[Sca-cooks] Herbs in Recipes a Dozen contest ideas

[Sharon Gordon]

1)Herbal Salats with the restriction that the ingredients be in the correct
state they would be in for a particular season of the year.  For example a
Spring Salat might include some items from the following: fresh peas, fresh
dandelion greens, fresh chives, spring onions, some of last autumn's dried
herbs, vinegar, oil or raisins etc.
2)Herb Breads
3)Herbal Soups that would be good for specific medical conditions.  Soups
could contain any ingredients, would be done in a period manner though
information from multiple recipes could be used.  The chef would provide a
page or two of info discussing how pre 1600 cooks thought the ingredients
would be helpful, and how modern day herbalists regard the same ingredients.
Cook should state whether they are maximizing the healthfulness of the soup
according to period knowlege, modern knowlege or both.
4) What can you do with your Spice and Herb Kit?  Choose a time and place.
Let participants know what is in their spice kit.  Also provide a list of
available food stuffs for that culture or have them research and document
their choices. They can use those spices and herbs along with any of the
available foodstuffs to create one course of a meal.
5) You have any medieval herbs and spices, salt, a whole chicken with all
its usually included bag of parts,  and unlimited of the following: water,
flour, butter, olive oil, flour, eggs, raisins, onions, carrots, and spinach
(or some other limited selection of vegetables and a fruit depending on time
of year).  Create an interesting feast for two people.
6)  Focus on a vegetable or fruit.  You have any herb, spice, salt, liquid,
grain, meat, eggs, nuts, but may not use other vegetables or fruits.  May
want to decide in advance about which borderline herb-vegetables fall into
which categories (onions, dandelions).  Participants must create three
dishes in three different categories featuring the designated
vegetable/fruit.  All dishes must include at least one herb.  Participants
may enhance their scores by clever purchasing.  For instance if turnips are
the featured food.  The clever shopper would buy turnips with fresh greens
attached thus getting greens and roots to work with.  The clever shopper who
had a theme of grapes might get several colors of grapes, verjuice, raisins,
wine, and balsamic vinegar for their recipes. (Of course under the rules
they could have had the three liquids anyway.)
7) Herbed mustards and/or herbed mustard sauces.
8) Pasties with fillings of only one meat, only one vegetable or fruit, at
least one herb and other ingredients as desired.
9) Sausage with herbs and spices.
10) A well documented herb and spice kit for a particular time and place.
Display to consist of pots with fresh herbs and a labeled sectioned
herb/spice box behind glass (or with a clear cover).
11) Grains with herbs.  Other ingredients permitted, but the grain(s) to be
the feature along with the herbs.
12) You are starting up a Spice and Herb Mix Company in Italy in 1485
(Old Norse area in 1050, France in 1590, Scotland in 1450, England in in
1575 or ...).  Based on the recipes and/or archeology of the century (or you
could ask all participants to focus on a particular cookbook or set of
archeological findings) and area, what will be in your first 10 spice
mixtures and in what proportions?  What do you base each mix on?  What do
you call them?  If you name them in a language other than English, please
provide English translations.  Provide one cup samples of the two mixes you
think will be your best sellers.  Label each mix with its name and whether
it is to be used in sweet or savory recipes.  Mixes for sweets will be
tested by stirring one tablespoon each into one cup of applesauce and one
cup of cream cheese and refrigerated for one hour before tasting.  Mixtures
will be removed from the refrigerator 15 minutes before tasting.  Mixes for
savory recipes will be tested by stirring one tablespoon each into one cup
of butter and one cup of standard chicken broth (insert chicken broth recipe
here).  Butter mixture will be removed from refrigerator 15 minutes before
tasting and served spread on thin slices of plain Italian bread.  Broth
mixtures will be simmered covered for one hour and allowed to cool for 15
minutes before tasting.

Sharon
gordonse at one.net