[Sca-cooks] Some Recipes for 12th Night

[Michael Gunter]

Groan.
I started learning pastries for La Madeline today. I think I prefer the 
kitchen. At least
I'm constantly walking and lifting. Doing pastries I'm standing in one place 
a lot and
trying to be artistic. Like Sara once said to me, "Gunthar you do tasty real 
well, but
you need to work on pretty."

I've learned that my piping abilities need a lot more work and also the 
proper way
to peel a kiwi. (For those that don't know, cut then ends off and then take 
a spoon
and insert it just under the skin with the bowl side facing in. Carefully 
slide around
the fruit and the skin comes right off.)

People wanted some recipes and had some questions about my 12th Night feast.
Some of these recipes may answer some of the questions.

There was a question about the "pressure cooked" chicken and why not do it a
period way. Well, that is period.

Capon Stwed from Two Fifteenth Century Cookbooks
Take parcelly, sage, Isoppe, Rose Mary, and tyme, and breke hit bitwen thi
hondes, and stoppe the Capon there-with; colour hym with Saffron, and
couche him in a rethen potte, or of brasse, and ley splentes underneath and
al about the sides, that the capon touche no thinge of the potte, and put
thereto a pottel of the best wyn that thou may gete, and none other licour
hele the potte with a close led, and stoppe hit aboute with dogh or bater,
that no eier come oute; And set hit on the faire carcole, and lete it seethe
easily and longe till hit be ynowe. And if hit be an erthen potte, then set 
hit
on the fire whan thou takest hit downe, and lete hit not touche the grounde
for breking; And whan the hete is ouer past, take oute the Capon with a 
prick
then make a sirippe of wyne, Reysons of corance, sugur and safferon, And
boile hit a litull; medel pouder of Ginger with a litul of the same wyn, and 
do
thereto; then do awey the fatte of the se3we of the Capon, And do the
Siryppe to the sewe, and powre hit on the Capo, and serue it forth.

Basically, color Capon (in my case hen) with saffron and water. Get a big 
kettle
and put some broken up bamboo skewers in the bottom. Cover the poultry
with parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme. Pour a good wine in the bottom of the
kettle. Place the hen on the sticks so they don't touch the bottom or sides.
Make a dough and place on the rim of the kettle and press on the lid. Turn 
on
the fire and let the hen cook in the steam of the wine and drippings.
When done, remove the bird, pour off the liquid and to that add more wine,
sugar, currants, and powdered ginger and let boil down to thicken.
Serve the hen with the sauce.

Wastels YFarced from the British Museum Cookbook
Forme of Cury, I believe but I don't have the original in front of me

3 wholemeal or wholewheat brown rolls, halved with the crumb removed
2 oz butter
4 oz mushrooms chopped
4 oz cooked and drained leaf spinach, chopped
2 oz raisins
salt, pepper, ground cinnamon and cloves to taste
1 egg

Put the halved rolls in a moderately hot oven for approx 10 minutes or until
they are light browned and crisp.
Melt the butter in a pan and cook the mushrooms for a couple of minutes. Add
the spinach and the raisins and continue to cook gently for several minutes
or til the butter has been almost absorbed by the vegetables. Season to 
taste
with the salt, pepper and spices. Beat the egg in a bow, add it to the 
vegetable
mixture and cook it gently just long enough for the egg slightly to bind 
with the
other ingredients. Pile the filling into the halved rolls and serve at once.

Stwed Beef
Pleyn Delit

Take faire ribbes of ffresh beef, and (if thou wilt) roste hit til hit be 
nygh ynowe,
then put hit in a fair possenet; caste therto parecelyi and oynons mynced, 
reysons
of corauns, powder peper, canel, clowes, saunders, safferon, and salt; then 
caste
thereto wyn and a litull vynegre; sette a lyd on the potte and lete hit 
boyle sokingly
on a faire charcole til hit be ynough; then lay the fflessh in the disshes, 
and the
sirippe thereuppon, and serue it forth.

Braised Beef Ribs
1.5 - 2 lbs bonless beef ribs
1 -2 onions
2 tbp parsley minced
2 tbsp currants
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp each pepper, allspice
1 tsp salt
pinch of saffron
1.5 cups red wine
2 tsp red wine vinegar

Brown beef by roasting it in an open pan in a hot oven for about 30 minutes.
Then put it in a stew pot, casserole or clay baker with all other 
ingredients.
Cover and cook over low heat or in a 325 degree oven for 45 minutes.

This is more of a sweet/sour flavor whereas the Sawge I'm doing has more
of the vinegar bite. Very different when tasted together. The sweet and
deep savoriness of this dish will offset the fresher bite of the Sawge.

I will post more recipes as I have time. Any especial ones anyone is 
interested in?

Also, to the SCA list, please change the headers when talking about a 
different
subject.

Thanks.

Gunthar