Store Cupboard Ingredients
Garum: Fish Sauce
- Take small fish such as anchovies or sardines, salt and herbs.
- Layer these in a clay vessel and leave in the sun for 2 weeks.
- Draw off liquid and use.
Alternative recipe for Northern Climes
- Dissolve 3/4lb sea salt in 1 pint of water over a gentle heat.
- Add 4oz anchovy fillets, a pinch of dried oregano, a tablespoon of reduced wine and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Leave to cool and strain through muslin into a glass jar. Will keep in fridge for quite a long time.
Alternatively
Buy fish sauce from Chinese or Thai section of your supermarket. Add reduced wine to taste.
Allec: Fish Pickle
- 4oz canned anchovies (tinned tuna, salmon and sardines work as well)
- 2 tea spoons white wine
- 1 table spoon wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 tea spoon mustard seeds
- 1/2 tea spoon oregano
- 1/2 tea spoon celery seed (or lovage)
- Pinch of basil
- 1/4 tea spoon thyme
- 1 chopped mint leaf
- 1 small clove garlic crushed
Chop anchovies (if using – flake other fish)
Mix all ingredients together in bowl (or shake in a screw top jar)
Use as a condiment or ingredient in other dishes.
Sapa: Reduced Wine
- A bottle of red wine, or a carton of red grape juice.
- Boil in a saucepan until reduced by half
Add to sauces and stews.
Defrutum: Grape syrup
- 2l carton of red grape juice
- 5 dried figs
Add figs to juice in a pan.
Gently simmer until reduced by 2/3.
Stock
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 4 medium carrots, chopped
- 1 medium leek, cleaned and sliced
- 3 sticks of celery, sliced
- 6 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon of each of the following, dried
- thyme
- marjoram
- oregano
- fennel seed
- sage
- rosemary
- savory
- and as an optional Roman extra
- lavender.
- 4 pints of water
Cook it all until it reduces down to about 3 pints.
About 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt added after the reducing.
Either thoroughly mash/process veggies into the liquid for thick stock, or strain for clear stock.
