SC - In need of the Flaming Salamander!

[Chris Peters]

Galingale is a rhizome which is closely related to ginger. It's botanical
name is Alpinia officinarum. It is a very common ingredient in Indonesian
food which is why you can buy it in Asian food stores. 

Here in Sydney you can buy it fresh in any large supermarket/green grocer,
but for use in western medieval recipies you should buy it dried, preferably
in strips. Western medieval cooks did *not* have access to fresh galingale
and it tastes very different to the dry stuff, just as fresh and dried
ginger are totally different!

The powder gets old quickly, so dried strips are better. The coffee gringer
trick is what I use too, but I also cook with the strips, then remove them
before serving. The dried stuff is very cheap here.

Verjiuce is a fabulous ingredient which has made its way into my mundane
cooking in a big way. It is now produced commercially here in 750 ml and 375
ml bottles which ship just fine. The taste is fresh and much lighter than
vinegar, neither sweet nor as bitter as Seville oranges which are sometimes
recommended as a substitute. It is wonderful to deglaze a pan with after
sauteing chicken or fish as well as in medieval recipies. If anyone is
interested, I'd be happy to investigate shipping. 

Rowan
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
Robyn Probert				
Customer Service Manager		Phone +61 2 9239 4999
Services Development Manager		Fax   +61 2 9221 8671
Lawpoint Pty Limited			Sydney NSW  Australia
- -----------------------------------------------------------------

============================================================================

To be removed from the SCA-Cooks mailing list, please send a message to
Majordomo at Ansteorra.ORG with the message body of "unsubscribe SCA-Cooks".

============================================================================