SC - SC-reconstructions of medieval grain and legume dishes

[Anne-Marie Rousseau]

Hi all from Anne-Marie
as promised, here's my reconstructions for medieval dishes that can be used
to combine grains and legumes. As Cariadoc has pointed out, this is not a
medieval concept, but these are reconstructions of medieval dishes, so I
guess its better than sneaking in your Veggie burger cuz there's nothing
else to eat.

Once again, formatting didn't transfer over well, and so if you need
citations, etc, let me know. And, of course, as always, if you choose to
use my recipes, that's great, just let me know and please cite me
appropriately.
Thanks, and enjoy!
- --AM

FRUMENTY (Diuersa Servicia #1, c1399)
For to make furmenty. Nym clene wete & bray it in a morter wel, that the
holys gon al of, & seyt yt til yt breste; & nym yt up & lat it kele. And
nyum fayre fresch broth & swete mylk of almandys or swete mylk of kyne and
temper yt al. & nym the yolkys of eyryn & saffron & do thereto. Boyle it a
lityl & set yt adoun, & messe yt forthe wyth fat venysoun & fresch motoun.

1 cup pearl barley
2 3/4 cups Swanson's brand vegetable broth
1/4 cup whole milk
pinch saffron
2 egg yolks

Stir the barley into the boiling broth, along with the saffron. Cover the
pan with a tight fitting lid and cook over very low heat 30-50 minutes,
until grain is tender. Stir in beaten egg yolks. Stir over very low heat
for a few minutes until the egg sets. Serve hot.
Serves 6 (1/2 cup cooked barley per person)

Reconstruction notes: The original text of the English recipe calls for
wheat, which is boiled until the hulls come off and grains swell and burst.
There is a similar recipe in le Menagier de Paris that uses barley instead
of wheat, as well as a recipe for frumenty that specifies to "hull your
wheat the same as you would for hulled barley". Based on this, and the
conceit of a French cook, we chose to use hulled barley instead of wheat. 


NEW PEAS (le Menagier M-13, c. 1395)
When you have New Peas, sometimes they are cooked on meat day both in meat
stock and with ground parsley, to make green soup, and this is on a meat
day: and on a fish day, you cook them in milk, with ginger and saffron in
them; and sometimes "a la cretonnée" of which I shall speak later.
With all these peas, whether new or old, you can force them though a sieve,
or a fine or horsehair mesh; but the old peas must be yellowed with ground
saffron of which the water may be put to boil the pease and the saffron
itself with the liquid from the peas.

CRETONNÉE (le Menagier M-19, c. 1395)
Cretonnée of New peas or new beans. Cook them almost to a purée, then
remove from the liquid and take fresh cow's milk and tell her who sells it
to you that she will be in trouble if she has added water to it, for very
often they extend their milk thus, and if it is not quite fresh or has
water into, it will turn. And first boil this milk before you put anything
gin it, or it still could turn; then first grind ginger to give appetite,
and saffron to yellow; it is said that if you want to make a liaison with
egg yolks poured gently in from above, these yolks will yellow it enough
also make the liaison, but milk curdles quicker with egg-yolks than with a
liaison of bread and with saffron to color it. And for this purpose, if you
use bread, it should be white unleavened bread, and moisten it in a bowl
with milk or meat stock, then grind and put it through a sieve; and when
your bread is sieved and your spices have not been sieved, put it all to
boil with your peas; and when it is all cooked, then add your milk and
saffron. You can make still another liaison, with which is the same peas or
beans ground then strained; use whichever you please.

2 cups frozen peas
1 cup whole milk
1/2 slice day old white unleavened pita bread
1 T chopped Italian parsley
1 tsp. ginger
1 pinch saffron
salt to taste

Boil the peas in the milk until tender. In a cuisinart, purée the milk,
bread, spices and all but 1/2 cup of the cooked peas. Put back in the
saucepan, and add back the reserved peas. Heat gently until warmed through,
adjusting salt to taste.
Serves 4 (1/2 cup of pea soup per person)

Reconstruction Notes: This modern version is a blending of the two period
pea recipes. It is a delightfully fresh tasting pea soup. Pease pottage is
mentioned specifically in the menus for boon day meals in period.
Unfortunately, our cretonnée got ruined and so was not serve. It apparently
had a very unfortunate chemical reaction with the aluminum pot that it was
prepared in, and so ended up tasting like tin foil. We chose to throw it
out rather than ruin everyone's taste buds. We cooks who had tested this
recipe before knew what we were missing, though, and were sorely
disappointed.

BENES YFRYED from Forme of Curye.
189 Benes yfryed. Take benes and Seeth hem almost til they bersten. Take
and wryng out the water clene. Do thereto oynouns ysode and ymynced, and
garlec therwith; frye hem in oile other in grece, and do therto powdour
douce, and serve it forth.

8T butter
2 large onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic.
Caramelize. Divide into two.
27 oz can Fava beans or 2x15oz cans garbanzos. Drain and rinse.

Fry the benes in 2T melted, bubbling hot  butter or olive oil over medium
hi heat until crunchy looking, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with ¼ tsp.
poudre douce.

Reconstruction notes: YUM!!!! Fava way tastier than garbanzos. Definitely
need to serve hot. Way to go Celeste!



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