Stew (was SC - period fruit pastries)

[Anne-Marie Rousseau]

- --=====================_134253848==_.ALT
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Howdy all from Anne-Marie

re: beef stew type units in period...

the only exmaples I've seen of meat stewed with veggies (other than the
onion/meat stuff ubiquitous throughout the medieval corpus) are the late
srouces like Robert May, and Digby and friends. 

Digby has the most modernly familiar one, stewing beef with carrots and
turnips, and even thickening with a roux. go figure! Now, you need to decide
for yourself if Digby is "period", I'm not touching that one! :)

here';s my version of the queen's hotchpot, a meat and veggie stew from Digby.
All rights reserved, no publication without permission, etc.

enjoy!
- --AM

The Queens Hotchpot. From her Escuyer de Cuisine, Mr. la Montague. (Digby,
p144)
The Queen Mothers Hotchpot of Mutton is thus made. It is exceeding good of
fresh Beef also, for those whose stomachs can digest it. Cut a neck of Mutton,
crag-end and all into steaks (which you may beat if you will; but they will be
very tender without beating) and in the mean time prepare your water to
boil in
a Posnet, (which must be of a convenient bigness to have water enough o cover
the meat, and serve all the stewing, it, without need to add any more to it
and
yet no superfluous water at last. Put your meat into the boiling water, and
when you have scummed it clean, put into it a good handful of Parsley, and as
much of Sibboulets (young Onion, or Sives) chopped small, if you like to eat
them in substance; otherwise tied up in a bouquet, to throw them away, when
the
have communicated to the water all their taste; some Pepper, three or four
Cloves, and a little Salt, and half a Limon first pared. These must stew or
boil simperingly, (covered) at least three or four hours (a good deal more, if
Beef) stirring it often, that it burns not too.  A good hour before you intend
to take it off, put some quartered Turnips to it, or if you like them, some
Carrots. A while after take a good lump of Household bread, bigger than your
fist, crust and crum, broil it upon a Gridiron, that it be thoroughly toasted;
scrape off the black burning on the out-side; then soak it thoroughly in
Vinegar, and put this lump of tost into your Posnet to stew with  it, which
before you serve it up, melt a good lump of Butter (as much as  a great egg)
till it grow red; then take it from the fire, and put to it a little fine
flower to thicken it (about a couple of spoonfulls) like thick pap. Stir them
very well together; then set them on the fire again, till it grow red,
stirring
it all the while; then put to it a ladle-ful of the liquor of the pot, and let
them stew a while together to incorporate, stirring it always. Then pour this
to the whole substance in the Posnet to incorporate with the liquor, and so
let
them stew a while together. Then pour it out of the Posnet  into your dish,
meat and all; for it will be so tender, it will not endure taking up piece by
piece with your hand. If you find the taste not quick enough, put into this
juyce of the half Limon you reserved. For I should have said, that when you
put
in the herbs, you squeese in also the juyce of half a Limon (pared fro the
yellow rind, which else would make it bitter) and the pared an squeesed (half
the substance) into it afterwards. The last things (of Butter, Bread, Flower)
cause the liaison and thickening of the liquor. If this should not be enough,
you may also put a little gravy of mutton into it stirring it well when it is
in, lest it curdle in stewing; or you may put the yolk of an egg or two to
your
liasion, of Butter, Flower and a ladleful of Broth. 

For gravy of mutton, Rost a juycy leg o Mutton three quarter. Then gash it in
several places, and press out the juyce by a screw-press.

Our Version: (Serves 8)
5 cups water
2 lb. stew beef
1 lemon
1 cup fresh Italian parsley, minced
1/4 onion, minced
2 T fresh chives (optional)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 lemon
2 turnips, cubed
2 carrots, cubed
1/4 loaf of bread
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
4 T butter
4 T flour

Put meat into a large pot with the water. Heat to a hard boil and remove any
scum that comes to the surface. 
Add the parlsey, onion, chives, pepper, cloves, and salt. Peel the lemon,
making sure to remove all the white rind. Squish the juice into the stew, then
throw the peeled, squished lemon corpse into the pot. 
Cover and return to a boil. Turn the heat down to a medium simmer and simmer
for three hours. Add the turnips and carrots. Return to a boil, cover and
continue to simmer. 
Meanwhile, take the hunk of bread and toast well (350o oven for about 10
minutes), scrape off any black corners and soak in the vinegar.  Throw the
hunk
of bread into the stew and continue to simmer until the crust separates, about
15 minutes. Remove and discard the crust. 
In a large skillet, melt the remaining butter. Stir in the remaining flour and
stir until brown and bubbly. Add three ladles of stew broth and stir, making
sure there's no lumps.  Dump the resulting gravy into the stew, and boil
uncovered 15 minutes more, until thickened slightly. 
Adjust salt and pepper as needed.



- --=====================_134253848==_.ALT
Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<html>
Howdy all from Anne-Marie<br>
<br>
re: beef stew type units in period...<br>
<br>
the only exmaples I've seen of meat stewed with veggies (other than the
onion/meat stuff ubiquitous throughout the medieval corpus) are the late
srouces like Robert May, and Digby and friends. <br>
<br>
Digby has the most modernly familiar one, stewing beef with carrots and
turnips, and even thickening with a roux. go figure! Now, you need to
decide for yourself if Digby is "period", I'm not touching that
one! :)<br>
<br>
here';s my version of the queen's hotchpot, a meat and veggie stew from
Digby. All rights reserved, no publication without permission, etc.<br>
<br>
enjoy!<br>
- --AM<br>
<br>
<font face=3D"Times New Roman, Times"><i>The Queens Hotchpot. From her
Escuyer de Cuisine, Mr.</i> la Montague. (Digby, p144)<br>
<i>The Queen Mothers Hotchpot of Mutton is thus made. It is exceeding
good of fresh Beef also, for those whose stomachs can digest it. Cut a
neck of Mutton, crag-end and all into steaks (which you may beat if you
will; but they will be very tender without beating) and in the mean time
prepare your water to boil in a Posnet, (which must be of a convenient
bigness to have water enough o cover the meat, and serve all the stewing,
it, without need to add any more to it and yet no superfluous water at
last. Put your meat into the boiling water, and when you have scummed it
clean, put into it a good handful of Parsley, and as much of Sibboulets
(young Onion, or Sives) chopped small, if you like to eat them in
substance; otherwise tied up in a bouquet, to throw them away, when the
have communicated to the water all their taste; some Pepper, three or
four Cloves, and a little Salt, and half a Limon first pared. These must
stew or boil simperingly, (covered) at least three or four hours (a good
deal more, if Beef) stirring it often, that it burns not too.  A
good hour before you intend to take it off, put some quartered Turnips to
it, or if you like them, some Carrots. A while after take a good lump of
Household bread, bigger than your fist, crust and crum, broil it upon a
Gridiron, that it be thoroughly toasted; scrape off the black burning on
the out-side; then soak it thoroughly in Vinegar, and put this lump of
tost into your Posnet to stew with  it, which before you serve it
up, melt a good lump of Butter (as much as  a great egg) till it
grow red; then take it from the fire, and put to it a little fine flower
to thicken it (about a couple of spoonfulls) like thick pap. Stir them
very well together; then set them on the fire again, till it grow red,
stirring it all the while; then put to it a ladle-ful of the liquor of
the pot, and let them stew a while together to incorporate, stirring it
always. Then pour this to the whole substance in the Posnet to
incorporate with the liquor, and so let them stew a while together. Then
pour it out of the Posnet  into your dish, meat and all; for it will
be so tender, it will not endure taking up piece by piece with your hand.
If you find the taste not quick enough, put into this juyce of the half
Limon you reserved. For I should have said, that when you put in the
herbs, you squeese in also the juyce of half a Limon (pared fro the
yellow rind, which else would make it bitter) and the pared an squeesed
(half the substance) into it afterwards. The last things (of Butter,
Bread, Flower) cause the liaison and thickening of the liquor. If this
should not be enough, you may also put a little gravy of mutton into it
stirring it well when it is in, lest it curdle in stewing; or you may put
the yolk of an egg or two to your liasion, of Butter, Flower and a
ladleful of Broth. <br>
<br>
For gravy of mutton, Rost a juycy leg o Mutton three quarter. Then gash
it in several places, and press out the juyce by a screw-press.<br>
<br>
</i>Our Version: (Serves 8)<br>
5 cups water<br>
2 lb. stew beef<br>
1 lemon<br>
1 cup fresh Italian parsley, minced<br>
1/4 onion, minced<br>
2 T fresh chives (optional)<br>
1/4 tsp. black pepper<br>
1/8 tsp. ground cloves<br>
1/4 tsp. salt<br>
1/2 lemon<br>
2 turnips, cubed<br>
2 carrots, cubed<br>
1/4 loaf of bread<br>
1/4 cup red wine vinegar<br>
4 T butter<br>
4 T flour<br>
<br>
Put meat into a large pot with the water. Heat to a hard boil and remove
any scum that comes to the surface. <br>
Add the parlsey, onion, chives, pepper, cloves, and salt. Peel the lemon,
making sure to remove all the white rind. Squish the juice into the stew,
then throw the peeled, squished lemon corpse into the pot. <br>
Cover and return to a boil. Turn the heat down to a medium simmer and
simmer for three hours. Add the turnips and carrots. Return to a boil,
cover and continue to simmer. <br>
Meanwhile, take the hunk of bread and toast well (350o oven for about 10
minutes), scrape off any black corners and soak in the vinegar. 
Throw the hunk of bread into the stew and continue to simmer until the
crust separates, about 15 minutes. Remove and discard the crust. <br>
In a large skillet, melt the remaining butter. Stir in the remaining
flour and stir until brown and bubbly. Add three ladles of stew broth and
stir, making sure there's no lumps.  Dump the resulting gravy into
the stew, and boil uncovered 15 minutes more, until thickened slightly.
<br>
Adjust salt and pepper as needed.<br>
<br>
</font><br>
</html>

- --=====================_134253848==_.ALT--

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

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".

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