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ckng-4-vigils-msg - 5/15/11

 

Cooking suggestions for SCA peerage vigils.

 

NOTE: See also the files: fd-transport-msg, ingred-lists-msg, finger-foods-msg, nuts-msg, Scotch-Eggs-msg, cheese-breads-msg, fried-breads-msg, wafers-msg, ME-revel-fds-art, finger-fd-fst-art.

 

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NOTICE -

 

This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.

 

This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org

 

I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter.

 

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Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s).

 

Thank you,

    Mark S. Harris                  AKA:  THLord Stefan li Rous

                                          Stefan at florilegium.org

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Date: Sat, 16 Oct 2010 21:11:16 -0400

From: Irmgard <irmgart at gmail.com>

To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org

Subject: [Sca-cooks] cooking for a vigil

 

I find myself tapped to cook for a surprise vigil in late February,

and am VERY exited about the opportunity, but... I'm concerned about a

few of things.

 

1) Obviously, I will take into account the allergies/likes/dislikes of

the person to be elevated and the immediate family/friend group, but I

really don't want to have to provide ingredients for everything I (or

someone else) make. I also don't want to be completely tied to the

vigil area for the whole day.  Are either really necessary?

 

2) How should I figure out how many people to plan on feeding? I

really don't want to run out of food, even if we do run out of some

things.

 

3) I'm seriously short on fundage, and will probably be for the

foreseeable future. What is a good way to get people to donate either

money, ingredients or finished dishes w/o the recipient finding out? I

can't exactly post over the local mailing list, and I'm new enough to

not be sure who I can trust not to spill the beans.. :)

 

4) How feasible is it to serve a soup/stew? I have access to several

crock pots, and possibly an electric roaster.

 

help me please?

 

Many thanks in advance,

 

~Irmgard

 

 

Date: Sat, 16 Oct 2010 21:32:14 -0400

From: Robin Carroll-Mann <rcarrollmann at gmail.com>

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] cooking for a vigil

 

I would avoid soups, stews, and anything else that would require feast

gear.  Think finger food.  This doesn't mean that you have to restrict

yourself to boring stuff like ye-old-cubes-of-cheese.  Mini tarts,

meatballs (toothpicks are your friends), cookie-like baked goods,

bread with various spreads/sauces/dips.  Are you concentrating on any

particular period or culture?

 

Brighid ni Chiarain

 

 

Date: Sat, 16 Oct 2010 21:38:46 -0400

From: Irmgard <irmgart at gmail.com>

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] cooking for a vigil

 

If I were to do a soup, I'd have small coffee cups (planning on

providing cups for hot and cold drinks, as well as small plates and

napkins).

 

I'm hoping for mostly late-period English, but there will probably be

some late-period German and a few modern (Southern US) favorites like

cheese straws and butter mints. :)

 

~I

 

 

Date: Sun, 17 Oct 2010 08:41:32 -0500

From: Katherine Kretchmar <katriona at irontreeworks.com>

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] cooking for a vigil

 

Is there a peer who is overseeing the elevation process?  The one who

asked you to cook?  Talk to that person.

 

1)  Let the peer in question know that you are happy to do the cooking

and coordinating (assuming that is what you want), but that you need

help either acquiring or paying for the ingredients.  Let the peer know

you cannot be there all day.  There is a good chance that s/he will

be, or that a spouse/SO will, or some other plan.

 

3)  Ask the peer to post on the peerage mailing list (if your kingdom

has one) a plea for donations to the vigil food.  Ask who else you are

allowed to tell so that you can ask more people.  You may be told no

one, sorry.  Give her/him a list of things you are looking for, either

specific items or general categories.  Ask that you be the person they

tell, or that the peer keep you in the loop.  Beware - many will wait

until the last moment to tell you.  The easiest to ask for is things

that cost money and you aren't going to cook anyways, such as cheese,

sausage, fruit, nuts, whatever.  Also realize that donations may have

nothing to do with the theme you have set, and just be gracious.  When

I did a vigil feast that was all Andalusian Jew, with dairy and meat

kept separate, and a pelican brought cheese with sausage in it, I had

to just suck it up and thank her, and figure out where to put it.  You

also can tell a few close friends that you are doing this project,

without telling anything about who or what peerage, and ask for help.

 

If you would like more thoughts, feel free to email me privately.  I

am not the person to talk about with research or feast-sized cooking,

but working with peers and coordinating volunteers I can do.

 

Katriona

 

 

Date: Sun, 17 Oct 2010 07:19:19 -0700

From: "Anne-Marie Rousseau" <dailleurs at liripipe.com>

To: "'Cooks within the SCA'" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] cooking for a vigil

 

Good advice, Katriona!

 

In addition to tapping the person who asked you to cook to pony up :), in my

experience, people don't go to vigils to EAT. They want nibbles so they have

something to do with their hands and to keep the vigil-ee (vigilante? ;)

from passing out from starvation.

 

Food as in a meal type stuff is hard to serve, lots of work and

expensive.

 

Think nuts (no shells means no cleanup, BTW), dried fruit, shortbread

cookies, pickles, olives (again no pits means you wont have to be coming

pits out of the carpet later), pitchers of drinking water, etc.

 

I've catered a number of vigils and had really good luck asking the

vigil-ees already-laurelled friends to bring a batch of this or that (small

tarts of savory or sweet, you may need to provide recipes :); sliced deli

meat, sliced cheese and those whole grain bread rolls with a small bowl of

mustard; heck, even hummous with carrots, cucumbers and pita wedges makes a

non period and very vigil friendly protein source

 

If you really want a hot protein thing, I've had good luck taking my

favorite period sauced meat dish (pomegranate chicken, or pork in fig sauce

for example), precook the meat in bite sized lumps. Put with the sauce in

the crockpot and serve hot with those long bamboo skewers and cocktail

napkins (no plates, no forks and the skewers can get tossed into the fire or

compost)

 

Most importantly, as Katriona says, talk to the person who hit you up for

this generous donation of your time and energy. Find out what they had in

mind, and be very clear on what you're willing and able to do. There's no

shame in setting clear boundaries ahead of time :)

 

Good luck! Catering vigils is a fun way to be part of your friends special

day :)

 

--Anne-Marie

 

 

Date: Sun, 17 Oct 2010 10:04:44 -0400

From: Elaine Koogler <kiridono at gmail.com>

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] cooking for a vigil

 

I've been responsible for the food at several vigils...and will share what

I've done.  However, inter-Kingdom anthropology being what it is...

 

1)  I wouldn't worry about the likes/dislikes/allergies of anyone except the

candidate.  You are, IMHO, providing this as a courtesy....that being said,

I would make sure that I knew about specific ingredients even if you don't

post a list.  I have never had a problem, quite frankly.

 

2) I think this depends on the size of the event.  If it were at Pennsic,

I'd probably provide more than if it were happening at a small local event.

You will probably have a number of different items, so you won't need to

provide nearly as much as you would for a sit-down feast. For example, if I

were providing cookies...I'd probably fix maybe 2 dozen for a small event, 3

or 4 for a larger event.  And don't put it all out at once!

 

3)  DEFINITELY...DO NOT try to do it all yourself.  People want to help. Ask

for contributions, definitely in food, utensils (paper plates, napkins, cups,

ice, drinks) and, if needed, in money.  Firstly, either send an email to the

Order...or get someone to do so.  If even the Order doesn't know, talk

privately with family or close friends to get help.

 

4)  Soup is a very bad idea.  This is a snack presentation, and eating soup

would be very difficult.  And you'd need to provide spoons and bowls.  If

it's going to be cold, try providing a warm drink...maybe mulled cider.  As

has been suggested, finger foods are the best.  You could do pies, but

either making them tartlets or small filled pastries would be easier to

serve.  Fruit is good, as are nuts and dried fruit.  One dish that's

somewhat ubiquitous to many cultures are the stuffed dates...I know there's

a recipe in Apicius for them (Dates Alexandrine) and also a middle eastern

version as well.  I did them for a vigil and they were a great success!

 

Kiri

 

 

Date: Sun, 17 Oct 2010 10:43:51 -0400

From: Elaine Koogler <kiridono at gmail.com>

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] cooking for a vigil

 

Actually, there are period hummus recipes!  Happy to provide same if you're

interested...or there should be several in the Flory-thingey.  But yes,

hummus a grand alternative.  Something like goat or other spreadable cheese

with crackers works well also.

 

And I agree with Anne-Marie...talk to whoever asked you to prepare food for

the vigil.  They should be able to help you find people that can provide

assistance, either monetary or items you can serve.

 

One thing I did when I wanted something warm was to do Savory Toasted Cheese

as the real recipe describes.  I have a period (late Tudor) chafing dish

where I kept the cheese warm.  Beside it I had a platter with veggies and

cubed roast beef.  It was a howling success!  (Folks in Atlantia are

seriously addicted to STC but had never seen it served this way.)  Just be

careful not to get the dish too hot if it's very cold out.  The difference

between the temperature outside and the heated dish caused the stoneware

(!!) dish to break.  sigh.

 

Kiri

 

On Sun, Oct 17, 2010 at 10:19 AM, Anne-Marie Rousseau <

dailleurs at liripipe.com> wrote:

<<< heck, even hummous with carrots, cucumbers and pita wedges makes a

non period and very vigil friendly protein source

 

If you really want a hot protein thing, I've had good luck taking my

favorite period sauced meat dish (pomegranate chicken, or pork in fig sauce

for example), precook the meat in bite sized lumps. Put with the sauce in

the crockpot and serve hot with those long bamboo skewers and cocktail

napkins (no plates, no forks and the skewers can get tossed into the fire

or compost) >>>

 

 

Date: Sun, 17 Oct 2010 11:42:21 -0600

From: Susan Lin <susanrlin at gmail.com>

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] cooking for a vigil

 

1.  You really should provide ingredients for everything served - even if

it's just a list of them.  Nobody is looking for documentation, just enough

information that they can stay away from something that might make them ill.

You don't need to be "tied to the vigil" - take a break but before you do

just make sure everything is re-plated or ask someone else to be in charge

while you're gone.

 

2.  How many people are they estimating for the event?  100? Plan for 50.

Is this person very well known?  Are they going to tell people who might

not otherwise attend the event? Plan for 70.  You don't have to make sure

you don't run out of anything - just make sure that you always have

something.  I've seen vigils where the food was very simple (cheese and

crackers) or very elaborate (a period Japanese themed vigil for a Japanese

persona).  One thing you can do is not put everything out at once.  So the

first people only get 10 things to choose from, the later visitors will get

something new that the first ones didn't.

 

3.  Are they really asking you, a relative new person, to foot the bill for

the entire vigil food?  I'd say ask for donations of food items.  Ask that

whoever is donating to give a list of ingredients.  If you're not sure who

you can ask find one person you trust not to spill the beans and ask them to

help and ask them who can be trusted.  Assuming the person to be elevated is

very well liked people will be happy to pitch in and not spoil his/her

surprise.  As them for simple things like a fruit plate, cheese/crackers,

other things that they could purchase if they don't want to cook.

 

4.  IMO Vigils need finger foods not soups or stews.  People are coming and

going all day and don't want to risk spilling.

 

Shoshana

 

 

Date: Sun, 17 Oct 2010 12:44:00 -0500

From: Anne-Marie Rousseau <dailleurs at liripipe.com>

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>,    "Elaine

      Koogler" <kiridono at gmail.com>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] cooking for a vigil

 

Kiri reminds us of the perennial favorite Savory Toasted Cheese...

 

and the version in la varenne has it served on bread bits. cheese fondue, baby! ;)

 

yes, please PM me about the actual documentable hummoussy type stuff! I've been out of the loop obviously :)

 

--AM

PS if you take goat cheese and cuisinart it with cream cheese in a 1:1 ratio, you can get a nice spreadable cheesy goo for less money. add herby or roasted garlic or even lemon rind if you wish. again, not documentable but not horribly agregious, either :)

PPS the whole STC phenomenon is one of my favorite interkindgom anthropology stories. we do it differently up here in AnTir, and

its not the "have to have" thing it is elsewhere. but stuffed eggs are. neat, huh?

 

 

Date: Sun, 17 Oct 2010 20:46:30 -0700

From: David Friedman <ddfr at daviddfriedman.com>

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] cooking for a vigil

 

On the more general question of food for vigils ... . I agree that a

soup or stew raises practical problems, on the other hand it is a

relatively low work way of producing a good deal of food. One

possibility might be something of that consistency served as a dip

with pita or something similar.

 

So far as finger foods are concerned, period possibilities include

hais or khushkananaj or hulwa, which are sweet nibbles, Barmakiya,

which is cooked meat and stuff layered between sheets of dough and

cooked, cracker/bread things (bread of Abu Hamza from al-Warraq, for

instance), rolled meat on a toothpick/skewer (Alows de Beef or de

Motoun from two 15th c or The Flesh of Veal from Platina), various

small meat in pastry dishes from lots of cuisines.

 

Pipefarces from Le Menagier would give you a period cheese straw type

finger food. And I now have a period Italian recipe for what seem to

be sweet bagels.

 

If you are set up to cook where you are serving, there are lots of

good fritter type recipes, best served hot.

 

AM writes:

<<< you take goat cheese and cuisinart it with cream cheese in a 1:1

ratio, you can get a nice spreadable cheesy goo for less

money. add herby or roasted garlic or even lemon rind if you wish. again,

not documentable but not horribly agregious, either >>>

 

Zabarbada of Fresh Cheese from the Andalusian cookbook gives you a

nice spreadable cheesy goo too. And is documentable.

 

I'm not sure whether AM's goo would be less expensive than

savory toasted cheese--presumably it would depend on what strongly

flavored cheese and what goat cheese one used and how expensive they

were. The Zabarbada uses farmers' cheese, which I would expect to be

less expensive than either.

--

David/Cariadoc

www.daviddfriedman.com

 

 

Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2011 17:10:27 -0500

From: Amy Cooper <amy.s.cooper at gmail.com>

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] "Middle eastern" drinks for pregnant people

 

Sekanjabin is one of a class of drinks called Jalabs. It may have been

the combo of mint/vinegar that got her (and would have gotten me, too,

when I was pregnant). There's plenty of other Jalab recipes, some in

the Miscellany, some elsewhere. They are generally reduced fruit

syrups, which are then served over ice, or diluted in water. Maybe

another variety of Jalab will appeal to her. And remind her, these are

for her guests, not just for her. It's ok to have stuff she doesn't

love but that her guests will.

 

Ilsebet

 

On Mon, Jan 17, 2011 at 5:01 PM, Deborah Hammons

<mistressaldyth at gmail.com> wrote:

<<< She isn't real hot on the sekanjabin.  It was my first thought.  Evidently

it was served at Caerthen 12th night and it made her sick. (She is 2 months

along, everything makes her sick)

 

Aldyth >>>

 

 

Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2011 15:20:22 -0800

From: lilinah at earthlink.net

To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org

Subject: [Sca-cooks] "Middle eastern" drinks for pregnant people

 

Aldyth wrote:

<<< I have just been asked to do vigil food for a wonderful lady. She is

"Norman" but wants Middle Eastern food and drink. I am OK on the food

aspect. She is a very high risk pregnancy and will be 6 months along at her

elevation. She would like teas. >>>

 

Tea, i.e., camellia sinensis, is something I have seen no evidence

for in the Middle East within SCA period. Warm beverages of various

sorts, on the other hand, are :)

 

> And was interested in the mint and yogurt over ice.

 

Mmm.mmm.mmm, ayran (Turkish)/doogh (Persian) (pronounced dew/doo). I

will have to double check, but I may have seen a period reference for

this.

 

* Beat until smooth good quality yogurt - works and tastes best if

yogurt is without added stabilizers and thickeners.

* Beat in cold water or cold milk or cold cucumber juice or

carbonated water until the consistency of whole milk.

* It can have mint added, and/or a pinch of salt

* This can be left for a couple days until lactic fermentation make

it fizzy. (although perhaps not for this lady)

 

> Does anyone have ideas?

 

* Sharab/sherbet *

 

A common beverage is sharab (from which we get the word shrub for a

cool beverage; the plural of the Arabic word sharab is sharbat).

Sharbat are syrups made of sugar and fruit juice or various herbs and

spices. While we tend to think of serving this cold, they were

actually often served warm in Arabic speaking lands. Wealthy

Ottomans, on the other hand, often served them, which they called

sherbet, cold, over snow or ice collected from the mountains or saved

from the winter.

 

In the Ottoman world, sherbet could be made of:

- Apple: Sour Apple

- Apple: Sweet Apple

- Bitter (Seville) Orange

- Citron

- Date

- French Lavender

- Grape (i don't know if fresh grape juice or pekmez/grape molasses)

- Honey (probably honey and sugar mixed)

- Jujube (Ziziphus zizyphus, sometimes called Chinese date or red date)

- Lemon

- Mint

- Mulberry

- Peach

- Pear

- Pomegranate: Sour Pomegranate

- Pomegranate: Sweet Pomegranate

- Quince

- Rhubarb

- Red Rose (made with fresh red roses)

- Rose and Lemon

- Rose Water (made with rose (gul) water (ab), aka juleb, whence julep)

- Sour (Morello) Cherry

- Sugar (i.e., without flavoring, aka simple syrup)

- Tamarind

or

- Violet

 

So you could make any of these and have an historical beverage. As

far as how to, there are also number of sharbat recipes in the

Anonymous Andalusian cookbook. Since she is high risk, i would skip

most of the herb and spice blends, since i don't know how she would

react to them. But there also are recipes for lemon and pomegranate

syrups. Because pomegranates are not always in season, i buy 100%

pure pomegranate juice (and some other 100% pure juices) you may have

to check a health food store, since normal supermarkets often have

100% fruit juices, but made with apple and/or grape juice along with

whatever the main flavor it.

 

* Khoshaf/hoshaf/hoshab *

 

Another refreshing Ottoman beverage is hoshab/hoshaf, (from Persian,

meaning, pleasant (khosh) water (ab)) which is made with fruits

and/or nuts cooked with sugar and water. It served in a small bowl

and was eaten with a small ladle-like spoon, drinking the liquid from

the spoon, then eating the solids. In the 16th and 17th centuries it

was made with only one fruit at a time:

- Apricots

- Cornelians (aka cornel cherries)

- Figs

- Grapes (or possibly raisins)

- Peaches

or

- Pears

 

In more recent times, however, it is often made with a combination

of dried fruits and nuts such as almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and/or

pine nuts. One modern recipe I have uses dried apricots, prunes,

raisins, halved almonds, pistachios, pine nuts, water, granulated

white sugar, rose water, and orange blossom water, and doesn't

require cooking, just soaking together for a couple days.

 

This can be soothing, refreshing, and rejuvenating.

 

> Pomegranate tea sounds good,

 

Not sure what pomegranate tea would be. Please describe.

 

> but hibiscus doesn't.

 

Just curious, why not hibiscus (aka jamaica, pronounced ha.my.ka)? It

is rich in nutrients and has a pleasant tangy flavor, not as sharp as

lemon, but similarly refreshing.

 

Sekanjubin has been suggested. It is not a personal favorite, and I

find it especially unpleasant if made with cider vinegar. Before

serving your lady nothing but sekanjubin, I'd suggest letting her taste

some to see if it agrees with her in her current state. Unless, of

course, you find she is already enjoying it.

--

Urtatim [that's err-tah-TEEM]

the persona formerly known as Anahita

 

<the end>



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