54 mostly recipes

Yes from the year 1475. Platina mentions several odd fishes not usually used today as food, such as cuttlefish, scorpions, lampreys and sea-lion. But most of his fish are still favorites-eels, lobsters, crabs, oysters, sturgeon and sturgeon eggs (which he calls caviar), salmon, sole, etc., and he gives a recipe for a Squid Dish for Days of Abstinence. Although squid is eaten today in the South of France and Greece, and can be found in special fish shops here, I would prefer salmon or halibut. But if you hanker for squid, just go ahead with it if you can find some, and be sure to have the fish man prepare it for you by removing the black liquid from the backbone.

A simple yet flavorful and very hearty dish of Irish style cabbage and bacon. Only a few cost effective ingredients that turn into a flavorful dinner.

Navy bean and tomato soup made from dried beans, with stewed tomatoes, onion, and celery sauteed in margarine. A high-fiber, low-fat, gluten-free farmhouse soup that costs pennies to make.

Simple cabbage soup with carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic, and dill. Five-vegetable peasant soup that costs under five dollars and tastes like grandmother's kitchen.

Homemade Shake-N-Bake coating mix made from scratch with seasoned bread crumbs, paprika, garlic, onion, and Bell's poultry seasoning. Skips the preservatives and costs a fraction of store-bought.

Serving a crowd, a traditional mincemeat recipe using cost saving cuts of meat capable once used in other recipes of serving up to 50 people. Marinated in cognac and other liqueurs in an old fashioned crock for weeks.