Medieval Beef: Vaccina Salpresa Alessata, servito con Petrosemolo - Italian Salted Beef

Originally Published September 28, 2021

Vaccina salpresa alessata, servito con petrosemolo Salted pressed beef, boiled served with parsley

I first ran across this recipe after receiving Scappi's book. Originally it was planned to be served as part of a four-course meal at a site where the kitchen facilities were not optimal and at least two of the courses would need to be prepared ahead of time and served cold. This is very easy to make. As noted, I did not use curing salt because the amount of time I was curing the meat was not a very long time compared to Scappi's recipe where the meat is to be cured for long-term storage. Three days is an optimal time to brine and infuse the meat with the flavors of garlic, fennel, black pepper, and coriander. The spices that I chose are not in the recipe. Fennel and black pepper were quite common, throughout the book. Coriander was chosen because I would be garnishing it with parsley, and I think the flavor of Coriander pairs well with parsley. Garlic as a personal choice was chosen. It is not commonly used in Scappi's book.

Original Recipe: To lightly salt and boil every cut of the said animal, chapter 4, Scappi

I find that the shoulder and breast of the said animals are more appropriate than the others. When the cow or bull is dead and skinned without being skinned, one cuts it into the said layers in many pieces, and one puts it in slat in a ceramic vessel or wood, the which has been well washed, because if the salt is not cleaned, and if it is full of dirt it will have a bad smell, and when the pieces are places one on top of the others one covers the vessel with a wood cover, adding above a weight that holds everything well pressed until it has made the salt solution, and the summer when it has been curing for four days, and in the winter for eight, one pulls it out of the vessel, as much as you want to cook, rinse it in fresh water, and put it to cook in water without salt, and make sure above all that it is well skimmed. When it is cooked one can serve it hot or cold at every time with garlic sauce or mustard in plates. And if you want to make it in the same day that the animal is killed, take a piece of the shoulder or another part, and put it to boil in strong salted water until it is well cooked. And serve this in the same way that it is said above.

Ingredients

2 pounds beef brisket or flank steak

1/2 C. salt

OPT: 1/2 Tbsp. pink salt (sodium nitrite)

2 Tbsp. coriander

2 Tbsp. cracked black pepper

1 Tbsp. each garlic powder and crushed fennel

Instructions

1. Trim and clean the beef, removing connective tissue and most of the fat.

2. Prepare the brine by adding the salt and spices to a quart of water, bringing it to a boil, and allowing it to cool to room temperature.

3. Once cooled, place the meat and the brine into a ziplock bag, and refrigerate for three to seven days turning the bag daily. 4. When you are ready to cook the meat, remove it from the brine and pat it dry with a paper towel.

5. Grill each side for 2 minutes on direct heat. Then move to indirect heat and allow to cook to your liking. 6. Allow meat to rest until room temperature, but preferably cold, slice thin and then serve on a bed of lettuce garnished with parsley.

Note: Scappi has two sets of instructions in the recipe. The first recipe is how to prepare the meat through a salting process. The second is how to cook it when it is fresh.

And if you want to make it in the same day that the animal is killed, take a piece of the shoulder or another part, and put it to boil in strong salted water until it is well cooked. And serve this in the same way that it is said above.

Also, note that Scappi instructs you to serve the meat with mustard as a sauce.

This is an excellent dish that can be prepared ahead of time and served at a feast, or as part of a dayboard or camp meal.

Sources:

"The Opera Of Bartolomeo Scappi (1570)". Google Books, 2022, https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Opera_of_Bartolomeo_Scappi_1570/oF2jsqrWtEkC?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover. Accessed 18 July 2022.