SC - Re: Spice Use and Food Poisoning, etc.

[Mark Schuldenfrei]

Lord Ras wrote:
  When I was growing up a flask of vinegar always was at the table at every
  meal to slosh onto spinach and other green vegetables. Dandelions were ALWAYS
  served with vinegar and bacon.

Very period.  Modernly, saute those greens in a mild broth with some orange
juice...  You'll love it.

Period style, see below.

	Tibor

Leafy Greens			("Joutes", Harleian MS 279, #3)
Sources found in "Take a Thousand Eggs or More", Cindy Renfrow, 1991.

Leafy Greens, or Joutes

  "Joutes. Take Borage, Vyolet, Malwys, Percely, Yong Wortys, Bete, Auence,
  Longebeff, wyth Orage and o(th)er, pyke hem clene, and caste hem on a
  vessel, and boyle hem a goode whyle; (Th)an take hem and presse hem on
  a fayre bord, an hew hem ryght smal, an put whyte brede (th)er-to, an
  grynd wyth-al; an (th)an caste hem in-to a fayre potte, an gode freshe
  brothe y-now (th)er-to (th)orw a straynowr, [& caste] (th)er-to .ii. or
  .iii.  Marybonyes, or elles fayre freshe brothe of beff, and let hem sethe
  to-gederys a whyle: an (th)an caste (th)er-to Safron, and let hem sethe
  to-gederys a whyle, an(th)an caste (th)er-to safron and salt; and serue
  it forth in a dysshe, an bakon y-boyled in a-no(th)er dysshe, as men seruyth
  furmenty wyth venyson."

This dish calls for many spring greens.  I could not find most of those, and
therefore chose to use other, more available but still period greens.  I
also converted this to a Lenten recipe by substituting vegetable broth for
beef broth or marrow.  I expect you may use any greens you choose.  Of
course, this being Lenten, no boiled bacon for you...  I omited salt, as it
appears in the bouillion

2 cups each of the following greens: broccoli rabe, Chard, Kale, Parsley.
1/2 vegetable boullion cube
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
pinch saffron

Wash, dry, pick over and de-stem the various greens.  Place a cup or so of
water in the bottom of a pot.  Boil, and once it is boiling, place the
greens in the pot.  Stir frequently, until the greens color intensifies, and
they become softer.  Don't bother over-boiling: they cook another time.

Take off the heat, drain and dry carefully.  I used both a salad spinner,
and pressed them between two plates lined with paper towel. Chop finely by
hand, or as I did in a food processor.

Heat a cup or so of water in the pot, and dissolve the boullion cube and the
saffron in the water.  Once it boils, add the vegetables, and the bread
crumbs, a little at a time.  The crumbs should sort of bind the vegetables
together a little, but not really change the color of the dish.  Heat until
it begins to stick together.