Pottage otherways in the Italian Fashion. is a traditional Stuart recipe (from Robert May's cookbook) for a classic Italianate soup of mutton in a spiced almond paste and verjuice base with grapes. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Stuart version of: Pottage otherways in the Italian Fashion.
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Original Recipe
Pottage otherways in the Italian Fashion. (from Robert May's Accomplisht Cook 1660)
Pottage otherways in the Italian Fashion.
Boil a rack of mutton, a few whole cloves, mace, slict ginger, all manner of sweet herbs chopped, and a little salt; being finely boiled, put in some strained almond-paste, with grape verjuyce, saffron, grapes, or gooseberries; give them a warm, and serve your meat on sippets.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
1 rack of mutton
6 whole cloves
2 blades of mace
4 slices of dried ginger
4 tbsp parsley leaves
leaves from 3 sprigs of mint
1 tsp thyme leaves
2 sage leaves
salt, to taste
100g (1/4 lb) almonds, pounded to a past and passed through a fine-meshed sieve
100ml (2/5 cup) sour grape juice (grape verjuice)
a few saffron threads
100g (1/4 lb) grapes or gooseberries
Method:
Place the mutton along with the spices in a pot. Chop the herbs, add to the pot then cover all the ingredients with water and bring to a boil. Season to taste, reduce to a simmer, cover the pot and cook for about 80 minutes, or until the mutton is tender.
Remove the meat from the pot and set aside to keep warm. Strain the broth, place in a clean pot and add the almond paste along with the verjuice and saffron. Bring back to a simmer and cook until thickened to your liking. Add the grapes or gooseberries and cook for 10 minutes, or until warmed through.
Serve the meat on sippets of bread and serve the pottage to accompany.
