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Per fare la pizza di molti strati, comunemente freddi pasta secca a strati- To make pizza of many layers, commonly called a cold dry layered pastry. - Scappi & Mele cotogne, stufate pignoli con acqua rosa, & zuccaro - Apples (Quince) stewed with pine nuts, rosewater and sugar - Chiquart / Domenico prepared to be served.
Researching medieval cuisine is like stepping into a time machine. By reviving these historic recipes, we unearth culinary traditions that continue to surprise and inspire us today. One dish that stands out is Mele Cotogne, Stufate Pignoli con Acqua Rosa e Zuccaro—a unique blend of stewed Quince with pine nuts, rosewater, and sugar. This dish is mentioned in many of the menus provided by M. Domenico, yet it seems to have slipped through the cracks without specific written instructions.
Naturally, I had to take on the challenge to recreate this intriguing sounding dish which was prepared for our Baronial 12th Night Celebration in 2024. As mentioned in previous posts, the menu for the event was drawn from M. Domenico's "Singular Doctrine", and more specifically his "Banquet of the Month of January. I cannot stress enough how much I enjoyed researching and then recreating dishes that woul dhave been enjoyed during this time.
The Singular Doctrine of M. Domenico is a 16th-century Italian culinary text that presents elaborate monthly menus, daily meal plans for morning and evening, a listing of common foods of the time, and instructions on the best ways to prepare them. However, while the text includes detailed menu listings, many of the actual recipes are absent. One such example is Mele Cotogne, Stufate Pignoli con Acqua Rosa, & Zuccaro, which appears in numerous menus but is never explicitly written out. The omission of these instructions suggests that certain preparations were considered basic knowledge among cooks of the period. This absence hints that stewed quince was a well-established culinary staple, so familiar that formal documentation of its preparation was deemed unnecessary.
To bring this dish back to life, I turned to a similar medieval recipe—Chiquart's Spiced Apples and Pears from On Cookery (1420). Chiquart was a 15th-century master cook who served at the court of Amadeus VIII, Duke of Savoy. He is best known for his work Du fait de cuisine (On Cookery), written in 1420, which provides one of the most detailed accounts of medieval European culinary practices. His text includes elaborate feast preparations, ingredient lists, and cooking techniques, offering insight into the refined and sometimes extravagant cuisine of noble households. His emphasis on spice blends, slow-cooked fruits, and carefully balanced flavors makes his work a valuable resource for understanding medieval gastronomy. His approach is an exemplary foundation for reviving Mele Cotogne, Stufate Pignoli con Acqua Rosa e Zuccaro.
Ingredients
2 tbsp. butter
4 tart green apples / or quinces
4 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. pine nuts
2 tsp. raisins
1/4 cup quince preserves
1 tsp. Duke's Powder, or Apple or Pumpking Pie spices
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a baking dish that is large enough to hold your apples (or quinces). Cut your quinces or apples in half, and remove the core. The opening should be approximately 1 inch wide.
2. Mix pine nuts with the spices. Spoon sugar, pine nuts and raisins into each hole filling the apple or quince, and top with a bit more butter. Pour water or wine into the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle around any additional sugar, spices around the fruit. If using apples, supplement with a generous helping of the quince preserves.
3. Bake the fruit until the fruit is easily pierced by a knife approximately 45 minutes. Sprinkle with rosewater.
Please Note: This dish can be served warm or room temperature. If made ahead, it will need to be heated enough to melt the butter. Also note, pine nuts can be toasted before being mixed with the spices, but I chose not to do this.
Results:
I made this dish using apples because I was unable to locate quinces at the time. You could also substitute pears, or a mix of apples and pears. This dish is magical! Fragrant of roses, apples, quince, the warm spices, sweet from the sugar, and crunchy from the pine nuts. Using quince jelly when no quince are available enhances the apples natural tartness, while incorporating the period flavor that the original recipe calls for. If you wish to, use a sweet Italian dessert wine instead of water to further enhance the dish.
Sources:
Friedman, David D., translator. Du fait de cuisine. 15th century. The David D. Friedman Medieval and Renaissance Cookbook Collection, www.daviddfriedman.com/Medieval/Cookbooks/Du_Fait_de_Cuisine/Du_fait_de_Cuisine.html. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
Romo, Domenico. La Singolare Dottrina Di M. Domenico Romano: Trattato di cucina del '500. 1st ed., 2002. Google Books, books.google.com/books/about/La_Singolare_Dottrina_Di_M_Domenico_Romo.html?hl=it&id=FGFWAAAAcAAJ. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
