OK, so it’s not the kind of mortar that lobs explosives, although you wouldn’t want me to lob it at you anyway. Ir’s a mortar and pestle, the Thai variety to be precise. I made some authentic red curry pork with it, and it came out pretty good, although it took all day. So what else can I make with this thing? And is there a better way to clean it than hauling it in and out of the sink? It’s rather heavy, so I’d like to avoid moving it as much as possible.
Did you steal it from Baba Yaga?
Well…earliest recipe I know usig a mortar and pestle is for Moretum, a garlic cheese ‘spread’ from classical rome=)
http://www.godecookery.com/friends/frec70.htm
In medieval history meat was pureed by pounding it in mortar and pestle until a smooth paste and then cooked,
Leche Lumbard - from Forme of Cury:
- Leche Lumbard. Take rawe pork and pulle of the skyn, and pyke out =FEe
synewes, and bray the pork in a morter with ayron rawe. Do =FEerto sugur,
salt, raysouns coraunce, dates mynced, and powdour of peper, powdour
gylofre; & do it in a bladder, and lat it see=FE til it be ynowhgh. And whan
it is ynowh, kerf it; leshe it in liknesse of a peskodde; and take grete
raysouns and grynde hem in a morter. Drawe hem vp wi=FE rede wyne. Do =FEerto
mylke of almaundes. Colour it with saundres & safroun, and do =FEerto powdour
of peper & of gilofre and boile it. And whan it is iboiled, take powdour
canel and gynger and temper it vp with wyne, and do alle =FEise thynges
togyder, and loke =FEat it be rennyng; and lat it not see=FE after =FEat it is
cast togyder, & serue it forth.
Hieatt, Constance B. and Sharon Butler. Curye on Inglish: English Culinary
Manuscripts of the Fourteenth-Century (Including the Forme
of Cury). London: For the Early English Text Society by the Oxford
University Press, 1985.
Gode Cookery translation: Take raw pork and pull off the skin, and pick out
the sinews, and pound the pork in a morter with raw eggs. Do there to sugar,
salt, currants, minced dates, and powder of pepper, powder cloves; & do it
in a bladder, and let it boil til it be done. And when it is done, carve it;
slice it in the likeness of a peaspod; and take great raisins and grind them
in a morter. Blend it with red wine. Do there to milk of almonds. Color it
with sandlewood & saffron, and do there to powder of pepper & of cloves and
boil it. And when it is boiled, take cinnamon powder and ginger and mix it
up with wine, and do all these things together, and look that it be rennet
(coagulated); and let it not boil after that it is cast together, & serve it
forth.
Artemesia’s Redaction:
Meatloaf –
1 Lbs Ground Pork
1 Egg
4 Tbs currants
1/2 little box raisens
6 Large dates, pitted and minced
1/4 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1/8 tsp black Pepper
1/8 tsp salt
Sauce –
2 cups Almond Milk
1/2 cup Red Wine
1/2 little box of raisens
3 strands of saffron
1/8 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1/8 tsp ginger
For meatloaf:
-
Take all of the ingrediants and mix them up in a bowl together. Try to
get a consistant mixture so that all the fruit and spices are distributed
evenly. -
Cover a baking sheet with tin foil and form meat mixtures into a shape
(if you want to see the original directions for peaspod, please go to the
website stated above). Mine was a sun. I tried to keep it no thicker
(height) than an inch and a half so everything cooked evenly. -
Put in oven at 350 degrees for roughly 35 minutes. I orginally made a 2
pound batch, which I left in for 40 minutes, which was a little too long for
my tastes (turned a little dry). It should be a light golden brown.
Sauce:
-
Place in saucepan everything but the ginger and rosemary. Bring to
boil, then bring down tempurature to a simmer. Allow to boil down for at
least 20 to 30 minutes. -
Near the end of the simmering, add ginger and rosemary. Because mine
didn’t thicken, I added about 1 tablespoon arrowroot, but when I did it the
second time, it thickened…so go figure.
Plating the Meal:
-
Clean the excess fat off of the meatloaf and then put in the center of a
large plate. -
Pour sauce around the loaf (not over).
-
Serve it forth.
Congratulations on your new purchase! I’ve been thinking of buying a mortar and pestle from Williams-Sonoma for years, but keep putting it off for some reason. As for recipes, Alton Brown (of the Food Network’s “Good Eats”) had a show on the other day that was all about spices. He actually seemed to prefer a little hand-held grinder thingy as opposed to the mortar and pestle, but he did have a some good recipes. I especially want to try the salmon recipe.
Alton’s coffee grinder might work well for spices, but the red curry paste called for things like lemon grass and rehydrated chiles, in large amounts. I started them in the mortar to break down the fibers, and finished in the food processor.
I just watched the Casino documentary/reality marathon last night, and so I can tell you that you can use it to crush sugar to make candy sculptures!
This an awesome, quick way to do fish. It’s been great with any type of fish I have tried. I usually use salmon or tilapia.
Take black peppercorns and crush them in your mortar & pestle. Grate the zest off of a lemon. Mix crushed peppercorns and lemon zest with some olive oil and (optional) garlic. Bake in oven following recommended time and temp for the fish you have.
The proportions are very flexible. I’d recommend one lemon for every 2 servings, though. And save the zested lemon to squeeze lemon juice on the fish when it’s done.
And is there a better way to clean it than hauling it in and out of the sink? It’s rather heavy, so I’d like to avoid moving it as much as possible.
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Hi,
As for cleaning… I typically just scoop out the ingredients then clean the inside with a damp paper towel. It shouldn’t require more than that unless you use oily ingredients in it… then you need to use some warm water and non-perfumed liquid dish cleaning soap. Same goes for the pestle.
As for recipes… mmmm Pesto!