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Chicken or Fish... but, sure, à la Nelson! |
The Fillets Nelson 1. Fillets Nelson (1819) 2. Fish Rolls à la Nelson (1819) |
These two magnificent recipes were certainly created in Naples at the end of the 1790s in honour of Horatio Nelson and for his work in favour of the Neapolitan monarchy against the French Revolutionaries & Napoleon! |
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DIFFICULTY: Ah, that Lady Hamilton! (Sigh) |
1. FILLETS NELSON (1819) A recipe originally conceived for the fillets of chicken, it can be used with any type of meat, and especially with fowl and fish. INGREDIENTS: chicken (4 fillets, beaten and worked so to be very very thin) butter (fresh unsalted one) salt pepper (crushed) nutmeg light veal stock milk cream bread (regular pieces toasted and fried in butter) parsley (optional) egg yolks (1 or 2 fresh; optional) lemon (juice; optional) METHOD: 1. Put the properly prepared fillets of chicken into a pan with a good piece of butter. 2. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg. 3. Then add light veal stock and milk cream. Let it simmer until the sauce is thick and ready. Adjust salt and pepper. 4. [Optional. Add 1 or 2 fresh egg yolks to the aforementioned sauce of stock and milk cream. When ready, add a bit of lemon juice and some parsley.] 5. Serve the fillets Nelson with regular pieces of bread toasted and fried in butter. |
FILETTI ALLA NELSON (1819) Battete molto sottilmente delli filetti [di pollo] divisi per lungo in più fettine; passateli dentro una cazzarola con un pezzo di butirro, condite con sale, pepe pesto, e noce moscata, bagnate con un poco di buon culì e fiore di latte; fate cuocere dolcemente, e consumare la salsa al suo punto, indi serviteli con una guarnizione di crostini di pane fritti all'intorno. Se questa salsa vorrete servirla con dentro un pizzico di petrosemolo imbianchito e trito, come pure se vorrete legarla con una liason di rossi d'uova, e sugo di limone, resta in vostro piacere la variazione. |
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2. FISH ROLLS À LA NELSON (1819) This is the original 19th century recipe of the stuffed fish rolls and it has absolutely nothing to do with the modern recipe of the Filetto di spigola alla Nelson (i.e. sea bass or branzino à la Nelson), you can find in some restaurants in Naples today. INGREDIENTS: flathead grey mullet (4 fillets, beaten and worked so to be rather thin) A- À la Nelson butter (fresh unsalted one) salt pepper (crushed) nutmeg light veal stock milk cream bread (regular pieces toasted and fried in butter) B- Eggs Sauce egg yolks (3 fresh) light veal stock (it must be fresh and cold) parsley (very finely chopped) chervil (very finely chopped; optional) estragon (very finely chopped; optional) lemon (juice) capers (3 or 5, well washed the salt away) pickle/gherkin (cut in fine slices; optional) salt pepper (crushed) C- Stuffing Chenef chicken (breast 200gr.) butter (150gr. softened) 2 egg bread (200gr. soft part softened in milk) salt pepper (crushed) nutmeg METHOD: 1. Prepare the Stuffing Chenef in this way: Put in a blender the breast of chicken with the butter, 2 eggs, the bread softened in milk and then dried, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Work with the blender until you get a smooth cream of chicken, but not runny. 2. Now create the rolls of flathead grey mullet with the fillets, by using the Stuffing Chenef. The rolls must be skewered on some wood sticks, to cook them properly. 3. When the rolls are ready, cook them à la Nelson as seen in the previous recipe. 4. You must serve the fish rolls with an Eggs Sauce prepared in this way: a. beat the 3 egg yolks with some cold light veal stock; b. add parsley, estragon, chervil, pepper and salt. Adjust to taste; c. rapidly cook the sauce into a pan, just to make it thick; d. then add the lemon juice, the capers and the slices of pickle/gherkin. 5. Remove the skewers from the rolls and now you can serve the fish rolls à la Nelson. |
RULLADINE DI CEFALO ALLA NELSON (1819) Rulladine di Cefalo alla Nelson [i.e. ricetta precedente], [con] salsa di rossi d'uova alli capperi. |