Messisbugo's Ravioli

Messisbugo’s Ravioli
Cristoforo Messisbugo’s Banchetti, composizioni di vivande et apparecchio generale (1549) is a gem, if for no other reason than that it is the first cookbook to consistently give quantities. Finally, we get a pretty accurate idea of how food was made in the pre-modern era. This recipe for “ravioli” is a perfect illustration. Here’s the original Italian followed by my translation.

A fare ravioli da grasso e da magro per piatti dieci
Piglia la bieta ben lavata e trita, e ponila in un vaso con libbre 6 di buon formaggio grattato, e libbre 2 di butiro fresco, e uova numero vinti, e oncia una di pevere, e oncia mezza di gengevero, e oncia una di cannella, e pan grattati numero due passati per lo setazzo, e libbra mezza d'uva passa; e impastarai ogni cosa insieme. E poi abbi di farina bianca libbra mezza sopra una tavola distesa, e del detto battuto farai i tuoi ravioli, grandi e piccioli secondo che vorrai; e li porrai a cuocere in acqua, e il di da magro con butiro e un poco di zaffarano in detta acqua; e li farai cuocere adagio, sì che non si rompino. Poi li imbandirai con buono formaggio grattato sopra. E volendoli da grasso li farai cuocere in buono brodo, con zaffarano e uva passa nel detto pastume. E quando scranno cotti, pigliarai formaggio, zuccaro e cannella mescolati insieme; e quando vorrai imbandire, getterai nei piatti, di sotto e di sopra, il formaggio. E quando tu volessi variare, puoi fare senza bieta con un poco di povina.

To make ravioli for meat and fast days for 10 platters
Combine chopped swiss chard with 6 pounds of grated cheese, 2 of butter, 20 eggs, an ounce* of pepper 1 1/2 ounces ginger, 1 of cinnamon, 2 grated breads**, sifted, 1 1/2 (light?) pounds of raisins. Spread a half pound of white flour on a table and make your ravioli—small or large, depending on your taste. During fast days cook them in water with a little butter and saffron. Cook gently so they don’t break. Then serve them with grated cheese on top. On meat days cook them in meat broth with saffron and when they are cooked take cheese, sugar and cinnamon mixed and when they are ready sprinkle with this mixture. When you want to vary the recipe you can make substitute a little ricotta for the chard.

*at the time, spices were weighed by “light pounds” made up of 12 ounces, each ounce equivalent to about 25g. 1 teaspoon of ground pepper weighs about 3g
**according to Fernand Braudel, a loaf of bread weighed on the order of 8 ounces in the later parts of the sixteenth century—see Civilization and Capitalism, 15th-18th Century: The Structures of Everyday Life, p 142. The problem is that the size varied enormously depending on the price of wheat since the price of a loaf was set.

You will note that Messis-bugo suggests two vari-ations on this recipe, one with Swiss chard and the other with ricotta. I like the Swiss chard a little better, but you be the judge. It’s worth noting that the texture of the ricotta based “ravioli” is reminiscent of finely ground meatballs. An obvious attraction on the many fast days. If you cook them in broth as I suggest, be stingy with the salt. All that cheese makes them plenty salty as is

1/4 pound ricotta or 1 cup very finely chopped Swiss chard
1/2 pound, grated grana or Parmesan cheese
5 tablespoons butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 ounces (1/3 cup) raisins
scant teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons ginger
rounded teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 ounces (1/2 cup) fine white bread crumbs
flour
chicken broth
1/4 g saffron
salt
grated grana or Parmesan cheese
sugar
cinnamon

1. Stir together the ricotta or Swiss chard, grated cheese, butter, eggs, spices. Stir in the raisins. Add enough bread crumbs to form a soft dough. Refrigerate until the dough can be easily handled. On a well floured board make little gnocchi about 1 1/2 inches in length. You should have about 5 dozen. You can make them bigger if you wish.
2. Drop these into simmering meat broth that has been tinted with saffron. Cook about 7 minutes or until cooked through. Serve the ravioli in a puddle of broth sprinkled with a mixture or sugar, cinnamon and grated cheese.

serves 6 as a first course