Since there were no comments about which recipes I should choose I have selected this one as a pre-recipe day tester! It will be the perfect thing for dinner tonight and I think that it might do well as a camping entree or appetizer (depending on size).

The above picture is by Goya who painted it much later than Scappi but I have not been able to locate a picture of a turkey from the late 1500’s. Anyone out there know of one?

The reference for this recipe is found in Scappi under Secondo Libro Cap. CXLI - Per arrostire il Gallo, & la Gallina d’India, liquali in alcuni lochi d’Italia si dimandano pauoni d’India (Second Book Capitol 141 - To roast the turkey and the turkey hen of India, which in some locations in Italy they call the peacock of India.)

Well the reference is sort of from the above. The text tells us if we want to make polpette from the breast of the turkey to consult capitol 43 and 47. I am going to use one or two of the recipes in capitol 43.

Secondo Libro Cap. XLIII - Per far polpette, & polpettoni della carne magra della sopradetta coscia di Vitella mongana (Second Book Capitol 43 - To make polpette and polpettoni from meat made from the aforesaid haunch of veal).

So to cook or to translate? The Scully translation is certainly a good starting point to cook from. Along with the original Italian version I think I can make a fairly educated guess at what is being described even though I would NOT translate polpette as croquettes or polpettoni as fingers, but that is another discussion!

In this capitol there are several recipes described. It is also interesting that capitol 43 tells us if you want to make polpettoni to use the recipe included in capitol 13. I will stick with the polpette recipe which is complicated enough.

In general (we will get to specifics as we progress) you start by cutting thin slices of the turkey breast, beat it and then sprinkle it with vinegar, pepper, salt and fennel. I am assuming you set this aside while you make a stuffing of beaten pork fat, turkey breast meat, egg yolks, pepper, cinnamon, parsley, aromatic herbs and garlic. You then wrap the meat around some of the stuffing and spit them with port fat in between each polpette. Cook them over a “gagliardetto” fire until they are done. Scully translates gagliardetto as “sprightly”. Florio suggests the words gallant, strong, forceful, etc. The recipe continues on to say you can put some grated cheese in the stuffing if you would like. It also suggests that you can wrap them in caul and spit them with bay leaves in between them and cook at a lower heat.

The capitol continues with three more recipes two of which use the above polpette as a base and the third which uses the sliced meat. The first variation tells the reader to stew the poplette in clarified pork fat, verjuice, must syrup, muscatel raisins, pepper, cinnamon saffron and orange juice. The second variation says to sauté the polpette in lard and then stew them with broth, prunes, dried cherries, gooseberries, whole verjuice grapes if they are in season, above spices and a handful of beaten herbs. The final variation uses the flattened meat layered with cheese and spices. I will not be cooking this variation so have not commented further.

From the above I can start to create my ingredient list and a shopping list.

turkey breast (whole)

vinegar (no specific kind)

pepper

salt

fennel (does not clarify if it is seed, frond or bulb)

pork fat (ground)

turkey breast meat (ground)

egg yolks

pepper

cinnamon

parsley

aromatic herbs (does not say what kind)

garlic

port fat (whole, sliced)

cheese (grated but does not say what kind)

clarified pork fat

verjuice

must syrup

muscatel raisins

pepper

cinnamon

saffron

orange juice (probably bitter oranges - melangole)

lard (rendered lard? Lardo - fat back)

broth (does not say what kind)

prunes

dried cherries

gooseberries (uva spina - bramble grape)

whole verjuice grapes (if in season - they are not)

pepper

cinnamon

saffron

herbs (not specific)

Off to the grocery store, then the garden and pantry, then the kitchen.