Sauce for Crane or Duck

The ducks went to the processor last week. And though I will sell most of them, I had to hang on to a few to enjoy. I found a number of applicable recipes in Apicius' De Re Coquinaria, translated as Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome by Joseph Vehling. This is number 215. Like many of Apicius' recipes, it is a mere list of ingredients; proportions and technique are for the redactor to discover.

"Pepper, lovage, cumin, dry coriander, mint, origany, pine nuts, dates, broth, oil, honey, mustard, and wine."

What I did this time:
Put the duck to roast, covered, with a little water in the pan, at 325 degrees for 2 1/2 hours.


1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh minced lovage leaf
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
2 Tbsp fresh minced mint
3 Tbsp fresh oregano
2 Tbsp pine nuts
8 dates or figs
1/4 c red wine



1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 c bouillon
1/2 c renderings from the roasting pan
2 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp salt or to taste ( I am assuming that Roman "broth" was a salty condiment, as it appears in almost every recipe. Possibly it simply means dissolved salt, since Roman salt came in big dusty chunks from the mines, and dissolving it and letting it settle would be the preferred method of getting rid of the dirt.)


I put the spices and fresh herbs through a food processor (much faster than the historic mortar and pestle!) with the pine nuts and dry fruit.  What I had on hand turned out to be figs, not dates, so the resulting sauce was slightly different than intended, but whatever. I added the wine to moisten it so it would process better. I then sauteed this paste in the oil so the flavors mellowed, and dissolved it in the broth and honey before returning it to the blender for a final smooth finish.

Now, in true medieval fashion, cut bite-sized strips of hot duck meat, dip the end in the sauce, and enjoy! (Like Chaucer's Prioress, never wet your fingers in the sauce too deep.)

Rummaniyya (stew soured with pomegranite) by 'Ajib al-Mutawakkili
Pg 279 in Annals of the Caliphs' Kitchens, Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq's 10th century Baghdadi cookbook

Funges (mushrooms and leeks)

"Take funges, and pare hem clene and dyce hem. Take leke, and shred hym small and do hym to seeth in gode broth. Color it with safron, and do there-inne powder fort."

Wash and chop about 1 1/2 pounds of mushrooms (crimini, portabella, or simiar) and 1 large leek, the white and light green parts. Simmer them tender in a cup or less of chicken broth.  Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper or less, and 1/4 tsp. ginger.  The saffron is superfluous, and expensive. A sprinkle of sugar is nice too.

I'm sure any other member of the onion family would be good here  in lieu of leeks.

Perrey of Peson (fresh pea soup)

"Take peas and boil them until they are soft. Cover them until they burst.  Then take them out and strain them through a cloth. Take onions and mince them and boil them in the same stew, adding oil. Cast on sugar, salt, and saffron, and boil them well after that and serve them forth."  from an Anglo-Norman recipe collection.

2 lbs. frozen peas
1 quart chicken broth
1 large onion
2 Tablespoons sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
tiny pinch saffron
drizzle of oil or butter is optional. The broth probably contained some fat.

boil the peas and minced onion in the broth until very soft, puree in a blender, then season to taste with the remaining ingredients or more if you like.
This is very tasty as it stands, but other possible seasonings might include a bit of mint, tarragon, or basil, pepper,  coriander....