[Sca-cooks] A Challenge to Find a Dish

[Elaine Koogler]

iasmin at comcast.net wrote:

>Every year, my laurel's SCA family hosts a dinner around Thanksgiving time for all of her dependents and those of her husband. The themes have varied from year to year, with topics ranging far and wide from different countries to actual feast test runs. This year's theme is a little different and I thought people might find it an interesting challenge; I'd like to see what they come up with. 
>
>For an SCA "family" potluck, find a dish using these guidelines:
>
>-- The name of the dish must start with the first initial of your first name or the first initial of your last name. You cannot use your middle name if you have one.
>
>-- You must use your SCA name.
>
>-- You must make enough of this dish to feed 20 people.
>
>What's your dish?
>
>Iasmin de Cordoba, kicked out of the nest a few years back OL
>  
>
OK....my SCA name is Minowara Kiritsubo...and, in true Japanese fashion, 
my first name is the second in the order, and my "last name" is the 
first. Going with "M" is no real problem...I did Mirausto at a feast a 
year or so back:

*37. **Catalan-Style Mirausto** (**/The Neapolitan Recipe Collection/ 
(/Cuoco Napoletano)/*/ /by Terence Scully

In primo piglia pizoni o polastri ho caponi, conzali como se fa arosto, 
he poneli a rostire nel spido; he quando son mezi cotti, caveli for a he 
divideli in quarti, he ogni quarto in doi parti, he poneli in una 
pignata; dapoi piglia amandole he pistale molto bene; poi piglia doi 
fette di pane brusculato et quarto rossi de ova dura; poi pista ogni 
cosa cum le amandole, he distempera cum uno pocho de acceto ho de brood, 
he passa per la stamegna; da poi lo mette nela dita pignata sopra la 
carne, giogendoli de bone specie, cioe, canella assai, zucaro asai; poi 
mete la pignata supra le braxe he falla bullire per meza hora, 
continuamente menando cum lo cughiaro; et quando sera cotto, manda 
questo Mirausto a tavola in piatelli ho in scuteele, he fallo como el 
colore gamellino.

Begin by getting pigeons or cockerels or capons, prepare them as for a 
roast and set them to roast on a spit; when they are half cooked, take 
them, and split each quarter in two, and put them into a pot; then get 
almonds and grind them up thoroughly, and get two slice of toast and 
four hard-boiled egg yolk and grind up all this with the almonds and 
distemper it with a little vinegar or broth and strain it; then put it 
into the pot on top of the meat, adding in good spices—that is, a good 
lot of cinnamon and a good lot of sugar; then set the pot on the coals 
and let it boil for half an hour, stirring constantly with a spoon; when 
it is cooked, serve this Mirausto in dishes or in bowls, and give it a 
cameline colour.

My redaction:

2 Chicken breasts/thighs
1 cup Almonds, ground
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 Hardboiled egg yolk
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup White Wine Vinegar
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. sugar

Bake the chicken at 350º until it is about half done. Cut it into chunks.

While the chicken is cooking, grind the almonds. Add breadcrumbs and egg 
yolks, and grind again. Add the broth and vinegar mixture, then the 
cinnamon and sugar. Cook the chicken chunks in the sauce until the 
chicken is fully cooked.

******]
Now, for Kiri, there's a problem...there are not that many recipes 
around that start with "K"...but here goes. I used this one in an 
oriental feast I cooked several years back...while I can't prove it's 
period, I've run across similar things as we've been working on the 
Ryori Monogotari...and I've found references to pickles of various sorts 
from period Japan:

*Quick Turnip Pickles//*

*/Kabu no Sokuseki-zuke/*

*/ /*Also appropriate for cucumbers, sliced in thin wafers. Peel and 
seed large cucumbers.

12 medium turnips
5 heaping tbsp salt
4-inch piece giant /konbu/
1-inch square /yuzu /citron or lemon peel
Cut off greens from turnips and reserve. Wash turnips, peel, then cut 
into very fine julienne strips. Wash greens, dry, then chop finely.

Put turnip strips with finely chopped greens into a bowl and sprinkle 
with salt. Knead with your hands and mix thoroughly to draw water out of 
vegetable. In less than a minutes, a fair amount of liquid will be 
produced. Discard liquid.

Add dry /konbu/ and citron or lemon rind. Let stand, lidded and with a 
light weight, 1 hour at room temperature.

To serve: pick out a portion from the bowl and shake off liquid. Arrange 
in a mound and season with a few drops of soy sauce, if desired.

Tsuji Shizuo (/Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art)/, Tokyo: Kodansha 
International, 1980. p. 323-24.

Kiri