Platina-Feast-art

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Platina-Feast-art - 5/24/01

A 15th Century Italian feast cooked from recipes in Platina by Lady Clotild.

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Date: Sun, 28 Jan 2001 10:08:41 -0800 (PST)

From: Clotilda Suessionensis <clotild_of_soissons at yahoo.com>

Subject: SC - 12th Night Platina Feast LONG

The Shire of the Storm did a "catered performance" for

a local church's fundraising kick-off dinner. The

church paid for the food, and we provided cooking,

serving and decorations.

Because I'd recently acquired Milham's Platina, I

wanted to do a period Italian feast, and planned a

menu accordingly. The menu had to include vegetarian

dishes in each course, and my aim was to make a feast

that was documentable (as much as possible), delicious

and educational to boot.

To ensure the "educational" part, I made a brochure

that explained Italian 12th Night traditions, outlined

the menu and provided recipes for four of the more

unusual redacted recipes (on the idea that if they

read about it, they might feel better about eating

something unusual). (The brochure is available in

.pdf form for anyone who wants it - email me at

magistra at tampabay.rr.com)

We held a Shire redaction class several weeks before

the event to test-run the recipes and decide, for

example, which of two soup recipes to use.

I incorporated a very few "perioid" and "non-period"

items, which are noted in the menu.

BEFORE THE MEAL

Antipasto Platters - sliced meats, cheeses, crudites,

pickles, olives (perioid)

King Cake - modern Swedish Coffee Bread recipe, chosen

because I know the recipe well, could scale it easily,

and could bake it in advance

PRIMO

Gourd Soup - from Platina, recipe and redaction below

Italian Bread - fresh baked by us without a recipe

Fruited Chicken Pies - from Platina, recipe and

redaction below

SEGUNDO

Pork Roast - from Platina, recipe and redaction below

Parsnips - from Platina, recipe and redaction below

Stewed Apples - perioid, simply cooked with sugar and

cinnamon. Platina had a recipe for stewed apples but

it was not vegetarian.

TERTIO

Yule Log Cakes - covered in chocolate, these were not

even close to period, but were a nice subtlety - and

delicious

We served mulled spiced wine and cider to drink.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

REDACTED RECIPES

Gourd Soup - from Platina, p. 339

"With a perforated spoon, put gourd, which has been

cut up and cooked in broth or water with a bit of

onion, in a pot where there is rich broth and a bit of

verjuice and saffron. When it has boiled a little

while, take from the hearth. After it has been taken

out and cooled somewhat, put in two egg yolks, beaten

with a bit of aged and ground cheese, or stir

continually with a spoon so lumps do not impede the

cooking. When it has been put in small serving

dishes, sprinkle with spices."

Ingredients: (for 10 to 12 servings)

2 large butternut squash

2-3 cans vegetable broth

2 medium onions

verjuice

º package of Vigo saffron

2 egg yolks

Parmesan cheese

sprinkle of cumin

parsley

Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut

the squash in large chunks, and boil in a large

stockpot (or two) water (or broth) with the cut-up

onions. When the squash can be pierced through with a

fork, strain. Let squash cool before peeling off

rind. Place rindless squash and onions in blender

with one or two cans of vegetable broth and blend

until smooth. Pour into large stockpot and add

remainder of vegetable broth, verjuice (if desired)

and saffron. When soup has reduced somewhat, beat

together egg yolks, Parmesan cheese and cumin and add

to pot. Stir to blend.

Reality Check: We forgot to boil the onions with the

squash, and so caramelized the onions and then blended

them with the squash. We also did not add eggs to the

recipe when we served it at the feast. This was one

of the two most popular dishes we served.

- - - - - - - - -

Fruited Chicken Pie - Platina, p. 273 (A Crust for

Tame Animals)

"If you want a crust with chicks and any sort of bird,

first boil them. When they are almost cooked, take

them out of the kettle, and when they are out, cut

them up in pieces, and fry in a frying pan with plenty

of lard. Then pour them out into a pan or well-oiled

earthen pot lined with a crust. Add plums and

cherries or sour fruit to this mixture without harm.

Then beat with a paddle verjuice and eight eggs, if

you are having more guests, or fewer, with a few, with

a moderate amount of juice. With this, mix parsley,

marjoram and mint chopped as fine as possible with a

knife, and place on a fire but far from the flame, for

it must boil slowly. Meanwhile it ought to be stirred

with a spoon as long as needed until it covers the

spoon with a thick coating. Finally, pour this juice

over the crust and put it on the fire, even if it is a

meat pie. When it is cooked, serve to your guests.

It will be very nourishing, digest slowly, leave

little indigestible residue, repress bile and irritate

the chest."

Ingredients (makes 1 pie, serves 6 to 8)

1 chicken breast, 2 chicken thies

1 pie crust (not prebaked)

1 packages dried cherries, soaked in white wine

verjuice

6 eggs

1/8 cup fine chopped fresh parsley

1/8 cup fine chopped fresh mint

1/8 cup fine chopped marjoram

Boil and debone the chicken (reserve broth for use in

pork roast). Preheat the oven to 350∫F. Mix the

chicken, wine-soaked cherries and herbs in a large

bowl. Pour the chicken-herb-fruit mixture into three

pie shells. Beat the eggs well with about half a cup

of verjuice, and pour over the chicken mixture in each

pie. Bake at 350∫F for an hour and a half, or until

toothpick inserted in center of pie comes out clean.

Reality Check: I ordered verjuice far in advance, but

UPS broke the bottles in transit, so I had no

verjuice. We used red wine vinegar instead. Also,

next time around we might make it more quiche-like by

increasing the egg mixture and decreasing the chicken.

- - - - - - - - -

Pork Roast - Platina p. 283 (Haedus in Allio -

actually a recipe for Kid, but worked well for pork)

On a spit over a fire turn the kid with bits of lard

and cloves of clean garlic stuck all around it.

Moisten frequently with sprigs of bay or rosemary,

with the seasoning, which I shall now describe. With

verjuice and a rich sauce, mix two well-beaten egg

yolks, two well-pounded cloves of garlic, a bit of

saffron, and a little pepper and put in a pan. Then,

as I have said, sprinkle it on what is cooking, and

when it is cooked, put in a dish and pour in part of

the sauce, then sprinkle with finely cut parsley.

Ingredients:

Pork Shoulder Butt Roast (1/4 lb. per person)

Egg yolks, beaten (1 per pound of meat)

Verjuice (1/8 cup per pound of meat)

Chicken broth (1 cup per pound of meat)

Pepper

Saffron

Sprigs of rosemary

Several cloves garlic, slivered

Parsley

Preheat the oven to 500∫F. "Stud" the pork roast with

slivers of garlic all over and place it in a roasting

pan. Mix the remainder of the ingredients and pour

them over the roast. Place the pan in the oven and

reduce the temperature to 350∫F. Roast for 30-45

minutes per pound. (We used the parsley to garnish

the trays of meat.)

Reality Check: Again, no verjuice, so we used red

wine vinegar instead. The pork didn't slice as much

as fall apart like pulled pork - and tasted fabulous.

This was the other most popular dish we served.

- - - - - - - - -

Parsnips - Platina, p. 227

The parsnip should be boiled twice, with the first

water thrown away, and cooked with lettuce the second

time. Transferred from there to a dish and seasoned

with salt, vinegar, coriander and pepper, it is

suitable to eat, for it settles cough, pleurisy and

dropsy, and arouses passion.

Ingredients:

Parsnips (peeled and cut in slices)

Salt, pepper, coriander

Vinegar (organic red wine)

Boil parsnips in water; drain. Boil again with fresh

water and lettuce in pot. Season with vinegar, salt,

pepper and coriander to taste.

Reality Check: not enough pans or time to boil again

- - and parsnips tasted fine with one boiling. The

coriander and vinegar combined to make a nice sharp

taste that was great with the parsnips, and nicely

complemented the pork roast.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If anyone's tried these recipes before or has a

different redaction, I'd love to see it. :)

- - Lady Clotild

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Clotilda Suessionensis

Shire of the Storm

Kingdom of Trimaris