Braised Onions & Florentine Walnut Sauce – Renaissance Recipes for Lent

Braised Onions & Florentine Walnut Sauce – Renaissance Recipes from Scappi and the Anonimo Veneziano

Two Renaissance dishes: Scappi’s braised onions and the Anonimo Veneziano’s Florentine walnut sauce—perfect for Lenten tables and historical menus.

Renaissance Italian cooks excelled at creating rich, satisfying dishes even during Lenten fasting, when meat, dairy, and animal fats were forbidden. This post brings together two such dishes from different, yet overlapping culinary traditions: Braised Whole Onions from Bartolomeo Scappi’s monumental Opera dell’arte del cucinare (1570) and Savor di Noci alla Fiorentina (Florentine Walnut Sauce) from the Libro di cucina/ Libro per cuoco (Anonimo Veneziano, 14th–15th century). While separated by time, both recipes reflect the ingenuity of cooks in crafting full-flavored fare from vegetables, nuts, and spices.

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Historical Context

Bartolomeo Scappi (c. 1500–1577), personal chef to several popes, authored one of the most detailed Renaissance cookbooks. His onion preparations show how texture (parboil, then gentle frying/braising) and small finishings (sugar & cinnamon, or savory sauces) elevate humble ingredients. The Libro di cucina/ Libro per cuoco (Anonimo Veneziano) is a late medieval Italian collection that bridges regional tastes and techniques; its Savor di Noci builds body with bread and nuts and layers in “sweet and strong” spices—an enduring Mediterranean profile that pairs beautifully with vegetables and fish.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions (Modern vs. Historic)

• Onions: Scappi favors large onions; modern sweet onions (Vidalia, Walla Walla, Spanish) mimic the gentle flavor. Yellow storage onions work; extend the parboil and finish with a touch more oil.
• Olive oil vs. animal fat: For Lenten days, oil replaces butter/lard. Use a mild extra-virgin olive oil; historical kitchen oils varied by region and cost but olive oil is authentic to Italy.
• Verjuice vs. lemon juice: Period recipes commonly use agresto (verjuice). If unavailable, lemon juice or a mix of lemon + a splash of white grape juice or cider vinegar gives similar acidity without wine.
• Walnuts: European walnuts (English/Persian) are standard. Toast lightly if your nuts taste flat; cool before grinding to avoid bitterness.
• Parsley: Flat-leaf (Italian) parsley best matches period use; it purées cleaner than curly parsley.
• Bread & breadcrumbs: Period thickeners were yesterday’s bread crumbs. Use plain white breadcrumbs (no herbs). For gluten-free, use a neutral GF crumb; texture may be slightly looser—reduce broth by 1–2 Tbsp.
• Stock/broth: The Libro di cucina walnut sauce is built on fish broth; for meatless days use fish stock or vegetable broth. Veg broth yields a milder, greener profile that pairs well with the onions.
• Sugar & cinnamon finish (onions): Sweet seasonings on savory dishes were fashionable and humoral in intent. A light dusting is correct—aim for aromatic, not dessert-like.
• Flouring the onions: Scappi allows a light dredge before frying/braising for delicate crust and sheen. Skip for a strictly sauced presentation.
• Garlic: Raw garlic in the sauce is period-correct; simmering in broth tames sharpness. For gentler flavor, mortar the garlic with salt first.

How These Dishes Reflect Renaissance Culinary Practice & Culture

• Lenten discipline & ingenuity: Church fasting rules shaped daily menus. Cooks developed satisfying oil-based dishes (no meat/dairy/animal fats) that leaned on vegetables, nuts, bread, and fish. Braised onions in oil and a walnut-thickened sauce are textbook Lenten strategies.
• Bread as technique, not just starch: Breadcrumbs are a signature medieval–Renaissance thickener, giving body and a silky mouthfeel without dairy.
• Nuts for richness: Walnuts (and almonds) stand in for cream/butter, delivering both fat and texture. Nut sauces were common across elite and everyday kitchens.
• Sweet & savory balance: The period palate prized contrasts—sweet with savory, sour with spice. Sugar-cinnamon on onions and “sweet & strong” spice blends in sauces reflect fashionable taste and humoral thinking about balancing qualities.
• Acid frameworks: Verjuice, citrus, and vinegar brighten dishes and aid digestion. The lemon/verjuice finish on onions and the broth-simmered walnut sauce show this acid thread.
• Continuity across eras & sources: Pairing a Scappi recipe (printed, 1570) with a Libro di cucina manuscript (14th–15th c.) shows how older medieval techniques persisted and evolved in Renaissance kitchens.
• Technique-forward cookery: Parboil → drain → gentle oil cook for onions; grind → simmer to thicken for the sauce. Texture management was a core culinary skill in elite households.

Takeaway: These dishes aren’t “making do”—they’re deliberate, technique-driven plates that display Renaissance taste, texture, and balance within the constraints of the liturgical calendar.

Recipe 1: Braised Whole Onions (Scappi, 1570)

Original (summary from Scappi)

Modern Translation

Parboil large onions in salted water until well cooked. Drain and prick to release water. Optionally flour them, then fry or braise in olive oil until golden, or stuff them with a spiced nut-and-herb mixture before braising. Serve with sugar and cinnamon, or with garlic or green sauce. (Variants include stuffing with the mixture referenced in Scappi’s eggplant recipes; add cheese and eggs on non-fasting days.)

Parboil onions, drain well, and prick so excess water escapes. Fry or braise in olive oil until tender and golden. Serve sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, or dress with a savory sauce (garlic, green sauce, or the walnut sauce below). Stuffed versions use a spiced nut-herb filling and are finished with verjuice and aromatics.

Modern Adaptation (Serves 4–6)

• 6–8 large sweet onions
• Olive oil for frying/braising
• Salt and black pepper
• Optional: flour for light dredging
• For serving: sugar & cinnamon, or a savory sauce (garlic, green sauce, or walnut sauce below)

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add onions and parboil until just tender (about 10 minutes for very large onions).
2. Drain thoroughly; prick each onion in several spots to help release moisture.
3. (Optional) Lightly dredge with flour for a delicate crust.
4. Heat olive oil in a wide, shallow pan (enough to come more than halfway up the onions). Fry or braise gently, turning occasionally, until soft and golden (25–35 minutes).
5. Serve warm or at room temperature, either sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon or dressed with a savory sauce.

Why sugar & cinnamon on onions? In Renaissance cooking, sweet notes in savory dishes signaled refinement and aimed to “balance” foods per humoral theory. Use a light dusting: aromatic, not dessert-sweet.

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Recipe 2: Savor di Noci alla Fiorentina – Florentine Walnut Sauce (Anonimo Veneziano, Libro di cucina)

Original (XIII. Brodeto de pessi)	Interpreted Translation
“Toy lo pesse e lesallo, poy toy petrosilo e noce e una molena de pan e pasta insiema, e toy specie dolze e forte e fai bolire insiema e meti sopra lo pesse ed è bono perfetto, etc.” — Libro di cucina / Libro per cuoco, Anonimo Veneziano	“Take the fish and boil it, then take parsley and walnuts and the crumb of bread and grind these all together, and take sweet and strong spices and let it boil altogether (in the fish broth) and put it over the fish and it is good, perfect, etc.”

Modern Adaptation (Makes ~1½ cups)

• 2/3 cup fish stock (or vegetable broth for meatless)
• 2–3 Tbsp breadcrumbs (use gluten-free if needed)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup parsley leaves, finely minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp coarse-ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp “sweet and strong” spice blend (e.g., cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger)

1. Bring the stock/broth to a gentle boil.
2. Add breadcrumbs, walnuts, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, and spices.
3. Simmer until the sauce thickens to your desired consistency (it should be spoonable and coat vegetables or fish).
4. Serve over poached fish, blanched greens, or the braised onions above.

Spice: Add 1/2 tsp of the Renaissance spice blend (specie dolci e forte), then taste. You can increase up to 3/4 tsp for a more “forte” profile.

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Renaissance “Sweet & Strong” Spice Blend

Specie dolci e forte (“sweet and strong spices”) shows up often in medieval/Renaissance Italian sources. It isn’t one fixed formula, but a family of blends balancing warmth (sweet) and heat/pepperiness (strong). Here are two period-faithful options sized for home use:

Option A – Classic Kitchen Blend (about 2 Tbsp)

• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground clove
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp long pepper (optional but historically common)
• Pinch saffron, crumbled (optional for color/aroma)

Option B – “Forte” (spicier; about 2 Tbsp)

• 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 3/4 tsp ground clove
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4–1/2 tsp grains of paradise or long pepper, ground (optional)

Usage: For the walnut sauce, start with 1/2 tsp of either blend and adjust to taste. The goal is aromatic warmth, not holiday-dessert levels of spice.

🥕 Dietary Notes

• Vegan if the walnut sauce is made with vegetable broth and bread without dairy/eggs.
• Vegetarian under the same conditions.
• Gluten-Free with GF bread/breadcrumb substitute.
• Both dishes are suitable for historical Lenten menus when prepared with oil (no dairy/animal fats).

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