SC - A Parable, or in Other Words, A Long Story

[Steven Cowley]

In the beginning there was a mighty kingdom.  Yea, and this kingdom was
the mother of many kingdoms within the Known World.  And this kingdom
was called Atenveldt.

Now within the Kingdom of Atenveldt was a land, precious above all other
lands within her borders.  Yea, and this land was called Tir Ysgithr.
And the people of Tir Ysgithr had a passion for reveling.  And so it was
that this passion for reveling became a light, yea, even a jewel within
the kingdom.  And thus Tir Ysgithr was called the Gem of Atenveldt.

And it came to pass that the  Baron and Baroness of Tir Ysgithr
determined that the time of their reign should end.  And it came to pass
that, as a result of this announcement, there was arose mighty stir
amongst the people of Tir Ysgithr as to who should become the new Baron
and Baroness.

And a proclamation went forth from the King and Queen of all Atenveldt
commanding that all those who desired the throne should announce their
intention.  And so it was that three people made their intentions known
unto the their Majesties.  Now the first, was a Knight and his Lady, and
the Second a Squire and his Lady and the third was a laurel and his
Mistress.

And it came to pass that the King and Queen of Atenveldt ordered that a
polling of the populace of Tir Ysgithr take place, that a new Baron and
Baroness could be chosen for this thankless position.  And so it was
that when the populace had spoken, the Laurel and his Mistress were
chosen to become the new Baron and Baroness of Tir Ysgithr.

Now being that the populace of Tir Ysgithr had a passion for reveling,
it was determined, by the crown, that the investiture should take place
during the annual revel, called Fop.

Now there is no revel, that there is no feast to preceed it in this
bright land of Tir Ysgithr.  And so it was that a call went forth among
the populace seeking a volunteer to organize this feast and revel.  And
the call was answered by a humble knight, not knowing exactly what he
was in for, as this was the first such event this knight had organized.

And it came to pass that after much deliberation with the soon to be
baron and baroness, it was determined that the feast should be a
pot-luck, as this was the custom of this feast.  It was also determined
that the meats for this feast would be provided for through the coffers
of the Barony, thus allowing the populace to bring appetisers, breads
and cheeses, side dishes and desserts.

Know, the knight being new to the role of organizer and especially to
organizing the cooking of a feast, set forth to find a sucker (oops I
mean person) to cook the meats, enough to feed the 250 guests that would
be present at the feast.  And so it was that one name was suggested by
those from whom the knight sought council.  Therefore, the knight
approached this individual with the purpose of requesting his services
in preparing the meat for the feast.

And it came to pass, that this cook, knowing full well what the
commitment would be, accepted the request, all the time wondering why he
was doing so.  For this cook had just accepted the office of the
excheckquer and would have duties in that regard as well.  So the new
excheckquer prevailed upon his predecesor to continue as a deputy until
this feast was over, in order that the cook could prepare the meats for
the King's table.

Now it came to pass, that the cook determined that there should be two
meats at this feast, one of fowl and one of beast.  The fowl for those
members of the populace who do not eat the meat of the beast and the
beast for those who feel that vegetables are what meat eats.  And for
those who do not partake of any meat, well, the buffet would have to do.

Now as the cook was thus preparing, a messanger arrived with news that
the soon to be baron had come upon thirty and five pounds of venison, to
be used for the feast.  Now the cook, having never prepared venison,
called upon the cooks list for help, and was greatly rewarded with the
knowledge of those on the list.

Now it came to pass, that when the cook received the venison, he found
that he had the best parts of the animal, the tenderloin and two upper
leg roasts.  Now the cook, not having been born yesterday, prepared a
small sample of the venison, to determine its qualitys with regards to
gaminess and stringiness.  And finding that much care had been taken
during the butchering process, so that there was little if any gaminess
and that the cuts were very tender, the cook prepared his final menu for
the meats.

Now the menu for the meats was to include the breasts of four peacocks,
thirty pounds of tenderloin of beef and the thirty and five pounds of
venison, giving a total of ninty and five pounds of meat.   And when the
meats were procured, the cook sat back and said, "This will do."

Now the cook, having much experience in the preparation of roasted
meats, and being armed with the advice from the cooks list about the
venison, set out to roast the meats for the guests.  Know the cook was
armed with the knowledge that hall where the feast was to be held, had a
very small kitchen, at best.  And knowing that what kitchen space there
was would be used up by the pot-luck dishes, prepared himself to do
battle with the element of fire.

So, after careful preparation at home, and the use of ten of his dutch
ovens, he arrived at the hall ready to cook the meats.  And he set forth
preparing the coals with which to cook the meats.  And when the coals
were ready, one by one, each dutch oven was set on the heat.  And the
cook sat back and smiled, knowing that his work was about done.

Now as fate would have it, the courts that day were shorter than normal,
the retiring Baron and Baroness having concluded most of their closing
business the weekend prior.  Thus, the feast being scheduled to start at
6:00pm, was moved up, at the request of the Queen, that the people would
not have to bear the tantalizing smells coming from the meat any
longer.  So the appetizers and breads and cheeses where served forth to
the people. And being that there were many mouths to feed, those who
were first to receive their appetizers were finished before the last
were served.

And it came to pass that the Queen of all Atenveldt, looked upon her
table and beheld that it was bare.  Yea, even devoid of all food.  And
seeing that the table was bare, commanded that the event organizer come
forth.  And the Queen said unto the knight, "Look, my table is empty."

And the knight looked and saw that the table was empty.  And the Queen
sent the knight forth to bring the meats that would fill her table.  And
the knight went unto the cook and said, "The Queen has commanded me to
serve forth the meats that are to fill her table."

And the cook, in reply, said, "You shall have the meats as soon as they
can be carved."

And the cook took the meats from the pots, and carved it, and placed it
upon platters that it could be served forth for consumption by those who
attended the feast.  And the cook was left with ten dirty cast iron
dutch ovens, which by some unknown inspiration, had been lined with
foil, a preparation usually reserved for desserts.  Thus, when the cook
went to clean the pots, upon removing the foil linings, he saw that
there was no food stuck to the sides or bottoms of the pots.  And after
having washed the pots on site, a task generally left to be done at
home, the cook repacked his supplies and returned home with a great sigh
of relief.  Not only because the feast was over, but because he didn't
have to face a bunch of dirty pots the next morning.

Now after all was said and done, not one of the hats so much as
acknoledged the efforts of the cook, although several others commented
on how delicious the venison was.  At least the humble knight, whose
bacon the cook had kept out of the fire, said his thanks.

The cook now wonders if the knight will sign up to do another such event
again ;-)

Now, for what you have read through this entire telling for, the
recipes:

The peacock (actually 7 to 9 lb. turkey breasts, the local peacock farm
didn't have any available at the moment.  Which is too bad, because,
peacock is very good.)
    roasted and basted with an herb and garlic butter.  The butter was
smeared all over
    the birds, with about an inch of water in the bottom of the pot, one
bird per pot.
    This is better with a sweet mead and some cinnamon and cloves, but I
didn't want to
    waste my good mead on this crowd.  The sops are wonderful.

The roast beef
    roasted in a garlic and mushroon sauce which was ladled back onto
the meat after it
    was sliced and just before it was served.

The venison
    roasted in an onion and garlic sause with the fat that was trimmed
from the beef
    placed over the top of it.  The venison was served in the same
manner as the beef.

The sauces (I don't have exact measurements as I usually cook by taste,
and I made a single batch large enough to do all four birds.)
    Herb and Garlic Butter
        Onion Powder
        Salt
        Rubbed Sage
        Ground Rosemary
        Ground Thyme
        Ground Parsley
        Garlic
        Black Pepper
        Chicken Boulion
        Butter

    Mushroom and Garlic Sauce
        Mushrooms (chopped fine)
        Salt
        Black Pepper
        Onion Powder
        Beef Boulion
        Garlic
            The ingredients are left pretty much dry and use the juices
of the meat to make
            the sauce itself

    Onion and Garlic Sauce
        Dehydrated Onions
        Garlic
        Salt
        Black Pepper
        Beef Boulion
            The ingredients are left pretty much dry and use the juices
of the meat to make
            the sauce itself

As additional sauces, there was two kinds of mustard sauces, a pear
sauce and a pepper sauce.  These were provided by a gentle in a
neighboring shire.  I do not know the sources for the pear sauce and the
pepper sauce.

The mustards on the other hand, are  variations of a recipe that this
gentle was taught by the head chef to the Queen when he lived in England
many years ago.  It involves a special vinegar that he brews himself
which he will not divuldge.  Let me tell you, if you like mustard, this
is the best.  I just wish I could convince him to pass on the recipe
before he goes.  He is 70+ years old and in very good health, but he
won't live forever...
Ah well, I will just have to be satisfied with my bottomless bottle of
the stuff.

I hope that you had fun reading all of this.

Ld. Steffan of the Close