. In this text, it refers to some kind of stirring implement, possibly spiral-shaped.

(43) Thin, short noodles.

(44) This seems to be a scribal error, repeating the opening phrase of the previous recipe. Rice often needs to be rinsed and to have foreign objects removed from it; noodles do not.

(45) Similar recipes appear in the Libre de Sent Sovi, which recommends Puriola as a condiment for roasted hens, capons, partridges, and rabbits, and for roasted or grilled fish.

(46) The same recipe is found in the Livre de Sent Sovi, under the name of arricoch. Grewe believes it is an ancestor of the modern French "haricot of mutton". The haricot recipes in medieval French cookbooks call for small pieces of mutton, stewed with onions and herbs. However, the French recipes use beef broth (sometimes mixed with wine) rather than almond milk. The name of the recipe has no known meaning in Catalan or Spanish. The French name is believed to come from the verb haricoter, "to cut into small pieces".

(47) Recaudo (Catalan, recapte). It means collection, supply, materials. Nola uses it in the sense of necessary ingredients.

(48) Perez says this is an alternate spelling of verdines. According to the RAE, verdin is a word that describes the green color of newly-sprouted plants. However, Leimgruber says that it is a mistranslation of the original Catalan vernís, meaning "varnish". The white layer of almond milk covers the green broth like a coat of varnish.

(49) Although the recipe does not specify, it would appear that the almond milk which is set aside is later poured on top of the parsley-almond milk mixture. The green coloration of the broete, under its concealing layer of white makes it a soteltie, a medieval "surprise" food.

(50) Madres de clavos or madreclavos: literally, "mothers of cloves", these are cloves which have remained on the tree for two years.

(51) Catalan name of Fulica atra, the common coot.

(52) "Roast" the liver in a pot with broth? In every other instance where liver is roasted, the recipe specifies "on the coals". Possibly it should say "cook" instead, or perhaps the liver is meant to be first roasted and then simmered in the broth. Either would be consistent with procedures followed in other dishes. The Libre del coch says "cook".

(53) This is the first instruction to cook something for a specific amount of time. Like most medieval cooks (and many modern ones), de Nola usually says to cook an item until it is done, or is of a certain consistency. Some recipes instruct us to cook something for the length of time it take to say certain common prayers, such as a Paternoster.

(54) The exact meaning is unknown. Grewe believes it is of Arabic origin. There are several recipes for alidem in the Libre de Sent Sovi. The common thread is that all of them are thickened with beaten eggs.

(55) Possibly this recipe was intended for a day of abstinence, when the Church permitted eggs and dairy, but not meat products. Unlike the other recipes for egg-thickened pottages, it doesn't specify broth as the liquid. Instead, it calls for water, oil, and salt — the mixture which Nola recommends as a broth substitute in his chapter on Lenten foods.

(56) Torta means a round cake or pie. This is a recipe for an omelet, which is usually called tortilla.

(57) The word used here is tortilla.

(58) The recipe title tells us that this is a dish made with almond milk. The text of the recipe takes it for granted that the cook will know to add liquid — probably broth — to the ground almonds before straining them through the cloth.

(59) There are several recipes for "Jussell" in 14th and 15th century Anglo-Norman cookbooks. All of them are a dish of broth thickened with eggs. Several include bread and parsley and/or other green herbs. None include cheese. In the glossary to Curye on Inglysch, Hieatt & Butler say the dish is "probably so-called from the ‘juice' in the sense of broth."

(60) Agraz means "unripe grapes". It is also used as a shortened version of zumo de agraz, "juice of unripe grapes" (ie., verjuice).

(61) In most of the recipes for chard, Nola uses the Catalan name, bledas. Here he also identifies it by the Spanish name, acelgas.

(62) The consumption of animal products was prohibited as part of the Lenten fast. This often included dairy foods. A dispensation to eat dairy during Lent could sometime be obtained.

(63) Ie., the very best.

(64) There is a similar recipe in the 15th century French cookbook, Du Fait de Cuisine. It is a concentrated chicken soup, to which is added gold coins and a selection of gemstones.

(65) Tres horas y media gruesas — this is an odd phrase. The last word means large, fat, or heavy. The phrase would be literally translated as "three and a half large hours". The meaning seems to be that the hen should cook for at least that amount of time.

(66) Sulsido (or solsido) apparently comes from the Catalan verb sulsir, meaning to be consumed or dried up.

(67) The recipe title is confusing. Torta means a round cake or pastry, but this is a chicken broth.

(68) Ie., strain the chicken breasts coarsely enough so that no meat is left behind.

(69) The fat contained in the ovary of a bird.

(70) Apparently, each marzipan is placed on a separate piece of paper. A similar technique is used in Granado's recipe for bizcochos — the biscuits are baked on small squares of paper.

(71) Credo, a Latin prayer. The casserole is to be returned to the oven for the length of time it take to recite the Credo.

(72) Ordi is Catalan for "barley".

(73) A sturdy, coarse fabric woven from the fibers of the hemp plant.

(74) The theory of humors, which dominated medieval medicine, held that every food or herb had an inherently cold or hot nature. A 1530 Spanish medical manual by Luis Lobera de Avila explains that melon seeds, being cold and humid, are good for reducing fevers. He also asserts that they will expel kidney stones.

(75) From the Arabic talbina, a kind of gruel. It was made with milk or almond milk, flour or other starches, and honey.

(76) The electuary, a conserve used for medicinal purposes, eventually evolved into a confection.

(77) "Agras dulces", literally "sour-sweet". Varieties of pomegranates are classified by their flavor as sweet, sour, or semi-sweet.

(78) Lobera de Avila says that pomegranates have a cold nature and will counteract fevers.

(79) Giroflina seems to be derived from [clavos de] girofle, the Catalan /Spanish name for cloves. Perhaps, though the recipe does not specify, the dominant spice flavor in this sauce should be clove?

(80) Possibly the best-known sauce in European medieval cuisine. Its name comes either from its signature flavoring — cinnamon (canel) — or from the fact that it is camel-colored. See also recipes 109, 162, 171.

(81) Some varieties of pomegranates have a pale rind which is nearly white. These tend to be particularly sweet in flavor.

(82) A redundant instruction, but that's what the text says. Take a migajon and remove its crust.

(83) "Hiniesta o retama" — both are words for the broom plant.

(84) How are we to "gently fry" the onion in broth??

(85) A sweet white wine.

(86) Possibly the wine produced in San Martin de Valdeiglesias, in the province of Madrid. Antonio de Guevara, a 16th century bishop, described it as the best wine in Spain.

(87) Apparently a scribal error. The Libre del Coch says, "and when the casserole is nearly cooked..."

(88) See recipe 2.

(89) Apparently, the sauce is cooked until it is reduced by half.

(90) Spanish coins. At this time, one maravedi was worth three blancas.

(91) See recipe 7.

(92) Estrujados, the same word that is used in Spanish to describe pressed grapes.

(93) Grewe points out that this dish appears in the Anonymous Andalucian manuscript under its original Arabic name of muhshi.

(94) Haz, which can mean a face or visage, the facing of a building, or the right side of fabric. The meaning here is to make a coating or crust on the top of the eggplant mixture in the casserole.

(95) See recipe 6.

(96) Escabeche is a method of preserving food — primarily fish — in a vinegar-based sauce. Santich says the name and the dish come from the Arab sikbaj, though the basic technique dates back to Roman times. Apicius gives a brief recipe: "To Preserve Fried Fish. The moment they are fried and taken out of the pan, pour hot vinegar over them." See also recipes 148, 221, 222, 224, 229, 230.

(97) The feminine pronoun at the end of majarlas ("grind them") indicates that Nola is referring to the almonds (almendras). When the almonds are half-ground, then the softer pinenuts and garlic are added to the mortar.

(98) Although Nola assures us that this is "very good food," there is an old Spanish proverb, vender gato por liebre, "to sell cat as hare", meaning to deceptively substitute a less desirable item. The Manual de mugeres, a 16th century household manual, says that eggs fried in cat grease are a remedy for asthma.

(99) Colman Andrew suggests that this may have been a bundle of herbs, to flavor the roast.

(100) Fruta de sarten, literally, "fruit of the frying-pan", is the term for fritters and pancakes. It is sometimes shortened to fruta.

(101) Irazno says this is alburnia (also spelled albornia), which is a large bowl-shaped vessel of glazed earthenware.

(102) The 1726 RAE dictionary says it refers to little empanadas, especially those which are made from a sweet dough with a filling of marzipan or other sweets.

(103) Perez and Irazno both transcribe this as Brusalino, though the fourth letter clearly has the cross-bar of an f. The Libre del Coch says de brofolins. Leimgruber says this comes from the Catalan brúfol, "buffalo", and that it refers to Italian cheese made from buffalo milk.

(104) Possibly this refers to Caciocavallo, an Italian cheese made from cow's milk.

(105) Toronja is the modern Spanish word for "grapefruit", but the grapefruit as we know it was not developed until the 17th century. The word in the Libre del Coch is toronges, which is Catalan for "oranges".

(106) Xativa or Jativa: a city in Valencia.

(107) Almojabana comes from the Arabic word for cheese. Similar recipes for cheese-dough fritters appear in the anonymous 13th century Andalucian cookbook.

(108) A kind of fritter, still popular in Spain today.

(109) A recipe for Casquetes appears in the Libre de totes maneres de confits, a 14th century Catalan confectionary manual. The ground, toasted nuts are mixed with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, mace, and cloves, and are then cooked in honey and rosewater. They are then combined with leavened dough and are deep-fried in oil. The fried casquetes are next placed in a separate kettle containing honey and rosewater, then removed to a serving dish, where they are sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon.

(110) Biscochar, to bake twice. The Spanish biscocho, the Italian biscotti, and the English biscuit are all so-named because they are baked twice. This fritter recipe uses crumbs of grated biscochos as an ingredient.

There are two recipes in Diego Granado's Libro del Arte de Cozina (1599):

BIZCOCHOS – Biscuits

Take twelve eggs, and remove the whites from four of them, and with a little orange-flower water beat them a great deal, and grind a pound of sugar, and cast it in little by little, always beating quickly, and cast in flour, or powdered wheat starch, and beat it with force. Having cast in the said flour, when they see that it is necessary, and very fine, and the dough must remain white, just as for fritters, and then cast it in your pots, and carry them to the oven, and when half-cooked remove them, and dust them with well-ground sugar, and cut them to your taste, and return them to the oven, and let them finish baking a second time: and if they wish when they beat them, cast in as much white wine as an eggshell, it will be good.

PARA HAZER BIZCOCHO – To Make Biscuit

Take a dozen eggs, and ten of them without whites, and beat them in a kettle with one hand, and after they are well-beaten cast in a pound of well-ground sugar, and beat it well together with the eggs, and cast in a pound of very well-sifted wheat starch, and a little anise, and salt, and beat it a good while, and have a small oven of good temper, and make your squares of papers with your wafers underneath, and cast them there, and dust them with sugar on top, and watch them moment by moment, until they are done, and before watching them prick them with a knife, and if it comes out wet they are not cooked.

(111) Paint?? There is no mention of a glaze here, and tongs are not the usual implement to apply one to pastry. Perhaps it should say "to pinch".

(112) Hojaldrar, to make leaf-pastry. (The prefix hoja means "leaf".) This is an early form of puff-pastry, made from a lard-based dough which is rolled out thin. The "stick for making leaf-pastry" is apparently some kind of rolling-pin.

(113) Blancmange is used as a filling for this fritter. See recipes 9 and 143 for instructions on making it.

(114) Leimgruber says this is an adaptation of the Italian word ravioli.

(115) Apparently, the shredded chicken breast is cooked in the milk until it is "dissolved", and then the ground rice and sugar are added to thicken and sweeten the dish.

(116) This is a meat-pie filling which is cooked in a pot, rather than baked in a crust. Similar recipes for crustless "pot pies" appear in Platina and the anonymous Neapolitan collection.

(117) Compare to recipe no. 26.

(118) See also recipes 8, 168, 243.

(119) The Libre de Sent Sovi says that arugula sauce is served with roasted beef or pork.

(120) Panes. Plural of pan, which means bread, but can also refer to something shaped like a loaf of bread. The meaning here is not completely clear, but possibly arugula leaves were gathered or sold in loaf-like bundles.

(121) Presumably this means a quarter ounce.

(122) If arugula is not harvested when young and tender, its leaves become furry on the underside.

(123) A unit of weight used in Aragon, equal to 123 centigrams.

(124) The Libre de Sent Sovi says that mustard is served with fresh boiled beef or pork.

(125) A wine-vessel and/or unit of measurement for wine. It varied in size from region to region.

(126) "Bastard" means false or imitation. I don't know what makes this recipe "false". There are many variants of cameline sauce in medieval European cookbooks. The one thing they all have in common is a large amount of cinnamon.

(127) See also recipe 42

.(128) These are all terms for truffles.

(129) Durazno is the Spanish for "peach", but Persico ("Persian") is the word for the peach tree. The Latin name, prunus persica, means Persian plum, because the fruit was introduced to Europe from Persia.

(130) See also recipes 8, 149, 243.

(131) According to Leimgruber, treballa comes from the Catalan verb treballar, "to work" or "to labor". One of its meanings is to prepare something by handling it in a forceful manner, such as kneading bread dough.

(132) See recipe 7.

(133) A ring or spiral shape.

(134) The barbel (barbus spp.) is a bottom-feeding fish found in swift-flowing rivers.

(135) Sturgeon and pike are not related. Sturgeons belong to the family Acipenseridae; pike to the family Esocidae.

(136) Dentex dentex, a fish related to the sea bream.

(137) Presumably fish broth, since this is a Lenten recipe.

(138) The recommended method of killing a moray eel is to hold it by the tail and striking its head against a stone or other hard surface. The Larousse Gastronomique insists that for the best flavor, all eels should be kept alive until just before cooking.

(139) Alan Davidson, in Mediterranean Seafood says of the moray eel, "avoid the bony tail".

(140) Manteca, translated here as "fat", usually refers to lard, and sometimes to butter. Lard would be strictly prohibited during Lent. Butter might be permissible during Lent, if one had a dispensation from the Church; it would also be allowed on less stringent fast days outside of Lent. It is also possible that the recipe variation with rice and fat was only cooked on meat days.

(141) Perez says this fish is unidentified. Leimgruber says it is the red scorpionfish (Scorpaena scrofa).

(142) Perez says that this is an unknown fish. Grewe, in the appendix to the Libre De Sent Sovi, identifies bisol (pl. of bis) as Scomber japonicus colias.

(143) Boops boops, a member of the sea bream family.

(144) This is a Catalanism. The Libre del coch says saytó (modern spelling, seitó), which is anchovy.

(145) "Mix them" (mezclarlas) seems to refer to the spices; the pronoun las is feminine plural, so it cannot refer to the anchovy, which is a masculine noun. It might also mean the blanched almonds, in which case the instructions are a bit redundant.

(146) Lobo de mar -- literally, "sea wolf". Lobo is the Spanish name for the ocean catfish, also known as wolffish, Anarhichas lupus.

(147) Perhaps recipe 156 or 170?

(148) The Libre del Coch uses varrals, which Leimgruber says is a variant of verat, the Catalan word for a kind of mackerel. Leimgruber says verat is the chub mackeral, Davidson and Grewe each identify it as the Atlantic mackerel.

(149) Perez says that tallinas is an unknown word, and mentions that tollina is a term used in the tuna fisheries of Andalucia to describe a variety of small tuna. However, this recipe is clearly for a bivalve, not a finfish. Irazno defines tallinas as pechinas -- scallops -- which is more plausible. Granado's Libro del Arte de Cozina has a recipe "To cook tallinas with the shell and without it". Again, the recipe clearly describes a bivalve, and he concludes by saying that one can cook pechinas and other shellfish in this manner. This would indicate that tallinas and pechinas are separate species.Arte de Cortar gives instructions for "carving" oysters, and says that almejas (clams) and tellinas are served in the same way (Villena, 167). The 1726 RAE dictionary identifies telinas as clams. Leimgruber identifies the Catalan tellines as a member of the genera Donax. These are known in English as wedge clams or coquina clams.

(150) Pelaya is Catalan for "flounder". Here, it seems to refer to a different variety of flounder.

(151) This fish is Coryphaena hippurus, the common dolphin. Many people know it by the Hawaiian name of mahi-mahi. It is not the familiar sea mammal.

(152) Cecial refers to dried fish which are air-cured.

(153) This probably refers to the spice mix in recipe no. 1

(154) This would be rice flour, the standard thickener for blancmange, not wheat flour. See recipes 9 and 143.

(155) See recipe no. 54.

(156) See also recipe no. 39.

(157) Eggs were prohibited during Lent. There were other fast days throughout the year, when meat was prohibited, but eggs and dairy were permitted.

(158) See also recipes 8, 149, 168.

GLOSSARY

Azumbre

A unit of liquid measure, about 2 liters.

Blanca

A Spanish coin, of small value.

Bruet

Translation of broete. The Catalan word is broet, a variant of brou, "broth". I have translated it as "bruet", which is the equivalent term from medieval English cookbooks.

Cazuela

Translated as "casserole". A round cooking vessel, wider than it is deep. They came in various sizes.

Cedazo

A sieve. There were different kinds. Some recipes specify a horsehair sieve or one made of silk.

Cheese of Aragon

Many of the recipes call for buen queso de Aragon, "good cheese of Aragon". It's not clear if Nola is referring to a specific type of cheese. This may be a general recommendation to use cheeses from that region, just as a modern cook might say, "and add a splash of good French wine".

Cocer

This verb can mean "to cook", in the general sense of preparing food with the application of heat. Many of the recipes say, "and when it is cooked..." (cocido/cocida), whether the item in question is a soup, a casserole, a pie, a roast, or a fritter. It also has the more specific meaning of cooking food in liquid. I have sometimes translated i as "boiled" when appropriate.

Crustless piece of bread

Migajon. A chunk of bread (or even the entire loaf), minus the crust. There is no exact English equivalent.

Desatar – Destemplar

Nola uses both of these verbs to refer to combining liquid and solid ingredients, such as mixing ground almonds with broth to make almond milk, steeping saffron threads in a sauce, or adding egg yolks to liver paste. Desatar means "untie, undo, unfasten". Destemplar means "infuse" or "untemper". I have translated these terms as "blend" "thin" or "dissolve", as appropriate.

Deshacer

Literally, "undo" or "unmake". It is used to describe foods that are so thoroughly cooked that they are almost dissolving. I have generally translated deshecho as "falling apart" or "mushy".

Dinero

A unit of weight, derived from a coin of the same name. The Spanish text says that three dineros are equal in weight to one drachm; the Catalan text says that two diners equal one drachm.

Dish (See Escudilla)

Empanadas and pasteles

Pastries filled with meat or fish.

The 1726 RAE dictionary says an empanada is made with bread dough, and that the word comes from "en pan", meaning "in bread". It describes a pastel as having a bottom crust made of a lard pie-dough, and a top crust of hojaladre, leaf-pastry.

Villena, in his 1423 carving manual, Arte Cisoria, includes both pasteles and empanadas in his list of foods that a carver must know how to serve.

Granado, in Libro del Arte de Cozina (1599), gives several recipes for meat and fish pastries. His pastel of meat in "oxaldre" has a bottom crust of flour and water, kneaded for half an hour until it is firm, and a top crust of leaf-pastry. Granado suggests coloring it with beaten eggs or saffron-tinted water before baking, or greasing it with a bacon rind immediately after it comes out of the oven. He recommends using whole-wheat flour for the pastel, because leaf-pastry made of it is less likely to break than one made of white flour, although it isn't as tasty. This pastry is able to serve as a storage container — Granado says it will last 3 days in summer and 8 in winter. His recipe for a meat empanada has a top and bottom crust made of well-sifted flour (ie., white flour), cold water, salt, and a little lard. It is colored before baking with eggs or saffron.

Granado's fish-day version of the empanada has a crust made of dough from coarsely-sifted flour. The fish-day pastel is more delicate, being made of white flour, water, and salt. He adds that one can make it of better quality by adding eggs and butter to the dough.

It is not clear what kind of crust Nola would have used in his various pastry recipes. Certainly, he knew of leaf-pastry, because recipe 138 mentions a rolling-pin used to make it. Recipe 48 mentions both pasteles and empanadas. It is not clear if Nola is using the two terms interchangeably, or if he is offering the cook a choice between different kinds of crust.

EscudillaEscudilla,

"Dish" is used in three ways in the text. First, it refers to a bowl. Second, it is used as a synonym for "a serving". Many of the recipes say, "and this will make x number of escudillas". Lastly, it is a measurement of volume, much like 19th century recipes call for a "wineglass" or a "teacup" of a certain ingredient. A recipe for preserved dates in Granado calls for "three pounds of water, or three escudillas" (Granado, 395) which seems to indicate that the escudillas of that time held about 16 fl. oz. Studies of 15th and 16th century Iberian pottery found at archeological sites show that escudillas varied in size, with rim diameters ranging from 8 cm. to 15 cm. (about 3-3/8 to 6 inches), but 13-14 cm. (about 5-1/4 to 6 inches) seems to have been the most common. A modern bowl in my kitchen, whose shape and proportions are similar to illustrations of medieval escudillas has a rim diameter of 13-1/2 cm. and a capacity of 600 ml. (about 20 fl. oz.).There is also a verb, escudillar, meaning "to dish out".

Estameña

A woolen cloth for straining food.

Farro

This refers both to peeled barley, and to the boiled dish made from it.

Fideos

A form of noodle.

Fine spice

Salsa fina. This phrase is repeated in recipe after recipe: "Take fine spice... take all fine spices... take all fine spices except saffron..." In some cases, Nola goes on to specify which particular spices are meant for that recipe. These include: cinnamon, cloves, ginger, grains of paradise, mace, nutmeg, and saffron. In other recipes, when he says "all fine spices," without further detail, it's not clear if he intends the cook to add all of the spices above, or simply to use his own judgment.

Another possibility is that salsa fina may sometimes refer to a blend of spices. Spice mixtures, such as those in recipes 1-6, were common in medieval cooking. The Libre de Sent Sovi gives a recipe for a pound of spice mixture called salsa fina: 7 oz. ginger, 1-1/2 oz. cinnamon, 1 oz. pepper, 1 oz. cloves, 1/4 oz. mace, 1/4 oz. nutmeg, 1-1/2 oz. saffron. (Spices were measured in apothecary pounds, which contained 12 oz. This formula adds up to 12-1/2 oz.) Nola's salsa fina may have been a similar blend.

Finger

Many of the recipes use "finger" (dedo) as a way of indicating size. "Cut them into pieces the size of two fingers..." The dedo was an actual unit of measurement in medieval Spain: 1/48 of a vara. The vara, which was divided into three feet (pies), varied in length from locale to locale, but was slightly smaller than the modern yard or meter. A dedo was somewhere between 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch (about 1.6 cm).

Fritter

Fruta de sarten, literally, "fruit of the frying-pan", is the term for fritters and pancakes. Often shortened to fruta. Translated as "fritter". It also can mean the uncooked fritter dough or the ingredients for the fritter, which I have translated it as "fritter-stuff".

Fruta de sarten (see Fritter)

Grease/

anointUntar. The primary meaning of this verb is "to grease" — ie., to coat something with fat. In a few instances, Nola uses it untar to describe coating food with some other substance, and then I have rendered it as "to anoint".

Haravillo

A kind of implement for stirring/beating food. Its description and the meaning of its name are unknown. It appears in those recipes in which the food (such as boiled gourds and eggplant) is to be so well-stirred that it is nearly pureed, with not a lump remaining. Several of the parallel recipes in the Libre de Coch use the term estrijol, which in Catalan means a brush with iron bristles, used for currying horses.

Hemp-tow

Cañamazo. A sturdy, coarse fabric woven from the fibers of the hemp plant.

Manteca

This word means animal fat — most commonly lard — but it can also mean butter. In recipe 138, Nola calls for manteca de vacas, and this I have translated as "cow's butter". Where manteca appears without any further description, I have generally translated it as "lard". However, in recipe 211, manteca is to be added to the rice that accompanies the fish. Since this is a recipe for Lent, when lard would be prohibited, I have translated the word as "fat".

Maravedi

A Spanish coin. The value of a maravedi was altered several times during the Middle Ages. A law 1497 law set the value of one maravedi equal to three blancas.Dinero — a coin, and also a unit of weight.

Orange juice

Zumo de naranjas refers to the juice of bitter oranges, not the sweet variety. It is used in many recipes (along with vinegar, verjuice, lemon juice, and sour pomegranate juice) to add a sour flavor to food.

Paleta (see Spatula)

Poultry

Medieval recipes for chicken are often specific about the age and gender of the bird to be cooked.

Capon — capon, a castrated male

Gallina — hen, a mature female. The preferred choice for making soup, as they are flavorful, but generally too tough for roasting. Many of the recipes call for caldo de gallina, and I have translated this literally as "hen's broth".

Pollo/Polla — young chickens. I have translated polla as "pullet", and pollo as "cockerel" when it refers to a young intact male. In Spanish, the masculine noun is also used for the generic, so I have translated pollos as "chickens" when it refers to young fowl of mixed or unspecified genders.

Salsa

The modern meaning of the word is "sauce", and Nola frequently uses it in that sense. However, he also uses it to mean "spice". The phrase salsas finas "fine spices" appears over and over, sometimes with a list of which spices should be included. In recipe 106, he instructs the reader to add "all manner of fine spices, which are: good ginger and good cinnamon and saffron and grains of paradise, and nutmeg, and mace...".

Salseron

A sauce of a more liquid consistency than a salsa. Translated as "thin sauce".

Salsilla

A delicately-flavored sauce. Translated as "light sauce"

Semola

This refers both to partly-ground wheat, and to the boiled dish made from it.

Sofreir

To pan-fry food slowly over low heat. There is no exact English equivalent. Translated as "gently fry".

Solsido/Sulsido

A concentrated broth of meat or poultry. The word does not appear in the RAE dictionaries, and is probably a Catalanism. The Catalan word used in the Libre del Coch is "solsit", which apparently comes from the verb solsir-se, meaing "to be consumed" or "to dry up".

Spatula

Paleta, literally, "little shovel". According to the RAE, this kitchen implement is a flat disc attached to a long handle. It is usually made of iron, though in several recipes, Nola specifies a paleta made of wood. Diego Granado, who reprinted 55 of Nola's recipes in his 1599 cookbook, substituted the term espatula. The RAE defines espatula as a particular kind of paleta, used by apothecaries to mix ointments.

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------Copyright 2001 by Robin Carroll-Mann, <rcmann4@earthlink.net>. Permission is granted for republication in SCA-related publications, provided the author is credited and receives a copy.