The Commonplace Boke of Lady Avelyn Grene - Florentine-Style Meat in a Baking Dish

A Good Roast

Recipe by Kristen Sullivan

This recipes yeilds a pleasantly flavored meat ready to serve right from the oven.

1-2 lbs. beef sirloin roast, cut into fist size pieces
1/2- 3/4 onion
1/8 cup prunes
1/8 cup raisins/li>
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
3 whole cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp sugar
pinch saffron
1/8 cup water
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup verjuice

Lay meat in a baking dish. Cover with fruit, salt, and liquids. The liquids should be no more than a finger's-width deep in the dish. Put in the oven at 350 degrees. When the meat is half cooked (about 20-30 minutes) flip the meat over and add spices and sugar. Cook another 20-30 minutes, or until completely cooked.

Source [The Neapolitan Recipe Collection, Terence Scully (trans.)]: Florentine-Style Meat in a Baking Dish: Get veal or another meat with the bone, cut it into the pieces as small as a fist, and put them into a baking dish with a little water, a beaker of wine and another of good verjuice; if you master likes, add in a few slices of onion � or, should he not like onions, use parsley, the root that is � along with raisins, dried prunes, and salt; cover the meat by no more than a finger of water, and set it in the oven; when it looks half done, add a few cloves, a good lot of cinnamon, pepper and a good lot of saffron � let it taste of pepper; when it is half cooked, turn it over; then take it out onto a plate with the spices and sugar on top, or else leave it in the baking dish. You can do the same with fish � that is, grey mullet or ell � cut into pieces four fingers in width, washed well and put into a baking dish with a little oil. Note that you can make these things sweet or tart according to our master's taste.