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.)
Sunday, October 25, 2015
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