Empty pastry recipes

Various works of pastry
These recipes were translated to answer a question, what are the works of empty pastry referenced in October menus in Scappi. While there is no recipe specifically called "empty pastry" in the fifth book of Scappi, dedicated to all things pastry, there are several recipes which say "and you can make various works with this pastry". They range from pastry fried in lard to a recipe which closely resembles choux pastry and which includes instructions to bake in an oven.
Translated June 2006 by Mistress Helewyse de Birkestad.
Permission is given to use and publish these translations provided credit is given to the author. I also really appreciate knowing how my translations are used. Feel free to contact me helewyse at yahoo dot com with any suggestions, comments or questions.

Per fare una pasta della quale se ne puon fare diversi lavorieri fritti nel strutto. Cap CXXXIII, quinto libro.
Impastinsi libre due di fiori di farina con oncie tre di zuccaro, & tre oncie di butiro, & sei rossi d'ova, quattro oncie d'acqua rosa, il restante acqua teipide, & sale, overo late di capra teipido, & rimenata che sarà per spatio di mezz'hora, faccisene un sfoglio, & esso sfoglio sbruffisi di vino bianco, o d'acqua rosa, o di latte con la scopettina, e radoppisi, e raddoppiato che sarà, taglisi col sperone a liste, e facciansene gruppi, treccie, & altri lavorieri, con forme di ferro bianco, secondo il giuditio del cuoco, & friggasino in strutto, & fritti che saranno, servisino caldi con zuccaro fino sopra. Si possono anchora cuocere al forno, ongendole prima pi chiare d'ove, et spolverizzate di zuccaro.

To make a pastry the which one can use to make various works fried in lard. Chapter 133, 5th book.
Paste (mix to a paste) two pounds of fine flour with three ounces of sugar, three ounces of butter, six egg yolks, four ounces of rose water and the rest (of the liquid) tepid water and salt, or alternatively warm goats milk, roll the pastry for half an hour, and make a sheet, and this sheet spritz with white wine, or rose water or milk with small thin twigs*1, and double it (fold it over on itself), and when it is doubled cut it with the pastry wheel into strips, and make of these knots, braids and other works, with the "form of white iron", dependent on the judgement of the cook, and fry them in lard, and when they are fried serve them hot with fine sugar cast above. One can also cook them in the oven, grease them first then brush with egg white and powder with sugar.
*1 - (imagine a bundle of hay or other twigs, dip them in a liquid and flick them and it will spread a thin sprinkling of liquid onto the desired surface.

Per fare una pasta della quale se ne potrà fare palle, & diversi altri lavorieri. Cap CXXXIIII, quinto libro.
Imapstinsi libre due di fior di farina con tante ova fresche ch'esssa possa portare, & oncie tre d'acqua rosa, & sale abastanza, & d'essa pasta faccisene uno sfloglio sottile, & lascisi reposare per un quarto d'hora, & taglisisi poi in pezzi tondi larghi un palmo e mezzo, & col sperone taglisi a liste larghe un dito, facendo che le liste steino appiccate d'amendue le bande tutte insieme, & con un stecco di legno tondo si piglierà una lista si, & altra nò. Poi habbisi apparecchiato il bocculo di rame con strutto caldo dentro, et pongasi dentro la pasta, facendo che l'ultima parte che vada nel strotto, sia quella, che è appicchata al stecco, subito col copercio forato cuoprasi, lascisi cuocere, cotta che sarà, cavisi pongasi sopra mele purificato, o zuccaro, servasi calda, e fredda a beneplacito.

To make a pastry of which one can make balls or ladies cloaks and various other works. Chapter 134, 5th book.
Blend together two pounds of fine flour with enough fresh eggs that it can be carried (stiff dough?), and three ounces of rose water and enough salt, and with this pastry make a thin sheet. Let it rest for a quarter of an hour, and then cut it into round pieces as large as a palm and a half, and with the pastry wheel cut them into strips as wide as a finger, and do it so that the strips stay fastened together. all the strips on both sides all together. With a round piece of wood one takes one strip yes, the other not. *2 Then have ready a deep pan of copper with hot lard inside it and put in the pastry, making is so that the last part that goes into the lard is that which is attached to the stick, immediately cover the pan with a lid with holes in it, and let it cook. When it is cooked pul it out and pour on top cleaned (heated and skimmed) honey or sugar and serve hot or cold at your pleasure.
*2 - As far as I picture this, first we have a circle of pastry, imagine a strip down the middle, this is not cut. Then at 90 degrees slice in from the outside strips of pastry 1 finger wide. Lay the stick down the middle (uncut pastry) Take every other strip and lay it over the stick (you may need to attach it to each other with pressure or liquid), this will give a kind of braid with dangly bits. Use the stick to put the pastry thing into the oil.

Per fare un'altra sorte di pasta, della quale se ne potrà fare struffoli & altri lavorierie Cap CXXXV, quinto libro.
Bataansi dieci ova fresche nate de quel giorno, & impastinsi con esse fior di farina alquanto piu liquida della sopradetta, & per spatio di mezz'hora sia ben rimenata sopra la tavola, & poi disendasi essa pasta in ruotoli solttili, come se si volsessero fare ciambellette, e con un coltello si taglerà essi ruotoli a dadi, & tagliati che saranno in gran numero, si lascieranno alquanto rasciugare, & poi con strutto che non sia troppo caldo, si friggeranno, avvertendo che non piglino troppo colore, & con cocchiaro forato cavisino, e si lascino scolare, poi habbisi una cazzuola con mele schiumato che sia ben caldo, & frigghisino in esso mele, dandoli una volta, & subito si cavino, & cavati che saranno, faccinsene castelli, & altre fantasi, & servisino freddi.

To make another type of pastry, which can be used to make bundles and other works. Chapter 135, 5th book.
Beat ten fresh eggs, laid that day, and paste with this fine flour, enough to make it more liquid than the paste above, and for half an hour roll it well on the table, and then stretch this pastry into a thin roll, as one would do to make little round cakes (ciambellette), and with a knife cut this roll into cubes (bits) and when there are a large number cut leave them a while to dry. And fry them in lard that is not to hot, and watch that they do not take too much color, and with a slotted spoon take them out and let them drain. Then have ready a casserole with skimmed honey that is very hot, and fry them in this honey and stir them a time and immediately take them out, and when they are taken out, make castles and other fantasies with them, and serve them cold.
*3 - you are making small square bits of dough which you then use as building blocks for anything you want, the honey serves as glue to stick it all together.

Per fare varie sorte di frittelle; & prima per fare frittelle alle Venetiana Cap CXXXVI, quinto libro.
Faccinsi bollire sei libre di latte di capra in una cazzuola ben stagnata con sei oncie di butiro fresco, & quattro oncie di zuccaro, & quattro oncie d'acqua rosa, & un poco di zafferano, & sale a bastanza, & come il bollo si comincia ad alzare, si ponerà dentro libre due di farina a poco a poco, mescolando continuamente col cocchiaro di legno, fine a tanto che sarà ben soda come la pasta del pane, cavisi d'essa cazzuola, & pongasi nei mortaro di pietra, e pestisi per un quarto d'hora poi cavisi, & pongasi in un vaso di rame, overo di terra, mescolando con la cocchiera di legno, o con le mani, fino a tanto che si raffreddi; poi habbinsi venti quattro ova fresche, & ponginsino dentro a uno a uno, mescolando di continuo con la cocchiara di legno, o con le mani, fino a tanto che essa pasta sarà diventata liquida: finito che sarà di mettere l'ove battasi per un quarto d'hora, fino a tanto che faccia le vesiche, & lascisi reposare per un quarto d'hora nel vaso ben coperto in luogo caldo, & ribattasi un'altra volta. Poi habbiasi apparecchiata una padella con strutto caldo, & piglisi della compositione & pongasi sopra un tagliere, & con la bocca della caraffa, bagnata da strutto freddo, overo col cannone di ferro bianco taglinsi le frittelle, & ponghisino nel strutto, dandoli il fuoco adagio, & alcune volte muovasi la padella, facendo che le frittelle si voltino nel strutto, fenza toccarle, & quando le frittelle cominceranno ad esseree cotte cresperanno, perche di natura gonfiano, & vengono a foggia di nespole, e molte volte si volgono da se some si vederà che haveranno preso alquanto colore, & servisino calde con zuccaro fino sopra. D'essa pasta se ne puon fare diversi lavorieri con la siringa, ma vuole essere alquanto piu sodetta di quella delle frittelle, dipoi che sarà quella dalla siringa per fare che la sia migliore, faccisi stare per mezz'hora nel forno non troppo caldo, & servasi con zuccaro fino sopra.

To make various types of fritters, and first to make Venetian fritters. Chapter 136, 5th book.
Put to boil six pounds of goats milk, in a tin lined casserole, with six ounces of fresh butter, four ounces of sugar, four ounces of rose water, a little saffron and enough salt. When it is boiling and starts to rise one adds to it two pounds of fine flower a little at a time, mixing constantly with a wooden spoon. Mix until it becomes firm, like bread dough, then empty it from this pan and put it into a marble mortar. And pestle it for a quarter of an hour then take it out and put it into a copper or ceramic bowl. Then mix it with a wooden stick or your hands until it is cool. Then have 24 fresh eggs and put them into the paste one at a time, mixing constantly with the wooden spoon or with your hands, until this pastry becomes liquid. When you have finished adding the eggs beat for another quarter of an hour, until it makes blisters (?). Then let it rest for a quarter of an hour, covered, in a warm place and then beat another time. Then have ready a frying pan with hot lard in it and take this mixture and put it over a knife, and with the mouth of a carafe, bathed in cold lard, or with a canon of white iron*4 cut the fritters and put them into the lard. Give them a gentle heat and several times move the pan so that the fritters turn in the lard, without touching them. And when the fritters begin to be cooked they will wrinkle, because by nature they expand and become like the skin of medlars, and many times they turn by themselves, and one can see that they have taken enough color. And serve them hot with fine sugar above. With this pastry one can make various works with the syringe but you want to make the dough a little firmer than that for fritters for it to be good with the syringe, let them cook in an oven which is not too hot for half an hour and serve them with fine sugar on top.
*4 - The canon of white iron looks a little bit like a modern cookie press, a cylinder of metal with a plunger at one end. The syringe looks like a really big syringe, I would personally use a piping bag.