[Sca-cooks] Feast at the Irish Festival (long)

[Ran]

Sorry if you get this twice, I sent it this morning, and never saw it arrive.

Irish Feast c. 1003
Irish Living History Society

I am a member of the Irish Living History Society. Every year we do a 
Living History demo of a 10th c. Irish village as part of the Dublin 
Ohio Irish festival.  The work in the kitchen revolves around the big 
feast on Sunday afternoon, where all the participants gather.  We 
cook other meals, as time and energy permit.  I was the cook this 
year, and Turlough was the baker and firetender.  Several others 
helped on Sunday, especially cooking the meat.

Foods that would have been used in 10th c. Ireland
Meat:  Beef, Lamb, Pork/ham, Deer, Goat, Hare, Chicken, Duck, Goose, 
other birds
Seafood: salmon, trout, herring, cod, ling, cockles, mussels, oysters, scallops
Grain:  Oat, Barley, Wheat, spelt, rye
Nuts:  Hazelnuts
Fruit: Apple, Pear, Peach?, Raspberries, Cherries, Plum/prune, Sloe, 
elderberry, blackberry, grapes
Vegies: Leeks, Onion, Garlic, wild carrot, Peas, Fava, wild celery, 
turnip, radish, kale, beets, mushroom
Greens: Nettle, Watercress, mustard, Cabbage (but probably loose 
cabbage, not heads), kale, dulse (seaweed)
Herbs: cumin, black mustard, horseradish?, fennel, dill, coriander, 
poppyseed, parsley, mint, thyme, marjoram
Dairy: Milk, Butter, Fresh cheese, eggs
Other: honey, wine, beer, vinegar, canola (rapeseed) oil

http://www.cs.vassar.edu/~capriest/vikfood.html
http://www.vikinganswerlady.org/food.htm
http://www.florilegium.org/files/FEASTS/Irish-Vik-fst-art.html
http://home.earthlink.net/~mkcooks/AFeastAtCarrickFergus.htm
http://members.aol.com/renfrowcm/links.html
http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD/cheesemaking-msg.html

MENU

Friday
Barley Soup - whole barley, onion, turnip, carrot, mushroom
Bread - barley and wheat
Cold mint tea

Saturday
Oatcake - oats
Bread - barley and wheat

Sunday morning
Oatmeal pudding (over coals)


Feast

Served hot:
Chicken with leeks and parsley
Seethed Beef with pepper
Salmon Grilled
Barley and hazelnut porridge
Turnips in butter
Parsnips roasted
Cabbage and bacon
Carrots
Fresh and dried Mushrooms

Served cold:
Compot - carrot, pear, turnip, cabbage in vinegar, honey, and mustard
onions (cooked in coals)
Cured salmon
Fresh cheese with dill (made Sat as a demo)
Edam with nettle cheese  (nettle is mentioned as an herb that will 
curdle cheese)
Caerphilly cheese  (a tangy, uncooked cheese)
Spelt bread
Bread (purchased)
Strawberries, peaches
Mustard sauce
Garlic sauce
Butter, honey, salt
Mead, Cider

The Plan:
Friday: make compot, mustard, cook soup for supper
Sat:  make cheese, bread, cut veggies, soup for supper
Early: make bread, put beef to boil, make sauce
1pm: grill chicken, cook salmon, cook porridge and turnips
3pm feast, cook veggies while they prep the tent and dish out the rest

The facilities
A tent with two tables, with coolers and modern stuff hidden beneath.
A raised firepit with a tripod for hanging pots
A raised tray with a clay bread oven built on it, and room at one 
side for another fire.
A large hollow log, the "Fulacht Fiadh", on Sunday this is filled 
with water, and hot rocks are dropped in until the water seethes. 
The beef is wrapped in cloth and dropped in, and they continue 
putting hot rocks in until the meat is done... 3 hours or so.  This 
is a lot of work but good theatre.
And the nearest water is almost a block away.

Aftermath:
Last year the heat was terrible, over 100, and I got overwhelmed and 
went home an hour before feast was scheduled.  I also was dealing 
with a broken thumb, an abcessed tooth, and the flu.

So it was especially satisfying this year that things went much 
better.  In spite of a few problems, the food was great and people 
seemed happy.  The weather was very co-operative, it rained at night 
but no more than a sprinkle during the day.  It was a bit cloudy and 
the temps were in the 80's.

The amount of food was just right, there was at least a little left 
of most things, but not very much of anything but beef, barley, and 
compost.

Last year I bought the fruit and vegies on sunday, to be sure they 
were fresh, but had trouble getting a golf cart to transport them on 
site, while the food and I were wilting in the heat.  This year I 
bought ice and had everything in coolers for transport, not just in 
grocery bags, and had  everything on site by Saturday.  I had all the 
vegetables prepped and cut up Saturday, and this took a lot of the 
pressure off on Sunday. 

We had timing problems that revolved around the cooking log.  They 
were still using the fires to heat stones when I needed to start 
cooking.  I cooked the porridge and the turnips hanging from the 
tripod, but couldn't start the chicken or fish.  Feast was clearly 
going to be late.. very late.

I started stressing out, so I went away for 10 mins.... breathed for 
awhile... and when I got back things were better.

We changed the plans and put the chicken in a dutch oven with a very 
hot fire surrounding it and coals above, with some leeks and a 
handful of parsley, after only 25 mins or so, it was nearly done, we 
set the pot aside, with coals still on top, to finish cooking.

I had planned to cover the salmon in clay and let it cook slowly on 
coals,but the place next to the oven that I wanted to use, was in use 
heating stones.
So we put it on the grill, but the fire was too hot, the outside was 
getting burnt before the middle was done. It was pretty good anyway.

When the meats were finished, we told them to set up the feast hall, 
while, I cooked the vegetables in iron pots over the grill, and set 
each pot aside as it was finished.

Peaches and strawberries are not the best choices for fruit, I 
haven't seen clear documentation for them, but they were donated, so 
we used them.  Raspberries, plums, or cherries would be better 
choices.

The servers helped put things into serving dishes and carry 
everything to the feast hall.

Feast was highlighted by passing a mazer filled with extremely 
excellent mead.  One bottle was a foaming mead that was tribute from 
the Vikings that camp with us.  Tigernach provided a bottle called 
"Wretched Excess" that was delightful, rich and strong, and two 
bottles of a green mead that were still very nice.

Shopping list:
15 lb beef
1 chicken 
5 lb whole salmon
1/2 lb smoked bacon
3 loaves bread
2 lb mushrooms
1/2 gal unhomogenized milk (for cheese and soup)
1/2 gal milk (for porridge)
1 lb aged cheese
2 lb cabbage
3 lb onions
3 heads garlic
2 lb turnips
2 lb parsnip
2 lb carrots
1 lb leeks
1 lb pear
1 lb whole barley
2 lb oat meal
2 lb wheat flour
1 lb spelt flour
2 lb barley flour
2 lb oat flour
1 doz eggs
1 lb hazelnuts
2 lb honey
1 lb butter
1 pint canola oil
1 pint cider vinegar
2 oz. celtic salt
bunch of parsley
bunch of dill
bunch of green onion
1/2 g cider
5 gal water
pepper
brown mustard


Recipes:
There are no cookbooks for this time and place, these are all 
somebody's best guess.  If there is no other attribution, it is just 
a record of my best guess and what we did.

Barley Soup
2 handfuls whole barley
1 each onion, turnip, parsnip, carrot, wedge of cabbage, all chopped
2 quarts of water
1 tsp of celtic salt
simmer over the wood fire until done.. about 30 min

Bread
wheat, barley or spelt flour
sour dough starter and water
mix dough and let rise while the oven heats, sweep out the coals and 
cook in the oven about 1 hour, or until done.

Oatmeal pudding (Tigernach's recipe)
fine oatmeal, milk
heat milk until bubble start to form, add oatmeal and set near the 
fire to cook gently.  (I dont have the exact amounts)

Chicken with leeks and parsley
chicken, 2 c. shredded leeks, handful parsley
heat a dutch oven and add the chicken and a cup of water, close and 
put coals on top
when it about half done, add leeks and parsley, close and continue to heat.
when it is nearly done, set aside and let cook in its own heat.
This dish got the most comments, it turned out extremely well.

Seethed Beef with pepper
Hollow out a big log, fill with water, heat rocks in a fire and drop 
into the water, when the water is near simmering, cut the beef into 
big chunks, add a handful of whole pepper, wrap in a cloth and drop 
into the hot water.
Continue adding hot rocks to keep the water near simmering, until the 
beef is just done... tender, but still a bit red in the middle, about 
3 hours.

Grilled Salmon
whole salmon, place on a grill over the fire... when half done, turn 
and grill the other side.  I meant to put some dill in it, but it was 
forgotten.

Barley and hazelnuts
1 lb whole barley, 1/2 lb crushed hazelnuts, water
cook over fire until done... add honey to taste at table
I was quite pleased with this.. it made a very special grain dish.

Turnips in butter
1 lb turnips, water, butter
peel turnips and cut in slices, simmer with water over the fire until 
nearly done, pour out the water, add a lump of butter, put on a 
hotter fire and stir until the turnips are crispy around the edges.

Parsnips roasted  (Jo Ann's recipe)
1 lb parsnips, butter
Do not peel parsnips, just wash well, cut in quarters the long way, 
then cut those into halves or thirds, so you have long almost flat 
sticks.
heat a lump of butter in a flat pan, add parsnips and roast over the 
fire until crispy.

Cabbage and bacon
1/2 head of red cabbage, 1/2 lb smoked bacon
chop bacon into bits, put in a pot over the fire and cook until the 
fat is rendered and the bacon crispy.  Add the cabbage and stir for a 
moment,
remove from fire and cover.  Let sit 10 mins, stirring once or twice.

Carrots
1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into sticks, water
put into a pot and cook until done, cover and set aside for a few minutes.
I meant to add some honey to this, but it didn't happen.

Fresh and dried Mushrooms
2 lbs fresh mushrooms, small bag (2 oz?) dried wild mushrooms, water, butter
Let wild mushrooms soak in water to cover.  Cut up any big pieces.
Slice fresh mushrooms.  Heat a pot over the fire, add both kinds of 
mushrooms and a lump of butter.

Roasted Onions
1 lb onions
I had some extra onions and some nice coals Saturday night, so I set 
them on the edge of the coals to cook for an hour or so, turning now 
and then.
In the morning, I peeled them, sliced into moons and served cold.

Fresh cheese with dill
1/2 gal unhomogenized cream-top milk
1/2 c plain yogurt with live culture
handful of dill, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
salt to taste
I've made cheese before, but this was the first time I searched out 
unhomogenized milk.  It really makes a difference!  I got more and 
better tasting cheese from 1/2 g. unhomogenized milk, than from a 
whole gallon of homogenized milk we used last year.

Mix milk and yogurt and heat very slowly over a fire, until bubbles 
form around the edge.  Add herbs and let steep in the hot milk.  This 
was on the fire for an hour or so, and curdled on its own, but if 
necessary add rennet to curdle. 
When you see clear whey separate from the curds, pour into a colander 
lined with a clean cloth.  Let drain for a few minutes then fold the 
cloth neatly and add a 1 lb weight.  After an hour add more weight 
and drain another hour.  Add more salt to taste, and refrigerate 
until served.  Save the whey and add to soup or grains.

You can also curdle it with lemon or vinegar, but this was the best 
cheese I've made so far.

Compot in Ireland based on the recipe from A Feast At Carrick Fergus 
by Hauviette d'anjou
1/2 lb each pear, turnip, red cabbage, carrot, radish
Soaking  brine: 2 T sea  salt, 1/4 c. cider vinegar
Pickle: 1 c. mead (I used cider vinegar) 1/4 c. honey, 1 tsp crushed 
mustard  seed
Peel, wash, and core vegetables. Slice thinly. Place in non-reactive 
container and add the soaking brine. Let sit overnight or several 
hours.
Mix vinegar, honey and spices.  Bring the pickle to a boil and add vegetables.
The red cabbage gave this a nice color.

Crisp Bread, from Aliknn Olafsdottirs paper, A Viking Feast, 
Documentation for Ingredients and Cooking Methods.
1 pkg dry yeast
2 cups warm water
1 tsp salt
3 cups rye flour
1.5 cups barley flour
1 cup unbleached wheat flour
1 cup flax seeds
Dissolve yeast in water.  Gradually beat in 4 cups flour. Cover and 
let rise to double.
Sprinkle board with flour. Turn out dough. Shape into smooth ball and 
divide into 4. Form each into a ball.  Roll out carefully, until 
dough is 1/4 " thick.
Press flax seeds into the dough, prick with a fork.
Remove to a floured baking sheet. Let Rise in a warm place about 15 minutes.
Bake on a hot griddle until bread feels firm. They should still bend, 
and will harden in a few days. Makes 4 rounds, each serving 6-8
(I didn't end up making this, but the recipe sounds great)

Oatcakes, from Duke Sir Cariadoc
1/2 c "Scottish Oatmeal" very coarsely ground whole oats.          
1/4 c water 1/4 t salt
Put the oatmeal in a spice grinder and process for about 20 seconds, 
producing something intermediate between what you started with and 
bread flour. Add salt and water and let the mixture stand for about 
fifteen minutes. Make flat cakes 1/4" to 3/8" in thickness, cook on a 
medium hot griddle, without oil,  about 3-5 minutes.
(I used a fairly coarse oatmeal and didnt have time to grind it 
finer, so I added a cup or so of oat flour to get more of a batter. 
They tasted very good... especially served with butter and honey)

Garlic Sauce, from A Feast At Carrick Fergus by Hauviette d'anjou
2 heads garlic
1 c dry bread crumbs (40 gm)
2 c. broth or wine
1/2 tsp pepper
salt
Bake unpeeled garlic in ashes for 30 minutes
Soak the breadcrumbs in about one-third of the broth until softened. 
Peel the garlic.
In a mortar, puree the garlic, blend in the soaked bread crumbs, and 
add the spices and enough broth to create a creamy sauce. Pour into a 
small saucepan, add salt to taste and bring to a boil. Simmer for a 
few minutes thinning with additional broth if necessary. Serve hot
(This was served room temperature, but was very good).

Mustard sauce
1/4 c brown mustard seed, pounded in a mortar
Add cider vinegar and keep pounding, to make the proper consistency.
Add just a bit of honey, to taste.

Cold mint tea
heat water to boiling, add a handful of fresh mint, let steep 10 
mins, and pour into a bottle, straining out the mint.  Serve with ice.