By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
Cafe Sistina chef Sergio Mitrotti with dishes he will
serve at the Renaissance Revel: Braised Veal with Herbs,
left, and Pink Snapper in Walnut Mint Sauce.

A Renaissance affair

Star-Bulletin staff

Save Halloween for the kids, but the night before belongs to all adults who believe in the romance of the Renaissance.

Oct. 30 is the night of the Renaissance Revel at La Pietra Hawaii School for Girls, a dress-up night of jousting, music of the era, "living statues" and all-around Medieval fantasy.

Plus, a menu drawn from the cookbooks of ancient Italian chefs: Chicken in Escabece with Raisins (based on a dish created by Anonimo Veneziano in the year 300), Pink Snapper in Walnut Mint Sauce (Cristoforo Messisbugo, 1533), Lentil Soup with Asparagus (Bartolomeo Scappi, 1536).

Sergio Mitrotti of Cafe Sistina researched and designed the menu based on actual preserved recipes, translated from Italian, and sometimes Latin.

Music of Vivaldi, Corelli, Gabrielli, etc., will be performed on original instruments by the Early Music Consort and Skylark Recorder Society; songs of the Renaissance will be sung by soprano Lina Jeong Doo, accompanied by classical guitarist Jeff Peterson.

More entertainment: Medieval combat, including samurai and Mongolian swordplay, by the Society for Creative Anachronism, and Commedia del Arte by Loose Screws Comedy Troupe.

Tickets are $100 per person or $150 per couple, for the benefit of the Conductive Education Center of Hawaii, a program for children with cerebral palsy. Call 734-0397.

Here are two of Mitrotti's recipes for the gala affair:

Braised Veal with Herbs

2 pounds cubed veal
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 cup beef stock
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup raisins
Dash cinnamon
Dash saffron
1 teaspoon flour
Salt and pepper to taste

Braise veal in olive oil until golden brown; add onions. Cook until onions are translucent. Add beef stock, honey, raisins and spices. Stir well. Add flour to thicken sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6-8.

Pink Snapper in
Walnut Mint Sauce

4 fillets of snapper, 6-8 ounces each
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup white vinegar
Dash coriander

(PI) Sauce:
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup orange juice
3 hard-boiled egg yolks
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup chopped mint
1/2 cup olive oil

Marinate fish in wine, vinegar and coriander for 2-4 hours. Drain, dredge in flour and saute in olive oil until golden brown. Remove fish and set aside.

To make sauce: Combine ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into pan used to saute the fish and cook on low heat until thickened. Pour over fish. Serves 4.

Nutritional information unavailable.

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