[Sca-cooks] The menu...

[Phlip]

Northass Tavern presented

"The Four Elements: A German Feast" this past weekend. Avraham haRofeh and
Philippa Ferraria were Feast Cooks, with Andrea MacIntyre presenting a
wonderful day board. Almost all recipes were redacted from either Sabina
Welserin (German, 1553- Valoise translation) or Ein Buch von guter spise
(1345-1354. Alia Atlas translation)


The Feast menu:

1st Course: Water

First Course (Water):

Salmon pasties (Guter Speise #19) aka Salmon Cuskynoles

 19. Diz ist ein gut spise von eime lahs (This is a good food of a salmon)
  Nim einen lahs. schabe im abe die schupen. spalde in und snit in an
stücke.
  hacke peterlin selbey. Nim gestozzen yngeber pfeffer enys saltz zu mazzen.
  mache eynen derben teyk noch der groezze der stucke. und wirf daz krut uf
die
  stücke. und bewirke sie mit dem teyge. kanst du sie gestemphen in ein
forme
  daz tu. so mahtu machen hechde. förheln brasmen und backe eigliches
besunder
  in eime teyge. ist ez aber eins fleischtages. so mahtu machen hüenre,
  rephüenre, tuben und vasande mahtu machen. ab du hast die formen. und
backe
  sie in smaltze oder siut sie in den formen. nim von den brüsten der hüenre
  oder ander gut fleisch. so wirt die kunst dests bezzer und fersaltzez.
  Take a salmon. Scrape off the scales. Split it and cut it into pieces. Cut
  parsley (and) sage. Take ground ginger, pepper, anise. Salt to mass. Make
a
  dough (possibly freshly made as opposed to sourdough) also the size of the
  piece (of salmon). And throw the herb on the piece. And surround it with
the
  dough. Stamp it in a form if you can. Thus you may make pike (and) trout.
And
  bake individually in a dough. However, if it is a meat day, then you may
make
  hens, partridge, pigeon and pheasant. If you have the forms, and bake them
in
  fat or boil in the forms. Take from the breasts of the hens or other good
  meat. So will the art be the better and do not oversalt.

Goose Stew (Guter Speise #42)

42. Ein geriht von einer gense (A dish of a goose)
Nim ein gans. die niht alt si. nim us daz gekroese. snit abe die flügele und
die diech. stecke sie in einen irdinen hafen. der enge si. giuz daz wazzer
uf. daz sie betuche. setze sie uf einen drifuz. der unden offen sie. bedecke
den hafen. daz der bradem iht uz ge. sut daz gekroese sunder. und saltz die
gans. und siude die gans in dem sode. biz sie vil nach trucken si und gar si
gesoten. und nim denne süezze milich und sehs totern und zwei haubt
knobelauches. die groz sint. und shcele die schone. und stoz sie mit ein
wenic saltzez. und menge daz mit der milich. und mit den totern. und saffran
tu dar zu. und giuz daz condiment uf die gans. laz sie erwallen und gib sie
hin.

Take a goose, which is not old. Take out the entrails. Cut down the wings
and the shortened (leg). Put the goose in an earthenware pot, which is
narrow. Pour water on top so that it is covered with water. Set it on a
tripod, which is open underneath. Cover the pot, so that the mist goes out
of it. Boil the entrails alone. And salt the goose. And boil the goose in
the broth, until it becomes very dry and is well boiled. And take then sweet
milk and six yolks and two heads of garlic, which are large. And peel them
fine, and pound them with a little salt. And mix that with the milk. And
with the yolks. And add saffron thereto. And pour the condiment on the
goose. Let it come to a boil and give it out.

A wilted greens salad (vegan)

Olive oil
Greens
Balsamic vinegar

Second Course (Air):

Chicken

155 To prepare chicken in rosemary

Set the chickens in broth, so that the broth completely covers the chickens.
Let them cook about halfway and take rosemary, about the length a finger
bone, from the bush. For a meal put a good handful on the chickens, but not
too much, so that it does not become bitter. Take after that the livers from
all the chickens, let them boil up in the broth and put some good mace
therein. Let it cook together well, before you serve it.

20 chickens
Rosemary

35. Ein agraz (An agraz )
Nim holtze epfele und peterlin und bezzin. und stoz ez zu sammene und
drückeuz. daz die petersilie ein wenic zuvar. daz heizzet auch agraz.

Take wood apples and parsley and turnips and pound it together and press it
out, that the parsley colors a little. That is also called Agraz.

Pickled beets
Apples
Parsley

Greek rice- Guter speise 5

 5. Diz heizzet ris von kriechen (This is called rice from Greece)
  Diz heizzet ris von kriechen. du solt ris nemen und siude ez in eime
brunnen
  zu halben wege so giuzze daz wazzer abe. und siude ez denne in eime reinen
  smaltze und giuz daz smaltz denne herabe und ein zucker dor uf und gibs
hin
  und versaltz niht.

  This is called rice from Greece. You should take rice and boil it in water
  until half done. Then pour out the water and boil the rice then in a clean
fat
  and then pour the fat off and do not oversalt.

Third Course (Earth):

Roast Pig- went with loin roasts, since there were too many objections to
the suckling pig. I think I could do it, but since I'd never seen the
kitchen, I went for something I knew would fit in the ovens.

(No recipe, but referred to in Welserin)

Bohemian Peas (Welserin #149)

149 To make Bohemian peas

Take one and a half ounces of peas, cook them until dry, so that they are
not too wet, and pound them in a mortar, so that they become a fine mush.
Put good wine on them, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and sugar. Serve it cold,
sprinkle it with sugar. It is a good and lordly dish.

Piperade

Pear Mustard (Welserin #34)

34 To make the mustard for dried cod

Take mustard powder, stir into it good wine and pear preserves and put sugar
into it, as much as you feel is good, and make it as thick as you prefer to
eat it, then it is a good mustard.

(Brandu's redaction)

I can never find pear preserves, so I use the following method:

4 medium pears, very ripe
1/4 cup good white wine
1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar ( depending on taste )
6 oz mustard powder (two of the spice bottles form the supermarket)
(optional - 1/4 tsp wasabi powder)

Peel, core, and puree the pears ( canned pears will also work )
Mix puree with other ingredients. Set aside in the frige for at
least 4 hours.

Tips:
The longer you set it aside the less chemical it will taste.
Two days seems to be ideal.

Rough Grinding our own dark mustard seeds (in a clean coffe
grinder) and substituting them for a significant portion (at
least half) of the yellow powder improves body and character
noticeably.

The amount of stirring will determine the amount of heat, though
this is a pretty hot mustard to begin with.
I like chinese style hot mustard so I whip every thing in the
food processor right after I puree the pears and whip ot for a
minute...

If you really want to reduce the heat, you can use less mustard
powder.

It is really good on chicken and lamb... brings out the sweet pear
aromatics better than beef. Not sure why.

Cameline Sauce

155. Cameline: To Make Cameline Sauce. Grind ginger, a great deal of
cinnamon, cloves, grains of paradise, mace, and if you wish, long pepper;
strain bread that has been moistened in vinegar, strain everything together
and salt as necessary.

- Scully, Terence, ed. Le Viandier de Taillevent. An Edition of all Extant
Manuscripts. Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press, 1988.

Fourth Course (Fire):

Chyryse (cherry pudding) (Form of Curye 22:18) flambe{e'}d
aka Avraham's Flaming Cherries

(From "Karen O" <kareno at lewistown.net>)



To make a syrosye               (#33,  III: Utilis Coquinario  Curye in
Inglysch  p.90 )

Tak cheryes & do out the stones & grynde hem wel & draw hem thorw a
streynoure & do it in a pot. & do therto whit gres or swete botere & Myed
wastel bred, & cast therto good wyn & sugre, & salte it & stere it wel
togedere, & dresse it in disches; & set theryn clowe gilofre & strew sugar
aboue.


My Redaction:
Take  cherries and stone them, grind them until the pulp can be strained.
Put the mixture in a pot with white grease or sweet butter and mild (sweet)
white breadcrumbs and good wine, sugar and salt.  Stir this well, and cook
until thickened.   Pour the mixture into bowls, and place upon it whole
cloves sprinkle with sugar.


Recipe:
1 lb.  sour  cherries, pitted
½ cup fresh breadcrumbs (preferably a sweet white bread)
2 Tbs. Sugar (plus a bit more to sprinkle)
1-2 Tbs butter
½ cup - ¾ cup white wine
whole cloves

Grind the cherries into puree.  In a large pot pour in the cherry puree,
wine, butter, and sugar.  Stirring well, bring to a slow boil and slowly add
the breadcrumbs a little at a time.  Continue to stir and cook the mixture
to the desired consistency of a strong dense pudding consistency: when the
spoon is drawn through the mixture, the bottom of the pot is seen (about
30 - 45 min).  Pour into a well-oiled 2 cup mold.  Chill.  Unmold, and dot
with cloves.  Sprinkle sugar on it, and serve.
 Serves 4.

Commentary:
This is a true "to taste" recipe.  Quantities of ingredients used have a lot
of variables: how sweet are the cherries, how juicy, the density of the
breadcrumbs, how much texture is wanted, how tart/sweet the end product is
wanted, etc.   Care should be used when adding the sugar  -- one doesn't
want to make the dish so sweet that the tartness of the cherry is lost.
"Dresse it in disches" has also given me pause for thought.

 Similar recipes found in Curye On Inglysch ,  have directions that state:
"Make it so that  it be stondyng,"   ( Chyryse,  IV: Form of Cury, # 59)  or
"wan it is wel ysodyn & ydressyd in dyschis , stick therin clowis of
 gilofre" (II: Diuersa Servicia, #77 ).  The index & glossary for Curye On
Inglysch describes  the dishes as "thick  cherry pottages."  The recipes all
say,  "to stick" into the mixture cloves, and that also lets me think this
may be a dense enough dish to mold.

The other recipes noted above, also have given hints on the type of cherry:
"tak chiryes at the fest of Seynt Iohn the Baptist,"  The feast of St. John
the Baptist is June 24th.  This is the harvest time for the fruit we know as
sour/pie cherries.  I have used frozen and canned (pie) cherries, with an
eye to the finished product, have been pleased with the results for texture
& flavor.   When using canned cherries, I have reserved the water they were
packed in, and reduced it by half & used it along with the white wine for
the liquid called for in the recipe.   Once stoned, the cherry is a soft
fruit with a thin, soft skin, and grinding it well enough to "draw thorw a
streynoure"  is to puree it well, be it with a food mill, a  hand masher, a
blender or food processor.

"Myed wastel bred" is defined in the Glossary as high quality white bread.



Phlip

 If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is probably not a
cat.

Never a horse that cain't be rode,
And never a rider who cain't be throwed....