[Sca-cooks] (no subject)

[Louise Smithson]

I said I had to do it.  So tonight I did.  Here is my redaction for stuffed turnips.  They were really good.  A (non-SCAdian) friend tried some and said, wow these are really good, they are not bitter at all.  I was the flavor of the spices doesn't come through very strongly but it is an undercurrent.  The sauce was sweetened by the dried fruit and worked really well.  I wish I had a melon baller though, I was digging out the middle of the turnips with the end of a spoon.  It worked though.  A lot of trouble to serve at a large feast but something really unusual to foist on a small group of unsuspecting people.  Original recipe follows the redaction.
Stuffed Turnips
Ingredients
Wash and peel 5 small turnips, approx 4" across.  Cut the bottoms so they sit flat.  With a knife, melon baller or end of a spoon hollow out the turnip leaving approx 1cm of flesh all around.  You now have five hollow turnips.
Make the stuffing of 1/2 apple (gala or like) peeled, cored and finely chopped.  One hard boiled egg yolk, 1 tablespoon of currants, five tablespoons of fresh breadcrumbs, good pinch sugar, scant pinch each salt, cinnamon and ginger.  Mix well together and stuff into the turnips until filling is just below the surface (it exploded out of mine because I overfilled).
Put turnips in a pan, add water till it comes half way up the side (I didn't measure the water and it will depend on the size of your pan, turnips etc).  Take turnips out put pan on stove and bring to boil.  Add turnips, add about half as much red wine as you did water until it comes within 1/4" of the tops of the turnips.  Add a dash of red wine vinegar a good pinch of sugar, pinch ground mace (or a piece of whole, but I didn't have any) a few sprigs of rosemary (or about 1/4 teaspoon dried) a tablespoon of currants, four dates chopped in quarters and a knob of butter.  Reducethe heat and simmer for about 30-45 minutes (yes it took that long).  Serve it with the sauce.



I found this recipe for turnips in A book of Cookrye by A.W. At London: Printed by Edward Allde 1591.  STC 2nd ed/24897
 How to make a Pudding in a turnep root.
 Take your turnep root and wash it fair in warm water, and scrape it faire and make it hollow as you do a carret roote, and make your stuffe of bread, and apples chopt fine, then take corance and hard egs, and season it with sugar, cinnamon and ginger, and yolks of hard egs and to temper your stuffe, and put it into the turnep, then take faire water, and set it on the fire, and let it boyle or ever you put in your turneps, then put in a good piece of sweet butter, and claret wine, and a little vinagre, and reosemarye and whole mace, sugar, and corance, and dates quartered,a nd when they are boyled inough, then they will be tender, then serve it in.