In the affluent sectors of Roman society, it was common to eat very little during the first part of the day. Late afternoon and evening were the time for relaxation, and also when the most substantial meal of the day was served. For this reason, it became the highlight of social life in Rome. It typically began at dusk, upon returning from the baths, and could extend late into the night, with guests conversing and drinking wine in abundance. We can only imagine how some of those nights must have ended.
Many houses had a special room for hosting these dinners: the triclinium. It received this name because of the three couches that surrounded the central table. Homes that featured a garden, usually located at the rear, also set aside a space there for dining.
Dinner began with a gustatio, followed by the prima mensa, and concluded with the secunda mensa.
Stuffed poultry with olives recipe
This recipe for chicken stuffed with olives would have been part of the prima mensa. The original recipe can be found in De re coquinaria:
Aliter avem: in ventrem eius fractas olivas novas mittis et consutam sic elixabis. deinde coctas olivas eximes.
De re coquinaria, VI, V, 7
Another bird: fill the belly with fresh, split olives and sew it up in this manner to boil. Then, remove the cooked olives.
Traducción
In this recipe, chicken is not specifically mentioned, as it could be prepared with any type of bird. Furthermore, in the original text, the meat was boiled (elixabis), but for reasons of flavor and texture, I have preferred to use the oven. As with other recipes I will be sharing, I try to adapt them slightly to our modern palate. However, if you prefer, you can faithfully follow the original preparation, although in many cases the texts are quite open to interpretation.
On the other hand, although olives are the only seasoning mentioned, pepper appears so frequently in De re coquinaria that I have decided to incorporate it into this version as well.
To prevent the meat from drying out in the oven, I have also added a small splash of white wine. In any case, all the ingredients and seasonings I use are documented in various recipes.
Chicken Stuffed with Olives
4
raciones15
minutes2
hours40
minutesIngredientes
1 whole chicken
Kitchen string
1 generous handful of pitted green olives
Extra virgin olive oil
A splash of white wine
Salt
Pepper
Instrucciones
- Thoroughly rub the chicken with olive oil on all sides, including the cavity. Lightly grease the baking tray as well.
- Rub the chicken well with salt and black pepper, both inside and out.
- Fill with the olives.
- Tie the chicken legs with kitchen twine so they maintain their shape during cooking.
- Add the splash of white wine.
- Place the tray in the oven at 150°C (300°F) for 2 hours and 30 minutes.
- Once the chicken is cooked through, turn on the oven grill at 190°C (375°F) and leave it for about 10 minutes
- Once done, cut the chicken into quarters and serve it alongside the olives and the pan juices.
Vídeo de la receta
Notas
- To ensure this recipe turned out flavorful, I conducted several trials. First, I tried using a cocotte. The chicken was very tender but barely browned and with too much liquid—perhaps more similar to how it was originally served (in this first test, I added a small glass of white wine and a small glass of chicken broth so the meat would boil in the liquid, elixabis). My second attempt was with the chicken deboned and cut into pieces. It was very tasty, but I feel that cutting the chicken into pieces takes away from the dish’s visual appeal and moves it further away from the original recipe.
The third trial involved putting the whole chicken in the oven, but without using the cocotte. I cooked the chicken for only 1 hour and 30 minutes, but for my taste, it was underdone. Finally, I conducted a fourth test, cooking it for 2 hours and 30 minutes, which is the recipe described above.