[Sca-cooks] Meridian Kingdom A&S Feasts

[Elaine Koogler]

Hearty congratulations to all involved.  My mouth was drooling by the time I
finished the first course of the first feast!  It all sounds absolutely
wonderful.

Kiri
----- Original Message -----
From: "Christine Seelye-King" <kingstaste at mindspring.com>
To: "SCA Cook's List" <SCA-Cooks at ansteorra.org>
Sent: Tuesday, May 28, 2002 1:21 PM
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Meridian Kingdom A&S Feasts


> 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
>
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