[Sca-cooks] Bukkenade, from Forme of Cury

[Bronwynmgn at aol.com]

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[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
I had decided to try this dish in the first course of a feast to be held in
June.  Accordingly, since we had a shire event with a potluck meal this
weekend, I used my shire members as (willing) guinea pigs and tried it out.
Overall reactions were very positive.  Here is the original and my redaction,
for any comments anyone would like to make.

Bukkenade - XVII in Forme of Cury  (English, 1390)
Take Henn or Conyng or Veel or other Flessh and hewe hem to gobett waische it
and hit well. grynde Almand unblanched, and drawe hem up with broth cast
thereinne raysons of Corance, sugar, Powdor gynger erbes ystewed in grees,
Oynons and Salt.  If it is to to thynne, alye it up with flower of ryse or
with other thyng and color it with Safron.

Modern version:
Take chicken or rabbit or veal or other flesh and cut it into small pieces,
wash it, and hit (something - a word seems to be missing, unless you are
supposed to beat it) well.  Grind unblanched almonds and draw up almond milk
with broth.  Add currants (dried), sugar, powdered ginger, herbs sauteed in
grease, onions, and salt.  If it is too thin, thicken it with rice flour or
something else, and color it with saffron.

My version:
I made almond milk using 1 cup unblanched raw almonds and 8 cups of broth,
half chicken and half beef.  I used canned broth as I didn't have any fresh
available.  The choices of broth were sort of a whim - it didn't specify, and
I didn't want to use all beef as that seemed like it might overwhelm the veal
I wanted to use.  I would probably change the broth depending on what meat I
used.

I used 3 lbs of veal stew meat which I cut down to smaller sizes, then placed
in a dutch oven with the almond milk and 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped.  I
brought that to a boil and then had to skim it (remember to bring to a boil,
skim, THEN add onions).  I turned it down to simmer, added 1/2 (.5) cup
currants, 3/4 (.75) tsp ginger, and 1 T sugar.  I let it simmer for about an
hour, then steeped 10 threads of saffron in about 1/4 (.25) cup of broth and
added the mixture to the pot.  For the "erbes ystewed in grees", I took 1/4
(.25) cup chopped fresh parsley and a good handful of fresh spinach, which
worked out to 1 cup chopped, and sauteed it briefly with about a half T of
butter, not having any lard available, until it had wilted and turned a nice
dark green, then added it to the pot along with any butter remaining loose in
the pan (which was very little).  Since it was going into a crockpot the next
day, I took it off the heat and refrigerated it.

It went into the crockpot at about 10:30 the next morning.  We ate initially
around 12:30, at which time it as very tasty.  There was still a little left
around 5 (still heated in the crockpot), at which time it had gotten even
better.  For the event, I plan to put the pot together around noon and let it
simmer on the back of the stove all day until feast around 6.

Brangwayna Morgan