The following recipes are taken from an old Roman cookbook: De Re Coquinaria by Marcus Gavius Apicius(1st century A.D.) Recipes ALITER BAEDINAM SIVE AGNINAM EXCALDATAM (Steamed Lamb) 10 lamb cutlets 1 l white wine 100ml oil 2 big onions, diced 2 tblsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground pepper 1 tblsp Liebstoeckl 1 tsp ground cumin 200ml Liquamen (or 2 tsp salt) Put cutlets into pot, together with diced onion and spices. Add Liquamen, oil and wine. Cook 45-60 minutes. Pour sauce into a pan and thicken it with starch. Serve cutlets together with the sauce. OVA SFONGIA EX LACTE (Pancakes with Milk) 8 eggs 600ml milk 100ml oil a little bit honey a little bit ground pepper Mix eggs, milk and oil until you have a pancake dough. Fry in a pan and
serve topped with honey and a little pepper.
GUSTUM DE PRAECOQUIS (Starter with Apricots) 1kg firm ripe apricots or nectarines 200ml white wine 250ml Passum Peppermint tea (portion for one cup) Pepper, Liquamen or salt, cornstarch, a little vinegar and honey Wash, cut and stone apricots. Put them with a little cold water in a pan. Ground pepper and dried mint (that's where the tea bag comes handy...), add Liquamen, honey, Passum, wine and vinegar. Pour into the pan with a little oil. Cook approximately 20 minutes on small to moderate heat. After it boiled add a bit of cornstarch to thicken the sauce, sprinkle with pepper and serve. PATINA DE PISCICULIS (Soufflee of Small Fishes) 500g boiled fillet of small fishes or whole sardelles 150g dried raisins (sultanas) 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper 1 tblsp Liebstoeckl 1 tblsp oregano 2 small diced onions 200ml oil 50ml Liquamen, or 1/2 tsp salt some cornstarch Mix raisins, pepper, Liebstoeckl, oregano, onion, wine, Liquamen and oil together and put in a casserole. Cook until done. Then put small boiled fish fillets or boiled small whole fishes into it. Thicken with a bit of cornstarch and serve PEPONES ET MELONES (Water and Honey Melons)
Half a honey melon peeled, diced
Half a water melon peeled, diced and stoned 500ml Passum A little bit of honey (or Passum) 1 tblsp minced parsley 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper a little bit of Liquamen, or a dash of salt Poleiminze, Silphium, vinegar, if wanted Cook diced melons in a pan together with spices and herbs until done. Sometimes Silphium is added. DULCIA DOMESTICA (Housemade Dessert) 200g fresh or dried dates 50g coarsely ground nuts or stone-pine kernels a little bit salt honey, or red wine with honey (to stew) Take the stones out of the dates and fill them with nuts or stone-pine kernels. Sprinkle a bit of salt on the filled dates and stew them in honey or honey-sweetened red wine. The dates have to be cooked in on low heat until their paring starts to come off (approximately 5-10 minutes)