Italian Cincerelli
A historical recipe from The art and mystery of curing, preserving, and potting all kinds of meats, game, and fish, by Anonymous (1864).
A historical recipe
The art and mystery of curing, preserving, and potting all kinds of meats, game, and fish; also, the art of pickling and the preservation of fruits and vegetables, by Anonymous (1864). Project Gutenberg eBook #71687.
From an old book: a historical recipe, not current advice. Its methods, additives and storage may be unsafe by today's standards. Its words name: a substance or vessel no longer considered safe. Check current food-safety guidance before following this.
Italy
Known as an Italian recipe, with similar versions prepared across other nations.
- Additives or old utensils. The text names something no longer considered safe in food or for cooking in, such as lead, alum, borax, bitter almonds or copper pans. Don't use it.
Ingredients 5 ingredients
- a bushel of prime fresh ones
- 1 oz. Mace
- ½ oz. Sal prunelle
- ½ lb. These must be all
- a bunch of
Cook safely
Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.
- Hot oil. Never put water on an oil fire: turn off the heat and cover the pan with a lid or a damp tea towel. Pat food dry before it goes into hot oil, and lower it in gently, away from you.
- Boiling water and steam. Turn pan handles inward, away from the edge of the hob. Lift lids away from you, and pour hot water away from your body: steam burns too.
- Sharp knives. Cut on a board that doesn't slip (a damp cloth under it helps), and curl the fingers of the hand that holds the food.
Method
Chef Wood
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- At the beginning of every sprat season the fish are possessed of oil or liquid fat to a great extent;
- this diminishes as the season advances, and in about three weeks or so from their first arrival, take half a bushel of prime fresh ones, pick out the largest, and cure them as best suits your convenience at that time, then throw away the small ones and rubbish, and leaving the middle class for the present purpose.
- Wash them in salt and water quickly as possible, and set them in a basket to drain.
- Now make a mixture of Dried bay leaves 2 oz.
- Green laurel leaves 1 oz.
- Mace, in powder ½ oz.
- Sal prunelle, in powder ¾ oz.
- Genuine cayenne ½ oz.
- Gum olibanum 2 oz.
- Bay salt 1½ lb.
- Powdered loaf sugar ½ lb.
- These must be all well dried, powdered, and sifted.
- Take now two perfectly clean unglazed stone jars, as wide at top as at bottom, with bungs cut to fit tightly.
- Put a bunch of the old-fashioned brimstone matches lighted into each jar, and fumigate them well, wipe them out, and beginning with a light layer of the mixture, proceed with alternate layers of fish and powders, until both are filled, minding to keep them very closely stowed as you proceed;
- fix in the bungs, and secure them water-tight with melted resin or pitch;
- put them away in a dry place for six months, turning the jars topsy-turvy every fortnight.
- They will be delightful, wiped dry and fried in olive oil boiling, or eaten with toast, as anchovies.
- If thought to be too high flavoured by some persons, put them in warm water at 120 deg.
- Fahr.
- for ten minutes prior to serving them.
Plating
Cookware for this recipe
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Frying pan
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Saucepan
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Chef's knife
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Sieve
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Colander