Matian Minutal
minutal Matianum: adicies in caccabum oleum liquamen cocturam; concides porrum coriandrum, esicia minuta; spatulam porcinam coctam tessellim concides cum sua sibi tergilla. facies ut simul quoquantur; media coctura mala Maziana purgata intrinsecus concisa tessellatim mittes; dum coquitur teres piper cuminum coriandrum uiridem uel semen mentam laseris radicem; suffundis acetum mel liquamen defritum modice et ius de suo sibi; aceto modico temperabis, facies ut ferueat; cum ferbuerit, tractam confringes et ex ea obligas; piper aspargis et inferes.
Matian minutal: put oil, fish sauce, and stock into a pot; chop leek and coriander, [add] small forcemeat balls; cut a cooked shoulder of pork into cubes with its own rind. Let them cook together; at mid-cooking add peeled Matian apples cut into cubes on the inside. While it cooks, grind pepper, cumin, green coriander or its seed, mint, and laser root; moisten with vinegar, honey, fish sauce, a little defrutum, and the dish's own juice; temper with a little vinegar and let it boil. When it has boiled, crumble in pastry sheet and bind it with that; sprinkle with pepper and serve.
This recipe calls for Matian apples, a variety named after either Gaius Matius, a friend of Cicero and Caesar, or his son, a friend of Augustus. The latter is usually identified with the author of a cookbook mentioned by Columella that sadly does not survive. It’s unclear whether the dish is named after the apples, after Matius himself, or both. The Spanish word for apple, manzana, derives from the name of these apples (mala Matiana).
Ingredients
- ½ kg pork shoulder, diced
- 250g of minced beef
- 250ml stock
- 50 ml fish sauce
- 1 leek, sliced
- 1 handful of coriander leaf
- 450g apples
- 2 Tb honey
- 1 Tb defrutum
- 2 Tb vinegar
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1½ tsp dried mint
- ½ tsp asafoetida
- 2 Tb starch, mixed into a slurry
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200 C/400 F. Lightly coat the pork in olive oil, place in a roasting tin, and roast for about 45 minutes, or until the exterior is browned. Remove the pork from the oven and allow to cool for a minutes before dicing
- Form the minced beef into small meatballs.
- Place the stock, fish sauce, leeks, coriander leaf, meatballs, and pork to a dutch oven. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 20 minutes.
- Core and dice the apples, then add them to the dutch oven. Cook for a further 20 minutes.
- Add the cumin, coriander, asafoetida, pepper, and mint to the dish, along with the honey, defrutum, and vinegar. Stir and taste, adjusting seasoning as desired. Add the starch slurry and stir for a few minutes to thicken, then serve.