[Sca-cooks] Surviving medieval sauces?

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

"Susi Mayer" <susanne.mayer5 at chello.at> wrote:
> Horseradish sauce is STILL a very popular sauce in Austria for cooked beef 
> or ham and VERY simple, had it just last weekend,...
>
> Take some day old white rolls cut them up and add to broth, cook mushy and 
> add enough broth to get a sauce of your prefered thickness, just before it 
> is served add grated horesradish to taste.
>
> Dear Eduardo, could you steer me to some references please?
>
> Kind Regards
> Katharina
> Drachenwald
> Ad Flumen Caerulum (YES, THE blue danube ;-))
> Vienna/Austria

I posted two horseradish sauce sources, one being Brighid's Spanish Horseradish Sauce from Nola's 16th c. cookbook. The other was German, from the 15 c. Das Kochbuch des Meisters Eberhard.

Horseradish sauce
Das Kochbuch des Meisters Eberhard

The Original
from Thomas Gloning's invaluable site:
http://www.uni-giessen.de/gloning/tx/feyl.htm

Ein gutte salsen zu machen in der fastenn.
Item nym merrich vnd zustoss den in einem moerserr
vnd nym mandelkernn oder nuss vnd zustoss die auch
vnd geuss ein wein dar an. Merrich bricht den
stein garr serr, wenn man in isset in der kost.

2. A good sauce to make in the Fast.
Item. Take horseradish and pound it in a mortar and take almond kernels or (wal)nuts and pound them also and pour a wine therein. Horseradish brings the stone very much, when one eats it in the food.

NOTE: I added the [wal] to nuts

5 cups ground horseradish root
2-1/2 cups ground almonds
4 cups dry white wine
1 TB salt
1/4 cup sugar

Grind horseradish.
Add almonds and wine.
Let stand overnight.
Season with salt and sugar to taste.
 
NOTE: I made this a couple days before the feast. This gave the sauce a chance to mellow a bit, so it wouldn't be as harsh as what i made last year. It had a nice creamy flavor. I thought it ws delicious. In fact, i rather like it mixed with the Swallenberg Sauce.
 
NOTE: Making this was rather, uh, eye-opening. I used a large fresh whole horseradish root. I borrowed a Vita-Mix from my house mates. Washed and peeled and rinsed the root and cut it in large chunks. Then i dropped them in the Vita-Mix and in seconds it was very finely grated. Then i added the wine. I also had to open all the doors and windows in the kitchen and the back of the house because of the really intense fumes (and it was winter and very cold). A blender or a food processor couldn't do this job - i used a food processor to make the de Nola horseradish last year and it was nowhere near as finely processed. But then, a blender or food processor won't release as many fumes, either.
 
NOTE: Salt seems to be left out of the list of ingredients in a number of German recipes - salt often won't be mentioned until the last sentence, which will say "And don't over-salt it". So cooks might well have added salt to this recipe.
I added the sugar to balance the flavors. I've estimated the amount of sugar i used as I added it by taste. I didn't use a lot, because I don't like sweet things much. Naturally, you can leave it out.

Brighid has posted links to her translation, but i'll include my version of her sauce here - this was my first feast as head cook, and i'd only helped in the kitchen of one other feast.

Horseradish-Honey Sauce
Spanish, de Nola, Libro de Guisados, 1529

Original
Translated from the original by Lady Brighid ni Chiarain

Perejil - Parsley
You must take the parsley and remove the roots, and strip off the leaves very well and clean it, and grind those leaves a great deal in a mortar, and after it is well-ground, toast a crustless piece of bread, and soak it in white vinegar, and grind it with the parsley, and after it is well-ground cast a little pepper into the mortar, and mix it well with the parsley and the bread, and then cast in honey, which should be melted, in the mortar, stirring constantly in one direction until the honey incorporates itself with the sauce in the mortar, and if the sauce should be very thick, clarify it with a little watered vinegar, so that it should not be very sour, and having done that take two smooth pebbles from the sea or river, and cast them in the fire, and when they shall be quite ruddy and red, cast them with some tongs in the mortar in such a manner that they are extinguished there, and when all this is done taste it for flavor, and make it in such a manner that it tastes a little of pepper, and a little sweet-sour, and of parsley, and if any of these things is lacking, temper [the dish] with it.

Salsa de Rabano Vexisco y de Gallocresta
Sauce of horseradish and of clary sage
In the same manner as the parsley, you can also make sauce from the root of the horseradish and the same from the leaves of clary sage.

Recipe by Anahita
based on redaction by Lady Brighid ni Chiarain

Makes over 1 quart of sauce
1 lb. fresh horseradish root, finely grated
4 slices Italian bread, toasted lightly
3/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 cups honey
1 cup water
2 tsp black pepper

1. Wash and peel the horseradish root. Chop very coarsely.
2. Toast bread - can be done on grill - or if there's a toaster, use it.
3. Grate horseradish finely. I'm not sure if we used the blender or the Cuisinart. Whichever, you will probably want to grind it twice to get it fine.
4. Soak the toasted bread in the vinegar. 
5. Place horseradish in the container of a blender or food processor.
6. Add the toasted bread, crumbling as necessary.
7. Blend a moment until just barely mixed, not pasty.
8. Add the remaining ingredients, adjusting as necessary for taste - and Watch Out! as the horseradish is STRONG!
9. Add just enough water to make a smooth sauce that is not too thin
10. Just before serving, heat the sauce on low heat until warm. Do not boil.
WARNING: Don't lean over the blender, the bowl, or the pan without acknowledging that there will be rising horseradish fumes.

I think some folks thought they were having some sort of transcendent experience when they ate this. It was quite strong but quite good and excellent company for the pork. This would also be good with any red meat.

i add now that it should probably have been made a day or two beforehand.

Urtatim (that's oor-tah-TEEM)