rabbit-dishes-msg – 12/24/06
Period rabbit and hare recipes. Cooking and serving rabbits and hares.
Coneys.
NOTE: See also these files: rabbits-msg, chicken-msg, sauces-msg, vinegar-msg, fur-msg.
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Date: Sun, 21 Sep 1997 14:28:41 SAST-2
From: "Ian van Tets" <ivantets at botzoo.uct.ac.za>
Subject: SC - Re: rabbir/hare
Good my Lords and Ladies
With respect to rabbit meat, we in Australia have a rampant
population of feral 'English' rabbits (my preferred method of cooking
is stuffed with mushrooms sauteed in butter, then covered with bacon,
then roasted), and the flesh is always white. I had an interesting
time with this at one stage. When we ate my husband's honours
experiment (pigeons) we made a stew and stretched the pigeon meat
with rabbit, thinking to mollify those who were uncertain about
eating pigeons they had known... Um. Pigeon meat is stark black when
cooked and rabbit very very white...
Cairistiona
*****************************************************
Dr. Ian van Tets
Dept. of Zoology
University of Cape Town
Rondebosch 7701 RSA
Date: Tue, 23 Dec 1997 09:55:56 +1100 (EST)
From: Charles McCathieNevile <charlesn at sunrise.srl.rmit.edu.au>
Subject: Re: SC - rabbit recipes
Cold bruet of rabbits (from a photo copy. All I can say is the heading is
'ADAPTED RECIPES', and p 182/183 has this, Dyvers desyre and Viaund and
Mawmene ryall. So I don't know what the original looked like. And the
intro to this refers to MS L ???)
Anyway, the redaction I have used a few times, and enjoyed:
1/2 rabbits, cut up.
2 cups broth
cook rabbit in salted broth, drain and bone.
1/2 cup almond
1 cup water
make up almond milk simmer then strain to thicken (a lot)
1/2 cup seedless raisins or pitted dates
1/2 cup sweet wine
mix together
tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sweet wine
mix
tsp mixed spice
1/4tsp cardamon, ginger
1/3 cup wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
mix
simmer all together, til thick, serve hot or cold.
Oh. That's a bit different from what I remember. But no matter. the
original apparently says this is also good for chicken...
charles ragnar
Date: Tue, 23 Dec 1997 09:48:46 -0800
From: "Crystal A. Isaac" <crystal at pdr-is.com>
Subject: Re: SC - rabbit recipes
Charles McCathieNevile wrote:
> Cold bruet of rabbits (from a photo copy. All I can say is the heading is
> 'ADAPTED RECIPES', and p 182/183 has this, Dyvers desyre and Viaund and
> Mawmene ryall. So I don't know what the original looked like. And the
> intro to this refers to MS L ???)
The bunny recipe you quoted is from _An Ordindance of Pottage: An
Edition of the Fifteenth Century Culinary Recipes in Yale University's
MS Beinecke 163_ by that Saint of the Society, Constance B. Hieatt. It's
a really good book and copies are occasionally avalible through Posion
Pen Press.
The original on page 71 (number 96)
Cold bruet of rabets.
Grynd reysons or datys; draw hem up with osey. Put therto creme of
almond & poudyr of canel, a grete dele, drawyn with swete wyn; poudyr
lumbard, poudur of greynez, & poudyr of gynger & a lytyll of venyger &
whyte sygure. Set hit on the fyre; when hit ys at boylyng, take hit of &
put hit in a boll. Have rabets boyled, & that in good broth, & salt;
take hem up. Unlace hem by the bake for the bonnys on both sydys; ley
hem in sewe. Serve hem forth; ley hem in dyschys & poure on the sew
therto. Serve hit forth, & yf thu wylt, thu may chop hem in pecys. & yf
thu have chikenys, reys the whynges & the thyes of hem, kepe hem; & chop
the body. & when hit ys in the sewe, serve hit forthe in the same manner
as Sewe ryall.
Crystal of the Westermark
Date: Tue, 23 Dec 1997 10:45:55 -0500
From: margali <margali at 99main.com>
Subject: Re: SC - hassenpfeffer
Tyrca wrote:
> <<
> What's a hassenpfeffer?
>
> Stefan li Rous >>
>
> Even better, it is a sort of rabbit stew with lots of pepper in it.
> It is really delicious. and no, I don't have the recipe.
>
> Tyrca
iirc, my german nanny made if for us now and then, you pickle the bunny
parts in vinegar and spices for several days, remove and reserve the
pickle, dredge bunny bits in flour, brown well, and simmer for a while
in strained pickle [juice].
margali
Date: Tue, 23 Dec 1997 10:47:55 EST
From: Varju <Varju at aol.com>
Subject: Re: SC - hassenpfeffer
<< What's a hassenpfeffer?
Literally "rabbit pepper". My father still raves about it, despite the fact
that his family almost had to survive on it and potato soup after WWII.
Noemi
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 1998 00:26:47 -0500
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: SC - Re Hares in Papdele
> From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>
> This looks like an interesting one to try, but I don't know if I can find
> hare. Have you ever tried hare? If so, does it taste like rabbit; or what
> would you recommend substituting for it? I ask because I notice that in
> the period cookbook, there are separate and different recipes for hare and
> cony (rabbit).
>
> Elizabeth/Betty
I've eaten hare a couple of times, but never cooked it myself. Bearing
in mind the proviso that most of the "game" animals I have easy access
to are in fact farm animals (including venison, rabbits, etc.), the
extreme likelihood is that for a purpose like this hares and coneys are
pretty much interchangable. Now I'm sure there would be noticable
differences between wild samples of the two critters, since their habits
in the wild aren't the same. Another aspect to be considered is
presentation: hares are larger, and a roast loin of hare looks like
something. Maybe not too much, but it has considerably greater impact
than the same portion of a rabbit cooked similarly. As I say, in this
dish, with the meat picked off the bones, it's probably pretty much the
same.
With regard to the flavor, the closest comparison I can draw is to pork
tenderloin. Fairly white in color (some people claim it is more like
veal, but it has a finer, closer texture more like pork or chicken) and
with a rich, sweetish flavor. Doesn't taste a bit like veal, to me. And,
like pork tenderloin, it has a tendency to dry out if you're not
careful, in that it mostly lacks both substantial connective tissue and
fat, both of which contribute to the element of moisture.
I'll be using rabbits when I do this dish in May for EK Crown Tourney,
and simply call it Coneys in Papdele.
Adamantius
Date: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 15:07:36 +0200
From: Jessica Tiffin <melesine at ilink.nis.za>
Subject: Re: SC - A Barley recipe
Charles Ragnar wrote:
>There is one in British Museum Cookbook - Amyndoun Seaw which I
>frequently make as a barley dish:
>Barley, milk, saffron, parsnips, carrots, spices, fruit, stew it all up.
>(More or less)
I have another barley recipe which I found on the web - it claims to be from
the British Museum Cookbook and to be 7th century English, and entails
cooking up chicken pieces with leeks and barley and herbs. It's actually
one of my favourite medieval dishes - has that slightly vinegary flavour.
Wonderful. But I don't have the original British Museum Cookbook, and would
love to know the original source of the recipe - anyone? Sounds
substantially pre any of the standard sources - the BM presumably has secret
stashes of ancient manuscripts.
Hare, Rabbit, Veal or Chicken Stew with Herbs & Barley
Serves 6
In 7th century England, herbs were one of the few flavourings available to
cooks and were used heavily...
* 50g (2oz) butter
* 1 -1.5kg (2-3 lb) (depending on the amount of bone) of hare or rabbit
* joints, stewing veal or chicken joints
* 450g (1lb) washed and trimmed leeks, thickly sliced
* 4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
* 175 g (6 oz) pot barley
* 900 mL (30 fl oz, 3 3/4 cups) water
* 3 generous tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
* 2 bay leaves, salt, pepper
* 15 fresh, roughly chopped sage leaves, or 1 tablespoon dried sage
Melt the butter in a heavy pan and fry the meat with the leeks and garlic
till the vegetables are slightly softened and the meat lightly browned. Add
the barley, water, vinegar, bay leaves and seasoning. bring the pot to the
boil, cover it and simmer gently for 1 - 1 1/2 hours or till the meat is
really tender and ready to fall from the bone. Add the sage and continue to
cook for several minutes. Adjust the seasoning to taste and serve in
bowls-- the barley will serve as a vegetable.
I'd include the URL for the original site, but I can't remember where it
was. Definitely not the Miscellany, but perhaps one of those links on the
Ren Food page.
Now I'm drooling slightly. Oh, well.
Melisant
Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 19:11:15 EDT
From: LrdRas at aol.com
Subject: SC - Will's- Recipe 1
Here is a recipe from Ancient Cookery (Arundel) which I used for cooking the
rabbits.. The copy that I worked from was taken from Duke Cariadoc's
"Collection of Medieval and Renaissance Cookbooks), vol. 1
ORIGINAL RECIPE
Conynges in Turbature
(Ancient Cookery)
Take conynges and parboyle hom, and roste hom tyl thai ben negh ynogh, and
then take hom up and choppe hom in a pot; and do therto almonde mylk made with
gode brothe of beef; and do thereto clowes and ginger mynced, and pynes, and
raisynges of Corance, and sugur or honey; and let hit boyle; and colour hit
with saunders or saffron; and in the settynge downe do therto a lytel vynegar,
and powder of canelle medelet togedur, and serve hit forthe.
My translation:
Take coneys and parboil them. And roast them until (almost done). And then
take them up and chop them in a pot. And do thereto almond milk made with good
"beef broth". And do thereto cloves and minced ginger, and "pine nuts", and
Raisons of Corinth, and sugar or honey. And let it boil. And color it with
sandlewood or saffron. And in the setting down do thereto a little vinegar,
and "powdered cinnamon" mixed together, and serve it forth.
Coneys in Turbature
(copyright 1998 by L. J. Spencer, Jr.)
1 Rabbit, cleaned
2 cps Almond milk
1/4 tsp Cloves, ground
1 tsp Fresh gingerroot, peeled and minced finely
1 tblsp Pine nuts
2 tblsp Zante raisons (trade name- dried currants)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp Powdered red sandlewood (or 1 large pinch saffron, crumbled)
2 tblsps Cidar vinegar, to taste (red wine vinegar may be substituted)
1/2 tsp Cinnamon, ground
Sunmerse rabbit in boiling water fro 5 mins. Put the rabbit in a baking dish
or casserole and roast uncovered for 25-30 mins. at 350 degrees F. or until
golden brown. Remove from oven.
Cut into 4 pieces. Put pieces in a pan. Add almond milk, cloves, ginger, pine
nuts , raisons, sugar, and sandlewood. If needed, add water to barely cover or
more almond milk. Cook until tneder.
Mix vinegar and cinnamon together. Remove rabbits to a platter. Mix
vinegar/cinnamon mixture in sauce. Pour suace over rabbit and serve. Makes 4
servings.
Ras
Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 21:54:10 EDT
From: LrdRas at aol.com
Subject: SC - Will's- thoughts 1
Take your rabbit and slay it took on a whole new meaning last Thursday as
Phlip pulled in my drive way with 27 living rabbits. Several hours later the
deed was done and the animals were skinned, cleaned and stored in my frig for
use the next day.
The actual slaughter went cleanly and was more humane than any I 've seen at
the slaughter house. This is not a recommendation for you to slaughter and
butcher your own animals. The skills involved are not something that your
average person possesses. The act of killing was very traumatic. OTH, at the
price ($3.00 a head) it was the most practical way of doing things. My
experience on the farm came into play for the most part and Goddess was with
me for the rest.
Human casualties were 2 wounded. Phlip recieved 6 stitches to a cut on her arm
and I refused treatment for the one at the base of my thumb. The skins were
salted and rolled for later use.
The rabbits were one of the most popular dishes in the feast with no leftovers
being returned to the kitchen.
Ras
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1998 23:15:27 EDT
From: LrdRas at aol.com
Subject: SC - Fetal Rabbbit Experiment
Rather than let a perfect opportunity pass me by, I decided this evening to
find out if fetal rabbits are edible.I removed one of the embryonic pouches
from the "string" of pouches leaving 3 intact.
(Amazingly, the entire structure of the string of embryos when held out in
front of you with two hands reminds you of a necklace with jewels hanging
down.)
For the actual cooking process I chose to "parboil" it. I based this decision
on the personal observation that most of the period recipies, with which I am
familiar, call for the parboiling of offal when some form of precooking is
indicated. Other possibilities would have been cutting up raw embryo into
small pieces or forcing it through a sieve. Neither of the last two seemed to
be viable alternatives to parboiling. One of the best reasons that I can think
of is appearance. This dish, if it existed, would have been very expensive.
For every serving of cooked rabbit embryos , a total of at least 5 rabbits
would have been sacrificed-the doe and the 4 potential rabbits she was
carrying.. If I were doing that, I certainly would want something more than
mush on a plate for all my efforts. :-)
So I thawed out the embryonic pouch that I had cut from the frozen string. I
brought two inches of water in a small saucepan to a boil then reduced the
heat to a slow simmer. At this point , I put the pouch into the water. I
allowed it to simmer for 20 mins.
I removed the pouch from the water with a slotted spoon and allowed it to cool
to room temperature. I sliced it in half. Apparently this embryo was not as
advanced as it could have been because I noticed no "white bits". :-) The
appearance was sort of crumbly textured, not surprisingly somewhat similar to
clotted blood although the color was noticably different. The flavor was
similar to liver. There were of course little nuances that make it impossible
to describe it's flavor as anything other than cooked embryo but to simplify
things, I think liver is a good compromise. :-)
My impression was that it was immenently edible. but then again, I do like
organ meats of all types, so I may be naturally drawn to those types of
flavors. If I were to serve them, I would most likely choose any of the sauces
recommended for testicles.
At the very least we now know they are edible. Unfortunately this experiment
didn't prove they were eaten in the Middle Ages. However, I now know that if
the recipe is ever found or if they are ever served to me I won't hesitate to
eat them. :-)
Yours in Service to the Dream,
al-Sayyid A'aql ibn Ras al-Zib, AoA, OSyc
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 23:24:31 -0400
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Bunny recipes? (long)
Mike and Pat Luco wrote:
> Anyone have a really 'knock down dead' recipe for rabbit? as long as I don't > have to put it on a spit and roast outside its ok. We had fresh bunny in
> Firenza and I was thinking about it today, but have no idea what to do with
> the furry beasts? My supermarket usually has bunnies in the meat section
> so... Also is osso bucco especially period?
Osso Bucco is something I haven't run across a period recipe for, but
that doesn't mean there isn't one. There are numerous recipes calling
for either the meat or the marrow from a knuckle of veal, or even both,
but as I say, no actual osso bucco that I'm aware of. Maybe someone else
has had more luck, although I think this question was asked once before
on the list, and got no results.
As for Rabbit, here's a rabbit recipe we used at the event we often
discuss in terms sometimes heated but never boring (well, maybe
sometimes!) the East Kingdom's Spring Crown Tourney, held back in May:
Connynges in Papdele
³26 Hares in papdele. Take hares; perboile hem in gode broth. Cole the
broth and
wasshe the fleysshe; cast a3ain togydre. Take obleys o*er wafrouns in
defaute of loseyns, and cowche in dysshes. Take powdour douce and lay
on; salt the broth and lay onoward & messe forth.²
Curye on Inglysch, Book IV, ³The Forme of Cury², c. 1390 C.E.
What they did:
Note that the recipe calls for hares. Hares are simmered in stock
(probably chicken, capon, or white beef stock) until the meat can be
easily removed from the bones. The stock is strained off the hares,
which are cleaned of all bone, gristle, and extraneous proteins like
albumen scum, which may or may not actually involve rinsing the meat, as
washing would suggest to the modern mind. The chunks of meat are added
back to the broth, and the stew is layered between sheets of cooked
pasta or wafers. The difference between obleys and wafers seems to have
been pretty minor: both are a thin pastry cooked between irons like a
thin waffle, and after they¹ve sat in hare broth for a few minutes the
difference becomes even less important. Our hare lasagna is topped with
a mixture of powdered sweet spices like cinnamon and cloves.
What we¹ll do differently:
&