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Aliter Gruem vel Anatem (Crane or Duck, Another Way)
Aliter Gruem vel Anatem (Crane or Duck, Another Way) is a traditional Ancient Roman recipe for a classic dish of roast crane or duck served with a spiced sauce of gourd (or squash) with chicken livers. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Ancient Roman version of: Crane or Duck, Another Way (Aliter Gruem vel Anatem).
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
35 minutes
Total Time:
55 minutes
Serves:
4
Rating: 
Tags : Spice RecipesVegetable RecipesAncient Roman Recipes
Original Recipe
Aliter gruem vel anatem: assas, eas de hoc iure perfundis: teres piper, ligusticum, origanum, liquamen, mel, aceti modicum et olei. ferveat bene. mittis amulum et supra ius rotulas cucurbitae elixae vel colocasiae ut bulliant. si sunt et ungellae [coques] et iecinera pullorum, coques. in boletari piper minutum adspargis et inferes.
Translation
Crane or Duck, Another Way: Roast the bird and pour over the following sauce: Pound pepper, lovage, oregano, stock, honey, a little vinegar and olive oil. Cook well. Add starch [to thicken] and when the sauce is bubbling add rings of boiled, sliced gourd or Egyptian beans. If you have them, add cooked chicken feet and livers. [Arrange the bird] on a serving dish, sprinkle with finely-ground pepper and serve.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
1 oven-ready duck
For the Sauce:
1/2 tsp freshly-ground
black pepper
1/2 tsp
lovage seeds (or celery seeds)
1/2 tsp dried
oregano (crumbled)
500ml duck (or chicken) stock
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp cornflour (originally
wheat starch (amulum) would have been used)
1 medium courgette, sliced into thin rings or 1/2 butternut squash, peeled, halved and thinly sliced or 300g broad (fava) beans (par-boil these in lightly-salted water before use)
150g lightly-fried chicken livers, chopped
Method:
Roast the duck (for how to produce perfect roast duck see this site's guide to roasting meats).
In the meantime, combine the black pepper, lovage and oregano in a mortar. Grind together then moisten with the honey, white wine vinegar and a little of the stock. Turn into a pan and combine with the remaining stock and olive oil. Pour in 250ml of roasting juices from the duck and bring to a boil. Add cornflour to thicken then add the parboiled courgette, squash or beans. Cook for 5 minutes.
About 20 minutes before the duck is due to be ready, add the chicken livers to the sauce, pour over the duck and finish roasting. Plate out the duck, pour over the sauce and serve.
Find more recipes from Apicius' De Re Coquinaria along with information on Apicius and his cookbook, all part of this site's Ancient Roman recipes collection.
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