[Sca-cooks] Next project, next recipe II.Ambroyno- price questions

[Raphaella DiContini]

I suppose it would partially depend on where you get all of the supplies. I can occationally get chicken for 1.99lb, but almonds usually run more and while I've been able to get some really nice verjuice from a friend at $10 a bottle I suspect she's under charging me by $2-4 to be nice (she buys by the case from the vinyard). 

Last night's dinner cost maybe 5-6 dollars for the chicken, and about the same the almonds and Agresto/ Verjuice together. Some of the other bigger expenses was buying clairified lard as that's not something I've had in the house (7.00 for a fairly large tub), and the spices. I need to get more grains of paradise as I'm nearly out, but I make the period spice mixes myself from this same manuscript and they can also get quite pricy when you're making the batches. 

I hadn't really put all the numbers together when I made the spice mix & recipe booklets for largess but going by some of the most costly ingredients I'd say each type by batch easily costs anywhere from $30-60. I'm only using small portions of each for this, but if I were setting up for a feast and didn't have any of it already on hand that could be fairly costly.  

Still just last night's dinner all together, including the vegetables and cous cous my roommate made probably came to under $20 for three people, and it was delicious! Eating historically is healthier (possibly - the lard) and definately cheeper than eating out. 

In joyous service, 
Raffaella 


--- On Fri, 2/19/10, Johnna Holloway <johnnae at mac.com> wrote:

> From: Johnna Holloway <johnnae at mac.com>
> Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Next project, next recipe II.Ambroyno
> To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
> Date: Friday, February 19, 2010, 11:47 AM
> So the cost is in the almonds and
> verjuice and not the chicken?
> Thinking in feast terms, for a table of eight, you'd need
> roughly 4 cups of almonds and 4 cups
> roughly of verjuice?
> 
> Johnnae
> 
> On Feb 19, 2010, at 1:35 PM, Raphaella DiContini wrote:
> > First run through was:
> > 3 chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
> > 1 tsp clarified lard (or for one piece EVOO)
> > 1/2 medium onion (I think I could have added more)
> > 1/4 tsp sweet spice mix, from same manuscript... See
> More
> > 1/4 tsp black and strong spice mix, from same
> manuscript
> > 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/8 tsp clove, 1/8 tsp grains of
> paradise
> > sauce was
> > 1 1/2 cup ground un-peeled almonds
> > 1 1/2 cup Agresto/ Verjuice/ sour grape juice
> > 6-10 threads of saffron
> > I probably could have cut the almonds by 1/2 cup, or
> increased the Agresto, still I was happy with the results.
> 
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