I was researching Roman cookery as background to the third book in my Collector of Tales series, The Prawns of Lebowa, when I found an absolutely fascinating book written apparantly around the 3rd or 4th Century AD. OK its not really classical Roman but it's about as close as it gets really. De Re Conquinaria, attributed to a chap called Apicus.
So here is a slight modification to a recipe called Lenticula (or spiced green lentils) that I have taken from the book. This one hasn't been modified but others that I plan to post will have to be. Some of the ingredients the Romans used are no longer either produced, as in the case of liquamen or are extinct, as in Laser - which was apparantly some kind of huge fennel that grew on the coastal regions that are now Libya. Liquamen was a kind of fish sauce which I tend to substitute with nam pla ( which appears to be manufactured in pretty much the same way and seems , at least to me, to match the description.
Anyway here is the recipe. if you try it I hope that you enjoy it. I'll post a couple of other recipes over the next couple of days, one meat and one vegetable so that in all three you have a simple meal albeit light on carbohydrates.
Ingregients:
•200 g green lentils
•1 tbsp red wine vinegar
•1 tsp freshly crushed black peppercorns
•juice of half a lemon
•1/2 tsp crushed sumach berries
•1 tbsp virgin olive oil
•2 tbsp coriander seeds
•handful of coriander leaves
•slice of lemon
•sea salt to taste
Method:
Rinse the lentils and drain, then cook them in a good quantity of water until they are soft but not mushy. (Don't salt the water!) Drain off the cooking water when done.
Crush the coriander seeds in a pestle and mortar and then add these to the lentils together with the vinegar, the crushed peppercorns, lemon juice, olive oil and crushed sumach.
Place the pan with the lentils back on the heat and cook for a further 10 minutes. Season with sea salt to taste.
Spoon into a warmed serving bowl and tear and then add the coriander leaves together with the slice of lemon as garnish.
It doesn't look much but it tastes good.
So here is a slight modification to a recipe called Lenticula (or spiced green lentils) that I have taken from the book. This one hasn't been modified but others that I plan to post will have to be. Some of the ingredients the Romans used are no longer either produced, as in the case of liquamen or are extinct, as in Laser - which was apparantly some kind of huge fennel that grew on the coastal regions that are now Libya. Liquamen was a kind of fish sauce which I tend to substitute with nam pla ( which appears to be manufactured in pretty much the same way and seems , at least to me, to match the description.
Anyway here is the recipe. if you try it I hope that you enjoy it. I'll post a couple of other recipes over the next couple of days, one meat and one vegetable so that in all three you have a simple meal albeit light on carbohydrates.
Ingregients:
•200 g green lentils
•1 tbsp red wine vinegar
•1 tsp freshly crushed black peppercorns
•juice of half a lemon
•1/2 tsp crushed sumach berries
•1 tbsp virgin olive oil
•2 tbsp coriander seeds
•handful of coriander leaves
•slice of lemon
•sea salt to taste
Method:
Rinse the lentils and drain, then cook them in a good quantity of water until they are soft but not mushy. (Don't salt the water!) Drain off the cooking water when done.
Crush the coriander seeds in a pestle and mortar and then add these to the lentils together with the vinegar, the crushed peppercorns, lemon juice, olive oil and crushed sumach.
Place the pan with the lentils back on the heat and cook for a further 10 minutes. Season with sea salt to taste.
Spoon into a warmed serving bowl and tear and then add the coriander leaves together with the slice of lemon as garnish.
It doesn't look much but it tastes good.
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