Errors and Old Cooking - Notes on some Pinedo recipes

As much as you might proofread your own writing, it seems like errors can manage to sneak by.  This is true even if you have other people reading your writing.  And the longer the document, the more likely an error will occur.

This was as true in 1898 when Encarnación Pinedo published her cookbook, El Cocinero Español, as it is today.  When I read through her book, I wasn't always sure if an error was hers (a writing error) or the printer's (a typesetting error).  

In some cases, I guessed it was the printer's fault.  For example, I came across "sicura" on page 73 and spent a long time trying to track down the meaning of that Spanish word.  Well, it's not a Spanish word.  But the word "cisura" is, and it means "opening."  This worked well within the context of the recipe.  This, I think, was made when the book was typeset (remember, no word processors or autocorrect back then!); they switched the c and the s.

 

 

On the other hand, on page 129, the second recipe for Stuffed Eggs has a very confusing direction.  After the hard-boiled eggs are stuffed - like the ever-popular Deviled Eggs but with a more complex stuffing - a bird feather is supposed to brown the eggs.

 A bird feather?  

This is when I think she made a writing error.  When you have about 880 recipes, this can happen.

Looking at the recipe as a whole, you recognize that the feather is the mistake, as evidenced by the instructions, "Put them in the dish when they have taken color" - that is, when they have browned.

 

  

This is where a knowledge of Old Cooking comes in handy.  In the days before ovens with broiler elements, one way to achieve the browning was using a salamander.  It is a metal disk with a long handle.  It is heated in the fire, then held over food.  Its heat acts like a modern broiler, browning crumbs, melting cheese, and whatever else you need to have cooked from above.

Here's a picture:

http://www.fightingquakerforge.com/uploads/1/3/3/0/13300957/2845458_orig.jpg 

I hope to acquire one some day, just for the fun of showing it off and, of course, to use it in my historical cooking demonstrations.

Further investigation helped me feel more confident of my change, because I found a German recipe that is very similar to her recipe: Eier gefüllt und gebraten.  Here, the stuffing is comprised of cooked yolks, with flavorings such as mustard and herbs, and is bound with soaked breadcrumbs and/or raw yolks, and then the filled eggs are fried stuffing-side-down or baked.  Once that is done, shredded cheese is put on top and the eggs are broiled or oven-baked to melt the cheese.  Some versions suggest making some sauce to put over the top.

I'm convinced Pinedo's recipe is a version of the German recipe, and no feather is needed to brown the stuffing.

There are more errors in her book, but nothing Earth-shattering. Items such as a simple misspelling, and instructions that appeared to be put in the wrong recipe.  Most everything is well written. 

Zanzibar Chicken, one of My Most Favorites

I guess I've been in the mood for returning to old favorite recipes lately.  My orange tree has been producing - they are Valencias, and so make wonderful juice - and I really wanted to make Zanzibar Chicken again (pg 92-93), a recipe I've been making since 1990.

It comes from a book I have used so many times, 365 Ways to Cook Chicken, by Cheryl Sedaker.  

ISBN 0-06-015539-6

When I look through it, I see notes I have made on a variety of recipes.  This one comes to mind as a favorite because the concepts it holds transfer to other ingredients so easily.  It also is a fruit-and-meat combination, which I love, along with some of my favorite spices.

When I first started cooking from this book, I was a new mom, trying to learn how to manage a house and a baby.  The recipes are often quite easily assembled, then can be left to cook while I did other things.  In fact, this recipe comes from the chapter titled "Chicken Quick."

So here it is, recipe #144:

Zanzibar Chicken

3 pounds chicken thighs and/or drumsticks

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed through a press

3/4 cup orange juice

3 tablespoons raisins

1/3 cup slivered almonds 

That's fresh squeezed juice in that glass measuring cup!

1. Season chicken with cinnamon, cloves, salt, and pepper.  In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add chicken, in batches in necessary, and cook, turning until browned, about 10 minutes.  Remove and set aside.

2. Add onion to pan.  Cook until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer.

3. Return chicken to pan.  Add orange juice and raisins.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes, until chicken is tender.  Garnish with almonds.

My Notes

Today I had about 1 1/2 pounds of chicken thighs (boneless, skinless).  That works for me, so I used all the same ingredient amounts, not halving them at all.

I mixed the seasonings in a bowl, then rolled the chicken pieces in them until each piece was thoroughly covered with a thin layer.  Keep in mind that I love these spices, so it would take a lot to make them too strong for me.

The smaller amount of chicken meant I didn't have to brown them in batches.  But brown them I did.  They even got a little crusty, but they weren't cooked all the way through. (I like crusty.)

I had to turn the heat down a little when the garlic went in, as I despise burnt garlic.  A quick one-minute cooking should be enough to make everything smell good.

I sometimes measure the raisins but I might just throw in a handful, depending on how much I want to taste raisins.

Sometimes I spoon the juice-raisins-onions mixture on top of the chicken pieces before simmering.  Just to get the extra flavor into the meat.

Roll that thigh in the spices!  Coat it well.

They all fit in the pan.

Crusty level of browning. Without burning the spices.

Everything together and ready to simmer.

It's done.

The Verdict

Of course it tastes good!  It's one of my favorites!  

The spices were strong but not too much.  My guest taster thought they were just right. The chicken was cooked all the way through and very tender.

The sauce, oh the sauce!  Orange, spices, sweet from the raisins, meaty, luscious.  It is just so good.  

Put the pan on a trivet and serve it forth.

I served the chicken and sauce with rice, both in a bowl, so the sauce could flavor both the meat and the rice.  Spoon that sauce over everything.

The almonds add a lovely crunch. 

Get every drop of that sauce.

Success! 

Now, what I meant by "the concepts transfer to other ingredients" is that you can create similar dishes with the ideas contained in the recipe.

I have used apple juice instead of orange juice, sometimes adding pieces of apple to the pan, with either chicken or pork chops.  Use the same spices or add some ginger (especially good with pork).  Apples and onions are a made-for-each-other combination.  I may or may not use raisins.

I have also used coconut milk along with fresh lemongrass, curry powder, and maybe a little ginger.  For fruit, pineapple is a good choice as well as raisins.

What other combinations could you use?  Use your imagination.  Have fun with it.  Consider chicken, pork, fish, or seafood.  Think about the spices that taste good with the meat you choose.  Pick a fruit that complements everything.