M-Camp-Cookng-art - 10/2/01 "More Camp Cooking" by Lady Caointiarn. Some simple one-pot meals. NOTE: See also the files: Camp-Cooking-art, campfood-msg, Redacting-art, pickled-foods-msg, soup-msg, stews-bruets-msg, food-storage-msg, drying-foods-msg. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This article was submitted to me by the author for inclusion in this set of files, called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org Copyright to the contents of this file remains with the author. While the author will likely give permission for this work to be reprinted in SCA type publications, please check with the author first or check for any permissions granted at the end of this file. Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ More Camp Cooking The Kitchen Wench Way (Or every camp kitchen needs a Mom) by Lady Caointiarn The snow is finally melting, and a Kitchen Wench's thoughts turn to campfire cooking. Browsing through cookbooks, selecting tempting recipes, creating cauldrons of hearty fare for the armies . . . . . ah, Bliss!! However, there is a dark side to wars & tourneys -- the campsites without a "Mom". Usually these campsites are squads of young male warriors who think that they are tough enough to sleep on the ground with just a wool cloak, and will easily survive on {GASP!!} hunk o' sausage, chunk o' cheese, and ramen noodles. Moms know that a squad of tired & weary fighters is in need of good nutrition to sleep & fight another day. So here are some good hearty one-pot recipes that any young warrior can cook, without resorting to the {UGH!} ramen noodles. Chykons in bruette. Take [and] seethe chickens, & smite them to gobbets; then take Pepper, Ginger, and bread ground, & mix it up with the same broth, and with Ale; and color it with Saffron, and seethe and serve forth. {Harleian MS 279 lxxxxvij} ** Moms know to buy whole chickens on sale, cut them up, using the backs & wings for stock. That will leave the breast, thighs & legs for supper. So, according to how many people there are to feed around the campfire, plan on two pieces each. Also the resulting "gravy" can be served over egg noodles, broad pasta, rice or barley to help round out the meal. 2 - 2 1/2 lbs pieces of chicken, (breast/legs/thighs) 12 ounces ale 2 cups chicken broth 1 tsp pepper (or to taste) 2 tsp fresh grated ginger saffron 1/2 cup bread crumbs In a large pot, place chickens parts, ale, broth, pepper & ginger, and water to cover chicken. Cover & let simmer for ~40 minutes. Take off cover, and continue to cook while the liquid reduces (another 15 - 20 minutes). Remove the cooked chicken, add the saffron, and allow the broth to reduce by half. Then slowly add the breadcrumbs while whisking the broth well. When thickened, return the chicken pieces to the pot, to warm, then serve. This will serve 6 hungry fighters. Blamang. Take Rice, and pick the clean, & wash the clean in warm water, & seethe them in water, & afterward in Almond Milk, & put thereto Flesh of the Capon afterward into another almond Milk, and tease it somewhat with a pin, and ever as it will stick thereto, stir it well; take Sugar and cast thereto, then make it thick; then take blanched Almonds, and fry them, and set them above, when thou serve in; & if thou will, thou might depart the with a Cawdelle Ferry written before, and then serve forth. {Harleian MS. 279 lxxxij} 2 lbs chicken breast meat, sliced thin 2 cups water 1 Tblsp butter 2 cups raw rice 2 cups almond milk scant 1/4 cup sugar (or to taste) 1/2 cup ground almonds **Moms know that almond milk can be made ahead, the milk & ground almonds frozen. Moreover, the ground almonds, the 2 cups milk & sugar can be frozen in one container for easier packing. Moms also will pre-slice the chicken & freeze it in a Ziploc ™ bag so it needn't be done at the Camp Kitchen. The idea of this dish is to keep it white. In a large pot, bring the water to a boil (**Moms know to add salt to the water). Add rice & butter, cover tightly & let simmer on low for 15 minutes. Add almond milk, chicken slices, ground almonds, and sugar. Stir well, re-cover, and let simmer again until the chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 20 more minutes. Serves 6 hungry fighters. **At this point, Moms would be asking about the vegetables. Carrots peeled, cut up & boiled in water until soft, can then be simply buttered & served, or cooked with Parsnips, mashed, with honey & butter. Parsnips alone are also very good. Cabbage quartered, cored & sliced, mixed with a tart cooking apple or two that has been peeled cored & cut into bite-sized chunks, and a good sized onion peeled & cut small, can be cooked in water, apple cider or apple juice until wilted (10 - 15 minutes depending on amount of veggies) and sprinkled with caraway seeds. This is particular good with grilled sausages. Fresh Spinach, after it has been washed & stems removed, can be quickly cooked in a bit of water & white wine until almost dry, then sprinkled with a couple pinches of sugar, and a dusting of cinnamon. Frozen spinach is okay too, but for camping it may prove messy as it defrosts. It needs to be squeezed until dry to begin cooking it in the wine & water. Beef y-Stywyd. Take fair beef of the ribs of the fore-quarters, and smite in fair pieces, and wash the beef in a fair pot; then take the water that the beef was seethed in, and strain it through a strainer, and seethe the same water and beef in a pot, and let them boil together; then take cinnamon, cloves, mace, grains of paradise, cubebs and onions minced, parsley and sage and cast thereto, and let them boil together; and then take a loaf of bread, and steep it with broth and vinegar, and then draw it through a strainer, and let it be still; and when it is near enough, cast the liquor thereto, but not too much, and then let it boil once, and cast saffron thereto a quantity; then take salt and vinegar, and cast thereto, and look that it be poignant enough, & serve forth. {Harleian MS 279 vj} 2 lbs beef stew optional: 1 envelope onion soup mix 2 large onions, chopped 1 tsp each: crushed cubebs, ground cinnamon, cloves, mace, and grains of paradise 1/4 cup fresh sage leaves, minced 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced 1 cup breadcrumbs 1/4 cup vinegar salt In a large dutch oven or heavy pot with lid, brown meat & onions. Add water to cover, (add optional soup envelope) and spices & herbs. Allow liquid to come to a simmer, and reduce heat. Cover, and let simmer for an hour -- until beef is tender. Just before serving, in a small bowl, mix breadcrumbs and vinegar to a smooth paste. Then add a ladleful of broth stirring to keep the paste smooth. Add this back to the pot, and let the broth thicken. Add salt to taste. Serves 6 hungry fighters. **Moms know that bite-sized pieces of beef stew cook more quickly. They also know that the spices may need adjusting to suit the groups' taste. Again, Moms would notice that the resulting gravy is good over egg noodles, barley, or pasta. Some may take notice at this point that I have not mentioned anything about sweets or snackies. Most young fighters always seem to remember to pack that "alternative" food group plan: fat, salt sugar & chocolate, along with their armor, duct tape & cloak/sleeping bag. For to make Bukkenade. Take good fresh flesh, what manner so that be, & hew it in small morsels, & seethe it with good fresh beef; & cast thereto good minced onions & good spices, & mix it with eggs, & boil & dress it forth. {Diuersa Servicia, #45} A good stew for whatever is the group's favorite meat: be it beef, chicken, pork, rabbit, or venison. Figure about 3 people per pound of meat for a good satisfying dish. Moreover, if the recipe below doesn't suit your tastes, use the family's favorite stew recipe, so long as you stay within the boundaries of the above recipe. ;) 2 lbs meat cut into bite-sized pieces optional: olive oil, 2 cups dry red wine 2 onions, minced 1 bayleaf 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley 2 tsp thyme 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 carrot, peeled & chopped salt & pepper 6 - 8 juniper berries, crushed 2 eggs, well beaten **Moms would think to put the meat, wine, herbs, & veggies in a Ziploc (TM) bag to marinade before freezing during prepping foods to pack for camp. When ready to start cooking, they would drain off the marinade & save while they browned the meat. Moms will remember to pull out the bay leaf before serving, and may ignore the juniper berries. In large dutch oven, brown meat in olive oil. Add everything else, except the beaten egg, adding water if needed to cover meat. Cover, reduce heat, and let simmer until meat is tender (45 - 60 minutes). Just before serving, stir vigorously while slowly pouring in beaten egg. Allow broth to thicken, warm through, and serve. **Moms will know that all of these recipes can also be cooked ahead of time and frozen, to be thawed & reheated at camp. Something that can be done by any young warrior who can boil water for ramen noodles. Read! Redact! Enjoy! BIBLIOGRAPHY Austin, Thomas. Two Fifteenth Century Cookery Books. Early English Text Society, Oxford University Press. 1964 Friedman, David (Cariadoc) A Collection of Medieval and Renaissance Cookbooks (7th edition) Vol II. 1998 Hieatt, Constance & Sharon Butler. Curye On Inglysch. Early English Text Society, Oxford University Press. 1985 Renfrow, Cindy. Take a Thousand Eggs or More. 2nd Edition. 1998 Rombauer, Irma, Rombauer Becker, Marion, & Becker, Ethan. Joy of Cooking. Simon & Schuster, Inc. 1997 ------ Copyright 2001 by Karen O., (kareno at lewistown.net). Permission is granted for republication in SCA-related publications, provided the author is credited and receives a copy. If this article is reprinted in a publication, I would appreciate a notice in the publication that you found this article in the Florilegium. I would also appreciate an email to myself, so that I can track which articles are being reprinted. Thanks. -Stefan. Edited by Mark S. Harris M-Camp-Cookng-art 2 of 5