Nucato
or Spiced Honey Nut Crunch

Modernization:
Of honey boiled with walnuts, known as nucato. Take honey, boiled and skimmed, with slightly crushed walnuts and spices, boiled together: wet the palm of your hand with water and spread it out; let it cool, and serve. And you can use almonds or filberts in place of walnuts.

Redaction:
3 C. honey
2 ¼ lbs. Shelled almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts
1 lemon for spreading the mixture

For the spice mixture:
1 tsp. Ground ginger
1 pinch freshly ground pepper
1 rounded tsp. Ground cinnamon
1/3 tsp. Ground cloves

Gradually bring honey to a boil, skimming off any impurities. Very coarsely chop the runts and add to the honey along with 1 tsp of the spice mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 30 to 45 minutes. The mixture is done when you can hear the almonds beginning to “pop” from eh heat of the honey. Take care not to let the nuts burn and turn dark and bitter. When done, stir in the remaining spice mixture.
When the nucato is done, pour it out onto a sheet pan or cookie sheet lined with parchment paper; spread into an even layer with the cut surface of a halved lemon.
Cool completely before serving.

Source:
Odile Redon, Françoise Sabban, and Silvano Serventi
The Medieval Kitchen: Recipes from France and Italy
The University of Chicago Press
1998
ISBN: 0-226-70684-2