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Scotch-Eggs-msg - 5/12/20

 

The sausage-coated hardboiled eggs commonly called "Scotch Eggs". A fairly common lunch food and fingerfood in the SCA.

 

NOTE: See also the files: eggs-msg, sausages-msg, meat-smoked-msg, Scotland-msg, cl-Scotland-msg, haggis-msg, chicken-msg, fd-Scotland-msg.

 

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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.

 

The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors.

 

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

************************************************************************

 

From: caradoc at enet.net (John Groseclose)

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: breakfast poll

Date: Wed, 01 Mar 1995 10:10:11 -0700

 

Suze.Hammond at f56.n105.z1.fidonet.org (Suze Hammond) wrote:

<snip>

 

>Usually called Scotch Eggs. I've tried to make them, and no matter what I

>do (and what advice or recipe) I can't keep the meat covering from cracking.

>I've tried three Scottish cookbooks so far... This is one of my favorites...

>HHHHHHELLLPPPP!

>

>... Moreach NicMhaolain

 

Well, if you make the covering too thin, it'll crack, and if you make it

too thick, it'll crack... Between 1/4" and 1/2" is what works for me...

 

Deep-frying cooks the meat more evenly so there's less chance of cracking.

If you pan-fry, you need to keep the eggs moving so their covering cooks

evenly.

 

The last batch of these I did was a dozen, and I cracked the coverings on

two of those. Practice makes perfect.

 

Also, don't forget to dip them in the beaten egg, as it helps to hold the

whole delicious mess together.

--

John Groseclose <caradoc at enet.net>

 

 

From: Corbie <corbiegirl at aol.com>

Newsgroups: soc.culture.scottish,alt.scottish.clans,rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Scottish Eggs  was Haggis

Date: Sun, 27 Apr 1997 14:27:01 -0700

 

Peterson wrote:

> I just went to the Ozark Highland Games yesterday and had Scottish Eggs for the first time.  All of us agreed

> these were great.  I was wondering if anyone had a recipe out there.  It was a hard boiled egg rolled into some

> type of sausage with added spices.  Kind of spicy.  Any suggestions.  Cheers

>

> Cory

 

I make Scotch Eggs for breakfast all the time.  My recipe is a little

different from the previous posted recipe; I take loose country sausage

or ground pork (the lower the fat content, the better, as a high fat

content will cause the meat to shrink too much).  Spice the sausage to

taste (I use hot sauce, pepper, salt, and various spices).

 

Hard boil some eggs and peel them.  Wrap them in sausage.  Bake in the

oven for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.

 

Two pounds of sausage will cover about eight to ten boiled eggs,

depending on how thickly you cover the eggs with the sausage.

 

That's it!

 

I like them better baked than fried, as they taste a lot less greasy.  I

also find they're great to take to events -- a compact, portable,

filling little meal.

 

Cheers,

Mara

 

 

From: Brian Annesley <brian at scotbooks.demon.co.uk>

Newsgroups: soc.culture.scottish,alt.scottish.clans,rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Scottish Eggs  was Haggis

Date: Mon, 28 Apr 1997 21:32:48 +0100

 

Robert Gurley <robert.l.gurley at worldnet.att.net> writes

>Peterson wrote:

>>

>> I just went to the Ozark Highland Games yesterday and had Scottish Eggs for

>the first time.  All of us

>> agreed these were great.  I was wondering if anyone had a recipe out there.  

>It was a hard boiled egg rolled > into some type of sausage with added spices.

>Kind of spicy.  Any suggestions.  Cheers

>>

>> Cory

>Cory,

>It's a very basic recipe.  Wrapped hard-boiled eggs in sausage dip in

>beaten egg and roll in flour.  Deep fry til golden brown.  The spices

>usually come from the sausage, from what I've tasted.

>Robert

 

They are known as Scotch eggs

 

nothing to do with Scotland

 

take:

4 eggs

2 tablespoons of flour

8oz of Sausage meat

breadcrumbs

1 egg for coating

1/2 teacup milk for coating

Deep fat for frying

 

Hardboil 4 eggs cool & shell. divide sausage meat into 4 fold evenly

round lightly floured eggs, coat with blended egg  & milk roll in

breadcrumbs. Fry till sausage meat is cooked (this is important if you

don't want a sick tum)  Half each egg with sharp knife (mind the

fingers) serve hot or cold.

--

Brian Annesley books of Scottish Interest

26 Duchess Drive

HELENSBURGH

G84 9PR

Scotland

01436 676222

http://www.scotbooks.demon.co.uk

 

returns ok  within 10 days but first please

email:brian at scotbooks.demon.co.uk

 

 

From: mikepat at backhaulnet.com (Micheil Rob Mac Phàdruig)

Newsgroups: soc.culture.scottish,alt.scottish.clans,rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Scottish Eggs  was Haggis

Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 13:14:39 GMT

Organization: HookUp Communication Corporation, Vancouver, BC, CANADA

 

Brian Annesley <brian at scotbooks.demon.co.uk> wrote:

 

>They are known as Scotch eggs

 

>nothing to do with Scotland

 

I wonder why nobody told us. I shall go through my Scots cookbooks and

rip out the offending pages immediately.

 

Mìcheil Rob MacPhàdruig

Drùidh:duine-uasal

 

 

Date: Wed, 14 Jan 1998 20:48:25 -0800

From: "Anne-Marie Rousseau" <acrouss at gte.net>

Subject: Re: SC - Scotch eggs

 

Hi all from Anne-Marie,

 

While I don't believe they're period per se (I know of no medieval recipes

involving a hard boiled egg wrapped in meat and bread crumbs and fried or

baked), they are tasty little tidbits.

 

I find that if you start with small eggs, not large you'll be much happier

and have much fewer blowouts.

 

thanks for the idea of baking them! I never thought of that.

 

- --AM

 

 

Date: Thu, 15 Jan 1998 00:10:07 -0400

From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>

Subject: SC - More on Scotch Eggs

 

> You are quite welcome!  These are still *very* rich, but I am sure that baking

> or roasting (ooh on a skewer over the fire pit!?) would make them a little

> leaner, your choice or make of sausage coating would probably control the fat.

> Somebody eating with us also suggested making "scotch devils" by cutting them

> in half and mixing the yolks with the mustard and then refilling them.

> The kids could probably *make* them too!

> - -brid

 

Another possible way to reduce the fat slightly is to use lean raw ham,

ground up. I recall reading somewhere that the original dish was made

with ham, and that the sausage version was introduced later. Don't

recall offhand where I ran across this info.

 

I believe the dish was originally used by 19th-century English chefs

(yes, they did exist) as a garnish for roast game, and entered the Pub

Food repertoire later.

 

Adamantius

troy at asan.com

 

 

Date: Thu, 15 Jan 1998 08:13:32 -0600

From: Wes Will <wwill at siu.edu>

Subject: Re: SC - Scotch Eggs

 

>think I would like to try this baked version, sounds like something that

>would not be as hazzardous to my health!

 

Healthier version, minor amendments.

 

Use a 1-pound roll of turkey breakfast sausage; add to it enough (usually

about 3/4 cup) of seasoned bread crumbs, and work it all together until it

will hold up easily when wrapped thinly around a soft-boiled (4-5 minute)

egg. Roll the coated egg in more of the bread crumbs.  I sometimes like to

lightly dry and toast these for the outside layer.  Place on a jelly-roll

pan (baking sheets without lips are a bad idea.  Eggs love to roll.) and

bake at 350 about 20 minutes, or until the sausage is completely done.

 

Cheap way to feed a lot of hungry folks, and they're quite portable if

wrapped in foil or such, for lunches.  Or even a hand-held breakfast.

 

Eoin

 

 

Date: Thu, 15 Jan 1998 09:20:45 -0700 (MST)

From: Sabia <sabia at unm.edu>

Subject: SC - Scotch eggs

 

Sabia here:  this is the recipe Mistress Kathryn used at St Cecilias Feast

Day a year ago.  They went over well, although as noted at the end the

switch to oven baking was comtemplated.

 

<Snip>

Recipe from "A Feast of Scotland" by Janet Warren

 

Makes 5:

1 lb sausage (2 cups, firmly packed)

5 hard boiled eggs, shelled

1 large egg, beaten

a dusting flour

dry white breadcrumbs

deep fat for frying

 

Dust each egg with a little flour.  Divide the sausage into 5 and on a

floured surface work each piece into an oval.  Place an egg in the center

of each one and mould the sausage round it making sure the surface is free

from cracks.  Put the beaten egg and breadcrumbs onto separate plates and

coat each egg first with the egg and then in the breadcrumbs so that the

surface is completely covered.  Coat each egg again if you like to ensure

a really good surface.

 

Heat a deep fat fryer half full of oil to 360 degrees, lower in the eggs

and cook them for about 5-6 minutes.  If the fat is too hot the outside

will brown before the sausage is cooked.  Drain when cooked and leave to

cool.

 

Serve with a salad for lunch or as a picnic food

 

- ---------------------

 

Cealte and Kathryn tricks/changes:  Make sure the egg is completely dry

and wrap the sausage around it w/o the flour.  Dip into the beaten egg,

but roll alternately in fine Scottish oats.  Bake the eggs in the slow

oven 10-12 minutes or until sausage is cooked.  Less fat and they taste

better I believe with the scottish oats inside of the breadcrumbs

 

<SNIP>

Sabia (sabia at unm.edu)

 

 

Date: Sun, 8 Mar 1998 20:07:21 EST

From: LrdRas <LrdRas at aol.com>

Subject: Re: SC - Frozen Scotch Eggs

 

themorrigan at softhome.net writes:

<< The

>texture was a little tougher than fresh, but the taste was fine.  Also, the

>outside was a little wet. >>

 

Heating them for a half hour at 350 degrees fahrenheit, would crisp the

exterior and freshen the product. A wet exterior would indicate to me, IMO,

that the technique used for reheating was not the correct choice.

 

Ras

 

 

Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2000 17:20:42 -0500

From: Christine A Seelye-King <mermayde at juno.com>

Subject: Re: SC - Scotch Eggs

 

On Tue, 7 Mar 2000 10:27:03 EST Seton1355 at aol.com writes:

> I am going to make Scotch Eggs for Friday.  I've read the recipe but

> never actually made them before.  Some advice please.

>

> 1.   Wrapping a 5-6 minute egg in ground beef / turkey sausage....

> How hard boiled is the egg at that point?  Wouldn't it just gush

> out, OR do you just wrap very carfully & gingerly?

 

            I would not necessarily under-boil the egg just because it will be

cooked again.  The main trick when frying them is to get the sausage to

cook long enough without burning, and to heat the egg inside all the way

through, but I wouldn't count on it really adding doneness to the egg .

Using a frying temp of 300 - 325 is best.  You can also cut your eggs in

half and then wrap them, as the whole ones tend to be quite large.  This

is an especially good idea if you are going to be serving these with

other foods.

And yes, wrap very gingerly.  I have never seen this done with beef

sausage, only pork and turkey.  

> 2.How thick a coating of ground sausage do you give each egg?

 

            About 1/3 - 1/2 inch.  You want to make sure it will not break open and

expose the egg underneath to the frying oil.  By the way, something I

rarely see in S.E. recipes that I consider a very important step.  When

you are assembling them, dip the egg itself in egg wash, and then apply

the sausage.  This holds true even if you are doing half or quarter eggs.

(Most recipes take you from there to then dip the whole thing in egg

wash, and then roll in breadcrumbs - a step you can omit if you want.

The breadcrumbs tend to burn, anyway.)  The eggwash layer between the egg

and the sausage will keep the whole thing stuck together as a unit.

Without it, you get the egg rolling around inside the sausage casing, and

it becomes difficult to eat it.  Remember to serve this with a mild

mustard sauce, mmm, where did you say you would be serving these on

Friday? ;)

 

> 3 Is another name for Scotch Eggs:  "hedgehogs"?

 

Nope. Those are meatballs with almond slivers, made to look like

bristling hedgehogs.  As far as I know, Scotch Eggs are not period.

Tasty, but not period.  

            Good luck,

            Christianna

 

 

Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000 13:10:45 -0400

From: Lurking Girl <tori at panix.com>

Subject: SC - [OOP] Vegetarian Scotch Eggs

 

Some while ago, people were discussing vegetarian variations on Scotch

eggs. I went out pub-crawling with a friend last night who inclines

that way, and she mentioned she had an excellent recipe for same.

Finally, it has been unearthed...

 

Vika

share and enjoy

 

********************************

Here's that Vegetarian Scotch Eggs recipe I've been promising:

 

Scotch Eggs Vegetarian-Style

 

From: The Complete Vegetarian Cuisine by Rose Elliot

 

Serves 4

 

4 Hard-Boiled eggs, shelled

1 egg, beaten

1/2 quantity Brown Lentil Bake mixture (see recipe below)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Whole-wheat flour and fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs for coating

vegetable oil for deep frying

 

Dip each egg into beaten egg, then coat with a quarter of the lentil

mixture, pressing it around smoothly and firmly.

 

Coat the eggs first in the remaining beaten egg, then in seasoned

flour; then repeat egg and breadcrumbing.

 

Heat the oil in a deep fryer to 325 degrees F., or when a small cube

of stale bread browns in one minute.  Put the Scotch eggs into the oil

and fry gently until golden.

 

Remove the Scotch eggs with a slotted spoon and drain on paper

towels. Cut the eggs in half and serve hot or cold.

 

 

Brown Lentil Bake Mixture

 

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped

1 large garlic clove, crushed

1 cup dried green or brown lentils, cooked until tender, and well

drained

2 tablespoons chopped parsely

1 teaspoon herbes de Provence

2 tablespoons soy suace

salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Heat the oil in a large suacepan and saute the onion for 10 minutes

until soft and lightly browned, stirring occasionally.

 

Add the garlic, lentils, parsley, mixed herbs and soy sauce.  Mash by

hand or puree roughly in a belnder or food processor, until the

mixture holds together.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

********************************

 

 

Date: Fri, 9 Jun 2000 12:01:05 -0000

From: nanna at idunn.is (Nanna Rognvaldardottir)

Subject: Re: SC - Help!!!

 

Gwynydd wrote:

>Umm, I feel really bad saying this, but I have a nasty feeling that "Scotch

>Eggs" are neither Scottish nor Period.  (The first is from a quick wander

>through the Florigieum, the second is something which one of the cooks on

>this List said to me - she suggested that they are 17th or 18th century.

 

According to John Ayto, that is probably correct:

"The Scotch egg - a hard-boiled egg enveloped in sausage meat and then

fried - appeared on the scene at the beginning of the nineteenth century,

although whether as a new invention or simply as a wider dissemination of an

ancient traditional dish is not altogether clear. The first known printed

recipe for it appears in M.E. Rundell’s New System of Domestic Cookery

(1809)." (A Gourmet’s Guide). Alan Davidson supports this and adds that the

Scotch egg may possibly be a descendant of a form of Indian kofta. The

recipe first appeared in a Scottish recipe book in 1826.

 

Nanna

 

 

Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 14:38:57 -0500

From: <kingstaste at mindspring.com>

Subject: RE: [Sca-cooks] Scottish Eggs revisited

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

 

The steps that seem to be left out by most folks is re-dipping in the egg

wash on every level.  Dip the hard boiled egg in the egg wash before you

apply the sausage layer and it will stick together.  Apply egg wash on the

outside and then roll the whole thing in bread crumbs for a consistent

coating, which I would think could help keep them from cracking as well.

 

Christianna

 

>>> 

I made Scottish Eggs, for the first time, last week for Estrella War.  They

were very well received and very convenient, as they are a nice food to prepare

ahead and pack in the cooler.  However, the sausage coating on the egg had a

tendency to crack, and I realized the subject had been discussed on this list

in the past.  I don't recall the preferred remedy.  Was it baking them rather

than frying, or was it, perhaps, freezing them a bit first?

 

Beathog

<<< 

 

 

Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 11:50:38 -0800

From: Susan Fox-Davis <selene at earthlink.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Scottish Eggs revisited

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

 

Beathog wrote:

>I dusted the hard boiled egg in flour, coated it with the sausage, dipped it

>in an egg wash and finally in bread crumbs.  Still, they cracked.

>Beathog

 

Hmm. Maybe the sausage layer was not thick enough? I use a 12-ounce

chub of breakfast sausage for four eggs.

I also deep-fry them for an even exterior treatment.  

 

My low-carb version, which nobody seems to have noticed yet, was to

substitute a mixture of half soy flour and half wheat bran for the

breadcrumb exterior.  Browns up nicely and supplies some fiber, a Good

Thing when living la vida lo-carb!

 

Selene, Scotch Egg Veteran

 

 

Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 15:43:50 -0500

From: "Mairi Ceilidh" <jjterlouw at earthlink.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Scottish Eggs revisited

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

 

What I was told by a Scot was that they crack because they are being cooked

too hot.  Cooking oil should not exceed 345 Deg. F.

 

Mairi Ceilidh

 

 

Date: Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:57:49 -0400

From: Johnna Holloway <johnnae at mac.com>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Scotch Eggs- rebuttal

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

 

And to that end, some recipes for Scotch Eggs from the Georgian and

Victorian eras:

 

From A new system of domestic cookery By Maria Eliza Ketelby Rundell

In 1814 the recipe reads:

 

Scotch Eggs.

 

Boil hard five pullet's eggs, and without removing the white, cover

completely with a fine relishing forcemeat, in which, let scraped ham,

bear a due proportion. Fry of a beautiful yellow brown, and serve with a

good gravy in the dish.

 

By 1847 it reads:

 

SCOTCH EGGS.

 

Boil hard five pullets' eggs, and, without removing the white, cover

completely with a fine relishing forcemeat, in which, let scraped ham,

or chopped anchovy bear a good proportion. Fry of a beautiful yellow

brown, and serve with a good gravy in the dish.

 

from A new system of domestic cookery By Maria Eliza Ketelby Rundell.

 

Note that anchovy has crept in.

-------------

 

A more complete recipe from 1908-

 

Scotch Eggs

 

6 hard-cooked eggs.

Salt and pepper to taste.

two-thirds cup stale bread crumbs.

one half cup milk.

1 cup minced ham or other meat.

Egg and bread crumbs.

Frying fat.

 

Cook the eggs twenty minutes in water just below the boiling point,

stand in cold water for half an hour, then remove the shells and wipe

the eggs quite dry.

 

Cook the half cup of bread crumbs in. the milk till thick, add the

seasoning and meat and mix all together to form a rather stiff paste.

Take a portion of this and press around one of the eggs smoothly with

the hand, having the paste of equal thickness all over, and continue

till the eggs are covered. Take a raw egg with one tablespoon of water

and beat lightly; dip each of the prepared eggs into this and cover

every particle with the raw egg. As soon as covered, drop onto a paper

containing stale bread crumbs, coat with these and fry in deep fat till

golden brown. Cut in halves, stand cut side up, and serve plain or with

white or tomato sauce or gravy.

 

The Rumford complete cook book, By Lily Haxworth Wallace, Rumford

Chemical Works, 1908.

---------------

 

Beeton's version:

 

SCOTCH EGGS.

 

1666. Ingredients.?6 eggs, 6 tablespoonfuls of forcemeat No. 417, hot

lard, 4 pint of good brown gravy.

 

/Mode.?/Boil the eggs for 10 minutes ; strip them from the shells, and

cover them with forcemeat made by recipe No. 417 ; or substitute pounded

anchovies for the ham. Fry the eggs a nice brown in boil?? lard, drain

them before the fire from their greasy moisture, dish then, and pour

round from J to 1 pint of good brown gravy. To enhance the appearance of

the eggs, they may be rolled in beaten egg acJ sprinkled with bread

crumbs ; bnt this is scarcely necessary if they are carefully fried. The

flavour of the ham or anchovy in the forcemeat must preponderate, as it

should be very relishing.

/Time./?10 minutes to boil the eggs, 5 to 7 minutes to fry them.

/Average cost. Is. id. Sufficient /for 3 or 4 persons. /Seasonable /at

any time.

 

The book of household management By Isabella Mary Beeton, 1863.

-------------------------

 

Last but not least here is Meg Dods..

In 1826

Scotch Eggs.

?Five eggs make a dish. Boil them as for salad. Peel and

dip them in beat eggs and cover them with a forcemeat made of grated

ham, chopped anchovy, crumbs, mixed spices, &c. pry .them nicely in good

clarified dripping, and serve .with a gravy sauce in a tureen.

 

In 1828 the recipe reads:

Scotch Eggs.

?Five eggs make a dish. Boil them as for salad. Peel and

dip them in beat egg, and cover them with a forcemeat made of grated

ham, chopped anchovy, crumbs, mixed spices, &c. Fry them nicely in good

clarified dripping, and serve with a gravy-sauce in a tureen.

 

In 1862 it reads:

 

571. Scotch Eggs.

?Five eggs make a dish. Boil them hard. Shell and dip

them in beat egg, and cover them with a forcemeat made of grated ham,

chopped anchovy, crumbs, mixed spices, etc. Fry them nicely in good

clarified dripping or lard, and serve them with a gravy sauce

separately.?

 

The cook and housewife's manual, by Margaret Dods. [&c.]. By Christian

Isobel Johnstone.

 

------

Oxford Reference Online mentions:

 

"The first known printed recipe for it appears in M.E. Rundell's /New

System of Domestic Cookery/ (1809): ?Boil hard five pullet's eggs, and

without removing the white, cover completely with a fine relishing

forcemeat.? Its Scottish origin is perhaps pointed up by its inclusion

in Meg Dods's /Cook and Housewife's Manual/, published in Edinburgh in

1826. This describes the eggs being eaten hot with gravy, a method of

consumption echoed by Mrs Beeton in 1861, but a hundred years on their

role had become that of a convenient cold snack eaten in pubs, on

picnics, etc." "Scotch egg" /An A-Z of Food and Drink/. Ed. John Ayto.

 

Rundell is the first recipe that I found tonight. Fenton doesn't mention

them in The Food of the Scots.

 

Johnnae

 

Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius wrote:

<<< I wonder if a single one of these chefs knows that Scotch eggs are

_supposed_ to be made with chopped ham, and that sausage meat (as with

toad in the hole) is the lazy person's expedient?

I don't believe pork sausage meat has ever been very popular in

Scotland, except possibly in the lowlands...

Adamantius >>>

 

 

Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2012 23:59:48 -0500

From: Sharon Palmer <ranvaig at columbus.rr.com>

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

Subject: [Sca-cooks] German Scotch Eggs??

 

This list has talked about whether Scotch Eggs are period.

 

Rumpolt's Kalb 44 has white meatballs of chopped

veal, with a yolk inside rather than a whole egg.

Made with either a raw yolk, or a hard boiled one.

 

I start off with a bit of a previous recipe,

because it says make dumplings as told before.

 

Modernly Kn?del are dumplings mostly or

completely of bread (or potatoes), but Rumpolt

uses Kn?del consistently for something more like

a meatball, sometimes but not always with some

bread added.

 

Ranvaig

 

Ochsen 65.   Take beef/ cut it thin and small/

lay it in a water/ so it draws the blood out/ and

becomes nicely white.  Wash it well in two or

three waters/ pick beef fat clean/ and soak a

sliced weck bread in water/ press it out well

again with clean hands/ chop it together/ that it

becomes small/ also an egg or three/ wash the

hands clean/ and from it make round meatballs/ or

how you wish to have them/ (snipped)...

 

 

Kalb 44.  Make white dumplings/ as has been told

before/ and before you make them round or

lengthwise/ then spread the chopped meat apart/

and break two egg yolks next to each other/ and

the other part drive out/ and lay the egg yolks

over the meat/ spread it nicely/ that it stays

smooth/

 

(This is a little confusing, but I think it means

that you spread out the meat for each dumpling,

put the raw yolks in the middle, then shape the

meat around it. They must be smooth or the egg

will come out).

 

throw it in a beef broth/ and when it boils/ put

them in/ and when you dress it/ then cut the

dumplings apart/ then one sees the yellow from

the eggs inside it/ dress it with the same broth/

and sprinkle parsley on top.

 

However if it did not hold together with the

yolks between the veal/ then take the eggs/ and

let them boil hard/ and when they are boiled/

then take the yolks out/ that it stays whole/ lay

it with the chopped veal next to each other/ that

they do not push together/ and make it/

 

before you put it in the broth/ as is told

before/ as you should cut them apart/ when you

dress them/ make it yellow or leave it white/

together with the green well tasting herbs/ then

it is good and well tasting.

 

 

Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2012 12:59:46 -0700 (PDT)

From: Donna Green <donnaegreen at yahoo.com>

To: "sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

Subject: [Sca-cooks] German Scotch Eggs??

 

The Portuguese apparently made a version of Scotch Eggs too.

From A Treatise of Portuguese Cuisine from the 15th Century

 

Translated by Baroness Faerisa Gwynarden

 

Alm?ndegas

 

Tomem carne de porco ou de carneiro muito gordo, sem ossos, e piquem-na bem miudinha, temperando-a com sal, cravo, a?afr?o e gengibre. Fa?am as bolas de carne, recheiem-nas com uma gema cozida, passando-as em seguida pela farinha de trigo. Numa panela com manteiga bem quente ou, se preferirem, manteiga e caldo gordo de carneiro, lancem um amarrado de cheiro-verde, e coloquem ali as alm?ndegas. Tampem a panela e tenham o cuidado de mexer as alm?ndegas de vez em quando, evitando que se partam. Sirvam com bastante molho. Se este for pouco, ajuntem ?s alm?ndegas o caldo de outras panelas.

 

Hazelnuts (meat balls)

 

Take very fat pork or mutton, boneless, and mince it very finely, seasoning it with salt, cloves, saffron and ginger. Make it into meatballs, fill them with a cooked egg yolk, rolling them afterwards in wheat flour. In a pot with very hot butter or, if you prefer, butter and fat mutton broth, add a bunch of cheiro-verde (I'm not familiar with this herb, it literally translates as "green smell", and add the "hazelnuts" (meat balls). Close the lid and take care to stir the meatballs once in a while, avoiding breakage. Serve with lots of sauce. If the sauce isn't sufficient, add broth from other pans.

 

Juana Isabella

 

 

Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2012 20:07:27 +0000

From: Gretchen Beck <cmupythia at cmu.edu>

To: Donna Green <donnaegreen at yahoo.com>, Cooks within the SCA

            <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] German Scotch Eggs??

 

Google suggests that, modernly, cheiro-verde is a combination of parsley and scallion (essentially an oniony green sauce -- sounds like a yummy meatball seasoning). Don't know how far back it goes (most of the hits are for restaurant's named cheiro-verde)

 

--margaret

 

 

Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2012 18:03:53 -0500

From: Sharon Palmer <ranvaig at columbus.rr.com>

To: Donna Green <donnaegreen at yahoo.com>,            Cooks within the SCA

            <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] German Scotch Eggs??

 

<<< add a bunch of cheiro-verde (I'm not familiar

with this herb, it literally translates as

"green smell", >>>

 

That sounds a lot like the "grene wolschmeckende

Kr?uter" green (or fresh) well tasting (or

smelling herbs) that Rumpolt puts in many dishes.

 

Ranvaig

 

 

Date: Wed, 5 Jun 2013 12:00:31 -0700 (GMT-07:00)

From: lilinah at earthlink.net

To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org

Subject: [Sca-cooks] Turkish Meatballs (not Scotch eggs)

 

Here's one of the recipes i translated from among those added by Shirvani to his translation of al-Baghdadi's cookbook in the mid-15th c.

 

[131r] Meatballs

Grind some meat as for meatballs, continue to beat in a mortar. Put in plenty of pepper, onions and a little sifted starch and knead. Insert some cooked egg peeled of their shells, into the center of the meat patties, then form all into meatballs. The meatballs are released into a large pot [131v] of thoroughly boiling water, turning occasionally to cook. [my translation]

 

Similar meatballs were made in late 16th c. Persia. There isn't a detailed recipe for them, but they are mentioned in a recipe for the very complex dish called qobuli-ye murassa' (jeweled qobuli) in "Maddat al-hayat, resala dar 'elm-e tabbaki" (The substance of life, a treatise on the art of cooking) by Master Nurollah, chef to Shah 'Abbas I, written in 1594/95:

"...Fill large meat balls each with an egg cooked in meat stock and cook them separately. Then cut in half and arrange on the dish in such a way that they show the inside of the eggs." [excerpted from the long recipe - my translation]

 

The Ottoman recipe does not say to cut the meatballs in half to show off the eggs, but it's possible they did - while some of the recipes are very very detailed and specific, others are very sketchy in terms of details,.

 

In modern times, a spicy meat mixture is formed into balls with hard cooked eggs inside, then cut in half just before serving. They are called Nargisi Kofta, that is, daffodil meatballs.

 

So the concept has a long history. Unlike Scotch eggs, they do not appear to have been served as snacks, but as part of a larger meal.

 

Urtatim (that's oor-tah-TEEM)

 

 

From the FB " Medieval & Renaissance Cooking and Recipes" group:

11/13/13

Urtatim Al-Qurtubiyya

On the other hand, i have a mid-15th c. Ottoman recipe & a late 16th c. Persian recipe with hard cooked eggs wrapped in spiced ground lamb, then added to the dish - but not fried and served on their own.

 

Urtatim Al-Qurtubiyya

The Persian ground lamb covered eggs are part of a more complex recipe for pilaw of rice from a 1594 cookbook, written by Nūr-Allāh, the head cook for Shah 'Abbas I: Māddat al-ḥayāt, resāla dar ʿelm-e ṭabbākī ("The substance of life, a treatise on the art of cooking").

 

Urtatim Al-Qurtubiyya

OK, i just looked at the 16 c. Persian recipe again, and the eggs are poached on top of the ground spiced lamb rather than enrobed in it.

 

nargesī-polāw (nargesi = poached or fried egg)

 

Its property is as follows: Simple polāw (polāw-e sādā) is prepared separately. In a little water put finely chopped meat, onion, spices and peeled chickpeas, that have been browned in fat. Then add white cabbage (kalam) and spinach thereto. Therein crack eggs and a quantity of pistachios into all, let it simmer for so long until the water has evaporated and only the fat [as liquid] remains. Then serve the rice and pour the cooked [ingredients] over it, so the [poached] eggs come to lie on top. [nargis=daffodil]

 

[words in square brackets added by me]

 

There is no single dish identified as "simple polāw", rather there is a whole chapter with this title, in which this recipe for nargesī-polāw is included.

 

Basically, very long grain white rice is washed, picked over so there are NO broken grains, and then soaked in water while the meat is cooked until tender. Then the rice and meat are layered in a pot. A cloth or woven plant fiber mat placed over the opening of the pot, then the lid is put on and sealed with band of soft dough, and the pot is put over a *very* low fire for 45 min or so and then opened and put in the serving dish. Sometimes it is let stand off the fire for 15 min. or so.

 

In the case of this recipe, i suspect the rice is cooked separately, and the ground lamb & eggs put on top at the time of serving. There is no recipe for cooking the rice alone, however - in another recipe in this chapter, the author notes that polāw is well known so he doesn't have to include a recipe for it. I would expect, based on the 37 recipes in this chapter, that after soaking the rice is enriched with sheep tail fat or butter, and the water perhaps with some lamb broth, as well as fried sliced onions when it is put in the pot to cook.

 

Urtatim Al-Qurtubiyya

As for which spices to use, saffron (but i think it would be mentioned by name), cinnamon, pepper, & ginger are the most common. And salt should be added. Less commonly used spices that might have been included are cardamom, cloves, and sonbol [that is, spikenard, Nardostachys jatamansi]. These 16 c. Royal recipes do not include lots of spices, usually only 3 or so. ETA: this is based on my count of all the spices used in these recipes.

 

Drew Shiel

November 15 at 12:41am

Scotch Eggs as such were invented by the Fortnum & Mason department store in London to sell to Victorian picnickers. Or at least, their official history claims so.

 

Urtatim Al-Qurtubiyya

2/14/20

Scotch eggs aren't period. But there are recipes in the one extant Ottoman cookbook, circa 1430, and in the 1594 Persian cookbook for hard cooked eggs wrapped in ground lamb.

 

Andy Kailhofer

I'm making them (the ottoman ones) for a vigil. Well, with lamb and beef. And size medium eggs too.

 

Xaviar Fideli

ok spliting hairs....on what they are called...lol

 

Urtatim Al-Qurtubiyya

I don't consider it hair splitting. Scotch eggs use pork and are fried. The Persian and Ottoman eggs use lamb and are boiled, then cut in half so the color contrasts can be admired.

 

They are used to garnish another dish, rather than being solely on their own. They are called Nargisi Kofta, Narcissus Meatballs.

 

So not just a difference in name, but difference in ingredients, cooking method, and serving...

 

<the end>



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