[Sca-cooks] Re: Imaginary list

[Louise Smithson]

Adamantius wrote:
>Maybe we should think about the things we ought to have more of...
I have read a fair number of C16 cookbooks at this point, menagier de
paris and forme of cury and the one thing they all have lots of, which I
have not seen on many feast menus, is boiled meats.
Stewed Capon with (insert flavor here)
To stew muton
To stew beef
Most of the manuscripts spend much more time talking about stewed meats
than they spend on roasts.  And the feast menus are certainly heavy with
boiled meats.
So how about seeing some more stewed stuff at feasts.
I mean, yes, we kill our chickens so young that they don't need boiling
but the taste and texture of boiled meat is so different.
Plus, the lamb that I can find around here is so old it virtually counts
as mutton anyway.  Hmm maybe I'll try stewing some "lamb" next week.
Might taste halfway decent and be tender.
I can see advantages to stewed meet for a feast, as long as you get it
started early enough there is little damage if it has to sit for an hour
in hot broth while you wait for court.  It won't dry out the way a roast
can.
Just my two cents.
Helewyse