Llimonea (Lemon Sauce)
Original:
Si vols fer limonea áb brou de galliiies, fets let de nietles pelades e mit la a coure en uiia bella olla ah species moltes, gingibre e saffra e molt sucre blanch e such de gallines, e fe la molt bollir. E si hi vals metra millor comollat, pots hi metra una ala de gallina be fortmeiit picada que no y parega. Aquesta salsa deu esser acolorada e deii se donar ab gallines d ast ho de olla, e deu hi haver molt sucre e such de limons, eii guisa que la uiia tir 1 altra, e assabora ho
de ." sal e de agror e de dolcor.
[El Llibre de Sent Sovi, LXI, Ed. Luis Faraudo de Saint-Germain, c.1325, 1952]
Translation:
If you want to make lemon sauce, make almond milk of peeled almonds with chicken broth. Cook it in a good pot with ground spices, ginger and saffron, and a lot of white sugar and lemon juice. And let it boil a lot. If you want to put in a better ground substance, you can put in a chicken wing that is well minced, strongly enough so that it is not noticeable. This sauce should be colored, and it should be served with roasted or boiled chickens, and it should have plenty of sugar and lemon juice, so that each of the flavors attracts the other. And flavor it well with salt, spices, verjuice, and sweetening.
[El Llibre de Sent Sovi/The Book of Sent Sovi, LXI, c1325, Trans: Robin Vogelzang, 2008]
Ingredients:Almonds Almond Milk
Chicken Broth
Ginger
Spice (Cinnamon)
Saffron
Sugar
Lemon Juice
SaltVerjuice Vinegar and Sugar
Redaction:
Make Almond Milk with Almonds and Chicken Broth. Add Ginger, Cinnamon, Saffron, Sugar, and Lemon Juice. Bring to a boil then let simmer to thicken. Add Salt, Spices, Verjuice, and Sugar to taste.
Notes:
Lemon Sauce: sweet-sour sauce made with lemon juice, almond milk, chicken broth, sugar, and spices.
[El Llibre de Sent Sovi/The Book of Sent Sovi, LXI, c1325, Trans: Robin Vogelzang, 2008]
I did not have Almonds available, so I used Almond Milk fro the local Almond Milkman. I combined some Chicken Broth with the bought Almond Milk. I also did not have Verjuice. I substituted Vinegar and Sugar. This sauce is rather thin and the tartness of the citrus goes very well with Chicken. It is similar to modern Lemon Chicken recipes.
Bibliography:
“Llimonea.” In El Llibre de Sent Sovi / The Book of Sent Sovi: Medieval Recipes from Catalonia, edited by Joan Santanach, translated by Robin Vogelzang, 50-51. Barcelona: Barcino-Tamesis, (c.1325) 2008.