Recipe: Flaones (Cheesy Medieval Turnovers)

Recipe Source: de Nola, Ruperto.  Libro de Cozina.  1529 edition, translated by Vincent F. Cuenca.  Self-published by the translator in 2001, pp. 53 - 4. 

Recently, a good friend of ours was recognized by an organization we're a part of with a major award.  It's probably the second highest award that this society awards, so it was a pretty big deal and we were both very happy for him.  Part of the tradition surrounding this type of award is that the recipient's friends and family throw him a little party before the ceremony.  People come to give advice and congratulations to the recipient.  Since the lines can be kind of long, refreshments are usually provided for the well-wishers. 

I wanted to contribute something toward the refreshments - the recipient has been a friend for a long time and he's a great guy.  Since the gentleman in question is a medieval enthusiast, I wanted to provide something from an historical cookbook.  I also wanted it to be something that people could eat with their hands - space was going to be kind of tight, and I didn't think that it would be easy to use a knife and fork.  I came across this recipe and decided to make it.

Don't let the photo fool you.  They didn't all look this nice.  Quite the opposite, in fact, which is why I also contributed the bacon muffins.  The recipe specifically called for a stiff dough, so I used the traditional Super Secret MacLean Pie Crust that probably came from Southern Living or some such magazine.  (I'm not providing the recipe for the crust because I'm not positive about its origins, so I can't cite it properly.  It also makes me cuss, so use whatever pastry crust works well for you and doesn't make you cuss.  Commercial puff pastry, while I don't think that it's perfectly authentic for the time and place and this particular recipe, would work just fine.)  Anyway, the recipe was a little too stiff for the way I was treating it.  I managed to repair some of the pasties, and when the cheese had cooked and cooled all of them held together just fine.  For those of you who eat a lot of Greek food the base flavor was kind of like a tiropita,  with mint thrown in.  The rosewater barely figured into the taste at all, providing more of a compliment to the mint than anything else. 

I didn't go to the little party ahead of the ceremony.  I was right in assuming that space would be tight.  Furthermore, the awardee is a very popular guy, and which meant a whole lot of people jammed into a very tight space.  I don't do crowds or tight spaces that have other people in them.  So I stayed away, but I'm told that the turnovers went over well. 

Flaones (makes 36 pasties; approx. $0.32/serving)

6 recipes for your favorite pie crust (or 3 double crust recipes)

1 24-oz tub full-fat cottage cheese

8 ounces ricotta

1 tablespoon dried mint flakes

4 eggs

1/2 teaspoon rosewater

Equipment:

• Baking sheets
• Large bowl
• Circle mold - I used empty Chinese take-out soup containers, just to give you an idea of size

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine the cheeses, mint, eggs, and rosewater in the large bowl.  Mix very well.
3. Roll out your dough.  Using your circle mold or cutter (or soup container) cut out 36 circles. 
4. Take one circle.  Put a spoonful of the cheese mixture into the middle of the circle and fold in half.  Seal.  Alternatively (and my loving husband takes credit for this), cut the circle in half.  Put a spoonful of filling in the middle of one half, top with the other half, and seal.
5. Repeat with the remaining circles.
6. Bake 15 - 20 minutes or until the crust becomes golden. 
7. Serve at room temperature. 

Comments

[Vincent F. Cuenca]

Hey! Nice to see my work is still in use! Sorry the turnovers didn't work out as nicely as you'd hoped. The filling does have a tendency to expand while cooking. I've had great success doing these as tartlets: just line muffin tins with crust, fill and bake. E-mail me at bootkiller AT hotmail DOT com if you want more tasy medieval goodness.

[Fearless Kitchen]

Vincent - Thanks for your comment! And I wil cheerfully admit that I really enjoy your translation. I like the tartlet idea - not so sure that they would have traveled so well to that event, considering all the stuff jammed into the car that day. I think the original would have worked better if someone else were making the pastry - pastry has been the bane of my existence for a very long time, which is why I'm always trying to make it work :)