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Gourd in Sauce for Taro

Apicius 3.4.2 · 4th century AD

Latin

aliter cucurbitas iure colocesiorum: cucurbitas quoques ex aqua in modum colocasiorum; teres piper cuminum rutam; suffundes acetum, liquamen temperabis in caccabum cui adicies <oleum modicum> et eas cucurbitas incisas expressas; in ius mittes ut ferueant; amulo obligas; piper asparges et inferes.

English

Gourds another way, in the manner of taro: cook the gourds in water as you would taro; grind pepper, cumin, and rue; pour on vinegar, and blend in fish sauce in a caccabum to which you add <a little oil> and the gourds, cut up and pressed dry; put them into the sauce and let them boil; thicken with starch; sprinkle with pepper and serve.

Apicius 7.15 confirms the association with taro, giving an almost identical sauce for taro itself.

Ingredients

  • 500 g squash (or gourd, if you can find it)
  • ½ tsp ground pepper
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp dried rue
  • 2 Tb water
  • 1½ Tb red wine vinegar
  • 1 Tb fish sauce
  • ½ Tb olive oil
  • 2 tsp cornstarch

Method

  1. Cut the squash into large pieces then boil until al dente. Remove from the water and place in a dutch oven.
  2. Mix together all other ingredients except the cornstarch slurry and pour over the squash. Bring to a simmer and cook for a few minutes.
  3. Add the cornstarch slurry. Thicken for a couple minutes, sprinkle with pepper, and serve.