Roman Cookery

As promised, my experimentation with Roman cookery. I thought that since I was dressed as a Roman for our Ancients party, I should cook like a Roman.

SWEET WITH HONEY

200g white flour, 50g ground almonds, 50g walnuts, 50g sesame seeds, 150g honey, 3 eggs

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Crush the walnuts well and grind the sesame. Beat the eggs with the honey and slowly add the flour, almonds and walnuts, beating constantly. This will produce a thick sticky batter. Grease a cake pan and sprinkle with the ground sesame and spread over the batter. Bake for 35 minutes. Keep an eye on it as it can easily burn. When cooked, remove from oven and take out of the pan. Cover with a towel until cool and then cut into small squares. 

This dish is a great palate cleanser between differing dishes. It becomes quite a hard baked slice however not too hard to bite into. The honey is subtle but yummy. 

ISICIA OMENTATA (ROMAN BURGERS)

500g minced beef, 5 slices of bread soaked in white wine, 50ml grape juice, 2 teaspoons oyster sauce

Begin by soaking the bread in enough white wine to make the bread fall apart. Use your finger to break it up. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix together. Form small burger patties with your hands. Fry them in a non-stick pan with a little olive oil. 

This is a fabulous savoury dish. It's very quick and easy to prepare. 





MUSTACEI (MUST ROLLS)

500g plain flour, 300ml grape juice, 2 Tablespoons anise seeds, 2 Tablespoons cumin seeds, 100g lard, 50g grated cheese (sheep or feta if unavailable), 20 bay leaves, 40g yeast (optional)

Preheat ove to 180 degrees celsius. Mix anise and cumin seeds with the flour. If adding yeast to lighten the rolls, stir this through as well. Rub through the lard (softened to room temperature). Add the cheese and grape juice and work together to form a dough. Do not overwork the dough, just until it comes together. Form rolls and put on a lined baking tray with a bay leaf under each. Bake for 20 minutes or until the rolls are firm and sound hollow when tapped with a spoon.