[Sca-cooks] Grilling was Sweating meat

Daniel Myers dmyers at medievalcookery.com
Sun Apr 14 21:00:16 PDT 2013



> -------- Original Message --------
> From: JIMCHEVAL at aol.com
> Date: Sun, April 14, 2013 11:08 pm
> 
> Interesting, if only because it shows that the English DID use gridirons  
> for cooking, at least going into the Renaissance. I'm still inclined to think 
> the French did not, beyond toasting bread. 
> 
> But one never knows what list  members will find, does one?


A few minutes of searching through the readily available French sources
turned up all sorts of examples of non-breads being grilled - mostly
fish, but other things as well.

- Doc


-=-=-

Bars of sweet water roasted on the grill, a little fire underneath, that
it doesn't burn on the grill, with verjuice. And if it is cooked in
water, with green sauce is eaten.  [Enseignements (France, ca. 1300 - D.
Myers, trans.)]

-=-=-

119. Fresh salmon. Smoked (keep the chine for roasting), cut into
steaks, and then cooked in water; [add] some wine and salt while
cooking; eaten with Yellow Pepper [Sauce] or Cameline [Sauce]. Some dry
it again (for eating) on the grill. In a pie (if you wish) powdered with
spices; eaten with Cameline [Sauce]. If it is salted: cooked in water
without salt; eaten with wine and chopped scallion.  [Le Viandier de
Taillevent (France, 1350)]

120. Fresh mackerel. Cleaned through the gill and roasted on the grill;
eaten with Cameline [Sauce]. In a pie, powdered with spices; eaten with
Cameline [Sauce]. If it is salted: cooked in water; eaten with wine and
scallion or shallot, or with Mustard [Sauce].  [Le Viandier de
Taillevent (France, 1350)]

-=-=-

For marine fish: for the turbot should be given green sauce, salmon with
cameline, ray with garlic cameline which is made with almonds and with
its liver; sea-crayfish with vinegar, sturgeons with parsley, onions,
and vinegar, fried sardines with mustard, fried sole with sorrel
verjuice and oranges, eels roasted on the grill with verjuice, anchovies
with parsley, onions, and vinegar and powder on top.  [Du fait de
cuisine (France, 1420)]

56. To give understanding to him who will make the mortoexes let him
take the livers of kids and of veal and wash and clean them very well
and put them to cook cleanly in fair water and, being sufficiently
cooked, let him take them out onto fair and clean boards and drain them
well and then chop them very small; and, being well chopped, put in
herbs, that is sage and hyssop -- and these in measure -- and marjoram
also and parsley also a great deal which should previously be picked
over, cleaned, and washed, and chop them very well in with the liver,
and also very good cheese and not too much, and also salt and spices:
white ginger, grains of paradise, pepper and not too much, and saffron
to give it color; and then take eggs and put them in. And mix all this
together and then, when it boils, make the mortoexes : arrange that you
have the cauls of kids and veal -- and if there are not enough take the
cauls of sheep -- and be careful that they are fair and clean, then
spread them on fair and clean boards and when they are spread take eggs
and rub them on top; and, this being done, take the filling and put some
on top and make your mortoeses just like raviolis; wrap them in the
cauls and then put them to cook on the grill.  [Du fait de cuisine
(France, 1420)]

57. Again, a vinaigrette: and to give understanding to him who will make
the vinaigrette let him take pork livers and wash them and then put them
on the grill over fair coals until they are cooked enough; and when they
are cooked let him put them on fair boards and then slice them into
little dice; and then let him take a great deal of onions and peel them
and wash them and slice them very small and sauté all of this together
in good and fair lard.  [Du fait de cuisine (France, 1420)]

-=-=-

Hash of entrails of young goat and the head which are cooked together,
the head, the 
“pluck” and the testes. And, when they are all chopped (the meat of
the testes and the pluck) 
not too small, they are fried in good lard in a pan. And take a little
salt and saffron and grind in a 
mortar, and a large number of eggs together, and when they are well
beaten, and cast into the 
stuffing in a pot until it is done. And stuff the head on the grill and
wrap in goat intestine, so the 
brain isn't in the ashes. And gild it with egg yolks. And, when one
serves the dish, put the head 
on top of the best platter.  [Le Recueil de Riom (France, 1466)]

-=-=-

Poulpette of sturgeon. Take sturgeon cut into slices the length of a
hand & the size of three fingers, & beat it with the flat of a knife
without grinding, then take good chopped herbs, & put therein nutmeg,
ginger, the yolks of eggs, & fresh butter, a little salt, & flatten the
herbs on the fish: that the fish will be covered: then roll that, & put
on skewers of wood or iron, & make it roast on the grill a small fire
for a long time: when well cooked melted butter thereon & juice of
oranges, a fresh lemon cut into little pieces: serve so.  [Ouverture de
Cuisine (France, 1604)]

To make tripe of dogfish. Take a pound of fresh meat of dogfish, for one
pound of meat four ounces of sea salmon, & chop well together, two or
three onions chopped very fine, a quarter ounce of cinnamon, half a
quarter ounce of pepper, & of salt: if you have the blood of the dogfish
mix with to make tripe: if there isn't any blood, take a reumer of
cream, ground eggs of pike & strained with the cream, & mix with the
meat: then take the intestines of a sheep or intestines of a very small
piglet, & thoroughly wash out the grease, fill them with the meat like
tripe, & make them cook with water & salt, a good handful of sorrel:
when cooked it is necessary to roast on the grill.  [Ouverture de
Cuisine (France, 1604)]

Another [Veal genitals or nether parts in pottage]. Take genitals well
cooked, & cut them into pieces the thickness of a thumb, & put them onto
little skewers of wood that are very thin, sprinkle pepper thereon,
chopped sage & salt: then take a caul of pork, & wrap the caul around
the genitals, & put them to roast on the grill, baste well with butter,
then serve them with orange juice.  [Ouverture de Cuisine (France,
1604)]

Take oranges cut in two, & sprinkle sugar & cinnamon thereon, & put them
on a grill with a little fire, & cast a little melted butter thereon
until you see that the sugar is melted: then put again sugar & cinnamon,
& butter, & make the fire a little bigger, & put another time sugar &
cinnamon, until you see that it's through the orange.  [Ouverture de
Cuisine (France, 1604)]





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