Soooo, got the Dormice, aka chicken trotters, poppy seeds, honey and the rest of the stuff.
But I can’t help thinking that something is missing.
Then it hit me…:
Garum, the Roman HP sauce,
You can get Garum via Amazon, but it is rather pricy, but having tried Garum and liking it I know of a facsimile that works just as good.
Worcestershire sauce and Asian Fischsauce mixed.
Going to marinate the trotters in my ersatz Garum and see what happens.
1 Like
Perfect substitution, especially as the whole thing is a substitution, given the lack of dormouse.
1 Like
well, he had the dormouse - for free - but he let it go.
1 Like
No, his landlady kidnapped it. Gotta be quicker next time.
Invite her for dinner, offer to cook.
Who knows what else develops.
1 Like
By Jupiters hairy balls.
I am freaking out right now,
So… Tossed the trotters in flour, Mixed the W- not going to copy / paste because I can’t spell it, sauce with the fish sauce, added honey, a drop of soy sauce, poppy seeds, salt and pepper. As a test a handful of whole grain wheat, rolled oats would work too. Mushrooms snd onions and popped it in the oven.
The aroma after ten minutes was not of this world, people walking the dog stopped to sniff under my open window and the taste…?
Fit for Jupiter and Venus.
2 Likes
you were supposed to turn the chicken in the honey and poppy seeds after it came out of the ofen, you ignoramus.
I was gonn try that too next week, with your permission I will do your version. But why the flour and the grain wheat?
1 Like
The flour makes the Garum mix stick to the chicken and the whole grain was an afterthought, thought is is a Roman thing to do.
After you confused them with the Worcestershiresauce and the Asian fishsauce that seems only fair.
So, I still had two Dormice in the fridge, aka Chicken trotters and decided to experiment a little.
First I watered the grain, then made my garum.
Fish sauce, W-sauce, soy sauce, honey, pepper salt, poppy seeds and…
Here it comes:
A sprinkle of Asafoetida, someting also used in Roman cuisine.
Flouered the Dormice and now they are marinating.
Never heard of it, off I went to check it out. First thing: “The spice owes its name, which literally translates as ‘stinking resin’, to its unusual smell, which takes some getting used to.”. Oh goodie, yeah well, the guy likes haggis, why be surprised. Bet the dog walkers don’t stop outside your window but walk past faster today?
As you put the Asafoetida into the marinade how do you know it will improve not ruin the Dormice? Well, we’ll hear about that later.
As it is Sunday I take it, Asafoetida is something in your cupboard being used regularly? On what else and with what effect?
Hing, aka the devil’s dung. Yummy.
1 Like
When mum died a few years back the neighbors from Pakistan insisted on feeding me as it is tradition and I was introduced to Hing.
Since then I have always has a little bottle.
I use it in stews, in lentils and rice. Cooking with Hing brings somethink like a garlic and onions aroma.
And it seems to be the closest relative to Silphium, a plant so beloved by the Romans that they caused its extinction.
By all reports Silphium was the main medicinal plant and an economic revenue source.
2 Likes
Right ready to pop in the oven.
I now made a pastry with flour and Fufu, chopped in some onions and bacon… mmmm…baaacon a handfull of herbs, yeast, salt , butter ready for pan frying
It is starting to smell reeeealy good with a hint of non existant garlic.
…that was really good!
I can imagine it to work realy well with period veggies, like leek, cabbage, carrots, fenchel and pumpkins as a Autumn or Winter dish.
2 Likes
congrats! Did you have Fufu AND noodles with it? You’re into “Beilagen”, aren’t you 
Well the girlfriend brought a Noodle Salat so it seemed prudant to use it.
1 Like
You have a girlfriend who braves journeys deep into the remote country?
Well you know what they say: „Love makes blind“
At least she sticks around, not like the others who run away screaming.
1 Like