[Sca-cooks] Brussels sprouts was Re: Sca-cooks Digest, Vol 29, Issue 12

[Cindy Renfrow]

On Oct 7, 2005, at 1:15 PM, <kingstaste at mindspring.com> wrote:

> So, if you are to use olive oil in Lent, what sort of oil are they 
> calling
> for the rest of the time?  Could it be interpreted as an animal-based 
> oil
> such as bacon grease or butter?

No. No oil at all. Use only "greasy pot-water of beef and mutton… but 
in no wise that of pork, which is only good for leeks."

Le Menagier tends to write in a very stream of consciousness style, so 
his directions are rather confused. He speaks of preparing all sorts of 
cabbages higgledy-piggledy in the same paragraph. Basically, tough 
cabbage leaves and hearts are to be cooked for a very very long time 
with meat broth and/or water until they're nothing but mush. Then the 
whole mess is served with greasy pot-water and thickened with bread 
crumbs. Sprouts, however, are not cooked to mush; but I imagine he 
means for us to serve them with thickened broth too.
Other options include cooking cabbage in water on fish days & serving 
them with oil and salt. Or some thicken the mixture with oatmeal 
instead of bread, or use butter instead of oil.
Another option: "On a meat day you may put therewith pigeons, sausages 
and hare, coots and plenty of bacon."


The Pichon is here: http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/menagier/menagier6.html

HTH,

Cindy