Cymas et Cauliculos (Baby Greens in a Celery Mint Sauce)
Baby Greens in a Celery Mint Sauce (Cymas et Cauliculos) is a traditional Ancient Roman recipe for baby open cabbages or sprouting broccoli cooked in a spiced celery seed and mint sauce. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Ancient Roman version of: Baby Greens in a Celery Mint Sauce.
Cymas: Cuminum, salem, vinum vetus et oelum. Si voles, addes piper et ligusticum, mentam, rutam, coriandrum, folia coliclorum, liquamen, vinum, oleum.
Translation
Cumin, salt, old wine and oil. If you want, add pepper and lovage, mint, rue, coriander, coriander leaves, sauce, wine, oil.
For the Romans, caulis are not cauliflowers, but rather open-headed cabbages, rather like the ancestor of modern cabbage. The ending -iculos is a diminutive, so these would be baby open cabbages. Flavour wise, sprouting broccoli would be good, otherwise the leaves of rape seed plants (canola).
Ingredients:
1 cauliflower (or a large head of broccoli)
½ tsp cumin seeds
50 ml white wine
20 ml olive oil
pinch of black peppercorns
½ tsp celery seed (or lovage)
3 or 4 sprigs of mint
pinch of fresh rosemary (or rue)
handful of chopped coriander leaves
200 ml vegetable stock
100ml white wine vinegar
30 ml olive oil or (or 30g butter)
salt and black pepper to taste
Method:
In a mortar add a pinch of peppercorns, celery seed, mint and rosemary. Grind with a pestle and add the chopped coriander leaves. Mix these in with the pestle. Put this in a pan along with white wine vinegar, olive oil or butter and about 200ml of the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 40 minutes to reduce the volume of the stock.
When the sauce is about 15 minutes from being done add the cauliflower or broccoli to a large pan along with the cumin seeds, salt, wine, olive oil, and just enough water to steam the vegetables without stewing them. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Drain the vegetables and pour into a bowl. Cover with the reduced sauce and serve immediately. As an alternative you can serve a mix of cauliflower and broccoli.
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