[Sca-cooks] Andalusian feast

[phoenissa at netscape.net]

Greetings!  As I mentioned several weeks ago on this list, I'm cooking a feast for an event my college is hosting in early March - the theme is an Andalusian wedding feast (early 13th c).  It's my first feast ever and I'm more than a little nervous about it.  I've got a first-draft menu, and I was hoping I could show it to you all and get some feedback on it.  I planned three courses plus sweets at the end.  Each course will have a substantial main dish and three "side" dishes - I hope that's enough to keep everyone from going hungry :)  All the recipes are from the Andalusian cookbook (1300) and the Baghdad cookbook (13th c?); the names of the recipes I kinda-sorta made up, but I'll give the original names and page numbers so any of you can look them up if you're curious. :-)  (I can also email recipes if anyone wants.)  I hope it makes sense.  So, here is the menu...

Each table is going to be set before the feast is served with little plates of olives, nuts, pickled vegetables, bread, and labneh ("yogurt cheese") with herbs ["shiraz bi-buqul" B12].  Possibly fresh herbs and veggies, if I can find that such a thing is appropriate.


First course:
Garlic chicken ["thumiyya" A8], or chicken with garbanzo beans ["safarjaliyya" A30]
Lamb meatballs with eggplant-yogurt dip ["buran" B8]
Yogurt and cucumber salad ["qar bi-laban" B12]
Fava beans with vinaigrette ["baqili b-khall" B13]


Second course:
Couscous ["kuskusu fityani" A55] with lamb and chicken [one of the "tharidas,"not sure which] and  vegetable stew ["jannaniyya" A52]
Fried fish ["samak maqlu" B11], or fish cooked with fennel ["basbasiyya" A52]
Sauteed spinach ["isfanakh mutajjan" B12]


Third course:
Lamb with turnips ["tharda of meat with turnips and walnuts" A31]
Lentils ["muzawarra" A52]
A spiced eggplant dish ["arnabi" A52, or "a dish of eggplants" A24]
A cheese pie ["mujabbana" A22]


Dessert:
undecided - most likely something that involves sugar and almonds...
Fresh and dried fruits



I have looked over some of these recipes more carefully than others, and we'll be starting to test them out this weekend.  Almost any of them could change :-)  I have only been to two SCA feasts, so I don't have a terribly clear idea of how much to serve, how long it should take, what dishes people will eat more of than others, etc.  I think the three courses will probably take 3-3 1/2 hours to serve, but there will be lots of entertainment and stuff, so I hope people won't get bored.  (I also hope this is enough food for them to be satisfied by the end of the meal, but not stuffed after the first couple of dishes.  I really have no idea how to judge something like that.)  If anybody has suggestions about such things, I'd be vastly appreciative :-)


I'd also like to have a little pamphlet available with all the recipes, their historical background, redactions, etc.  (There will likely be a sizeable contingent of non-SCA people from the campus, many of whom may not know anything about historical cooking...)  Is that often done at feasts?


thanks very much for any help...

Vittoria
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