Minutal Matianum
(Pork with Apples)

Origin: Roman      Period: Traditional

Original Recipe

Minutal Matianum (from Apicius' De Re Coquinaria)

Minutal Matianum: Adicies in caccabum oleum, liquamen, cocturam, concides porrum, coriandrum, esicia minuta. Spatulam porcinam coctam tessellatim concides cum sua sibi tergilla. Facies ut simul coquantur. Media coctura mala Matiana purgata intrinsecs concisa tessellatim mittes. Dum coquitur, teres piper, cuminum, coriandrum viridem vel semem, mentam, laseris radicem, suffundes acetum, mel, liquamen, defritum modice et ius de suo sibi, aceto modico temperabis. Facies ut ferveat. Cum ferbuerit, tractam confringes et ex ea obligas, piper asparges et inferes.

Translation

Put in a sauce pan oil, broth finely chopped leeks, coriander, small tid-bits, cooked pork shoulder, cut into long strips including the skin, have everything equally half done. Add Matian apples cleaned, the core removed, slice lengthways and cook them together: meanwhile crush pepper, cumin, green coriander, or seeds, mint, laser root, moistened with vinegar, honey and broth and a little reduced must, add to this the broth of the above morsels, vinegar to taste, boil, skim, bind strain over the morsels sprinkle with pepper and serve.

Ingredients:

900g pork, diced
240g minced pork or beef shaped into balls and fried until browned in a little oil
750ml sweet white wine
3 leeks, sliced
4 eating apples, peeled, cored and sliced lengthways
200ml honey
generous splash of vinegar
generous splash of olive oil
generous splash of fish sauce (Nam Pla)
generous handful of mint, shredded
large bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
1 bay leaf
3 tsp cumin seeds
3 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
pinch of asafoetida

Method:

Combine the wine, bayleaf and pork in a pan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer then cover and cook for 30 minutes, or until the meat is almost done. Add the meatballs, mint, coriander and leeks and cook for a further 15 minutes, or until the leeks are almost tender.

Meanwhile, add a little oil to a pan. Add a pinch of asafoetida and fry for 1 minute then add the remaining spices and fry until they begin to crackle and spit. Transfer to a mortar and grind to a fine paste. Add the spice mix to the stew along with the apples and honey. Return to a boil and cook for a further 15 minutes, or until the apples are almost tender.

Season to taste with vinegar, olive oil and fish sauce and simmer for 5 more minutes. Remove the bay leaf and serve. If desired you can make a roux by blending 2 tbsp butter with 2 tbsp flour before stirring into the sauce. Cook for a further 10 minutes to thicken. Serve in a bowl garnished with freshly-ground black pepper.

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