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Ventrem Plenum (Stuffed Pig's Stomach)
Ventrem Plenum (Stuffed Pig's Stomach) is a traditional Ancient Roman recipe for a classic dish of a pig's stomach that's stuffed with a pork forcemeat flavoured with spices and bound with eggs that's cooked in boiling water and served with a stock and lovage sauce. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Ancient Roman version of: Stuffed Pig's Stomach (Ventrem Plenum).
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
110 minutes
Total Time:
130 minutes
Serves:
4
Rating: 
Tags : Sauce RecipesSpice RecipesPork RecipesBread RecipesAncient Roman Recipes
Original Recipe
Ventrem porcinum bene exinanies, aceto et sale, postea aqua lavas, et sic hanc impensam imples: pulpam porcinam tunsam tritam, ita ut enerviata commisceas cerebella tria et ova cruda, cui nucleos infundis et piper integrum mittis et hoc iure temperas. teres piper, ligusticum, silphium, anesum, gingiber, rutae modicum, liquamen optimum et olei modicum. reples aqualiculum sic ut laxamentum habeat, ne dissiliat in coctura. surclas ambas et in ollam bullientem summittis. levas et pungis acu, ne crepet. eum ad dimidias coctum fuerit, levas et ad fumum suspendis ut coloretur. et denuo eum perelixabis, ut coqui possit, deinde liquamine mero oleo modico et cultello aperies et cum liquamine et ligustico adponis.
Translation
Take a pig's stomach and empty it scrupulously, first washing with a salt and vinegar mix and then with water. Then fill the stomach with the following ingredients: minced and pounded pork mixed with three brains with the membranes removed, raw eggs, nuts and peppercorns. Blend this forcemeat with a sauce made of the following ingredients: ground pepper, lovage, silphium, anise, ginger, a little rue, the best stock and a little olive oil. Fill the stomach with the forcemeat, taking care to leave a little empty space, lest the stomach burst during cooking. Bind up the two openings and plunge in a pot of boiling water. Lift out and prick with a needle, to ensure it does not burst. When half cooked, lift out and hang in woodsmoke to give it colour. Then boil again thoroughly until done, adding stock, wine and a little oil. Open with a knife and serve with liquamen an lovage.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
1 pig's stomach, thoroughly cleaned
For the Stuffing:
150g minced pork
1 pig's brain (with the membranes removed) [or use 200g of tinned corned beef]
2 eggs
6 tbsp pine nuts, chopped
2 tsp black peppercorns, lightly crushed
1/2 tsp ground
black pepper
1/2 tsp
lovage seeds (or
celery seeds)
pinch of
asafoetida
1/4 tsp
aniseeds
1/2 tsp ground
ginger
pinch of
rue (or
rosemary)
100ml good meat stock
1 tbsp liquamen
1 tbsp olive oil
300ml good meat stock
120ml white wine
4 tbsp olive oil
For the Serving Sauce:
500ml of the cooking stock
2 tbsp liquamen
4 tbsp lovage (or celery) greens, finely chopped
Method:
Thoroughly wash the pig's stomach then leave to soak in warm water as you prepare the stuffing.
Begin with the stuffing sauce. Pound together the ground black pepper, lovage (or celery) seeds, asafoetida, aniseeds, ginger and rue (or rosemary) in a mortar. Work in the 100ml meat stock, liquamen and olive oil then whisk with the eggs.
Mash the brain (or corned beef) in a bowl and mix with the minced pork, pine nuts and black peppercorns. Work in the sauce then use this mixture to stuff the pig stomach (do not over fill, as the stuffing needs room to expand. Securely tie the two openings closed.
Bring a pan of lightly-salted water to a boil, add the pig's stomach and cook for 15 minutes. After this time, prick the stomach with a needle to prevent it from bursting. Return to the pan and cook for a further 40 minutes. Now remove the stomach and dry it. Fry in a little oil or butter until coloured then return to the pan. Add the meat stock, white wine and olive oil. Continue cooking for about 80 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked.
About 20 minutes before the stomach is ready, remove 500ml of the cooking liquid from the pan. Pour into a saucepan and mix with liquamen and the lovage greens. Bring to a boil and reduce until thickened.
When the stomach is done, drain and dry. Set on a plate, cut to open, pour over the sauce 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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