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DINNER WITH ST.CATHERINE OF ALEXANDRIA
Barbara Longhi, "St. Catherine of Alexandria", 1589, Pinacoteca Comunale, Ravenna, Italy
St. Catherine of Alexandria (Egypt) is the patron saint of arts & crafts in Italy and her feast day is celebrated every year on November 25th. St. Catherine was highly regarded during the Renaissance period because of her talents as a cultivated woman. She is mentioned in the Legenda Aurea and remembered in several seaside places in Italy such as Pietra Ligure and Polignano a Mare as a saint protector of open sea adventurers. In a fresco in the church of San Nicolò in Pietra Ligure in particular St. Catherine is portrayed with an elephant next to her as a symbol of her continent of origin. www.facebook.com/friendsofcama
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DINNER WITH ST.CATHERINE OF ALEXANDRIA MENU Hors d’Oeuvre Fried Rice Medallions First Course Risotto with Saffron and Osso Buco Second Course Renaissance Pork Stew from Lombardy Side Dishes Renaissance Spinach with Currants Stuffed Zucchini Desserts ‘Panforte’ ice-cream Cherry Pie Fried Apples www.facebook.com/friendsofcama
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FRIED RICE MEDALLIONS Hors d’oeuvre Ingredients: 4 cups cooked risotto ½ cup ground almonds 1 tablespoon rose water (see recipe below) ½ cup vegetable broth 1 teaspoon sugar 2 tablespoons flour 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
Directions: Mix the cooked risotto with the ground almonds, rose water, broth, sugar and flour. Shape the compound into round medallions and fry them in boiling sunflower oil. Rose water: Get some organic rose petals and wash them. Put the rose petals in a small pot and cover them with distilled water. Heat it before boiling point and switch off. Cover the pot. Let it infuse for about an hour. Filter the water twice. Keep in the refrigerator.
Historic and cultural curiosities RICE in the RENAISSANCE Funny enough in the Renaissance era sweet dishes were used as appetizers. Rice was in use as an ingredient of poor people’s dishes. However, because of the commonly held belief in the miracles worked through eating rice, it got to be revered by merchants and affluent people too.
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RISOTTO WITH SAFFRON AND OSSO BUCO First Course Ingredients:
1-2/3 cups parboiled rice 4 osso buco veal shanks medium size 1/3 cup butter 1 bunch of celery 1 carrot 1 medium size onion 2 pinches of saffron 2 cups white wine ½ cup parmesan cheese Salt to taste A few leaves of sage One rosemary branch 4 cups of meat or vegetable broth 2 tablespoons flour Directions: Dust the veal shanks with flour and brown them in oil and half of the butter. Finely dice celery, carrot and onion and add them to the pan. Add white wine, salt, sage and rosemary. Cook on simmer for about an hour in a covered pan. Add some broth if necessary. Meanwhile in a sauce pan simmer the broth. Brown the rice by sautéing it in a large frying pan with a little oil. When the rice is slightly opaque, add two ladles of broth and let it cook slowly on medium heat stirring once in a while with a wooden spoon. Add more broth once the rice has absorbed the liquid, repeat until the rice is fully cooked but still al dente. Add the saffron. Take the pan away from heat, stir in the rest of the butter, the parmesan cheese and cover the pan. After a few minutes stir the rice. Dish out the rice and add the osso buco veal shanks on top. Historic and cultural curiosities THE FIRST RISOTTO WITH SAFFRON in the RENAISSANCE It is said that a stained glass window maker was compelled to work on his daughter’s wedding day. He was working on the Cathedral of Milan’s stained glasses. In order to celebrate he created a dish by using rice that he usually brought from home and he added some saffron that was part of the colors he used to embellish the glass windows. That’s how risotto with saffron was created for the first time. www.facebook.com/friendsofcama
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RENAISSANCE PORK STEW FROM LOMBARDY Second Course Ingredients: 1-1/2 pounds lean pork shoulder, cut into 2� cubes 1 medium onion, chopped 1 cup red wine 1/3 cup slivered almonds 1 teaspoon sugar 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves and powdered ginger A tiny pinch of saffron, cinnamon and allspice Salt and pepper to taste Oil for sautÊing Directions: In a saute pan, brown pork cubes (dusted with flour) in peanut oil. Remove cubes from pan and saute onion. Return pork to pan. Add wine, sugar and all spices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 1-1/2 hours or until tender. Toast almonds in frying pan and sprinkle over stew and serve. Historic and cultural curiosities PORK STEW in the RENAISSANCE This is a pork stew from Lombardy that could have been served at the court of Duke Ludovico Sforza in Milan. Lombardy was considered one of the sources of haute cuisine in the Renaissance.
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RENAISSANCE SPINACH WITH CURRANTS Side Dish Ingredients: 2 pounds spinach 2 tablespoons butter 2-3 tablespoons orange juice 1 tablespoon lemon juice 3-4 tablespoons currants 1/2 teaspoon sugar or to taste A tiny pinch of cinnamon
Directions: Soak currants in orange/lemon juice. Steam spinach until tender, cool and squeeze as much liquid out of it as possible. Then chop it. Strain currants and reserve liquid. Saute spinach in butter. Add orange/lemon juice and sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle currants on top and serve with olive oil bread.
Historic and cultural curiosities SIDE DISHES in the RENAISSANCE Mainly pastries, tarts and meat pies, side dishes were considered to add to the luxury of renaissance food.
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STUFFED ZUCCHINI Side Dish Ingredients: (for 4 people) 2 zucchini 1/3 pound ground veal 1/3 cup bread crumbs 1 egg A pinch of ginger ½ teaspoon salt ½ tablespoon butter ½ cup vegetable broth 2 spoons fresh capers 1 tablespoon butter Directions: Mix the ground veal with the bread, egg, ginger and salt, then brown the mixture in butter. Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise, empty them and fill with the stuffing. Place them next to each other in a casserole, add the broth and cook in the oven at 180 centrigrade/356 F. for 15 minutes. Dish out the zucchini, fast soak the capers in hot butter and sprinkle them on the zucchini. Historic and cultural curiosities ZUCCHINI in the RENAISSANCE What’s interesting about zucchini and/or cucumbers in the Renaissance is that they were the symbol of Jesus Christ’s resurrection. The use of this symbol was a rethorical figure called ‘prolessis’ because it is about something that has not happened yet, but will happen in the future. The most important Italian Renaissance artist interpreting the cucumber symbol was Carlo Crivelli (see image below).
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Carlo Crivelli, Madonna and Child, Pinacoteca Civica, Ancona, Italy
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Carlo Crivelli St. Catherine of Alexandria, 1491-1494, National Gallery, London St.Catherine’s symbol is a barbed wheel. St. Catherine had been sentenced to death to such a martyrdom. While the saint was under the wheel, angels came and delivered her by tearing the wheel down. That’s how angels saved St. Catherine and set her free. www.facebook.com/friendsofcama
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Parmigianino, Mystical Marriage of St. Catherine of Alexandria, 1529, National Gallery, London
Important women of the Renaissance period in Italy were named after St. Catherine of Alexandria, among which Caterina de’ Medici of the noble Medici family from Florence. In this painting St. Catherine is receiving the marriage ring from Baby Jesus. The meaning of mystical marriage is being gifted with eternal life.
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Lorenzo Lotto, St. Catherine of Alexandria, 1522, National Gallery of Art, Washington Another lovely depiction of St. Catherine. She was a woman of great virtue, intelligence and beauty with whom Renaissance women wanted to identify with.
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‘PANFORTE’ ICE CREAM Dessert Ingredients: 1 cup half-and-half 2/3 cup sugar 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 2 cups heavy whipping cream 4 large egg yolks 3 tablespoons full-flavored honey 1/4 cup mixed candied citrus peel 1/2 cup almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
Directions: (Ice cream maker required. If you do not have an ice cream maker, this is a link on how to make ice cream by hand.) In a bowl mix the egg yolks with the honey. Add the cream and the milk. Finely chop the almonds, cut the candied citrus peel in small cubes. Add the almonds, the candied fruits and the spices. Add more spices and/or honey to taste. Put this mix in the ice-cream maker and let it solidify. Transfer the compound in the freezer for about an hour. Serve in individual bowls and sprinkle with a few almonds, candies fruits and serve with amaretto biscuits.
Historic and cultural curiosities ICE CREAM in the RENAISSANCE When Caterina de’ Medici married the Duke of Orleans (Henry II of France) in 1533, she is said to have brought with her to France some Italian chefs who had recipes for flavored ices or sorbets. There is no historical evidence to support this legend, neither there are written reports of the recipes. However we like this story very much.
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CHERRY PIE Dessert Ingredients: Shortcrust pastry: 2-1/2 cups flour ½ cup sugar 2/3 cup butter 2 egg yolks Grated lemon peel
Filling: 1-1/4 cups pitted cherries 1-1/4 cups ricotta cheese ¾ cup sugar 2 eggs a pinch of cinnamon a pinch of ground ginger 1 rose water tablespoon (see recipe below)
Directions: Stir the ricotta cheese. Add the eggs, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and rose water. Chop up the cherries. Add the cherries to the compound. Divide the shortcrust pastry in two parts. Spread one of the two parts in a
greased pan. Pour the mixture into the pastry lined pan, making it level. Take the rest of the pastry and divide it into strips to decorate the top of the pie. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 200° centigrade/392F for 45 minutes. Let the pie cool down and serve. Rose water: Get some organic rose petals and wash them. Put the rose petals in a small pot and cover them with distilled water. Heat it before boiling point and switch off. Cover the pot. Let it infuse for about an hour. Filter the water twice. Keep in the refrigerator. Historic and cultural curiosities: CHERRY PIES in the RENAISSANCE The Renaissance period inherited pie making from the Middle Ages. It is said that witches would teach women in love to add secret ingredients and magical herbs to pies to make their beloved fall in love with them. That’s the reason why pies were created in the first place.
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FRIED APPLES Dessert Ingredients: ¾ cup flour A pinch of salt 1 teaspoon sugar 2 cups water 3 egg yolks 1 tablespoon olive oil 3 egg whites 4 apples, peeled, cored and cut into quarters 3/4 cup frying oil Directions: Mix the flour with the salt, sugar and water until smoothly mixed. Add the egg yolks and the olive oil mixing well. Whip up the egg whites and fold them into the mixture. Warm up the frying oil. Dip the apples into the mixture, coating them well and put into the frying oil. Brown slightly and then place on paper towels to drain the oil. Coat with sugar and sprinkle with cinnamon. Alternatively the apples can be peeled and cored first, then cut into round disks, instead of quartered; that’s how they are served in central Italy.
Historic and cultural curiosities APPLES in the RENAISSANCE Apple translates ‘mela’ in Italian. It can also be found as the prefix pomo- such as in the Italian word ‘pomodoro’ (tomato) and reverse in the English word pomegranate (melogano). The prefix pomo is considered as a Milanese heritage just like some of the recipes above!
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***FRIENDS OF CAMA*** Feedbacks from the friends of Cama about our Italian Renaissance cooking events: “WOW! This is cool!” “I'm always going in a living history picnic and try to make a period food to the event. So I really love this kind of thing” “I am up for it! I live in France, Normandie. Just send the details of food, and the exact time!” “I'm dreaming about the Renaissance.” “I love surprises, especially tasty ones!” “It was a wonderful idea, Roberta. I think we can learn a lot about the Renaissance through its cuisine!” “From now on I will eat rice with a different spirit in mind.”
What our cooking events are about: we celebrate the Italian Renaissance by concurrently cooking Renaissance recipes belonging to the same menu at our homes on the same day. All sitting at a big virtual table in all the corners of the globe. The menu is composed by one or more recipes we have selected and tested in advance. It’s by gathering our recipe selections that we originally created the above menu.
Join our cooking events on facebook. Like and share the Friends of Cama page. Friends of Cama is an international network of people in love with Italian Renaissance art & heritage. Join us by creating a Cama circle in your town. Write to: friendsofcama@gmail.com for more information.
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