SC - Christmas Dinner and Gifts/Fig Brandy

[Crystal A. Isaac]

Hi, folks!
If you are looking for a good chicken soup/stew recipe for these cold days, I 
tried one last night that I found in Pleyn Delit.  The original is from Forme 
of Curye, 1390.  This version is for goose, but the authors of Pleyn Delit 
state that the earliest known version of this recipe uses chicken, so I 
substituted (didn't have any goose available, anyway).

Here's the original:
Hoggepot
Take Gees and smyte hem on pecys.  Cast hem in a Pot; do therto half wine and 
half water: and do thereto a gode quantitie of Oynons and erbest.  Set it 
ouer the fyre and couer it fast.  Make a layor of brede and blode and ley it 
therewith.  Do thereto powder fort and serue it forth.

or, translated:
Hodgepodge
Take geese, and cut them into pieces.  Put them in a pot with half wine and 
half water, and add a good quantity of onions and herbs.  Set it over the 
fire and cover tightly.  Make a layer of bread and blood and lay the meat and 
broth over it (I think). Sprinkle with powder fort and serve.

I partially used the redaction from Pleyn Delit, and partially my own.  I 
didn't have any suitable bread to serve it over, so I used the Pleyn Delit 
redaction and thickened it with bread crumbs instead.

I took three chicken legs and three thighs, washed them, and put them in a 
dutch oven covered with half water and half Sauvignon Blanc.  I added 4 
medium sized onions, cut in half and then sliced, and, although the recipe 
didn't call for it, about 7 mushrooms, sliced thick.  ( I like mushrooms, and 
thought they would taste good with this.  I wouldn't put them in if I was 
serving this for an event.)  I also put in about a tablespoon of dried 
parsely, and about a teaspoon each of dried sage, thyme, and savory.  I 
brought it to a boil, and then left it simmer for about 2 hours.

Just before we were ready to eat, I steeped about a cup of bread crumbs in 
some of the broth, mixed it to a thick paste, and stirred it into the pot.  I 
then added 1/4 teaspoon each of black pepper, ginger, and cinnamon (this is 
one possible powder fort mixture) and salted it to taste.  It was very tasty, 
and the meat was falling off the bones.  I pulled all the bones out before 
storing the leftovers.

If I were making it again, I might choose to use boneless cuts of meat rather 
than having to fish the bones out, but I'm sure the bones helped to make the 
broth better.

Brangwayna Morgan
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