Stierbach Cooks Guild

‘ADASIYA
‘You cook the meat with chopped onion in oil and when the pot has been brought to the boil, and the scum removed, husked lentils are thrown in and cooked thoroughly. Then you pour in vinegar and spice it with coriander and cumin: throw in garlic (as well). Whosoever wishes may throw in ground cheese; whosoever wishes may colour it yellow with saffron. Throw in beet root without the cheese and garlic. Whosoever wishes may throw in something sweet.”

‘Adasiya. This dish is found in the earliest culinary manual compiled, by al-Warraq. Named for its chief ingredient, the lentil (‘adas), which is probably the oldest cultivated legume and is native to southwest Asia, possibly northern Syria and Iraq. The original recipe calls for the inclusion of meat, but it can be prepared as well without for those with vegetarian preferences. A variation of this recipe suggests using beet root which could be subsituted for the fresh coriander. In a Caliph’s kitchen by David Waines, London: Riad el Rayyes Books P.108-109

REDACTION
8 oz brown or green lentils, soaked an hour in hot water
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 tablsppoons olive oil
1 large clove garlic, crushed
1 TBS ground coriander
1 TBS ground cumin
4 oz feta cheese chopped fine
4fl oz wine or cider vinegar

Drain the water from the lentils and put into a heavy casserole, together with the onion and garlic, adding just enough fresh water to cover the contents. Bring back to the boil, partially cover the casserole and cook for half an hour or until the lentils are tender. Allow the water to reduce somewhat while being careful not to let the contents burn.
Add to the spices to the casserole along with the vinegar and the cheese. Stir the mixture thoroughly and simmer gently for a further 30 minutes. This dish can either be served hot or enjoyed cold.

NOTES:
Usually done as vegetarian dish with no meat. Have put in half the feta in for 30 minute simmer and adding rest at last minute to ‘dress’ the dish.

285. To prepare a thick soup popularly called vivarole.
Get ten eggs and beat them. Have a broth ready, made of butter, salt, water, pepper, cinnamon and saffron, and in it spinach, chard, mint and marjoram, all finely chopped up as for a tourte. When that broth has boiled a little while with the herbs, mix a little grated bread and cheese into the beaten eggs and pour that into the broth, giving it a stir with a spoon. When it comes to the surface, serve it hot.

Scappi, Bartolomeo, and Terence Scully. The Opera of Bartolomeo Scappi (1570): l’arte et prudenza d’un maestro cuoco. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008, p. 379.

FIRST REDACTION
SPINACH EGG DROP SOUP

2 cups beef bullion
1 TBS butter
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp pepper
1 bag baby spinach (9 oz) chopped small
2 TBS fresh mint, chopped and heaping
1 tsp chopped fresh marjoram
1 egg
1 tsp bread crumbs
1 tsp parmesan cheese

Bring the meat broth to a boil, add butter, cinnamon, and pepper. Add spinach and herbs and cover, at low heat for 5 minutes. Beat egg with bread crumbs and cheese. For one portion pour through a fork into soup.

NOTE: Interesting. The flavors of the mint and marjoram came out but not pepper or cinnamon. I would increase the pepper and cinnamon because it was a little bland. I was worried one egg per bowl would be too much but it was almost too little.

SECOND REDACTION
SPINACH SOUP WITH DUMPLINGS

1 pkg of chopped frozen spinach
6 cups of beef bullion
2 TBS of chopped mint
1 TBS of chopped marjoram
1 egg
1 heaping TBS of grated parmesan cheese, more if necessary
2 heaping TBS of grated plain bread crumbs, more if necessary

Bring the meat broth to a boil, add spinach and herbs. Heat through about 1 minute.
Have prepared a dough made of egg, bread crumbs, and cheese, very thick about the consistency of pancake batter. Drop rounded teaspoons of dough into the soup from the about the height of 12-18 inches so that they sink below the surface and cook, five to ten minutes until done. Serve.