[Sca-cooks] Meridian Kingdom A&S Feasts

[Christine Seelye-King]

Good Gentles,
	Allow me in my poor way to brag on my fellow Meridian cooks and their
efforts this past weekend (or should I say, efforts that culminated this
past weekend).  Our Kingdom Arts and Sciences Faire was hosted by the Barony
of the South Downs (Atlanta, GA), in a camp roughly 3 hours south of us near
Montgomery, AL.  fra niccolo di francesco prepared what by all accounts was
a marvelous feast,the "Feast of the Artisans, A Course of Neapolitan
Cuisine" (I read by his feast booklet, as I was not on site yet).  Shall I
tempt you with the menu?  It includes:
Primo
Crostata de Caso, Pane, etc. (Toasted bread, Cheese and spices)
Salsize bone (Naples Pork Sausages, hand crafted)
Olivos

Secunda
Galine ho Caponi (Roast chicken with Lemon-Honey glaze)
Pastelli Secchi(stuffed trout roasted in pastry)
Fasoli (Kidney beans with onion and spices)
Giusello ho Zanzarelli (sugar snap peas with salt pork)
Zabaglone (Sweet soft wine custard served warm over chilled fruit)

Tertia
Porco e sapore bono di granate dolce (Pork Tenderloin with Pomegranate
sauce)
Cemolella Ciciliana  (Sicilian semolina (wheat polenta with cheese, ah, poor
unfortunate Damon! story later -C.)
De li Sparaci (asparagus with saffron)
Fungi di Monte (Sauteed Mushrooms with spices)

Dolci
Torta De Cerase (Cherry and sweet cheese Torte)
Darioles (Spiced Custard Tarte)

Ah, the delights these diners were faced with!  I regret I was unable to
attend this amazing dinner!
The second evening, however, I was priveledged to attend the second feast of
another of this list's members, and a lady of my household, Signora Serena
da Riva.  Her fete was entitled "A Feast of Three Dances", and was based on
sources such as Weserlin, Two Fifteenth-Century Cookbooks, and De Nola (Lady
Brighid's name features prominently in several places in the feast
booklet!).  The basis for the feast were three dances, performed in a
gallery formed by the high table and it's wings.  The dancers were from our
local group and friends, and each course had a dance.  First was 'Aniseed
Robin', which was represented in the menu by Oven Cheese Pie, with a pinch
of anniseeds on top of the crust-covered cheese.  Also in that course were
spinach and chicken Ravioli (Weserlin), Aleta - Garlic and Walnut sauce
(which we dunked the entire feast in, and called for more), Whole Onions
(Libro del Arte), Figs in the French Manner (de Nola).
Course Two was danced to 'Jenny Pluck Pears', and was accompanied by Pork in
Ale sauce (TFCCB- oh, my), Stuffed Cabbage leaves (mostly nuts and herbs,
very yummy once you got past the cabbage leaf!), A Pear Pie (Platina).
And Course Three, danced to Lemmons and Oranges, and served with Sallet of
Lemons, served on Salmon Casserole (de Nola - best salmon I've eaten in a
long time, and I eat a lot of salmon!). Meat Casserole (with oranges- de
Nola), A Pottage of Noodles (de Nola), Carrots (with coriander -Platina),
and the now-perfected Cinnamon Tart (Weserlin).  This was the third(?)
go-round for this pie, and it has achieved perfection (in my not-so humble
opinion).  In her feast booklet, Serena thanks fra niccolo (who was in the
kitchen on Sunday as well, that's where I talked to him), and Lady Caitlin
of Enniskillen, also a denizen here on the Cook's List.
These  folks and a team of others did a magnificent job of presenting
beautiful, delicious, period-documented (in individual feast booklets
available to the diners) food, in a timely manner to a very appreciative
audience.  I believe they hit what we are all striving to achieve every time
we set out to plan a feast and prepare the food for an SCA weekend (or any
outing that requires food, for that matter, it being the thread our social
lives are based on).  I'm sorry I missed the other food things that happened
over the weekend, such as the breakfasts, lunches, food and herb A&S
entries, etc. etc.
But, I can toot their horns for them here, where I know their efforts are
appreciated whole-heartedly.
Three Cheers for our Meridian Cooks!
A Happily-Fed,
Christianna