[Sca-cooks] Chestnuts Chestnuts Everywhere

[Daniel Myers]

On Sep 20, 2004, at 1:49 PM, Barbara Benson wrote:

> So, if anyone has any interesting, period references to chestnuts to
> share I would love to accumulate some recipes (read: as many as
> possible). From all different time periods and cultures.


Here are a few from a quick search ...


From:  Le Menagier de Paris (Janet Hinson, trans.)
Venison of Deer or Other Beast, If you wish to salt it in summer, it is 
appropriate to salt it in a wash-tub or bath, ground coarse salt, and 
after dry it in the sun. Haunch, that is the rump, which is salted, 
should be cooked first in water and wine for the first boiling to draw 
out the salt: and then throw out the water and wine, and after put to 
partly cook in a bouillon of meat and turnips, and serve in slices with 
some of the liquid in a dish and venison.

Item, if you have small young turnips, you should cook it in water and 
without wine for the first boiling, then throw out the water, and then 
partly cook in water and wine and with sweet chestnuts, or if you have 
no chestnuts, some sage: then serve as above.

From:  Le Menagier de Paris (Janet Hinson, trans.)
Subtle Broth from England. Take cooked peeled sweet chestnuts, and as 
many or more hard-boiled egg yolks and pork liver: grind all together, 
mix with warm water, then put through a sieve; then grind ginger, 
cinnamon, clove, grain, long pepper, galingale and saffron to give it 
color and set to boil together.

From:  Le Menagier de Paris (Janet Hinson, trans.)
Stuffed Piglet. Have the piglet killed and its throat cut and let it be 
scalded in boiling water, then skinned: then take some lean pork, and 
remove the fat and innards of the piglet and put it on to cook in 
water, and take twenty eggs and cook them hard, and some sweet 
chestnuts cooked in water and peeled: then take the egg yolks, sweet 
chestnuts, fine old cheese, and the cooked meat of a leg of pork, and 
chop it up, then grind with saffron and a large amount of powdered 
ginger mixed in with the meat; and if your meat is too hard, mix in egg 
yolks. And do not split open your piglet's stomach but cut the smallest 
hole possible: then put it on the spit, and then push your stuffing 
inside, and sew it up with a large needle; and it should be eaten 
either with yellow pepper if it is winter, or with a cameline sauce if 
it is summer.

From:  Le Menagier de Paris (Janet Hinson, trans.)
RISSOLES ON A FISH DAY. Cook chestnuts on a low fire and peel them, and 
have hard-cooked eggs and peeled cheese and chop it all up small; then 
pour on egg yolks, and mix in powdered herbs and a very little 
free-running salt, and make your rissoles, then fry in lots of oil and 
add sugar. And note, in Lent, instead of eggs and cheese, put in cooked 
whiting and sciaena, chopped very small, or the flesh of pike or eels, 
and chopped figs and dates.

From:  Le Menagier de Paris (Janet Hinson, trans.)
A MUST SAUCE (for Starlings? don't think so: JH). Take new black 
grapes, and squish them in the mortar, and boil up a bouillon, then 
strain through a sieve: and then throw on powdered spices, a little 
ginger and more cinnamon, or cinnamon alone for it is better, and stir 
a little with a silver spoon, and throw in crusts or toasted bread or 
eggs or chestnuts to thicken it: some red sugar, and serve.

From:  Le Menagier de Paris (Janet Hinson, trans.)
TO MAKE A BOAR INTO A GOOD PIG. Take a boar of two years old or 
thereabouts, and in May or June castrate him, and in boar-hunting 
season hunt it down, singe it and butcher it like a boar. Or else thus: 
take some tame pig which may be scalded, and cook it in half water half 
wine, and serve in a dish of this stew, turnips and chestnuts and the 
meat.


From:  Le Viandier de Taillevent (James Prescott, trans.)
Subtle English soup. Take cooked peeled chestnuts, egg yolks cooked in 
wine, and a bit of pork liver. Crush everything together, soak with a 
bit of lukewarm water, and sieve. Grind ginger, cloves and saffron (to 
give colour), and boil together.

From:  Le Viandier de Taillevent (James Prescott, trans.)
Stuffed piglet or pig. Scald it, wash it well, and put it on the spit. 
The stuffing is made of pork pluck, cooked pork meat, some egg yolks, 
harvest cheese, cooked peeled chestnuts and good Spice Powder. Put 
everything in the piglet's belly, stitch up the slit, and put it to 
roast. Baste it with a spoon, while turning the roast, with vinegar and 
good boiling drippings. Eat it hot with Yellow Pepper [Sauce]. Some 
lazy persons eat it with Cameline [Sauce].


- Doc


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  Edouard Halidai  (Daniel Myers)
  Pasciunt, mugiunt, confidiunt.
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