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Patina Fusilis (A Dish of Cold Asparagus)
Patina de Asparagis Frigida (A Dish of Cold Asparagus) is a traditional Ancient Roman recipe for a classic dish of asparagus puree mixed with pepper, stock, wine and passum that's thickened with eggs and mixed with bird meat before being baked to set, chilled and served. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Ancient Roman version of: A Dish of Cold Asparagus (Patina de Asparagis Frigida).
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
45 minutes
Total Time:
65 minutes
Serves:
4
Rating: 
Tags : Game RecipesFowl RecipesVegetable RecipesBaking RecipesAncient Roman Recipes
Original Recipe
Aliter patina de asparagis frigida: accipies asparagos purgatos, in mortario fricabis, aqua suffundes, perficabis, per colum colabis. et mittes ficetulas curatas. teres in mortario piperis scripulos sex, adicies liquamen, fricabis. vini cyathum I, passi cyathum I, mittes in caccabum olei uncias III, illic ferveant. perungues patinam, in ea ova VI cum oenogaro misces, cum suco asparagi impones cineri calido, mittes impensam supra scriptam. tunc ficetulas compones. coques, piper asparages et inferes.
Translation
Another: A dish of Cold Asparagus: Take cleaned asparagus, grind in a mortar, and sprinkle with water. Mix then pass through a sieve. Next, place fig-peckers that you have prepared for cooking in a pan. Pound in the mortar 8g of pepper, moisten with stock, and blend. Add 50ml each of wine and passum, put in a saucepan with 150ml oil and bring to a boil. Grease a shallow pan. and mix in it 6 eggs with wine sauce and the asparagus purée,pour on the mixture described above, and arrange the birds [on top]. Place in the hot ashes, cook [then allow to cool] season with pepper and serve.
Modern Redaction
This recipe calls for the meat of fig-pecker birds. These remain a delicacy in Italy, but I would recommend substituting quails, woodcock, or any other small game birds.
Ingredients:
2 bunches of asparagus
meat stripped from 2 cooked quails or woodcock
1/2 tsp freshly-ground
black pepper
250ml game stock
50ml white wine
50ml
passum
80ml olive oil
3 eggs
2 tbsp wine sauce (mix an equal volume of wine with
vegetable stock and a drop of olive oil)
Method:
Place the asparagus in a mortar or food processor and add just enough water to give you a smooth purée. Pass through a fine-meshed sieve to remove any coarse bits.
Combine the asparagus purée in a pan with the black pepper, game stock, white wine, passum and olive oil. Bring to a simmer and take off the heat.
Beat together the eggs and wine sauce in a bowl. Add a ladleful of the hot asparagus mix to temper then turn the eggs into the pan. Stir in the meats, pour into a greased baking dish then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 170°C and bake for 35 minutes, or until cooked through and set.
Turn out onto a plate, chill in the refrigerator and serve.
Find more recipes from Apicius' De Re Coquinaria along with information on Apicius and his cookbook, all part of this site's Ancient Roman recipes collection.
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