Catholic Recipe: Brodo Apostolorum

Pius V was elected to the papacy in 1566. He was a Dominican, who allowed no luxury for himself. Even under his papal robes he wore his rough habit and walked barefoot. This soup in the cookbook of Scappi, the papal chef of the time, was well-suited to this pontiff. This is a watery soup of parsley and herbs, blending nourishment and sanctity. This is exactly how it was written in 1550. You can adjust the meat stock to more readily available ingredients of the day.

DIRECTIONS

To make a soup of parsley and other herbs used in the court of Rome.

Take some meat stock, in which you have boiled brain sausages, pigs' throats and spine of mutton, and which is tinged with saffron mixed with pepper and cinnamon — in the summertime, add to this whole gooseberries or verjuice. When this is cooked, take well-scrubbed and washed parsley and other herbs and chop finely to add to this broth; as soon as it returns to the boil, serve immediately with slices of bread in bowls, along with the meat divided up. Note that this soup should not be kept, as the parsley quickly loses its color; note also that this dish is served in summertime in Rome, and is accompanied also by grated cheese and beaten egg.