Next dish to try

[bunnyjadwiga]

from De Nola again:

178. Pottage called jota
POTAJE LLAMADO JOTA

You will take chard, and parsley, and mint, and borage, and put everything to cook so that it comes to a boil; and then put it on a chopping-block, and chop it small with spices; and when it is well-chopped, strain it through a woolen cloth, and put it in a pot; and you must give it a boil in such a manner that it does not lose its greenness. And do not cover it until the hour of dinner, and if you wish to cook it the night before, make it in the same manner, but you must put in some bacon from fresh pork and fry it to extract the juice; and with that juice, gently fry the above-mentioned things; and with pot-broth in the manner of spinach, and then prepare dishes, and upon each dish put a piece of that bacon which you have gently fried.

Ok, this one is a bit odder. I'm going to work on it this way:
- chard, mint, parsley (borage ommitted), cleaned and chopped roughly
-blanch greens
- chop up fine and add spices
- drain?
- cook on low just until done (make sure color does not change)

I'm worried about that 'strain through a woolen cloth but I'll try it.

Comments

[dr-zrfq.livejournal.com]

I'm worried about that 'strain through a woolen cloth but I'll try it.

I'd guess it would be a summer- or tropical-weight wool cloth. These days it seems odd to use wool for cheesecloths but wool was more common back then, even for warm weather wear. Mind you, I'm not sure why he says to strain it at all before it's put in the pot with the liquid. The end product still sounds very nummy, and I'm not just saying that because it's lunchtime...

[lyzrecusant.livejournal.com]

Are you ommitting the borage because you don't have any? I have a bunch in my garden - it volunteered from last year. If you want it, you're welcome to come and dig it up before we put the house up for sale. I am debating whether it's worth digging one up to take with me at this point, and concluding that it probably isn't, but you're welcome to whatever is there. Borage is suprisingly easy to grow around here, and it grows very big. If you plant some next spring, you'll have more than enough, especially if, like me, you are a somewhat lazy gardener and allow it to go to seed. :-)