SC - Beef Barley Stew

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Stefan li Rous wrote:
 
> As far as Beef Barley Stew goes, yes we do have recipes for this. One
> of the ones in my files is from Master Cariadoc's Miscellany. Much more
> usual seems to be barley stews made with Hare, Rabbit, Veal or Chicken.
> 
> For instance, here  is are a pair of recipes from a message by Christianna.
> While Digbie is post period, not that much, and there are others.

<snip>
 
> > From "The Closet of the Eminently Learned Sir Kenelme Digbie, Kt.
> > Opened: etc"  Pub. posthumously by his son, 1669.  Pg. 124
> > An Ordinary Potage
> >
> > Take the fleshy and sinewy part of a leg of Beef, crag-ends of necks of
> > Veal and Mutton.  Put them in a ten quarts pot, and fill it up with water.
> > Begin to boil about six a clock in the Morning, to have your potage ready
> > by Noon.  When it is well skimmed, put in two or three large Onions in
> > quarters, and half a loaf (in one lump) of light French bread, or so much
> > of the bottom crust of a Venison Pasty; all which will be at length clean
> > dissolved in the broth.  In due time season it with Salt, a little
> > Pepper, and a very few Cloves.  Likewise at a fit distance, before it be
> > ended boiling, put in store of good herbs, as in Summer, Borrage,
> > Bugloss, Purslain, Sorel, Lettice, Endive, and what else you like; in
> > Winter, Beetes,  Endive, Parsley-roots, Cabbage, Carrots, whole Onions,
> > Leeks, and what you can get or like, with a little Sweet-marjoram and
> > exeeding  little Thyme.  Order it so that the broth be very strong and
> > good.  To which end you mnay after four hours (or three) boil a Hen or
> > Capon in it; light French-bread sliced, must be taken about noon, and
> > tosted a little before the fire, or crusts of crisp new French-bread; lay
> > it in a dish, and pour some of the broth upon it, and let it stew a while
> > upon a Chafing-dish.  Then pour in more Broth, and if you have a Fowl,
> > lay it upon the bread in the broth, and fillit up with broth, and lay the
> > herbs and roots all over and about it, and let it stew a little longer,
> > and serve it up covered, after you have squeesed some juyce of Orange or
> > Limon, or put some Verjuyce into it.  Or you may  beat two or three Eggs,
> > with part of the broth, and some Verjuyce, or juyce of Orange, and then
> > mingle it with the rest of the broth.

IIRC, Gervase Markham's English Hus-Wife, published some 54 years before
Digby, has a fairly similar recipe for "Boiled Meats Ordinary", although
it may call for oats instead of barley. I doubt the substitution would
be considered important; more of a geography-based common sense issue, perhaps.

Adamantius 
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com