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chicken-msg - 3/20/08

 

Period and SCA recipes for chicken.

 

NOTE: See also these files: recipes-msg, birds-recipes-msg, fowls-a-birds-msg,  butchering-msg, falconry-msg, roast-chicken-msg, chck-n-pastry-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

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From: DDF2 at cornell.edu (David Friedman)

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Lothar and pot lucks

Date: 17 Nov 1993 01:10:06 GMT

Organization: Cornell Law School

 

motto at cbnewsf.cb.att.com (mary.rita.otto) wrote:

> I was thinking of bringing a roasted stuffed goose. Would that be

> alright (I'm avoiding turkey)?  Does anyone know how it would be

> stuffed or trimmed in period?  What spices would be used?

 

I don't seem to have any worked out goose recipes. Here are a couple for

chicken that might help a little:

 

Roast Chicken

Platina book 6

 

<See the file: roast-chicken-msg>

 

Chykens in Hocchee

Curye on Inglysch p. 105 (Forme of Cury no. 36)

 

Take chykens and scald hem. Take persel and sawge, with other erbes; take

garlec & grapes, and stoppe the chikenus ful, and see them in gode broth,

so that they may esely be boyled therinne. Messe hem & cast therto powdour

dowce.

 

3 1/2 lb chicken    3/4 oz = ~10 cloves garlic      powder douce:

4 T parsley                1/2 lb red grapes                       1 t sugar

1 1/2 t sage               2 10.5 oz cans conc. chicken       1/4 t mace

1 t marjoram             broth + 2 cans water               1/4 t cinnamon

1 3/4 t thyme              

       

Note that all herbs are fresh.

 

Clean the chicken, chop parsley and sage fine then mix with herbs in a

bowl. Herbs are fresh, measured chopped and packed down. Take leaves off

the fresh marjoram and thyme and throw out the stems, remove as much stem

from parsley as practical. Add garlic cloves whole, if very large halve.

Add grapes, and thoroughly but gently mix with the herbs. Stuff the chicken

with the herbs, garlic and grapes. Close the bird with a few toothpicks.

Place chicken in pot with broth and cook on stove top over moderate heat

1/2 hour, turn over, another 1/4 hour (in covered pot). Serve on platter

with powder douce sprinkled over.

--

David/Cariadoc

DDF2 at Cornell.Edu

 

 

From: jtn at nutter.cs.vt.edu (Terry Nutter)

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Recipe for Drunken Chicken, etc.

Date: 3 Apr 1994 01:21:29 GMT

 

Greetings, all, from Angharad ver' Rhuawn.

 

Several people have asked for the "drunken chicken" and pynade recipes to which

Yaakov recently referred.  Here they are.  In each case, I've given several

14th (and in one case a 15th) century recipes for the same dish.  _Curye on

Inglysch_ is a collection of 14th C English manuscripts; the two letter

reference for recipes from the collection identifies the manuscript, the

following number the recipe number within the collection, and the last number

the page on which it appears.  The last version of pynade, from the Austin

collection, gives the page number in Austin, followed after a slash by the

page number (and quarter of page) in Cariadoc's collection.

 

Mawmenny Recipes (originals)

============================

 

Maumenee (Curye on Inglysch, DC 7, 45)

 

Wyn; braun of chapoun ipolled al to poudre, & soththen do thryn to boillen with

the wyn; alemauns igrounden al drughe & idon thryn, & poudre of clowes idon

thryn; alemauns ifried schulen beon idon thryn, & ther schal gret vlehs beon

igrounden, & sucre fort abaten the streynthe of the specerie; the colour shal

beon inde.

 

Maumene (Curye on Inglysch, DS 30, 68)

 

For to make maumene, tak the thyys other the flesch of the caponys.  Sethe hem

& kerf hem smal into a morter & tak mylk of almandys wyth broth of fresch buf, &

do the flesch in the mylk or in the broth & do yt to the fyre, & myng yt

togedere wyth flour of rys othere of wastelys als charchant als the Blank de

Sure, & wyth the gholkys of eyryn for to make yt gholow, & safroun.  & wan yt

ys dressyd in dysches wyth Blank de Sure, straw vpon clowys of gelofre & straw

vbon powder of galentyn, & serue yt forthe.

 

Mawmene (Curye on Inglysch, UC 25, 88)

 

Tak figges & reysnes & wasch hem in ale & braye hem wel in a mortere, & do

therto wyn, & braye the flesch on hennes or capounes & do therto.  & do good

almound melk in a pot, & do therto thyn thynges, & stere wel togedere & make it

for to sethe.  & coloure it with blod of a goot or of a pygg & lok it be sothe

& grounde & streyned, & put therto poudere of gyngere & of galyngale & clowes &

greyn de parys, & sesen it with sugre & salt it, & do it fro the feere.

 

Mawmenee (Curye on Inglysch, FoC 22, 102)

 

Take a potell of wyne greke and ii pounde of sugur; take and claryfye the sugur

with a quantite of wyne & drawe it thurgh a straynour in to a pot of erthe.

Take flour of rys and medle with sum of the wyne & cast togydre.  Take pynes

with dates and frye hem a litell in grece other in oyle and cast hem togydre.

Take clowes & flour of canel hool and cast therto. Take powdour gynger, canel,

clowes; colour it with saundres a lytel yf hit be nede. Cast salt therto, and

lat it seeth warly with a slowe fyre and not to thyk. Take brawn of capouns

yteysed other of fesauntes teysed small and cast therto.

 

Mawmenny (Curye on Inglysch, FoC 202, 144)

 

Take the chese and of flessh of capouns or of hennes & hakke smal, and grynde

hem smale in a morter.  Take mylke of almaundes with the broth of freissh beef

other freissh flessh, & put the flessh in the mylke other in the broth, and set

hem to the fyre; & alye hem with flour of ryse or gastbon, or amydoun, as

chargeaunt as the blanke desire, & with gholkes of ayren and safroun for to

make hit ghelow.  And when it is dressit in dysshes with blank desire, styk

aboue clowes de gilofre, & strawe powdour of galyngale aboue, and serue it

forth.

 

Modern Comments

===============

 

Mawmenny is a popular dish, unique to Anglo-Norman cuisine.  It appears

relatively frequently on surviving menus of elaborate feasts.  It was often

served in the same dish (one side one, the other the other) with Blanc Desire

(sometimes called Blanc de Syry, later Blaundisorry).

 

There are really two different dishes here.  One has a broth base; the other is

cooked in wine.  I've made both, and prefer (my version of) the wine-based to

(my version of) the broth-based.  There is also an obvious choice whether to

grind the meat or leave chunks.  They appear most frequently to have ground it

all to gruel.  I prefer discrete pieces of meat.  This does not much influence

the flavor, but does affect how moderns respond to the dish.  The first time I

made this, I didn't use any water, just wine. "Drunken chicken", my personal

name for this, refers roughly equally to the state of the dish if made diluted,

or the state of the diner if not.

 

Edited Version, with Modern Instructions

========================================

 

1 chicken                    1/4 tsp cloves

2 c white wine + 1 c water       1 c sugar

1 1/4 c almonds                    1/2 tsp ginger

5 oz rice flour                    1/4 cup piolas

 

1.  Cook chicken (either boil or roast).

2.  Remove meat from skin and bones.

3.  Grind almonds.

4.  Combine wine, water, sugar, almonds, and rice flour. Heat.

5.  Brown piolas.

6.  Add spices and simmer briefly.

7.  Add piolas.

8.  Add chicken.

 

Medieval Recipes for Pynade

===========================

 

Pynite (Curye on Inglysch, DC 21, 47)

 

Wyn, sucre, iboilled togedere; gyngebred & hony, poudre of gynger & of clouwes;

ipiht with pynes gret plentee, & schal beon adressed in coffyns of flour of

chasteyns; the olour zolou wyth saffroun.

 

Pynade (Curye on Inglysch, DS 91, 79)

 

Tak hony and rotys of radich & grynd yt smal in a morter, & do to that hony a

quantite of broun sugur.  Tak powder of peper & safroun & almandys, & do al

togedere.  Boyl hem long & held yt on a wet bord & let yt kele, & messe yt & do

yt forth.

 

Pynade (Curye on Inglysch, UC 3, 83)

 

Tak wyn & peres & boyle hem togedere, & tak tosted bred & grynde hem alle

togedere & draw hem thorw a streynoure, & tak the thridde part of ceugre or

elles lyg hony & tak penes & fry hem in fresch gres.  & tak al this togedere &

cast in a pot, & boyle it & force it vp with pouder peper, & salt it; & whan it

is dressed florsche it with hole maces & clowes & with mynced gyngere & serue

it forth.

 

Pynnonade (Curye on Inglysch, FoC 59, 109)

 

Take almaundes iblaunched and drawe hem sumdell thicke with gode broth other

with water, and set on the fire and seeth it; cast therto zolkes of ayren

ydrawe.  Take pynes yfryed in oyle other in grece, and do therto white powdour

douce, sugur and salt, & colour it with alkenet a lytel.

 

Pynade (Two Fifteenth Century, H279 Leche Vyaundez iii, 34/59a)

 

Take Hony & gode pouder Gyngere, & Galyngale, & Canelle, Pouder pepir, &

graynys of parys, & boyle y-fere; than take kyrnelys of Pynotys & caste

ther-to; & take chyconys y-sothe, & hew hem in grece, & caste ther-to, & lat

sothe y-fere; & then lat droppe ther-of on a knyf; & ghif it cleuyth & wexyth

hard, it ys y-now; & than putte it on a chargere tyl it be cold, & mace

lechys, & serue with other metys; & ghif thou wolt make it in spycery, then

putte non chykonys ther-to.

 

Modern Comments

===============

 

This is almost candy.  Without the chicken, it _is_ candy.

 

Edited Recipe, with Modern Instructions

=======================================

 

4 T honey     1/8 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp ginger      1/8 tsp grains of paradise

1/8 tsp galingale   2 T pinolas

1 tsp cinnamon      2 boneless chicken breasts

 

1.  Brown pinolas.

2.  Grind grains of paradise.

3.  Boil all ingredients through grains of paradise.

4.  Add pinolas.

5.  Cook carefully until it sticks hard to a knife.

6.  Chill and serve.

 

Enjoy!

-- Angharad/Terry

 

 

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re:  Recipe for Drunken Chicken

Date: 5 Apr 1994 05:14:00 GMT

 

Greetings, all, from Angharad ver' Rhuawn.

 

Gabriela dei Clementini asks:

>Two questions, though.  For those of us who are fairly period-cooking-

>illiterates (or maybe we just don't speak the same English up here ;-))--

>what are "piolas"?  

 

A typo for "pinolas" (oops!), also spelled "pignolas", and sometimes

even "pigniolas".

 

>                    It sounds like they might be pine nuts?

Yup.  Same things.

 

>Second, in your instructions for Pynade, #3 says "Boil all ingredients

>through grains of paradise."  Many pictures flitted through my mind, but I

>thought it would just be easier to ask if this is a typo.... :-)

 

I meant: combine the ingredients beginning with the first in the list

and going on through the list until you have added grains of paradise

(but no further) in a pot and bring to a boil.

 

>Thanks for your help, and--again--thanks for the recipes!

 

You're most welcome!

-- Angharad/Terry

 

 

From: mujle at uxa.ecn.bgu.edu (Jennifer L Edwards)

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Beer in cooking

Date: 7 Nov 1994 23:56:26 GMT

Organization: Educational Computing Network

 

Since this is an SCA net, and we are supposed to be a historical group.  I

thought I might give a couple of period recipes

with beer (or ale) in them. They are both from Two Fifteenth Century

Cookery Books (circa 1420's). The first, I redacted, the second is found

is Duke Sir Cariadoc's "A Miscelleny".

 

               Chykonys in Bruette

 

        1 whole chicken

        3 cups water

        12 oz (1 can) beer or ale

        1/2 tsp ground black pepper (preferably fresh ground)

        2 tsp ground ginger

        12 threads of Saffron (ground in 1 Tbs water)

        4 Tbs bread crumbs

 

Cut chicken into pieces and place in a large pot. Add water, beer or ale,

pepper and ginger. Simmer until chicken is tender and falls off the bone.

Strain, saving the broth and remove the skin and bones from the chicken.

Return broth and chicken to the heat and bring to a boil. Add bread

crumbs and saffron and simmer until thickened. Remove from heat and serve.

This is from the Harleian MS 276 (#97).

 

Gwenhwyvar Lawen

March of Lochmorrow

 

Jennifer Edwards-Ring

Western Illinois University

 

 

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

From: ddfr at quads.uchicago.edu (david director friedman)

Subject: Re:Need Recipes

Organization: University of Chicago

Date: Wed, 23 Nov 1994 14:40:09 GMT

 

This is Elizabeth of Demdermonde posting on Cariadoc's account.

 

"Help! we need recipes for an upcoming event....nothing fancy, just

filling (and good!)"--brighid & treise

 

Here are [two] recipes fitting your specifications; they are also

period.  Don't feel that at your first shot at head cook you cannot

hope to make period food:  there are a huge number of period recipes

out there, ranging from enormously complex to very simple, and these

are toward the simple end.  What I have below is the period recipe

(or a straight English translation of it) first, followed by our

worked-out version.  All have been done successfully at feasts I have

cooked.  I suggest you try them out for dinner at home to see if you

like them.  If you have any questions or for more recipes, email me.

All of these are published in the Miscellany which Cariadoc and I

sell, as well as lots more recipes and other stuff.

 

Icelandic Chicken

Icelandic Medical Miscellany p. 218/D1 (from a 15th century Icelandic

manuscript, but actually probably originally 13th c. southern

European)

 

Original:  One shall cut a young chicken in two and wrap about it

whole leaves of salvia, and cut up in it bacon and add salt to suit

the taste. Then cover that with dough and bake like bread in the oven.

 

Our version:

5 c flour     about 1 3/4 c water

1/2 lb bacon 3 lb chicken, cut in half

3 T dried sage (or sufficient fresh sage leaves to cover)

 

Make a stiff dough by kneading together flour and water. Roll it out.

Cover the dough with sage leaves and the sage leaves with strips of

bacon. Wrap each half chicken in the dough, sealing it. You now have

two packages which contain, starting at the outside, dough, sage,

bacon, chicken. Put them in the oven and bake like bread (325! for 2

hours). We find the bacon adds salt enough.

 

The part of the bread at the bottom is particularly good, because of

the bacon fat and chicken fat. You may want to turn the loaves once

or twice, or baste the top with the drippings.

 

Fricassee of Whatever Meat You Wish

from Platina book 6 (15th c. Italian)

 

Original:  You make a fricassee from fowl or whatever meat you choose

in this way: in a pot with lard, close to the fire, put meat or birds

well cleaned and washed, whether cut up finely or in slices. Stir

this often with a spoon so that it does not stick to the side of the

pot; when it is nearly cooked, take out most of the lard and put in

two egg yolks beaten with verjuice and pour in juice and spices mixed

into the pot. To this dish add some saffron so that it is more

colorful. Likewise, it will not detract from the enjoyment of it to

sprinkle finely chopped parsley over the dish. Then serve it

immediately to your guests.

 

Our version:

1/4-1/3 c lard

fowl or meat: 1 lb boneless meat or chicken

2 egg yolks

2 T verjuice (or 1 T vinegar)

RspicesS: 1/4 t pepper

        1/8 t cloves

        1/4 t cinnamon

RjuiceS: 3 T chicken broth

8 threads saffron

1 T parsley

1/4 t salt

 

Cut up meat. Beat egg yolks with verjuice. In another small dish,

crush saffron into a little of the broth, then add the rest of the

broth and the spices. Chop parsley. Heat lard. Fry meat about 8

minutes, stirring often, then add egg yolk mixture and broth mixture.

Cook another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle parsley on top.

You may want to reduce liquid a good deal for feast quantities.

 

 

From: Dottie Elliott (10/4/95)

To: Mark Harris, sjohns at mail.utexas.edu, fischer at cse.unsw.edu.au

 

==> Moorish Chicken [from Duke CariadocÕs Miscellany)

 

[original recipe found in] Portuguese p. P-3

 

Cut up a fat hen and cook on a mild flame, with 2 spoons of fat, some bacon

slices, lots of coriander, a pinch of parsley, some mint leaves, salt and a

large onion.

 

Cover and let it get golden brown, stirring once in a while. Then cover hen with

water and let boil, and season with salt, vinegar, cloves, saffron, black

pepper and ginger. When chicken is cooked, pour in 4 beaten yolks. Then

take a deep dish, lined with slices of bread, and pour chicken on top.

 

[redaction by David Friedman and Elizabeth Cook]

4 lbs chicken

2 T lard

5 strips bacon (3 1/2 oz)

1/3 c green coriander

1 t parsley

1/2 T mint

1/2 t salt

10 oz onion

2 1/2 c water

2 T vinegar

1/4 t cloves

8 threads saffron

1/2 t pepper

1/2 t ginger

4 egg yolks

6 slices bread (toasted)

 

Dismember chicken (thighs, legs, wings in two pieces, etc.), slice onion,

wash and coarsely chop parsley, mint, and coriander. Melt fat, fry bacon a

couple of

minutes, put chicken, herbs, salt, and onion into pot and fry uncovered about 10

minutes, cover and cook covered another 20 minutes. Add water, vinegar,

additional spices, bring to a boil and cook 45 minutes. Toast bread,

arrange toast in bowl. Break egg yolks, stir them in and remove pot from

heat, and pour into bowl with toast.

 

Note that this is a 15th-century Portuguese idea of an Islamic dish: a real

Islamic dish would not have the bacon!

 

[Clarissa's Notes:  I use chopped, skinless, boneless chicken breasts when

making it for myself. For the feast, I also added skinless boneless thighs

and 20 drumsticks. It should be even more flavorful if you use a cut up

chicken or at least the chicken parts you like with the bones and skins

attached. It just takes up more storage space. I use fresh herbs.  I do not

always add the egg yolks. Sometimes I add whole eggs instead or not add any

eggs at all.  Eggs were used to provide thickening and to stretch the dish.

If the bones are there, this serves about 16.  Without bones the same

weight serves more like 20.  I use white wine vinegar. Add the vinegar and

spices to taste rather than trusting the recipe when you up the numbers for

more people.]

 

 

From: rmacdonald at microd.com

Date: Sun, 25 Aug 96 11:39:06 GMT

Subject: Re: one "pot" meal

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

 

Here's one I have been known to do on occasion.  It is a version of Cassolet, a

dish from southern France that dates way back, but I cannot document how far.  

This version is designed for camping, using as many canned or dry components as

possible:

 

2 cans of white or navy beans

(if you want to be more authentic start from dry beans)

1 can chicken broth

1 cup cheap white wine

1 can chicken (or better duck if you can get some)

1-2 Carrots - diced

1 medium onion - diced

20-30 thin slices of pepperoni (I use commercially sliced and then dice further)

Marjoram

Garlic

Ground Black Pepper

 

Mix the chicken broth with the wine and the spices (to taste, also Italian

Seasoning may be add. I don't tell people how much spice to use, we all have

different tastes).  Add the diced vegitables and bring to a boil. Cook the

vegitables until they begin to soften and then add the rest of the

ingreadients. Usually the whole cooking process can be done in 30-45 minutes

having a completed product that will serve 3-4 or 2 hungry fighters.

 

Other ideas: Breakfast sausage patty's may substitute for the pepperoni, duck

for the chicken. Lamb shanks may be added especially if making a larger batch.

It's basicly a bean soup/stew that almost anything you can find/catch/poach/

steal can be added to to increase flavor.

 

It is fairly fast, easy, and safely transported with little that can spoil.

 

In service to the society

--

Iain of Rannoch  ~);^) (Found in Fiach Ogan, Trimaris)

 

 

From: "Martin G. Diehl" <mdiehl at nac.net>

Date: Wed, 04 Jun 1997 22:45:16 -0400

Subject: Re: SC - Vinegar/verjuice

 

Sharon L. Harrett wrote:

>         Can anyone provide me with documentation on the methods of

> making vinegar or verjuice in period? I have many references to

> their use, but none on their manufacture.

>

> Ceridwen

 

One of my cookbooks "Renaissance Recipes (Painters and Food)" by

Gillian Riley, pub: Pomegranate Artbooks, ISBN: 1-56640-577-7 ,

96 pages, hbk.  gives some information on verjuice and several recipes

use it.

 

[Partial quote] Verjuice: in Italian cooking is, in its simplest

form, the juice of sour green grapes, used as a condiment or cooking

medium.  It can be boiled and fermented, and used throughout the

year.  The equivalent in English cookery ... sour gooseberries, plums,

or acidic herbs such as sorrel.  ...

 

The book suggests that bitter orange (found in the Spanish foods section

of a large supermarket) could be used as a substitute. One

recipe that was given was Chicken with Verjuice, "Amorsa"

 

1 medium chicken, jointed

4 oz. pancetta

1 lb. sour green grapes, gooseberries, or unripe green plums

fresh mint and parsley, chopped

salt, freshly ground black pepper, saffron to taste

 

Fry the chicken joints and diced bacon in olive oil until golden and

half cooked.  Crush the grapes and strain through a sieve into a

casserole.  Add the chicken; stir well to dissolve the brown bits and

simmer until tender.  Season with black pepper and saffron, check

salt (pancetta may provide enough).  Serve sprinkled with chopped

herbs.

 

Alas, although this lovely book does have a bibliography, specific

references are not given for each recipe.

 

I am,

Vinchenzio Martinus di Mazza,

- --

Martin G. Diehl

 

 

Date: Wed, 23 Jul 1997 11:34:07 -0400 (EDT)

From: Mark Schuldenfrei <schuldy at abel.MATH.HARVARD.EDU>

Subject: SC - Re: Lombard Rice (fwd)

 

Here, with Mistress Johanna's permission, is her recipe and redaction notes.

I've taken the liberty of reformatting them for clarity.

 

I've served this to modern people, and they LOVE it.  I urge you to try this

one.

 

        Tibor

 

  Lombardy Rice Dish

  

  The original recipe for this dish comes from Bartolomeo Scappi's

  Opera,from Venice in 1570.  I based my recipe on the English

  translation that appears in Lorenza De'Medici's The Heritage of

  Italian Cooking (Random House, New York:1990).

  

  While the first line of the original recipe mentions both sausage and

  egg yolks, I have omitted both. I couldn't decide what would be an

  appropriate substitution for cervellate (brain sausage--apparently it

  is available, just not locally) and there are no instructions on what

  to do with the egg yolks. (You might wish to try  adding hardboiled

  egg yolks to the chicken filling, or as a garnish.) I have also

  omitted geese. I use white chicken meat in my version.

  

  The first time I tried this recipe, I attempted to mold it in a

  fluted tube-cake pan without success. I've since discovered that it

  works well in a lasagne pan, although I don't own one deep enough to

  hold 3 layers. I have also successfully used large foil baking pans.

  The dish is at its best hot from the oven with the rosewater

  perfuming the air, but since Lorenza's variation of the recipe was

  depicted in a picnic setting, I have also served it as a cold dish.

  

  REDACTION:

  1-1/2 Cups raw rice, cooked in chicken broth instead of water

  4 boneless chicken breasts, cooked, cooled, and chopped (if you poach

    the chicken breasts, you will have chicken broth!)

  2 Cups shredded Mozzarella cheese (Approximately)

  1/2 Cup shredded fresh Parmesean cheese (Approximately)

  1 stick of melted butter

  Cinnamon-sugar, as desired (mix cinnamon and sugar to taste)

  Rosewater, as desired (can be bought in Indian grocery stores) (can

    be omitted)

  

  In a lasagne-sized pan or large casserole, spread a layer of cooked

  rice.  Sprinkle the rice layer with cinnamon-sugar, some of the

  cheese and some melted butter.

  

  Cover the spices and cheese with a generous layer of cooked chicken.

  Then repeat with the cheese, spices and butter.

  

  Add another layer of rice and repeat as desired. Your top layer

  should be rice with cheese and spices and butter on top.

  

  Bake at 350 degrees, uncovered until cheese melts and rice begins to

  brown.  Remove from oven. Sprinkle with rosewater and serve forth.

 

 

Date: Wed, 23 Jul 1997 12:01:57 -0400

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

Subject: Re: SC - Re: Lombard Rice (fwd)

 

Mark Schuldenfrei wrote:

>   While the first line of the original recipe mentions both sausage and

>   egg yolks, I have omitted both. I couldn't decide what would be an

>   appropriate substitution for cervellate (brain sausage--apparently it

>   is available, just not locally)

 

While cervelles, in culinary French, are indeed brains, I'm almost

positive that cervellate is not brain sausage. It is what they call a

boiling sausage, similar to a cotechino, usually made from a mixture of

pork and veal. There are still several Italian varieties of a sausage

called cervellato available, not to mention saveloy, the French

equivalent. Mostly they're along the lines of a cotto (rather than Genoa

or hard) salami. I suspect, based on some of the (admittedly modern)

recipes I've seen, that the sausage mixture was formed into a ball,

wrapped in some kind of wrinkly membrane like caul fat or calves' tripe,

tied up with string, and boiled, the whole thing looking vaguely

brainlike.

 

If you've ever seen a zampone, which is an Italian specialty (I've

forgotten the region if I ever knew) consisting of a boneless pig's foot

and hock, kinda like a lady's evening glove, stuffed with sausage meat

and smoked/air dried. The stuff inside is cervellato.

 

This being one of the few topics the Larousse Gastronomique is pretty

reliable on, you could probably get more info there.

 

Adamantius

______________________________________

Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com

 

 

Date: Sat, 2 Aug 1997 11:08:29 -0700 (PDT)

From: rousseau at scn.org (Anne-Marie Rousseau)

Subject: SC - pomegranite chicken!

 

Hi all from Anne-Marie.

Wow! No less than seven requests for this recipe! OK, here it is. I got

the primary sources from Cariadoc's collection of medieval and

Renaissance cookbooks. The reconstructions are mine.

 

from _An Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook of the Thirteeth Century_,

translated by Charles Perr.

 

Another Tabahajiyya (A37)

Cut the meat up small and fry with oil and salt, and when it is brown,

cooki ti until done with vinegar. Pound a handful of almonds or walnuts

and thrown them on and boil a while. Take pomegranate juice and dissolve

in it a lump of sugar to get ride of its tartness, and sprinkle with

cinnamon.

 

Anne-Marie's Pomegranite chicken:

3 chicken breasts, hacked to gobbets

1-2 T olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

 

Salt the chicken chunks, and sautee in a hot skillet with the oil until

almost done and just starting to brown. Meanwhile, make the sauce:

1/4 cup water

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 T sugar

1/4 cup pomegranite syrup (from middle eastern grocers. If you can't find

the syrup, you can use the juice, but boil it for a lot longer, and omit

the water).

Boil these together in a small sauce pan to blend and dissolve the sugar.

 

When the chicken is almost done, throw on 1/4 cup white wine vinegar

(cider vinegar works too), the boiled sauce, and 3 T of pounded almonds.

Continue to simmer until the chicken has absorbed most of the liquid.

Serve on a bed of cous cous. (recipe below).

 

Soldier's Couscous (Kuskusu Fityani) (A55) [same source]

The usual moistened cous cous is known by the whole world. The Fityani is

the one where the meat is cooked with its vegetables, as is usual, and

when it is done, take out the meat and the vegetables from the pot and

put them to one side; strain the bones and rest from the broth and return

the pot to the fire; when it has boiled, put in the cous cous cooked and

rubbed with fat and leave it for a little on a reduced fire or the

hearthstone until it takes in the poper amount of the sauce; then throw

it on a platter and level it, put on top of it the cooked meat and

vegetables, prinkle it with cinnamon and serve it. This is called Fityani

in Marrakesh.

 

Anne-Marie's version of Soldiers Cous Cous

2 cups quick cooking cous cous

1 can Swansons veggie broth and 1 can water

4 T butter

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

 

Bring the broth and water to a boil in a good heavy pot with a tight lid.

Stir in the couscous and finish according to the directions on the box.

You can also leave the covered pot on the stove, with the burner tunred

off. In about 15 minutes, the water should be absorbed. Stir in the

butter over low heat until it is melted. Fluff with a fork and sprinkle

heavily with cinnamon.

 

Enjoy!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Anne-Marie Rousseau

rousseau at scn.org

Seattle, Washington

 

 

Date: Mon, 04 Aug 97 13:34:01 -0600

From: "Stephanie Rudin"<rudin at okway.okstate.edu>

Subject: SC - Advice, please!

 

     I am doing my first feast the first weekend of September and I am

     trying to keep the costs down as much as possible. One of the recipes

     I've chosen is from "The Original Mediterranean Cuisine" by Barbara

     Santich.  The recipe is given three ways, once in the original italian

     (at least I think it's italian - going back to italian class in high

     school almost 20 years ago), once in an english translation and once

     in the author's redaction.

    

     Di Limonia Di Polli (from Libro della Cucina)

    

     Friggansi li polli con lardo e cipolle, e pestisi l'amido non mondo e

     distemperesi col brodo de la carne de porco, e colisi, e cocansi con

     li detti polli e spezie.  E se non avessi amido, spessisi il brodo

     colle tuorla d'ova; e quando sira presso l'ora del ministrare, metti

     in quello succhio di limoni, o di lomie, o di cetrangole.

    

     Limonia of Chicken

    

     Fry chicken with salted pork fat and onions, and grind unblanched

     almonds and combine with pork stock, and strain, and cook with the

     chicken and spices.  If you don't have almonds, thicken the liquid

     with egg yolks; and when it is nearly time to serve the dish, add the

     juice of lemons or bitter oranges.

    

     So... my problem is that in the redaction, Santich calls for ground

     ginger, pepper, salt (depending on saltiness of stock) and saffron.  I

     would prefer not to use the saffron because of the cost involved.  (If

     this were for only a few I wouldn't mind but we are planning for over

     100 people and I don't think I can swing it.)  Since the original

     author only says spices, I don't have any clue what to substitute.  I

     am not familiar enough with period cooking to know what would taste

     right and I am not familiar enough with saffron to know what the lack

     of it will do to the recipe's flavor.  The only thing I can think of

     is that the recipe seems to lack garlic, but that might just be a

     personal thing for me.  Hence, I am throwing myself on the mercy of

     the experienced cooks on this list.  I welcome any advice you might

     have.

    

        Mercedes

     rudin at okway.okstate.edu

 

 

Date: Tue, 05 Aug 97 15:55:46 -0600

From: "Stephanie Rudin"<rudin at okway.okstate.edu>

Subject: Re: SC - Advice, please!

 

     Sorry - I should have just gone ahead and added the author's redaction

     on my first posting.  Here it is.

    

     Mercedes

     rudin at okway.okstate.edu

    

    

     Chicken in Lemon Sauce

    

     1 KG (2 lbs) chicken drumsticks

     or 800 G (just over 1 1/2 lbs boneless breasts)

     2 onions, chopped

     1-2 tblspns oil

     1 cup ground, blanched almonds

     2 cups chicken stock

     1-1 1/2 tspns ground ginger

     freshly ground pepper

     salt (depending on saltiness of stock)

     1/2 teaspoon pure saffron (threads)

     infused in 1/4 cup hot stock

     juice 1-1 1/2 lemons

    

     Trim chicken pieces as necessary, pat dry.  Heat oil in a wide shallow

     pan (large enough to hold the chicken comfortably in one layer).  

     Lightly fry onions until soft, but do not allow them to colour.  Add

     chicken pieces and slowly seal on all sides, again without browning.

    

     Place almonds in a food processor.  Add hot stock and process for

     about two more minutes.  Using a course sieve, strain this almond milk

     over the chicken, pressing down on almond residue to extract all the

     liquid.  The almond milk should have the consistency of thin cream; it

     will thicken during cooking.

    

     Add ground ginger and saffron seeped in stock, together with a good

     grinding of pepper.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes (for breasts) or

     30 minutes (for drumsticks).  Reduce the lid and increase the heat to

     boil the sauce down to a thick, creamy consistency. Add the juice of

     1 lemon, taste, and if necessary add more lemon juice.  The lemon

     flavor should be distinct but not overpowering. Check for seasoning

     and add a little salt if desired.

    

     From "The Original Mediterranean Cuisine - Medieval Recipes for Today"

     by Barbara Santich, Chicago Review Press, 1995.

 

 

From: Glenda Robinson <glendar at antispam.compassnet.com.au>

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: The History of Rice

Date: Mon, 18 Aug 1997 10:22:26 +1000

Organization: Flamberge Computer Services

 

>  Strange, I know, but I'm curious (for a good reason)...

> Anyone out there know when rice became widespread, which were the first

>  countries to use/import/cultivate/trade for it?

>

> Lysander

 

There is a recipe using rice in "To the King's Taste", from "The Forme

of Cury, written around 1390. It's one of my favourites, and it goes

something like this.

 

Blank-Mang [White Dish]

 

Take capons [or chooks?]and seeth hem. Thenne take hem up. Take

alamandes [almonds] blanced. Grynd hem and alay hem up with the same

broth [or just use styore bought ground almonds]. Cast the mylk [almond

milk] in a pot. Waisshe rys [rice] and do thereto and lat it seeth. Take

the brawn of capons. Teere it small and do thereto. Take white greece

[lard], sugar and salt, and cast thereinne. Lat it seeth. Then mess it

forth and florish it with aneys [aniseed] and confyt rede other whyte

and with almandes fryed in oyle and serve it forth.

 

The 'modern' version of this recipe suggests:

 

2 large capon or chook breasts

2 1/2 cups water

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup ground almonds

1 cup rice

1 tbsp butter

4 tsp light brown sugar

 

and go for it.

 

This dish is very light, in colour (why they called it 'White Dish',

texture and flavour. It is delicious. Just stir the rice often,

otherwise it tends to burn at the bottom.

 

Glenda.

 

 

Date: Thu, 21 Aug 97 16:41:05 -0600

From: "Stephanie Rudin"<rudin at okway.okstate.edu>

Subject: Re: SC - When life gives you lemons, then what?

 

     Caitlin - one of the women in our shire, HL Rhiannon Redwolf, makes a

     wonderful dish she calls lemonshire chicken.  There isn't really a

     recipe.  I made it once with her standing over me and since then I

     just throw stuff in.  Basically start with chicken breasts, pounded a

     little, a large onion, diced, some white wine worcestershire, minced

     garlic, capers, butter, olive oil and salt and pepper.

    

     Saute the onions and garlic in a little olive oil and butter then add

     the chicken breasts and brown them slightly, and add the

     worcestershire (1/2 cup or more to your taste), capers (about half of

     a small bottle), salt and pepper and let simmer until the chicken is

     done.  Then add the juice of one lemon (or more to your taste).  Serve

     over rice.  I usually use quite a bit of worcestershire so that there

     is extra sauce to go over the rice.  I have added lemon zest every now

     and then with good results.

    

     Mercedes

     rudin at okway.okstate.edu

 

 

Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 18:02:16 -0700

From: ladymari at GILA.NET (Mary Hysong)

Subject: Re: SC - When life gives you lemons, then what?

 

> Any idea what I can do with

> chicken breasts and lemons (beside the usual thing with sherry, which is my

> fallback unless you folks have a better idea).

>

> Caitlin

 

HI  Caitlin, here's my favorite lemon chicken:

put some butter in a skillet, sprinkle chicken breasts with garlic powder, other

fvorite herbs to taste, brown in the butter, squeeze the lemon, strain and mix a

spoonful of sugar with it, pour in the middle of the skillet and stir it into

whatever chicken juice/butter is there, then stir all together [oops, forgot to

say cut the meat in small peices first]

 

cheers, Mairi

 

 

Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 08:33:58 -0400 (EDT)

From: Mark Schuldenfrei <schuldy at abel.MATH.HARVARD.EDU>

Subject: Re: SC - When life gives you lemons, then what?

 

  HI  Caitlin, here's my favorite lemon chicken:

  put some butter in a skillet, sprinkle chicken breasts with garlic

  powder, other fvorite herbs to taste, brown in the butter, squeeze

  the lemon, strain and mix a spoonful of sugar with it, pour in the

  middle of the skillet and stir it into whatever chicken juice/butter

  is there, then stir all together [oops, forgot to say cut the meat in

  small peices first]

 

This is a delightful recipe.  I prefer to add some specific wine, and call

it Chicken Marsala....

 

As a technique question: I've found that I get a better, and more intense

lemon flavor, if I use the zest of the lemon grated into a sauce, than if I

just use juice alone.  Have you tried that?

 

I'd dredge the chicken breasts in a flour and lemon zest coating (mix in

herbs as you like: savory and black pepper pop to mind) and bake or saute.

Make a sauce as above.

  

        Tibor

 

 

Date: Sat, 3 Jan 1998 14:15:20 -0600

From: L Herr-Gelatt and J R Gelatt <liontamr at ptd.net>

Subject: SC - Apricot Chicken Recipe

 

My apologies if this is a repeat. I lost power at the end of typing this out

before, and it was gone when I finally got back on 6 hours later.

 

Apricot Chicken:

 

I have found recipes for what is basically the same dish in several

places...Russian Cookbooks, Mid-east cookbooks, even Martha Washington IIRC.

 

Here's what you do:

 

Take one cut-up boiler/fryer or equivalent favorite parts in weight. Brown

it in olive oil or butter in a large kettle with 1 very large onion, cut up

into large squares.Onions need not be completely soft.

 

At this point, decide whether this is a stove-top, fireplace, or oven dish,

and put it in an appropriate pot. Add water or chicken stock to cover and a

pound of dried apricots, halved if very large. Add more if they are the

very-moist variety. Simmer on the stove top, over the fire, or bake in the

oven, all covered, for about an hour. Add salt and white pepper to taste.

Some heretics have been known to add white wine to the mix with the stock.

 

This looks very fetching with green garnish of sliced spring onion greens or

parsley, and we like to serve it with something that will sop up the

incredible juices, such as noodles (with parsley or herbs for color

contrast) or in bread bowls.

 

I was delighted to find a Rev. War re-enactor, who just "discovered" the

SCA, cooked Apricot Chicken over the campfire for his turn at our camp meal

at Pennsic. Along with it he served roasted onions: Cover whole onions

(slice off only the top. leave on the brown skin layers) with foil and place

in the coals until soft. To serve, open the foil, carefully (hot!) squeze

the brown skin and the onion will pop right out onto your plate. Serve with

butter or salt and pepper, or plain if desired. Amazingly simply and

incredibly good. For some reason it doesn't work in the oven at home quite

as well.

 

Hope you enjoy it! It all tastes far more complicated than the recipe would

indicate!

 

Aoife

 

 

Date: Wed, 7 Jan 1998 10:59:53 EST

From: LrdRas <LrdRas at aol.com>

Subject: SC - Chicken-apologies and facts

 

M'lord Alaistair and list members,

 

My humble apologies. It appears that taken at face value m'lord Al was

correct. Cornish Game Hens as available in the supermarket under that name are

indeed nothing more than another variety of chicken. They are raised from

several breeds that have been improved for meat and are known as broilers.

They are harvested when they have reached the weight of 2 1/2 lbs. or 7 weeks

of age.whichever comes first.

 

Due to the young age of the harvested bird they have a flavor which is more

succulent and rich compared to older birds. As a side note, according to Dr.

John Schwartz of the Landcaster Office of the Pennsylvania Co-Operative

Extention office, the flavor of chickens rapidly deteriorate after arriving at

the supermarket. There they are washed in antiseptic and

bleaching/antibacterial agents often times on cutting surfaces that are coated

with antibacterials and packaged. This ruins the flavor.

 

The best flavored birds are those with minimal processing that have been

killed quickly and bled rapidly. and immediately chilled down. Whne treated

thusly the flavor of range fed vs. commercial birds is not, accordinging to

his mother, significantly different. In fact, broiler and frying chickens are

bred today specifically for flavor and good meat to bone ratios.

 

Well, there you have it. My apologies for my for my former faux paux.

 

Ras

 

 

Date: Thu, 22 Jan 1998 12:54:20 -0800

From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>

Subject: Re: SC - french cooking or is Ham mousse just a fancy sausage?

 

Capons Stwed (this is 15th c. English, but English and French cooking were

very similar at the time)

 

Take parcelly, Sauge, Isoppe, Rose Mary, and tyme, and breke hit bitwen thi

hondes, and stoppe the Capon there-with; colour hym with Safferon, and

couche him in a erthen potte, or of brasse, and ley splentes underneth and

al about the sides, that the Capon touche no thinge of the potte; strawe

good herbes in the potte, and put thereto a pottel of the best wyn that

thou may gete, and none other licour; hele the potte with a close led, and

stoppe hit aboute with dogh or bater, that no eier come oute; And set hit

on the faire charcole, and lete it seeth easly and longe till hit be ynowe.

And if hit be an erthen potte, then set hit on the fire whan thou takest

hit downe, and lete hit not touche the grounde for breking; And whan the

hete is ouer past, take oute the Capon with a prik; then make a sirippe of

wyne, Reysons of corance, sugur and safferon, And boile hit a litull; medel

pouder of Ginger with a litul of the same wyn, and do thereto; then do awey

the fatte of the sewe of the Capon, And do the Siryppe to the sewe, and

powre hit on the capon, and serue it forth. [end of original]

 

1 chicken, about 3 lb

First batch of herbs:

  1/3 c fresh parsley

  1 T dried sage

  1 t dried rosemary

  1 t thyme, ground

  2 T hyssop, dried

1 1/2 c wine

6 threads saffron + 1 t water

Second batch of herbs:

1/2 t tarragon

1/2 t sage

1/2 t rosemary

1/2 t thyme

about 1/2 c flour

enough water to make a stiff dough

Sauce:

1/2 c wine

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c currants

small pinch saffron

1/4 c wine

1 t powdered ginger

 

Mix first batch of herbs and stuff chicken with them. Put chicken and wine

in a pot with a top; if you are using a stove top rather than an oven, you

may want to put wood pieces or something under the chicken to keep it from

sticking. Paint the chicken with water with saffron crushed into it.

Sprinkle on second batch of herbs. Mix flour and water into a stiff dough,

roll it out into a string, and use it between pot and lid as a seal. Bake

at 350° or simmer on stove top about 1 1/2 hours. Take out, drain, separate

out some of the liquid without the fat. Make a thick syrup of wine, sugar,

currants, and a pinch of saffron. Boil briefly. Mix another 1/4 c wine with

powdered ginger. Combine. Add 1/2 c of the liquid from the chicken to this,

heat, pour over capon, serve.

 

Elizabeth/Betty Cook

 

 

Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 08:00:04 -0800

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

Subject: Re: SC - frozen pomegranate seeds

 

Hi all from AM!

A possible use for pomegranite seeds....Pomegranite Chicken! Like the

pomegranite sauce for pork already suggested, but slightly different

ingredients and documentably period (at least for you middle eastern

types).

 

The recipe follows...this stuff is wonderful and a big hit with the meat

and potatoes crowd when served with cous cous (also period, when cooked

with broth and butter). Great for tourneys, its so easy. If you use a cast

iron pot, it is rather brown, but if you use a stainless steel pot its a

pretty dark red. The pomegranite chicken calls for walnuts, but since they

appear to be my singular food allergy, I chose to sub with almonds.

Interestingly, the Persian restaurants here in Seattle have something like

this on their menus. Course, since they use the proper walnuts, I can't try

it, but it appears to be less sweet-sour, and  is far more soupy. Oh, and

the chicken pieces are bone in, for the modern "authentic" version.

Interesting!

 

As always feel free to use my recipe, I just ask that you let me know, cite

me in any publications and let me know how it worked for you too! These and

other recipies are the ones in the last Serve it Forth, I believe.

 

Enjoy!

 

Recipes from An Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook of the Thirteenth Century,

translated by Charles Perr (in A Collection of Medieval and Renaissance

Cookbooks. 6th Edition, ed. by Duke Cariadoc and Duchess Diana Alene,

privately published. Vol 1, 1991, Vol 2, 1993.)

 

Another Tabahajiyya (A37)

Cut the meat up small and fry with oil and salt, and when it is brown, cook

it until done with vinegar. Pound a handful of almonds or walnuts and throw

them on and boil a while. Take pomegranate juice and dissolve in it a lump

of sugar to get rid of its tartness, and sprinkle with cinnamon.

 

Pomegranite Chicken

6 chicken breasts, hacked to gobbets

1-2 T olive oil to sautee

1/2 tsp salt to sprinkle on breasts

1/2 cup water

1 tsp cinnamon

2 T sugar

1/2 cup pomegranite molasses or syrup**

1/2 cup white wine or cider vinegar

6 T pounded almonds

 

Chunk and salt the chicken, brown in oil 'til almost done. Meanwhile, make

a sauce of the water, sugar and pomegranite syrup. Boil to blend. When the

chicken is almost totally cooked, dump in the vinegar. Then add the sauce,

along with the almonds. Simmer till the sauce is thick, about five minutes

on a hard boil. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve on cous cous. Serves 6.

 

**If you canÕt find pomegranite syrup at a local middle eastern market, you

can use pomegranite juice, but youÕll need to add more sugar and omit the

water. By using the pomegranite molasses, I can save a bit of cooking down

time.

 

Soldier's Couscous (Kuskusu Fityani) (A55)

The usual moistened couscous is known by the whole world. The Fityani  is

the one where the meat is cooked with its vegetables, as is usual, and when

it is done, take out the meat and the vegetables from the pot and put them

to one side; strain the bones and rest from the broth and return the pot to

the fire; when it has boiled, put in the couscous cooked and rubbed with

fat and leave it for a little on a reduced fire or the hearthstone until it

takes in the proper amount of the sauce; then throw it on a platter and

level it, put on top if it the cooked meat and vegetables, sprinkle it with

cinnamon and serve it. This is called Fityani  in Marrakesh.

 

Soldier's Cous cous

2 c. cous cous

1 can veggie broth + 1 canful water

4 T. butter

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 t. salt

 

In a large pot with a good lid, bring the broth and water to a boil. Stir

in the cous cous, and clap on the lid. Let sit off the heat until all the

water is absorbed. Stir in the butter and sprinkle heavily with cinnamon.

Fluff with a fork to keep from being gloppy. Serves 6-8 generously.

 

 

Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 11:49:04 -0800

From: "Crystal A. Isaac" <crystal at pdr-is.com>

Subject: Re: SC - frozen pomegranate seeds

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I'm going to try to make pomegranate

wine (my barony has not yet reimburesed me for expenses and I think I'll

just lose that recipt so the seeds will be mine, not the SCA's.)

 

Although from another source my recipe was not unlike Anne-Marie's,

including the subsititution of almonds for walnuts. When I make this at

for myself, I tend to just make the sauce with extra spice and pour it

over the chicken to bake. I don't like boiled chicken.

 

thanks again,

Crystal of the Westermark

 

Chicken with Pomegranate

 

NARSIRK

This is a Persian word, meaning "Pomegranate and vinegar" Cut fat meat

into middling pieces, then put into the sauce pan and cover with water.

Adding a little salt. Boil, and remove the scum. When almost cooked,

throw in coriander, cumin, pepper, cinnamon and mastic; bray all

separately from the cinnamon, leaving this last in its bark. Cut up

onions, wash and put into the pot, with a few sprigs of mint. Add kabobs

of [chicken] minced with seasonings. Take pomegranate seeds, grind up

fine, mix with wine-vinegar strain and pour into the saucepan. Peel

[almonds], grind them fine, soak in hot water and add, flavoring the

mixture to taste, and putting in sufficient [almond] to give it

consistency. Then throw on top a few pieces of whole [almond], and rub

in sprigs of dry mint. Spray with a little rose water; wipe the sides

with a clean rag, and leave over the fire to settle. Then remove.

 

Arberry, A.J., translator. _The Bagdad Cookery Book_. (c.1226CE)

Reprinted in _A Collection of Medieval and Renaissance Cookery Books_.

Volume I by Friedman, David (Sir Cariadoc of the Bow) Published

privately.

 

Chicken:

Take chicken thighs and boil in chicken broth, adding ground coriander,

ground cumin, ground pepper, cinnamon sticks, mastic (a tiny drop of

spruce essence will do), chopped onions and mint. If time permits, add

some meatballs of ground chicken, ground almonds and spices.

 

Sauce:

Grind pomegranate seeds and mix with 1/4 of that volume white wine

vinegar. [or pomegranate juice]

Blanch, peel and grind almonds.

Add ground almonds to sauce to thicken.

Add spices (ground coriander, ground cumin, ground pepper) to taste.

 

Prep:

Remove chicken and onions from boiling bath and place in baking/serving

dishes.

Pour sauce over chicken.

Heat in hot oven for a 10 minutes

Sprinkle with whole almonds, pomegranate seeds and mint.

Serve.

 

 

Date: Wed, 11 Mar 1998 16:02:15 -0700

From: "Morgan" <morgan at lewistown.net>

Subject: Re: SC - Re: sca-cooks V1 #639

 

>I would like to know if anyone of you out there has some ideas for

>recipes I could use to serve to the Crown and thier entourage for a

>light lunch.

 

>Tegan

 

        Viaunde of Cypress Ryalle  (chicken in sweet sauce)

 

4 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 cup white wine

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup honey

1/2 teasp. each ground cloves, mace and ginger

1/4 cup ground almonds

1/2 cup currants

 

Boil the wine and sugar together for ten minutes or until it thickens and

clings to the spoon.  Add honey, spices almonds and currants and cook for

an additional five minutes.   Pour the sauce over the chicken, coating

well.  Chill well;  serve cold.

 

    I have had much sucess with this "picnic" recipe.  I have used cut up

breast meat, small drumsticks, even plain ol' cooked chicken parts.  I put

the cooled sauce and meat in a ziplock, and throw it in the cooler until

time to eat,  then arrange the meat  on platters, and see it disapper!

 

        Taken from >Travelling Dysshes< by Siobhan Medhbh O'Roarke

 

Caointiarn

 

 

Date: Sun, 12 Jul 1998 01:29:30 -0500

From: allilyn at juno.com (LYN M PARKINSON)

Subject: Re: SC - Yikes! I'm teaching a class!

 

Here's a recipe from An Ordinance of Pottage that they might like.

 

Floreye

 

A rose-decked version of Chicken pudding.  Use rose or deep pink rose

petals, choosing ones which are just beginning to wilt and cutting off

their white bases.

 

Chicken Pate with roses

 

petals of 4 medium-sized roses          1 1/2 cups chicken broth or

water

2 oz. (1/2 cup) blanched almonds, slivered      1 teaspoon sugar

3 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped   1/2 teaspoon salt, or to

taste

 

Reserve some of the inner, less wilted petals.  Put the rest in a blender

or processor with the almonds and process them; then add the chicken meat

and seasonings and process again.

        Put this mixture in a saucepan and stir into it the broth or

water, previously brought to a boil.  Leave to steep for 10 minutes, then

bring to a boil, stirring, and continue to stir over a low heat for no

more than 5 minutes.

        The dish can be served hot, mounded on a serving dish.  Or it can

be packed into a bowl and chilled, then unmoulded before serving.

Either way, garnish at the last moment with the reserved rose petals.

 

This should be simple enough for beginners, and as a cold dish, work for

an after meeting pot-luck.

 

Allison

 

 

Date: Thu, 06 Aug 1998 02:44:22 EDT

From: korrin.daardain at juno.com (Korrin S DaArdain)

Subject: Re: SC - Fried Chicken in Apicius???

 

On Wed, 05 Aug 1998 17:14:39 -0400 Phil & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>

writes:

>Today, for the second time in the last week or so, I have heard a

>reference made to a fried chicken recipe in Apicius. The trouble is, I

>can't seem to find such a recipe in Apicius.

>

>Can anyone provide a name for the recipe, or maybe info indicating

>this is somebody's loose secondary interpetation of a boiled or braised

>chicken recipe from Apicius (there are several), or what?

>

>Adamantius

 

I don't know if this is what you are looking for but a search of my

recipe collection for "Apicius" turned up the following recipes for

chicken.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

        Pullum Frontonianum (Chicken a la Fronto)

        (Apic. 6, 9, 13) From an old Roman cookbook: Marcus Gavius

Apicius: De Re Coquinaria. The book I have is edited and translated from

Latin to German by Robert Maier. Posted and translated from German to

English by Micaela Pantke (hz225wu at unidui.uni-duisburg.de)

        1 fresh chicken (approx. 1-1.5kg)

        100ml oil

        200ml Liquamen (A salty fish sauce), or 200ml wine + 2 tsp. salt

        1 branch of leek

        fresh dill to taste

        Saturei (Savory) to taste

        coriander to taste

        pepper to taste

        a little bit of Defritum (A thick fig syrup, or a thick condensed

            grape juice)

 

   Start to fry chicken and season with a mixture of Liquamen and

oil, together with bunches of dill, leek, Saturei and fresh coriander.

Then cook approximately 1 hour with 220 deg C in the oven. When the

chicken is done, moisten a plate with Defritum, put chicken on it,

sprinkle pepper on it, and serve.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

        Pullus Fusilis (Chicken With Liquid Filling)

        (Apic. 6, 9, 15) From an old Roman cookbook: Marcus Gavius

Apicius: De Re Coquinaria. The book I have is edited and translated from

Latin to German by Robert Maier. Posted and translated from German to

English by Micaela Pantke (hz225wu at unidui.uni-duisburg.de)

        1 fresh chicken (approx. 1-1.5kg)

        300g minced meat (half beef, half pork)

        100g groats (of oat)

        2 eggs

        250ml white wine

        1 TB oil

        1 TB Liebstoeckl (A kind of celery)

        1/4 tsp. ground ginger

        1/4 tsp. ground pepper

        1 tsp. green peppercorns

        50g stone-pine kernels

        Liquamen (A salty fish sauce) or salt to taste

        Ground pepper, Liebstoeckl, ginger, minced meat and cooked

groats. Add eggs and mix until you have a smooth mass. Season with

Liquamen, add oil, whole peppercorns and stone-pine kernels. Fill this

dough into the chicken. Cook approximately 1 hour with 220 deg C in the

oven.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Korrin S. DaArdain

Kitchen Steward of Household Port Karr

Kingdom of An Tir.

 

 

Date: Thu, 06 Aug 1998 08:08:36 -0400

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

Subject: Re: SC - Fried Chicken in Apicius???

 

Korrin S DaArdain wrote:

> >Can anyone provide a name for the recipe [a fried chicken recipe in

> Apicius], or maybe info >indicating

> >this is somebody's loose secondary interpetation of a boiled or braised

> >chicken recipe from Apicius (there are several), or what?

 

> I don't know if this is what you are looking for but a search of my

> recipe collection for "Apicius" turned up the following recipes for

> chicken.

 

Yes, this is the recipe that seems to come closest to fried chicken, and it's

actually a stew. The chicken is browned and then braised until done in a

minimum of nine ounces of liquid (per the redaction below) not in the oven,

according to the bare translation I have by Flower and Rosenbaum (we don' need

no steenking redactions!), but over a heat source, presumably on the stove.

 

I was just wondering if the recipe had been substantially reworked, which

sometimes greatly changes the character of the dish until it is barely

recognizable. See, for instance, well, I _think_  it was the first edition of

"Pleyn Delit" that turned mortrews, a thick pottage of ground meat, into meat

loaf.By the way, the Liebstoeckl mentioned in the German text, and left

untranslated in English, is presumably lovage, a celery-ish plant commonly

found in Apician recipes.

 

Adamantius

 

 

Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1998 14:07:35 EDT

From: PhlipinA at aol.com

Subject: SC - On roast beef and fried chicken- long

 

Was just going through my copy of Platina, "De Honesta Voluptate et

Valetudine", the Milham translation, 1998, and found the following

instructions.

 

<snip of roast beef recipe>

 

The second one comes from the same book, 6, chapter 11, entitled "Frictum ex

Quavis Carne", translated as " A Fry from Whatever Meat You Want":

 

You will make a fry from fowl and whatever meat you want in this way: put meat

and birds into a pot on the fire with lard after they have been well gutted

and washed and cut up, either in small pieces or quartered, and stir

frequently with a spoon so they do not stick to the sides of the pot. When the

cooking is nearly finished, take out the greater part of the lard and pour

into the pot two egg yolks, beaten with verjuice and mixed with juice and

spices. It is necessary for it to boil only until properly cooked. Some add

saffron to this dish so it becomes more colored. It will not be alien to

pleasure to sprinkle finely chopped parsley on the dish and serve immediately

to your guests. It will be very nourishing, and, even if it is digested

slowly, it will repress bile and help the heart, liver, and kidneys.

 

Now, this is very similar to how I make my Southern Fried Chicken- the major

difference being that the spices are added in a liquid medium at the end of

cooking, where I add the spices in flour and corn meal at the beginning- in

fact, this one is very reminiscent of Buffalo Wings. Being modern, I usually

use peanut oil for the fat and bake it after it's browned, to reduce fat, but

I have frequently fried chicken in lard until it was done. Maybe I'll try this

one, next time I'm in a fried chicken mood... Again, I think this is another

example of a generic frying recipe, used instead of a specific recipe for a

common practice, just as in the Roast recipe. Thoughts?

 

Phlip

 

 

Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1998 15:05:16 EDT

From: Mordonna22 at aol.com

Subject: SC - Apicius Fried Chicken

 

I dunno about this Vehling guy

 

>From Apicius; Cooking and Dining in Imperial Rome translated by Vehling,

pg. 154, recipe 250

 

CHICKEN AND CREAM SAUCE [1]

PULLUS LEUCOZOMUS [2]

 

TAKE A CHICKEN AND PREPARE IT AS ABOVE.  EMPTY IT THROUGH THE APERATURE OF THE

NECK SO THAT NONE OF THE ENTRAILS REMAIN.  TAKE [a little] WATER [3] AND

PLENTY OF SPANISH OIL, STIR, COOK TOGETHER UNTIL ALL MOISTURE IS EVAPORATED

[4] WHEN THIS IS DONE, TAKE THE CHICKEN OUT, SO THAT THE GREATEST POSSIBLE

AMOUNT OF OIL REMAINS BEHIND [5] SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE [6]

 

[1] The ancient version of Chicken a la Maryland, Wiener Blackhahndl, etc.

 

[2] tor. leocozymus; from the Greek leucozomos, prepared with white sauce.

The formula for the cream sauce is lacking here.  Cf. Rx no. 245

 

[3] The use of water to clarify the oil which is to serve as a deep frying fat

is an ingenious idea, little practised today.  It surely saves the fat or oil,

prevents premature burning or blackening by frequent use, and gives a better

tasting friture.  The above recipe is a fragment, but even this reveals the

extraordinary knowledge of culinary principles of Apicius who reveals himself

to us as a master of well-understood principles of good cookery that are so

often ignored today, Cf. Note 5 to Rx. no. 497

 

[4] the recipe fails to state that the chicken must be breaded, or that the

pieces if chicken be turned in flour, etc., and fried in the oil."

It sure does fail to state that.  So where does he get it?

"[5] another vital rule of deep fat frying not stated, or rather stated in the

language of the kitchen, namely that the chicken must be crisp, dry, that is,

not saturated with oil, which of course every good fry cook knows

[6] With the cream sauce, prepared separately, spread on the platter, with the

fried chicken inside, or the sauce in a separate dish, we have here a very

close resemblance to a very popular modern dish

 

Vehling's notes indicate a Chicken Fricassee.

My redaction of his translation of the recipe is to simply deep fry the

unseasoned chicken in olive oil until done inside, remove, and sprinkle with

pepper.

Still not Southern Fried Chicken, but definitely something modern palates

would find familiar, with perhaps the addition of a bit of salt.

 

Mordonna

 

 

Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1998 15:05:15 EDT

From: Mordonna22 at aol.com

Subject: SC - Apicius's fried chicken

 

>From Apicius; Cooking and Dining in Imperial Rome, Now for the First Time

Rendered into English by Joseph Dommers Vehling, Published by Dover

Publications, New York, 1977

 

[238] CHICKEN SOUR      PULLUM OXYZOMUM

A GOOD-SIZED GLASS OF OIL, A SMALLER GLASS OF BROTH, AND THE SMALLEST MEASURE

OF VINEGAR, 6 SCRUPLES OF PEPPER, PARSLEY AND A BUNCH OF LEEKS

G.-V. [laseris] satis modice

 

Vehling's redaction:

"These directions are very vague.  If the raw chicken is quartered, fried in

the oil, and then braised in the broth with a dash of vinegar, the bunch of

leeks, and parsley, seasoned with pepper and a little salt, we have a dish

gastonomically correct.  The leeks can be served as a garnish, the gravy,

properly reduced and strained over the chicken which like in the previous

formula is served in a casserole"

 

My redaction:

1 1/2 cup (12 fl oz) olive oil

1 cup (8 fl oz) chicken stock

dash of vinegar

1 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 cup (2 fl oz) chopped fresh parsley

1 large bunch leeks

 

Clean and dry the chicken.  In a heavy saucepan heat the oil on high heat

until a drop of water dropped into it sizzles and evaporates instantly.  Drop

the chicken into the oil a few pieces at a time and brown and remove.  Reduce

heat to medium low.  Add the broth, vinegar, pepper, parsley, leeks, and

return the chicken to the pot.  Bring to a slow simmer, cover, and cook until

Leeks are tender and chicken is done.

 

My Reaction:

 

To my modern palate, this definitely could have used a bit of salt.  Otherwise

it was delicious.  Meat was moist and tender, sauce was a tiny bit tart.  Very

rich sauce, though.

 

Mordonna

 

 

Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1998 02:02:08 EDT

From: Gerekr at aol.com

Subject: SC - Apician Teriyaki Chicken 8-); and ostrich sauces

 

While regailing my husband with the saga of the Phantom Apician Fried

Chicken, I finally found the recipe in Flower and Rosenbaum and was

reading it off.  Quoth he, "If liquamen is a soy sauce analog (Cariadoc

and Charles Perry reference), that sounds more like teriyaki chicken".

"No no," quoth I, "teriyaki is sweet as well as salty."  So I puddled on

thru some more and find a sweetener!  He was right!

 

Phlip wanted the latin.  Here is Apicius 250 from the Flower & Rosenbaum

text and their translation.

 

F&B, p.164, #12 (Vehling #250(?))

Pullum Frontonianum: pullum praedura, condies liquamine oelo mixto, cui

mittis fasciculum anethi, porri, satureiae et coriandri viridis, et

coques. ubi coctus furit, levabis eum, in lance defrito perunges, piper

aspargis et inferes.

 

Chicken a la Fronto.  Brown the chicken, put in a mixture of liquamen and

oil to which you add a bouquet of dill, leek, savory, and green

coriander; and braise.  When it is done take it out, place on a

serving-dish, sprinkle generously with defrutum, powder with pepper, and

serve.

 

Notes in the introduction (pp. 22-24) identify liquamen as "garum", but

state that the term "liquamen" is used almost exclusively in the Mss.

They describe the short method of liquamen production which they used

(very general, no quantities).  "Defrutum" is a sweet, reduced wine

preparation... F&B say they make theirs (p. 24-25) from tinned

grape-juice, reduced to 1/3 of its volume.  The effect is "an excellent

flavor and a very pleasant slight sweetness."

 

<snip of ostrich sauces>

 

Chimene & Gerek (who was right!, 8-))

 

 

Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1998 16:15:32 EDT

From: Gerekr at aol.com

Subject: Re:  Re: SC - Apician Teriyaki Chicken 8-); and ostrich sauces

 

>From:  margali at 99main.com (Marilyn Traber)

...

>[she asked for pullus leucozomus, not frontonianum]

>margali

>

>Gerekr at aol.com wrote:

>

>> Phlip wanted the latin.  Here is Apicius 250 from the Flower & Rosenbaum

>> text and their translation.

>>

>> F&B, p.164, #12 (Vehling #250(?))

>> Pullum Frontonianum: pullum praedura, condies liquamine oelo mixto,

>> Have fun,

>> Chimene & Gerek (who was right!, 8-))

 

true, but the fronto is the only thing that even vaguely resembles "fried

chicken".  I'll look again for "leucozomos"

 

Ah.  p. 164 (#154) Pullus leucozomus: accipies pullum et ornas ut supra.

aperies illum a pectore, accipiat aquam et oleum Hispanum abundans.

agitatur ut ex se ambulet et humorem consumat. postea, cum coctus fuerit,

quodcumque porro remanserit inde levas. piper aspargis et inferes.

 

Chicken with white sauce. [does not include white sauce in this recipe!]

Take a chicken and truss as above [as for chicken in liquamen, which I

can't see quickly]. Open it at the breast. Fill  it with water and plenty

of Spanish oil. <While cooking> move it <frequently>, so that it gives

off its juice and absorbs the liquid.  When done take it out of whatever

is left of the liquid, sprinkle with pepper, and serve.

 

That sounds like stewed chicken, even if stewed-from-the-inside, to me...

 

And on the subject of "cornflour", the edition of F&B I have is printed

in England, 1958, marked "not for sale in the US" and has this to say

about "amulum":

     "Most of the sauces in our book are thickened with "amulum." We have

translated this word for the sake of convenience as 'cornflour,' for this

is the starch most frequently used for this purpose to-day.  The "amulum"

was, however, wheat-starch."  and proceed to give a long quote from Pliny

about the manufacture, grades and qualities of WHEAT-starch.

 

Chimene

 

 

Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1998 22:09:18 EDT

From: LrdRas at aol.com

Subject: SC - Garlicy Chicken-An update

 

Here is an update (including spelling corrections) for the garlic chicken

recipe.  Remember that this is a creative effort of a cook in the current

middle ages and is a composite of 2 recipes in Ancient Cookery. I still don't

have me copy back from the person I lent it to so i can't give you the 2

original recipes I combined at this time. :-(

 

Chekynes in Garlik

(A Composite recipe created from 2 recipes in "Ancient Cookery")

copyright 1998 L. J. Spencer, Jr.

 

8 chicken thighs

1/4 cup butter, melted

4 sheets phyllo (filo) pastry, cut in half

1 head garlic

1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

3/4-1 cup chicken broth

1 large pinch ginger, ground

1 large pinch cinnamon, ground

1 pinch cloves, ground

salt, to taste

 

Preheat oven to 400 deg.  F. Wrap garlic minus 1 large clove of garlic in

foil.  Bake 30 mins.

 

Brush a half phyllo sheet with melted butter.  Place chicken at the top of the

sheet and roll up.  Tuck ends underneath.  Place on a greased baking sheet.

Repeat for other chicken pieces.  Bake at 350 deg.  F. until a golden brown.

 

SAUCE::

Soak breadcrumbs in broth.  Squeeze cooked garlic into crumb mixture.  Blend

well.  Mash raw clove of garlic into a paste.  Add to mixture.  Add remaining

ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Heat to boiling.  Reduce heat top low and

simmer until thickened, stirring frequently to avoid sticking.

 

TO SERVE:

Put wrapped chicken on a plater and pour sauce over top. You may sprinkle

with a small amount of cinnamon for garnish. Enjoy! :-)

 

NOTES: Since doing this recipe I have experimented with using pastry dough and

find that although phyllo sheets are wonderful when used for this dish it is

also particularly tasty using pastry dough ESPECIALLY if salted butter made

from soured cream is used for the dough making. Also use day old bread with

the crust removed for the crumbs. Using dried breadcrumbs produces an inferior

product. The amount of broth needed will vary depending on the humidity.

 

A'aql ibn Ras al-Zib (pronounced "Ras")

Guildmaster

The Guilde of Ste. Martha

 

 

Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1998 19:13:28 -0800

From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>

Subject: SC - Question for Ras and another Garlicky Chicken

 

People who like chicken with garlic may also want to try (apologies if I

posted it earlier):

 

Recipe for Thûmiyya, a Garlicky Dish

Andalusian p. A-8

 

Take a plump hen and take out what is inside it, clean that and leave

aside. Then take four ûqiyas of peeled garlic and pound them until they are

like brains, and mix with what comes out of the interior of the chicken.

Fry it in enough oil to cover, until the smell of garlic comes out. Mix

this with the chicken in a clean pot with salt, pepper, cinnamon, lavender,

ginger, cloves, saffron, peeled whole almonds, both pounded and whole, and

a little murri naqî'. Seal the pot with dough, place it in the oven and

leave it until it is done. Then take it out and open the pot, pour its

contents in a clean dish and an aromatic scent will come forth from it and

perfume the area. This chicken was made for the Sayyid Abu al-Hasan and

much appreciated.

 

1 hen   1 t cinnamon    15 threads saffron in 1 T water

5 oz of garlic  2 t lavender    1/2 c whole almonds, 7/8 c crushed

6 T oil 1 t ginger      1/4 c murri (see p. 3-4)

1/2 t salt      1/4 t cloves    ~1 c flour + water = dough to seal

1/2 t pepper

 

Crush garlic. Fry garlic and giblets from chicken in oil on medium heat for

about 15 minutes. Put all ingredients except dough in the pot. Mix flour

and water to make the dough, roll it into a strip, put it on the edge of

the dish and jam the lid onto it to seal the lid on the pot. Bake at 350° 1

hour.

 

Charles Perry, who translated this, notes that four ûqiyas of garlic (1/3

of a pound) works out pretty close to the 40 cloves called for in a famous

Provençal dish. "Leave out the spices and the almonds, and you'd about have

poulet à 40 gousses d'ail."

 

David/Cariadoc

http://www.best.com/~ddfr/

 

 

Date: Sun, 4 Oct 1998 18:43:23 -0600 (MDT)

From: Mary Morman <memorman at oldcolo.com>

Subject: SC - pomegranate chicken

 

The original is from the translation in The Medieval kitchen by Odile

Redon.  the redaction is my own loosely based on both the recipe and the

redaction in the book.

 

Romania

To make romania, fry chickens with pork fat and onions, crush unskinned

almonds, and moisten with the juice of sour pomegranates and sweet

pommegranates.  Then strain and boil with the chickens, stirring with a

spoon.  Add spices.

Liber de coquina

 

Comments:  This is found in an early Italian manuscript and is probably

based on an arabic sourse.  The word for pomegranate in arabic being

"rumman".

 

For a table of eight:

        one chicken cut up (or a variety of 8-10 chicken pieces)

        1 cup of almonds

        2 pomegranates, 1 lemon

        1 small onion

        lard or olive oil

        salt, pepper, cloves (ground), nutmeg (whole)

 

- - Grind the almonds

- - Juice the pomegranates and lemon together, reserving a few dozen

pomegranate seeds for garnish.

- - Make an "almond milk" from the almonds and the juice.  Strain through

cheesecloth and set aside.

- - Cut the onions

- - Brown the chicken and onions in the oil or lard

- - Put the chicken in a casserole or baking pan, add spices,  and pour the

sauce over it.

- - Cover and cook in a slow oven (300 degrees) until chicken is tender.

- - Serve garnished with pomegranate seeds.

 

 

Date: Sat, 7 Nov 1998 10:16:19 EST

From: Seton1355 at aol.com

Subject: SC - REC: A Turkie Boyled - 1615

 

I must be in a Pilgrim mood today!

(singing...We gather together, to ask the Lord's blessing......  sorry!)

Phillipa

 

A Turkie, Boyled

 

51 An excellent way to boile chickens

 

If you will boile chickens, young turkeys, peahens, or any house fowl

daintily, you shall, after you have trimmed them, drawn them, trussed them,

and washed them, fill their bellies as full of parsley as they can hold; then

boil them with salt and water only till they be enough: then take a dish and

put into it verjuice, and butter, and salt, and when the butter is melted,

take the parsley out of the chickens' bellies, and mince it very small, and

put it to the verjuice and butter, and stir it well together; then lay in

the chickens, and trim the dish sippets, and so serve it forth.

 

Gervase Markham. The English Housewife (1615 and later editions).

Michael Best, ed. (Montreal, 1986), p.79

 

[Again in 1621, butter was probably not available. KC]

 

 

Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 12:09:47 -0500

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

Subject: SC - Documentation

 

We tried the recipie below tonight to see how it would work for Friday

night fare at our event this weekend.  It came out really nice, and I

didn't get much when I got home after Chorusters tonight! I have a

question, though, what is the line "tempere +in powajes with wyne;"

referring to?  Is powajes = pottage? as in the broth and meat?

 

Bruette Saake

 

Two Fifteenth Century Cook Books p. 27

 

Take Capoun, skalde hem, draw hem, smyte hem to gobettys, Waysshe hem, do

hem in a potte; +enne caste owt +e

potte, waysshe hem a-gen on +e potte, and caste +er-to half wyne half

Bro+e; take Percely, Isope, Waysshe hem,

and hew hem smal, and putte on +e potte +er +e Fleysshe is; caste +er-to

Clowys, quybibes, Maces, Datys y-tallyd,

hol Safroune; do it ouer +e fyre; take Canelle, Gyngere, tempere +in

powajes with wyne; caste in-to +e potte Salt

+er-to, hele it, and whan it is y-now, serue it forth.

 

about 3 lbs frying chicken

2 c wine

2 c broth

4 T fresh parsley

1 1/2 T fresh hyssop

1/8 t cloves

1/4 t cubebs measured whole then ground

1/2 t mace

1/4 c = 3 oz dates

15 threads saffron

1/2 t cinnamon

1/2 t ginger

2 t more wine

1/2 t salt

 

Cut chicken into separate joints, add broth and wine and set to boil.

Chop herbs and grind cubebs in a mortar; add herbs,

dates, cloves, cubebs, and mace and cook about 35 minutes uncovered. Mix

cinnamon and ginger with remaining wine, add

them and salt to chicken, cover and let simmer another 30 minutes. Should

be served with bread (or rice, although that is less

appropriate for 15th-century England) to sop up the sauce.

 

 

Date: Wed, 24 Feb 1999 03:31:26 -0500

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

Subject: Re: SC - Documentation

 

Christine A Seelye-King wrote:

> I have a

> question, though, what is the line "tempere +in powajes with wyne;"

> referring to?  Is powajes = pottage? as in the broth and meat?

 

You got me.

 

Since Austin apparently saw nothing confusing about the term (and

probably since we're all spoiled by Connie Hieatt's work), we're left

with a huge question mark, unless perhaps we can look in a

fifteenth-century English dictionary. The context would seem to indicate

either the pottage in general is to be thinned down a bit with wine, or

the last two named ingredients, the cinnamon and the ginger (I think)

are to be what Scully usually calls "distempered" (basically infused) in

wine. I think the end result would be more or less the same.

 

Adamantius

 

 

Date: Thu, 25 Feb 1999 17:19:47 -0800

From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>

Subject: Re: SC - Documentation

 

Christine A Seelye-King asked, concerning bruet saake:

>> I have a

>> question, though, what is the line "tempere +in powajes with wyne;"

>> referring to?  Is powajes = pottage? as in the broth and meat?

 

and Adamantius answered:

 

>You got me.

>

>Since Austin apparently saw nothing confusing about the term (and

>probably since we're all spoiled by Connie Hieatt's work), we're left

>with a huge question mark, unless perhaps we can look in a

>fifteenth-century English dictionary...

 

But Austin was confused; at least, you look it up in the glossary and get:

 

"? meaning. A. reads "powares." " (A. presumably being another manuscript.)

 

My guess at it when we did this recipe (our version is in the Miscellany)

was that the word was a scribal error for powders and therefore meant the

cinnamon and ginger mentioned just before the phrase in question.

 

Elizabeth/Betty Cook

 

 

Date: Sun, 14 Mar 1999 08:54:00 EST

From: Seton1355 at aol.com

Subject: SC - my medieval dinner party - long

 

Last night I had some mundane friends over and served them a medieval feast.

They really enjoyed it and were interested in the background of the recipes.

The evening went off well so I thought I'd post the recipes I used.

Phillipa

 

<snip of ***Winter Squash or Pumpkin Soup*** recipe>

 

***Chicken Ambrogino With Dried Fruit***

The Medieval Kitchen

Redon, Sabban, Serventi

University of Chicago Press

1998

 

If you want to make Chicken Ambrogino, take the chicken, cut them up, then put

them to fry with fresh pork fat and a bit of onion, cut crosswise.  When this

is half cooked, take some almond milk, mix it with broth and a little wine and

add it to the chickens.  First skim off the fat if there is too much.  Add

cinnamon cut up with a knife and a few cloves.  When it is dished up, add some

prunes, whole dates,  a few chopped nutmegs and a little crumb of grilled

bread well pounded and mixed with wine and vinegar.

This dish should be sweet and sour.

The name of this dish appears on a menu of a feast given at Siena on Tuesday,

December 23, 1326

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

 

1 chicken - 3 1'2 - 4 lbs    1 C almond milk     a 1" piece of cinnamon

fresh pork fatback           4 C chicken broth   3 cloves

2 medium large onions      3/4 C dry white wine  8 prunes

10 dates

2 slices whole wheat bread

3 Tbsp wine vinegar

1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg

salt

 

Toast or grill the bread; remove crusts.

Cut the chicken into serving pieces and slice the onions.

Cut the fat into tiny pieces.

Over medium heat, render the fat in a large skillet.*1 Then add the chicken

and onions      and cook until lightly browned.

Mix the almond milk with the broth and half of the wine.

When the chicken is lightly browned, season it with salt to taste and add the

almond  milk mixture, the cinnamon, the cloves and simmer for about 30

minutes.

Pit the prunes and dates.

Break up the bread and mix it with the vinegar and the remaining wine.

When the chicken is nearly done add the prunes, dates, bread mixture  and

nutmeg to       a small saucepan and cook over low heat ensuring that the prunes

and dates       remain whole.

When the sauce has thickened, salt to taste and remove the pan from heat

 

To Serve:  Arrange the chicken on a serving platter topped with the almond

milk sauce in which it is cooked and surrounded by the prunes and dates from

the second sauce.  Pour the second sauce over the first.

 

*1 - I would skip the pork fat and spray the skillet with vegetable spray and

a very little        water to cook the chicken in.

NOTES: I liked "frying" in 2 Tbsp oil and 1/2 C water.  I think the chicken

came out lighter than if I had fried it.  Also, I did not put one sauce on top

of another because it would have overflowed the serving dish.  I put the sauce

in a seperate bowl and let people help themselves.

 

<snip od ***Green Poree for Days of Abstainence*** recipe>

 

<snip of ***Mashed turnips and parsnips*** recipe>

 

<snip of ***Gingerbread*** recipe>

 

Anyway, this was  my menu...oh yes, I also made fried potatoes, no recipe.

Everyone liked everything, includeing my picky son!

 

Phillipa

 

 

Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 00:41:19 -0230

From: Mark Simms <msimms at roadrunner.nf.net>

Subject: Re: SC - Introducing myself to the list

 

Phillppa,

 

> Got a couple questions- what are-

> 6. Chicken Ambrogino

 

This one is taken from the Medieval Kitchen as well (page 83, recipe

30), which is essentially chicken parts lightly browned with pork fat

and simmered in a mixture of almond milk, wine, and spices until done.

A second sauce is then poured over the chicken and served.

 

Donal

- --

Mark Simms                           Engineering Student, Class of 2002

Memorial University of Newfoundlan   Vice President, 6th St. John's

 

 

Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1999 08:06:55 -0700

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

Subject: Re: SC - request for info

 

hi all from Anne-Marie

Rhiannon asks:

>A short while ago I posted asking if the recipe for pomegranate chicken I

>had found on this list was a redaction or an original recipe.  I know how

>things can get lost in the shuffle of a busy list, so I'll ask once again if

>anyone knows, and if it is a redaction, what the original source is.  I am

>trying to separate the info I save from this list into interesting but OOP,

>and period, documentable stuff.

 

There are two versions of pomegranite chicken I know of. One is from a middle

eastern source, the other is Italian (Libro della cocina. Translation and a

modern version in Barbara Santiches _Original Mediterranean Cuisine_). The

version I've reconstructed (which I believe is the one you have?) is the middle

eastern. The only place I really cheated is by mixing a sauce of the

ingredients instead of doing them in the specified order. No particular reason

other than to meld the flavors better, and it doesnÕt actually say WHEN you're

supposed to add the pomegranite juice. Since I could find the pomegranite

molasses instead of pomegranite jucie, I omitted the additional sugar (the

molasses being plenty sweet) and added a bit of water (since the molasses was

so darn thick). The italian version has you combine the sauce ingredients,

except the spice which you add towards the end.

 

enjoy! all rights reserved, no publication without permission, etc etc etc.

 

Oh, and we've found lately that we've needed to add about twice the sugar. I

wonder if the molasses has changed?

 

- --AM

 

Pomegranite Chicken:

Another Tabahajiyya (A37) Cut the meat up small and fry with oil and salt, and

when it is brown, cook it until done with vinegar. Pound a handful of almonds

or walnuts and throw them on and boil a while. Take pomegranate juice and

dissolve in it a lump of sugar to get rid of its tartness, and sprinkle with

cinnamon.

 

Our Version:

6 chicken breasts, hacked to gobbets

1-2 T olive oil to sautee

1/2 tsp salt to sprinkle on breasts

1/2 cup water

1 tsp cinnamon

2 T sugar

1/2 cup pomegranite molasses or syrup

1/2 cup white wine or cider vinegar

6 T pounded almonds

 

Chunk and salt the chicken, brown in oil 'til almost done. Meanwhile, make a

sauce of the water, sugar and pomegranite syrup. Boil to blend. When the

chicken is almost totally cooked, dump in the vinegar. Then add the sauce,

along with the almonds. Simmer till the sauce is thick, about five minutes

on a hard boil. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve on cous cous.

Serves 6.

 

 

Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1999 21:07:46 EDT

From: Seton1355 at aol.com

Subject: SC - questions: TO BOIL PHEASANTS, PARTRIDGES, CAPONS AND CURLEWS

 

(The Forme of Cury   1378)

TO BOIL PHEASANTS, PARTRIDGES, CAPONS AND CURLEWS

 

Take good broth and do thereto Fowle and do thereto whole peper and flower of

canel a gude quantity and let them seeth therewith and mix it forth and then

cast thereon sweet aromatic  powder.

 

MY REDACTION

(OK, left to my own devices, I tend not to measure anything....)

Put a chicken in a large stock pot and cover well with water.

Add coursely ground peper.

Stir some canel flour into the water.

Bring to a boil and then simmer for about an hour or so.

Take out the bird  (It should fall apart) and sprinkle on a bit of ground

ginger, a bit of cinamon.

 

QUESTIONS:

What is canel flour?

What is a curlew?

 

IS, Phillipa

 

 

Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1999 23:25:31 EDT

From: LrdRas at aol.com

Subject: Re: SC - questions: TO BOIL PHEASANTS, PARTRIDGES, CAPONS AND CURLEWS

 

Seton1355 at aol.com writes:

 

<< What is canel flour?>>

 

Ground cinnamon

 

<<What is a curlew? >>

 

A shorebird.

 

Ras

 

 

Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1999 23:08:41 -0700

From: "David Dendy" <ddendy at silk.net>

Subject: Re: SC - questions: TO BOIL PHEASANTS, PARTRIDGES, CAPONS AND  CURLEWS

 

> Seton1355 at aol.com writes:

> << What is canel flour?>>

>

> Ground cinnamon

 

The original phrase quoted, as I recall, was "flower of canel".  I agree

that canel is cinnamon.  However, though "flower" might be a homonym

for "flour", it could also mean "flower" in the sense of the finest or best;

ex., "the flower of chivalry".  Of course, if the latter meaning is intended,

that still does not preclude it from being the finest *ground* cinnamon.

 

Lady Brighid ni Chiarain

Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)

 

Actually, it is neither. "Flower of canel" is cassia buds -- the 'flower'

bud of the cassia/cinnamon tree (similar in appearance to cloves). The idea

that for some reason canel/cassia/cinnamon ground up was referred to as

"flour/flower", when all other spices ground up were powders, is something

perpetrated by early translators of cookery books, who were not very

familiar with spices, and didn't know that cassia buds were a popular spice

in period Europe.

 

Francesco Sirene

 

P.S. If you want to try cassia buds, we can supply them.

David Dendy / ddendy at silk.net

partner in Francesco Sirene, Spicer / sirene at silk.net

Visit our Website at http://www.silk.net/sirene/

 

 

Date: Tue, 31 Aug 1999 07:57:29 -0700

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

Subject: Re: SC - flour of cinnamon

 

Hey all from Anne-marie...

 

Ras sez:

>The origin of the word flower and flour is identical so I fail to see how

>pieces is more logical than ground especially when such an interpretation

>confuses the recipe rather than clarifying it. Consider that one of the

>definitions of flower itself is 'a finely divided powder. With all the

>evidence in hand, I would still go with finely ground cinnamon (e.g., flowers

>of cinnamon) unless more substantial evidence is forthcoming.

 

interestingly, Taillevent calls for "fleur de cassia". James Prescotts

translation interprets this as cassia buds, which are available from

Francesco as well as from WorldSpice. Thorvald/James told me that he tried

the recipe with the dried buds and it was yummy, albeit less cinnamon-y

than if you used the flour of cassia, ie ground cinnamon.

 

I personally think its very rude of those Mssr Taillevent to use that

particular term and not tell us what he meant. Hmph.

 

- --AM, who got the cookbooks unpacked first after her move this weekend :)

 

 

Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 09:11:08 -0600

From: "Karen O" <kareno at lewistown.net>

Subject: SC - Re: SC from Traveling Dysshes

 

Viaunde of Cypres Ryalle

 

    4 cups cooked chicken; parts, chunks, whatever,

    1 cup white wine

    1/4 cup sugar

    1/2 cup honey

    1/2 tsp each ground cloves, mace, ginger (I use fresh ginger & whole cloves)

    1/4 cup ground almonds

    1/2 cup currants

 

    Boil the wine and sugar together 10 minutes or until it thickens and

clings to the spoon.  Add honey, spices and almonds, currants, simmer for

another 5 minutes.

 

    Pour the hot syrup over the chicken, chill well, serve cold. serves 6 -

8 people

 

**there are times I forgo the almonds coz I havent any, and it is just as

good.

 

Traveling Dysshes<  is a great pamphlet fort the beginner cook/medievalist.

According to the back page, copies are available by writing the author:

Pat McGregor,  3507 Santos Circle,  Cameron Park, CA 95682-8247

 

    Or Green Duck,  a very popular (book) merchant in the West Kingdom, is

available on the web, and may keep her book in stock. price is (was) approx

$10.00

 

    Enjoy

    Caointiarn

 

 

Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2000 09:42:23 EST

From: WOLFMOMSCA at aol.com

Subject: Re: SC - advice needed - possibly OOP

 

troy at asan.com writes:

<< You know you're getting old in this game when "To The Queen's Taste" is

a rare antiquity among our cooks. >>

 

Yeah, well, if the shoe fits.....  ;-)

 

To boyle a Capon with Orenges after Mistres Duffelds Way, from the Good

Huswives Handmaid

 

Take a Capon and boyle it with Veale, or with a marie bone, or what your

fancy is.  Then take a good quantitie of that broth, and put it in an earthen

pot by it selfe, and put thereto a good handfull of Currans, and as manie

Prunes, and a fewe whole maces, and some Marie, and put to this broth a good

quantitie of white Wine or of  Clarret, and so let them seeth softlye

together: Then take your Orenges, and with a knife scrape of all the

filthinesse of the outside of them.  Then cut them in the middest, and wring

out the juyce of three or foure of them, put the juyce into your broth with

the rest of youre stuffe.  Then slice your Orenges thinne, and have uppon the

fire readie a skillet of faire seething water, and put your sliced Orenges

into the water and when that water is bitter, have more readie, and so change

them still as long as you can find the great bitternesse in the water, which

will be five or seven times, or more.  If you find need: then take them from

the water, and let that run cleane from them: then put close orenges into

your potte with your broth, and so let them stew together until your Capon be

readie.  Then make your sops with this broth, and cast on a little Sinamon,

Ginger, and Sugar, and upon this lay your Capon, and some of your Orenges

upon it, and some of your Marie, and towarde the end of the boyling of your

broth, put in a little Vergious, if you think best.

 

Wolfmother

 

 

Date: Fri, 07 Jan 2000 00:15:49 EST

From: Korrin S DaArdain <korrin.daardain at juno.com>

Subject: Re: SC - advice needed - possibly OOP

 

On Wed, 05 Jan 2000 22:06:26 -0500 Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>

writes:

>Does anybody have the Capon In Orange Sauce After Mistress Duffeld's

>Way (I think that's it) on disk? I know I've posted this to the cooks'

>list at least once before, and I'm still suffering from Books In Boxes

>Syndrome. As I recall the dish is for a capon or chicken braised in

>orange juice and white wine with dried fruit and spices, which,

>incidentally, includes cinnamon and raisins, respectively.

>  

>Adamantius

 

This is about the closest I have in my collection. I would like a copy of

the one you are looking for when you find it.

 

Korrin S. DaArdain

Kingdom of An Tir in the Society for Creative Anachronism.

Korrin.DaArdain at Juno.com

Quondo Omni Flunkus Mortati

(When All Else Fails, Play Dead.)

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

        To Boil a Capon with Orange and Lemmons

        From ìThe Good Huswifeís Handmaide for the Kitchenî, 1594

        From The Queens Rapier Champion Tourney: Spring Feast Recipes:

May 8, 1999

        Posted by Nancy Santella (annaoftderturm at pathway.net)

        Take Orenges or Lemmons pilled, and cutte them the long way, and

If you can keepe your cloves whole and put them into your best Broth of

mutton or Capon with prunes and currants and three or Fowre dates, and

when these have beene well sodden put whole pepper, Great mace,a good

peece of suger, and some rosewater and either white Or claret wine, and

let all these seeth together a while, and so serve It upon soppes with

your capon.

        2-1/2 lbs. Chicken Thighs

        1 Tbs. Olive Oil

        1 Tbs. Butter

        2 cups Chicken Broth

        1 tsp. Rosewater

        1 cup White Wine

        4 Oranges peeled + cut

        4 Prunes

        4 Dates

        1/2 cup Currants

        1/4 tsp. Salt

        1/2 tsp. whole Peppers

        1/2 tsp. whole Cloves

        1/2 tsp. Mace

        In a large dutch oven, heat the Oil andButter until hot. Season

Chicken with Salt and Pepper and place in pan. Brown well on all sides.

Soak Prunes, Dates and Currants in 1/2 cup of broth, then coursely chop.

Add 1-1/2 cups of the Chicken Broth, Rosewater and Wine and simmer for 20

minutes. Add the Fruit, Salt, and Mace. Place Peppercorms and Cloves in a

cheese cloth bag and add to stock. Continue to simmer For another 15

minutes or until the Chicken is tender. Remove the cheese cloth bag.

Serve in large bowls with strips of fried bread.

 

 

Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2000 17:02:24 -0700

From: "Karen O" <kareno at lewistown.net>

Subject: Re:  SC - chicken recipe

 

>I "lost" the recipe that I was given on this list.  referred to it as period

>Chicken McNuggets

>Begga Elisabeth

 

    From * 2 15th Century Cookery Books*  the recipe is called: Viaunde of

Cypres Ryalle

this particular redaction is from *Traveling Dysshes* by Siobhan Medhbh

O'Roarke

 

Cooked chicken: parts/peices

1 cup white wine

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup honey

1/2 tsp each: cloves, mace & ginger

1/4 cup ground almonds

1/2 cup currants

 

    Boil the wine and sugar together for 10 minutes or until it thickens and

clings to a spoon.  Add honey spices & currants and cook for another 5

minutes.

    Arrange the chicken in your serving dish, Pour the hot syrup over the

chicken.

Chill well, serve cold.

 

NOTE:  I use whole cloves, and fresh grated ginger, and tend to use a

heavier hand with the spices (maybe 1 tsp each)

 

Caointiarn  

 

 

Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2000 15:26:00 -0700

From: "Karen O" <kareno at lewistown.net>

Subject: Re: SC - chicken recipe

 

    Adamantius pointed out a couple errors:

 

- --Viaunde of Cypres Ryalle

>> 1/4 cup ground almonds

>>Add honey spices, ********** & currants and cook for another 5 minutes.<

 

       > So how do the almonds figure in?<

 

    The almonds are added with the spices & currants. I missed this, as it

isn't written in the redaction, and I tend to leave them out.

 

>What I'm familiar with under this name is slices of a sort of

ground-capon-meat pudding, thickened with egg yolks, rice flour, or

something along those lines, served under a

reduced wine sauce. Of course there are several variants and this may be

either one I just haven't seen, or a loose adaptation of one that I have

seen.<

 

    I tried to look up the original in the photocopy version of the *2 15th

Cent Books my Roomie owns,  but alas and alack, her copy is  *missing* this

page.   (aaaarrrgghhh)

Siobhan's redaction calls for  "4 cups cooked chopped chicken,"  I just like

to use chunks or small pieces (legs, "drumettes") Looking at the origianl

recipe in the pamphlet, it does seem to be more of a pudding-ish mess. . . .

 

    Tak the braun of capounes or of hennes ysothe or rosted & bray it in a

morter small as myed bred, & take good almound melk lyed with amondyn or

with floure of rys & colour it with safroun and boyle it wel. & charge it

with rosted braun, and sesn with honey and salt, and florsche it with maces

and quibybes.

 

      Caointiarn

 

 

Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 14:27:59 -0500

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

Subject: SC - Sallat of Cold Capon Rosted

 

This looks like it to me.  It sure sounds good.  Hey, it's the least I

can do!

Christianna

 

Sir Kenelme Digbe - The Closet Opened

Sallat of Cold Capon Rosted pg 206

"It is a good Sallet, to slice a cold Capon thin; mingle with it some

Sibbolds, Lettice, Rocket, and Tarragon sliced small. Season all with

Pepper, Salt, Vinegar and Oyl, and sliced Limon.  A little Origanum doth

well with it."

 

 

Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 06:55:21 -0500

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

Subject: Re: SC - Sallat of Cold Capon Rosted

 

Stefan li Rous wrote:

> What are "Sibbolds"?

 

An green-oniony unit, chives or scallions, I forget which.

 

> What is "Origanum"?

 

Oregano

 

> I think I will have to try

> this one sometime, if I can get the ingredients.

 

It's an excellent recipe. I vaguely recall having eaten it made with

arugula, radicchio and Belgian endives, which in combination were pretty

bitter, but they offset the sweet capon meat and the vinegar rather well.

 

Adamantius

 

 

Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2000 15:54:20 -0500

From: Lurking Girl <tori at panix.com>

Subject: Re: SC - Period French Toast Recipies

 

Bonne of Traquair wrote:

> Someone snagged the copy of Digby from UNC library, which is frustrating

> because I know there is a chicken breast on salad greens recipe in there.

> I've put a call out for it to be returned.

 

For bizarre reasons, I have my copy here at work:

 

SALLET OF COLD CAPON ROSTED

 

It is a good Sallet, to slice a cold Capon thin; mingle with it some

Sibbolds, Lettice, Rocket and Tarragon sliced small. Season all with

Pepper, Salt, Vinegar and Oyl, and sliced Limon.  A little Origanum

doth well with it.

 

The glossary says that Sibbolds are Welsh onions, and doesn't give an

entry for Rocket.

 

Vika

 

 

Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 20:43:23 -0800

From: "James F. Johnson" <seumas at mind.net>

Subject: Re: SC - serving whole chickens at feast

 

"Laura C. Minnick" wrote:

> What we did at Investiture was made the whole pieces (whole chicken, big

> joint of meat, etc.) for the high table, and I cajoled, er, sweet-talked

> one of our knights into serving as carver. The rest of the hall got the

> other portions, pre-cut, etc.

 

One small suggestion on _cooking_ the whole bird is to cook about 25% of

the total cooking time each on alternate sides, then finish breast up.

The darker meat on the sides takes a little longer to cook, and this

helps make sure this meat is fully cooked without overcooking and drying

out the faster cooking breast. So, if the total cooking time is one

hour, fifteen minutes on the left side, then fifteen minutes on the

right side, then the last thirty minutes breast up (on it's back).

 

Seumas

 

 

Date: Tue, 07 Mar 2000 09:28:38 -0800

From: Ron and Laurene Wells <tinyzoo at aracnet.com>

Subject: SC - Chicken in Milk & Honey CURRY

 

>>Take good cowmilk and do it in a pot. Take psel., sage, Hissop,

>>savory, and other good herbs. Hew them and do them in the milk and

>>seethe them. Take capons half y-roasted and smite them on pieces and

>>do thereto pine and honey clarified. Salt it and color it with saffron

>>and serve it forth.

 

I kinda-sorta redacted this recipe last night.  I didn't look at it close

enough when I first started out though, because it turned out that I did

NOT have more than half the spices it called for.  And even so, it still is

not the same as the Chicken in Milk and Honey we had at the Revel.  I'll

have to keep trying.  This DID however turn out to be a very good dish!

Even my kids ate it!

 

Since you guys post the cooked versions of your recipes, I will post what I

cooked last night.  I know you will find MANY differences between this and

the original recipe.  Perhaps enough differences that you will say it is no

longer the same thing, I do not know.  ANYWAY, this is what I did

 

2 lbs. (more or less) boneless chicken breast, cut into 1" pieces

olive oil

1 t. rubbed Sage

1/2 t. Cardamom

1/2 t. thyme

1 t. fenugreek

petals of 1 Calendula flower

7 juniper berries

1 qt. of milk (more or less)

1/2 c. honey

1 t. salt

 

Fry the Chicken pieces in olive oil until mostly cooked. Add enough milk

to completely cover the chicken (a little more would have been better so

there is enough sauce for the rice).  Add sage, cardamom, thyme and

fenugreek.  Bring to a boil, and let it cook until the herbs blend with the

milk.  About 15 minutes.  Add the calendula petals (a distant substitute

for saffron, marigolds are a closer substitute. I did not have the real

thing.) salt, honey and juniper berries.  Cook an additional 10 minutes or

so, until you feel the juniper berries have offered their seasoning, and

the petals have colored the dish.   Serve over rice.

 

This turned out to be a VERY MILD curry, sweet and flavorful without the

heat. I liked it.  Everyone like it.  But it still wasn't anything near

what we had at the SCA Revel last month.  I will keep trying.

 

- -Laurene

 

 

Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2000 11:15:52 -0600

From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>

Subject: Re: SC - Chicken in Milk & Honey CURRY

 

At 9:28 AM -0800 3/7/00, Ron and Laurene Wells wrote:

>  >>Take good cowmilk and do it in a pot. Take psel., sage, Hissop,

>  >>savory, and other good herbs. Hew them and do them in the milk and

>  >>seethe them. Take capons half y-roasted and smite them on pieces and

>  >>do thereto pine and honey clarified. Salt it and color it with saffron

>  >>and serve it forth.

>

>I kinda-sorta redacted this recipe last night.  I didn't look at it close

>enough when I first started out though, because it turned out that I did

>NOT have more than half the spices it called for.

 

...

 

>2 lbs. (more or less) boneless chicken breast, cut into 1" pieces

>olive oil

>1 t. rubbed Sage

>1/2 t. Cardamom

>1/2 t. thyme

>1 t. fenugreek

>petals of 1 Calendula flower

>7 juniper berries

>1 qt. of milk (more or less)

>1/2 c. honey

>1 t. salt

>

>Fry the Chicken pieces in olive oil until mostly cooked.  Add enough milk

>to completely cover the chicken (a little more would have been better so

>there is enough sauce for the rice).  Add sage, cardamom, thyme and

>fenugreek.  Bring to a boil, and let it cook until the herbs blend with the

>milk.  About 15 minutes.  Add the calendula petals (a distant substitute

>for saffron, marigolds are a closer substitute. I did not have the real

>thing.) salt, honey and juniper berries.  Cook an additional 10 minutes or

>so, until you feel the juniper berries have offered their seasoning, and

>the petals have colored the dish.   Serve over rice.

>

>This turned out to be a VERY MILD curry, sweet and flavorful without the

>heat. I liked it.  Everyone like it.  But it still wasn't anything near

>what we had at the SCA Revel last month.  I will keep trying.

 

Quite aside from missing herbs, what you have done is not all that

close to what the recipe says to do, so it wouldn't be surprising if

it came out rather different from the original.

 

1. The recipe says to start with half roasted capons; you fried them

in olive oil instead.

 

2. The original first boils the herb in the milk, then (apparently)

adds the pieces of chicken, pine nuts (my guess for "pine"), and

honey. I presume it then cooks the chicken some more, since it says

it has been only half cooked, but the recipe isn't clear on that.

 

You cover the fried chicken with milk, and only then add the herbs.

 

3. No fenugreek in the original.

 

4. No juniper berries in the original. Was that your guess for pine?

 

Leaving out things you don't have is fine, but adding strongly

flavored spices to a recipe that doesn't have any--just herbs--is

going to change it significantly.

 

David/Cariadoc

http://www.best.com/~ddfr/

 

 

Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2000 13:51:23 +1100

From: "HICKS, MELISSA" <HICKS_M at casa.gov.au>

Subject: RE: SC - Chicken in Milk & Honey FOR LAURENE

 

Laurene,

 

> I kinda-sorta redacted this recipe last night.  I didn't look at it close

> enough when I first started out though, because it turned out that I did

> NOT have more than half the spices it called for. And even so, it still

> is

> not the same as the Chicken in Milk and Honey we had at the Revel.  I'll

> have to keep trying.  This DID however turn out to be a very good dish!

> Even my kids ate it!

Do you have a copy of "To the Kings Taste" by Lorna Sass?  It contains a

redaction of Douce Ame that some cooks (who aren't comfortable with

redacting their own recipes) use.  I used it until I got up enough courage

(hmm - maybe I should have changed that word, oh well) to redact it myself.

 

It is as follows: Please note, I am not saying this is a good redaction,

only that as it is in a published source, it is a redaction that may have

been used if your cook wasn't confident (much better word) at redacting.

 

        Meliora.

 

Douce ame (Capon in milk and honey)

Douce Ame. Take gode cowe mylke and do it in a pot. Take parsel, sawge,

ysope, savray and other gode herbes. Hewe hem and do hem in the mylke and

seeth hem. Take capons hald yrosted and smyte hem on pecys and do thereto

pynes and hony clarified. Salt it and color it with saffron and serve it

forth. Forme of Cury

 

3-4 lb capon (or chicken) cut into pieces

1/2 cup flour mixed with a little salt and pepper

3 Tbsp oil

3 cups milk

1/3 cup honey

3 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

2 leaves fresh sage (minced) or º teas dried

1 tsp hyssop

1/2 tsp savory

1/4 - 1/2 tsp saffron

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/3 cup pine nuts

 

Dredge fowl in flour mixture, then brown the pieces in oil until golden.

Combine milk, honey, herbs, salt and pepper in a bowl. Pour the liquid over

the browned fowl in the saucepan and stir to combine the drippings with the

sauce. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until fowl is tender. Stir in pine

nuts just before serving.

 

 

Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 08:40:34 -0600

From: Magdalena <magdlena at earthlink.net>

Subject: Re: SC - RE: SC Verjus

 

RANDALL DIAMOND wrote:

> Ms. Riley also lists a recipe for "Chicken with Verjuice "Amorosa"' by

> Platina from the household of Poggio Bracciolini of Mantua.  Green plum

> verjuice is also called for in her redaction.  Is this documentable

> from the original text?  My Latin and Italian is lousy.

 

Platina

6.16  Chicken in Verjuice

 

    Cook chicken with salt meat.  When it is half-cooked, put in the boiling pot

a mash of verjuice grapes with the stones removed from the middle.  Cut parsley

and mint fine, and grind pepper and saffron to powder. Put all this in the pot

where the pullet has been cooked, and fill the platter immediately.

Appropriately, B. Poggius frequently eats this dish even when I am invited.

There is nothing more healthful, for it is quite nourishing, is easily digested,

agrees with the stomach, heart, liver, and kidneys, and represses bile.

 

- -Magdalena

 

 

Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 11:24:36 EST

From: LrdRas at aol.com

Subject: Re: SC - RE: SC Verjus

 

magdlena at earthlink.net writes:

<< Platina

6.16  Chicken in Verjuice

Cook chicken with salt meat.  When it is half-cooked, put in the boiling

pot a mash of verjuice grapes with the stones removed from the middle.  >>

 

The title of this recipe seems to be a misnomer. Although it says Chicken in

Verjuice, the recipe clearly indicates that verjuice grapes are seeded,

mashed and added to the chicken. This would result in a very different dish

(albeit it tasty) than the addition of verjuice.

 

Ras

 

 

Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 12:13:56 -0500

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

Subject: Re: SC - RE: SC Verjus

 

LrdRas at aol.com wrote:

> magdlena at earthlink.net writes:

> << Platina

>  6.16  Chicken in Verjuice

>

>      Cook chicken with salt meat.  When it is half-cooked, put in the boiling

> pot a mash of verjuice grapes with the stones removed from the middle.  >>

>

> The title of this recipe seems to be a misnomer. Although it says Chicken in

> Verjuice, the recipe clearly indicates that verjuice grapes are seeded,

> mashed and added to the chicken. This would result in a very different dish

> (albeit it tasty) than the addition of verjuice.

 

Perhaps it is a translation error. The title in Latin is something like

"pullam in acrestum", and while acrestum does generally refer to

verjuice, and even still does today (agresto), it doesn't specifically

refer to "green juice" as the English or French ver jus does. Basically

it refers to a sour _stuff_, which, technically, this is. Just not in

the way me might have assumed. I might have called the dish, in English,

"chicken in a sour sauce", something like that.

 

Adamantius

 

 

Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2000 13:16:19 -0600

From: "Decker, Terry D." <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>

Subject: SC - Serving Temperature of Food

 

The thread on Boston Market got me thinking about re-heated chicken.  Many

of the feasts I have attended had prepared dishes re-heated and served, yet

on what evidence is the food served hot?  Chicken today is commonly served

hot or cold.  Why would people in peiod only serve it hot?

 

A quick run through Platina, yields this from Book IV.21;

 

"Besides, as in winter we more safely eat warm food, in summer, cold; as in

summer, kid and chicken, acid and cold; in winter, squab, warm and dry; in

autumn, quail and figpeckers; in spring, little birds taken from the nest

after they have put forth feathers; in winter, thrushes and blackbirds."

 

Considering this in the light of humoral theory, a cook might want to serve

"cold" foods hot to help off-set the humors.  By the same logic, "hot" or

"warm" foods might be served cold.  

 

Some dishes, like frumenty, are best hot.  Others are best cold.

 

What evidence, if any, is there for the serving temperature of foods which

need to be cooked, but can be eaten either hot or cold?

 

Bear

 

 

Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 09:29:06 EDT

From: Seton1355 at aol.com

Subject: SC - here are your recipes- Lombardy Chicken

 

I *knew* organizing my recipes would come in handy!

BRUET OF LUMBARDY

Boiled Chicken in Almond Milk Pepper Sauce

 

Take hennys, chikens, konyngs, or other flesch, sodyn; do hit in a potte.  Do

therto mylke of almondys.  Do therin pepyr, and alay hit with bredde, & do

therin yolkes of eyron sodyn hard, growndyn & drawyn up with percellye; & do

therto a lytyll grece or claryfyd boture or the fat of pork, & sesyn hit up

with poudyr, salt, & venyger, & make hit rede as blod.

MS Beinecke 163

 

(The almond milk may be made with the broth the chicken was boiled in.  I

found it more convenient to make the sauce separately and add the chicken to

it, rather than make the sauce around the chicken, as the original recipe

implies.  I also added a quarter tsp. of cubeb to the spice powder mix.  Not

having any period red food coloring on hand, and disliking the idea of

loading this dish down with FD&C reds 40 and 3, I chose to serve this dish

uncolored.)

 

1 Three- to four-pound chicken, cut into serving pieces

1 ? C unstrained almond milk

1/2 C white bread crumbs

3 hard boiled egg yolks

1 T parsley, minced

1 T butter

1 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp ea. powdered ginger, cinnamon, mace

Salt to taste

Red food coloring, optional

 

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, over medium heat, put chicken and about two

cups of water, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for about

half an hour or until chicken is cooked through.  Remove the chicken and pour

off stock, reserving for later use.  The almond milk may be made from this

stock.

 

2. In a bowl, mash egg yolks and parsley together into a paste.

 

3. Combine almond milk and spices in the pot, and, over medium heat, bring to

a boil and reduce heat, and simmer, stirring constantly, for five minutes.  

Stir in remaining ingredients, and continue to simmer, stirring constantly,

for another five minutes.

 

4. Add boiled chicken to the pot, and stir it into the sauce completely

covering the pieces.  Cover, and simmer for a further two or three minutes,

stirring carefully, making sure the sauce does not burn on the bottom of the

pot.  

 

Serves six to eight.

 

LOMBARD CHICKEN PASTIES  (MEDIEVAL COOKBOOK  P47)

<snip of recipe. See chck-n-pastry-msg -Stefan>

 

 

Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2000 23:04:52 EDT

From: Elysant at aol.com

Subject: SC - SC: Fried Chicken

 

For those wishing to find a period Fried Chicken dish, here's the recipe and

Ras's redaction of a Fried Chicken dish from Le Manegier de Paris.  The dish

was cooked at last years Weekend of Wisdom event.  It was absolutely

delicious. :-)

 

Elysant

 

 

GEORG… BRUET (Parsley-laced Soup)

This dish was very well received with only one piece of chicken being uneaten

by a vegetarian. I had thought that the liver and blood might be a problem

but no one commented prior to service and there were only good things said

about the dish after service.

(from Le Manegier de Paris. Translation by Janet Hinson)

Redaction copyright 1999 L. J. Spencer, Jr.

Makes 8 servings.

 

ORIGINAL RECIPE: George Soup, Parsley-laced Soup. Take poultry cut into

quarters, veal, or whatever meat you wish cut into pieces, and put to boil

with bacon; and to one side have a pot, with, blood, finely minced onions

which you should cook or fry in it. Have also bread browned on the grill,

then moisten it with stock from your meat and wine, then grind ginger,

cinnamon, long pepper, saffron, clove and grain and the livers, and grind

them up so well that there is no need to sift them: and moisten with

verjuice, wine and vinegar. And when the spices are removed from the mortar,

grind your bread, and mix with what it was moistened with, and put it through

the sieve, and add spices and leafy parsley if you wish, all boiled with the

blood and the onions, and then fry your meat. And this soup should be brown

as blood and thick like 'soringe.'

 

Note that always you must grind the spices first; and with soups, you do not

sift the spices, and afterwards you grind and sieve the bread.

 

Note that this is only called parsley-laced soup when parsley is used, for as

one speaks of 'fringed with saffron,' in the same way one speaks of 'laced

with parsley'; and this is the manner in which cooks talk.

 

8 Chicken quarters

4 slices Bacon, diced

2 Chicken livers

2 Onions, finely minced

1 T Cooking fat (e.g. lard)

1/2 cp. Blood

1 slice Bread, toasted dark

1/2 cp. Chicken stock

1/4 cp. Red Wine

1/4 tsp. Long pepper, ground

1/2 tsp. True cinnamon, ground

1/8 tsp. Cloves, ground

1 pinch Saffron, ground

1/4 tsp. Grains of Paradise, ground

1 T Verjuice

1 T Red wine

1 T Wine Vinegar

1/4 cp. Italian parsley (leaves only)

1/4 tsp. Black pepper, ground

1/4 cp. Lard

 

In a large pot, cover chicken and bacon with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce

heat to medium. Cook until chicken is tender but not falling apart or until

flesh turns white. Remove chicken from stock. Continue boiling the stock

until it is reduced by half.

 

In another pot, saute onions in fat until transparent and tender. Whisk in

blood. Continue cooking on low.

 

Mash liver and put through a sieve.

 

Mash parsley.

 

Moisten bread in 1/2 cp. of stock and 1/4 cp. red wine.

Moisten long pepper, cinnamon, cloves, saffron, grains of paradise and black

pepper in 1 T red wine, verjuice and vinegar.

 

Mash bread mixture and force through a strainer.

 

Mix liver into onion mixture. Mix blood into liver mixture, stirring

continuously. Add parsley.  Mix in bread mixture and spice mixture. Simmer,

stirring continuously for 5 min.

 

Brown chicken in lard.

 

Serve chicken with sauce poured over top.

 

Ras

 

 

Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2000 09:56:30 -0400

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

Subject: Re: SC - Fried chicken?

 

Stefan li Rous wrote:

> There was a recipe for "fried" chicken in Apicius that we discussed

> here for quite a while. There are several others in other manuscripts.

> It may depend on your definition of "Fried Chicken". Do you consider

> just frying it in oil to count? Or do you want a recipe that rolls

> the chicken pieces in flour or breadcrumbs first and then fries it

> in the oil?

 

Pullum Frontonianum, a.k.a. Chicken A La Fronto, seems to be braised "au

brun" (nothing like a little needless French jargon early in the

morning, right, Stefan???). Yes, it's browned in oil, but then the

cooking is finished in a mixture of liquamen and oil, presumably over

low heat. In other words, more of a brown stew.

 

I'm pretty sure all of the later fried chicken recipes (at least the

period ones) that I've seen are for things like fricassees, which may or

may not require frying the chicken first, bu