Interesting Chef Tips Ancient Roman vs. Today

Ancient Roman Tips by: Apicius vs.
today's tips by: Chef Alba

To make vegetables bright green

Ancient Roman: All greens become bright green if boiled with cooking soda.

Today: To make vegetables retain their color even after cooking, cook vegetables in boiling salted water for a few minutes, then take them out and cool immediately in iced water (very cold water or water + ice cubes).

How to properly boil asparagus

Ancient Roman:  Dry the asparagus plunge again into hot water; this will prevent them from getting too soft.  Boiling of asparagus is interrupted; first they are only blanched, then dried, and put again into boiling water.

Today: Place the asparagus into salted boiling water. You really only need enough water to just cover the stalks. Boil for about 4-5 minutes and remove from the water promptly.

 

How to keep meat fresh without pickling

Ancient Roman: Cover meat that you wish to keep fresh with honey, but suspend the receptacle, and use when required. This is better in winter; in summer it will keep in this manner only a few days. You can use this method also with cooked meats.

Today: Place packaged meat in the coldest part of refrigerator. Be sure the refrigerator is 40 degrees F and the freezer temperature 0 degrees F. If placing in freezer, over wrap with freezer paper of plastic wrap prior to placing in freezer. Use meat placed in refrigerator within 2-3 days and meat placed in freezer within 2-3 months.

How to roast meat

Ancient Roman: Meat roasted plain in the oven, sprinkled with plenty of salt. Serve with honey. The honey brings out the flavor of the meat. Sauces were made later by pounding herbs, spices, and honey boiled with some corn flour to thicken.

Today: Before it goes into the oven, preheat the oven, trim the meat, season, and sear/brown it before placing into a baking dish for the oven. The standard temperature for cooking roasts is 350F degrees. Technically, the lower the heat of the oven, the better the final roasted product will be. At a lower temperature, the meat will take longer to cook but will produce more flavor and moisture. Never roast meat at a temperature below 200F degrees.

Keep Apples Fresh

Ancient Roman: Plunge them in boiling water, take out instantly, and hang up.

Today: Keep apples in the refrigerator in the vegetable bin. Remove any apples that may have bruises, cuts or are over ripe. These apples will release a gas that will cause the other apples to ripen too quickly. Wrap each apple in tissue paper then place in the refrigerator.  This will delay the ripening process.

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I find ancient Roman cookery very exciting, I want to learn more and more about it. In a later post, I will probably be comparing some ancient Roman recipes and how they relate to some of the recipes we cook today. 

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Moussaka Alba's Way

Moussaka with Purple Potatoes

Moussaka is a baked dish made with alternate layers of spiced ground lamb, potatoes, fried eggplant covered with a thick layer of béchamel sauce that becomes golden and crusty. Moussaka was introduced when the Arabs brought the eggplant to Greece around 1200s during their stay. The Arabs have a similar dish called maghmuma.   Moussaka is one of the most popular dishes of Greek and Turkish cuisine influenced by the Arab footprint that passed through.

To achieve optimal Moussaka, use fresh and good quality eggplants (No bruises, discoloration, softness). Rinse and pat dry each individual slice before cooking.  Brown and season the ground meat well before layering.  Flavor the béchamel sauce with a little nutmeg, salt and pepper.  At the end of the assembly, sprinkle with some freshly grated Pecorino cheese.  

Alba's recipe:

I used small purple potatoes with their skin on, shaved them thinly so I didn't have to cook them. I drizzled a little olive oil on the potatoes, added salt and pepper and placed them at the bottom of the casserole. I sauteed the combination of ground lamb and beef in a skillet with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and a little peperoncino. I really browned the meat until all the juices were absorbed. When I made the béchamel sauce, I flavored it with salt, pepper, nutmeg.  Flavoring each step is critical to any dish. I sliced the eggplant thinly, pat it dry, placed them on a baking sheet with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and I baked them in the oven for about 10-12 minutes at 400F.  Once all of my ingredients were prepped, I assembled the moussaka with alternating layers.  I sprinkled some Pecorino cheese on top and baked it for 45-60 minutes until golden on top.  I had leftover marinara sauce, which I warmed up and served it on the side with the moussaka. 

When the moussaka is ready, wait a few minutes before serving. It's like a lasagna, it needs to cool a few minutes before serving or you'll have a big mess when cutting the first slice. 

Perhaps my lasagna was not authentic, however it was very tasty and a little healthier than using fried potatoes and eggplant in the dish.  What makes a dish tasty is the care one takes at each step. Without that, it's just a good dish!!

 

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