This recipe is from "Libro de Guisados" by Ruperto de Nola.
The earliest edition of this manuscript is in Catalan, and is known as the Libre del Coch by Maestre Robert. The first Spanish edition (1525) was titled Libro de Cozina and referred to the author as
Ruperto de Nola. The translation for this session is from the 1529 Spanish edition entitled Libro de Guisados, which was translated by Robin Caroll-Mann.
The translation reads:
Take a hen which is more than half-cooked and cut it up as if to make portions; and take good bacon which is fatty, and gently fry it with a little bit of onion. And then gently fry the cut-up hen with it.
And take toasted almonds, and grind them, and mix with them quinces or pears which have been conserved in honey.
And take the livers of the hens, and roast them on the coals.
And when they are well-roasted put them in the mortar of the almonds, and grind everything together; and then take a crustless piece of bread toasted and soaked in white vinegar, grind it in the mortar with the other stuff.
And when it is well-ground, blend it with hen's broth that is well-salted; and strain it all through a sieve; and cast it in a pot; and cast the hen in also; and cast in all fine spices, and a good quantity of sugar.
And this sauce must be a little bit sour. And when the sauce is cooked, cast in a little finely shredded parsley, and prepare your dishes, and then [cast] upon them sugar and cinnamon.
I have not provided quantities as this will depend very much on your own tastes, and the number of people you are serving.
- Chicken pieces
- Chicken stock
- Bacon
- Onion
- Chicken liver/s (you really only need around 1 liver for a serving for four)
- Bread
- White vinegar
- Almonds (almond milk as an alternate)
- Spices (cinnamon, cloves, ginger, pepper, coriander)
- Quinces conserved in honey (quince paste)
- Parsley
Basic Steps
Chop your onion and bacon into small pieces. Peel the almonds if required. Toast a slice of bread, then cut off the crusts and cool. Finely chop parsley and set aside.
Toast the almonds in a small fry pan. Once browned, remove from the pan and put into whatever vessel you will use to grind them to cool. Add the quince paste and grind up.
Using the same pan, fry your prepared livers in just enough oil or bacon fat to stop them sticking too badly to the pan. Cook until cooked all the way through. Add them to the mortar.
Soak your slice of bread with white vinegar.
Add to the mortar with the almonds, liver and conserved quince, and grind everything together.
In a pot, heat enough chicken stock to cover your chicken pieces to a low boil. Add your chicken pieces, bring back up to the boil and then drop down to a simmer. Cook them in stock until almost entirely cooked (about 10-15 minutes), and then pull out of the stock to drain for a short while (reserve the stock!)
In the meantime fry your bacon and onion until the onion is starting to go clear but isn't yet brown. Add your chicken pieces and brown them.
Blend the mixture in the mortar with the chicken stock.
Push it through a strainer, and add to the pan with the chicken, bacon and onion – let the chicken simmer in the sauce on a low heat until you are certain it is thoroughly cooked.
Spice to taste – it should be just a little bit sour
Not long before serving stir in the chopped parsley.
Sprinkle (LIGHTLY!) with cinnamon and a tiny bit of sugar and serve.
