Mordonna's Kitchen. A series of period cooking articles by Mordonna DuBois. Originally written for Chronus Draconum, the Baronial Newsletter for SunDragon.
NOTE: See also the files: minced-meat-art, Period-Pies-art, To-Mke-A-Tart-art, Docu-Cookery-art, Compleat-Cook-art, Cheese-Making-art, Mordona-arbed-art.
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This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org
I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter.
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Stefan at florilegium.org
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Subject: Re: SC - For Submission to the Chronus
Date: Thu, 16 Sep 1999 01:39:50 EDT
From: Mordonna22 at aol.com
To: stefan at texas.net
From Mordonna's Kitchen
by Mordonna the Cook
From "ANCIENT COOKERY - From A MS. In The Library Of The Royal Society -
Arundel Collection, no. 344 p. 175 - 445" as found in A Collection of Medieval and Renaissance Cookbooks first compiled by Duke Cariadoc of the Bow and The
Duchessa Diana Alena with later additions by several hands. Sixth edition, volume I. Copyright 1991 by David Freidman.
This MS is dated 1740, and claims to be a copy of a MS from an early 15th
century text found in the Library of the Royal Society.
Stewet Beef to Potage.
p. 432-435, no. 306
Take faire ribbes of beeff, or elles take other gode beef, and smyte hit on
peces, and wash hit clene and do hit in a pot, and put therto a lytel watur, and a gode dele wyne and take onyons ynogh, and mynce hom, and do therto, and gode herbes, cut hem smal and put therto: and take bred stepet in brothe, and draw hit thurgh a streynour, and do hit therto, and coverr hit wel, and let hit wel sethe: and do therto poudre of cloves and maces, and colour wyth saunders: and in the settyngs down do therto a lytel vynegur medelet wyth pouder of canel;, and serve hit forthe, and do therto raisynges of Corance.
My translation:
Take fair ribs of beef, or else take other good beef, and smite it in pieces,
and wash it clean and do it in a pot, and put thereto a little water, and a good deal of wine; and take onions enough, and mince them, and do thereto, and good herbs, cut them small and put thereto; and take bread steeped in broth, and draw it through a strainer, and do it thereto, and cover it well, and let it well seethe; and do thereto powder of cloves and mace, and color it with saunders; and in the setting down do thereto a little vinegar meddled with powder of
cinnamon, and serve it forth, and do thereto raisins of Corinth.
My redaction:
2 lbs. boneless round roast, cut into 1" pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
2 cups sweet red wine
1 large onion, chopped fine, or minced
1/4 cup parsley, chopped fine
4 slices wheat bread
1/4 cup beef broth or bouillon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
1 teaspoon saunders powder (red sandalwood)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup raisins
Wash beef, and place in a large Dutch oven or heavy saucepan. Add salt, water, wine, onions, and parsley. Process bread in food processor until ground fine, add broth. Add to pot with beef. Cover. Let boil 30 to 45 minutes. Add cloves, mace, saunders. Remove from fire and add vinegar and cinnamon. Serve with raisins sprinkled over the top.
Comments:
I added salt, although the original does not mention it, because many early recipes do not mention salt because "everybody knows you add salt." and this savory dish would seem to need a bit of salt. Next time I do it, I'll probably add the raisins to the pot a few minutes before removing from heat.
end
Mordonna the Cook is head cook for House Warrior Haven. She is from late sixteenth century Ireland and can read and write. She has studied all the great chefs of history. She is a widow. She is the alter ego of Anne Francoise DuBosc, an early 14th century French noblewoman who can neither read nor write, and who has never learned to cook.
Pat Griffin is a customer service tech for Conair Corporation, an avid cook,
and has been in the Society for three years and four Estrellas.
Date: Wed, 15 Sep 1999 22:15:52 EDT
From: Mordonna22 at aol.com
Subject: Re: SC - For Submission to the Chronus and baby announcement
sindara at pobox.com writes:
<< Did I miss something? Is this Chronus a cookbook that we are putting
together? >>
No, the Chronus Draconum is the Baronial Newsletter for SunDragon. I am
writing a series of monthly articles on Period food for it. Whenever I post
the article to the Chronus editor, I also send a copy to the Cook's list.
Mordonna
Date: Sun, 10 Oct 1999 05:56:21 EDTFrom: Mordonna22 at aol.comSubject: SC - For submission to the Chronus DraconumFROM MORDONNAŐS KITCHENCAZUELA DE SALMONFrom Libro de Guisados by Ruperto de Nola (Spanish, 1529)Translation by Lady Brighid ni Chiarain of Tethba, Settmour Swamp (RobinCarrol-Mann) as found on the SCA Cooks e-mail list on Sunday October 3, 1999.You must take the clean and well-washed salmon, and put it in a casserolewith your spices which are galingale, and a little pepper and ginger andsaffron, and all of this well ground, and cast upon the fish with salt, and alittle verjuice or orange juice, and let it go to the fire of embers, andthen take blanched almonds and raisins and pine nuts and all herbs. That ismoraduj, which is called marjoram, and parsley, and mint, and when thecasserole is nearly half-cooked, cast all this inside.2 lb. Salmon Steaks1 teaspoon galingale1/2 teaspoon pepper1/2 teaspoon ginger1 pinch saffron1 teaspoon salt1/4 cup apple cider vinegar1/4 cup water1/2 cup slivered, blanched almonds1/2 cup raisins1/4 cup pine nuts2 tsp. each fresh marjoram, parsley, mint finely dicedPlace fish steaks in a large, heavy covered cast iron pan. Mix spices andvinegar and water together and sprinkle over fish. Bring to a simmer,covered, over medium heat and allow to simmer 15 minutes. Turn steaks, addnuts, raisins, and herbs and re-cover and allow to simmer another 15minutes. Add more water if necessary to keep pan from drying out.Notes: As I had no verjuice, or sour orange juice, I used diluted cidervinegar. Next time I will try the juice of Seville oranges. Verjuice is thejuice of sour fruit, such as green (as in not-ripe) grapes or pomegranate andwas a common ingredient in medieval cooking. Sweet oranges did not reach theSpanish peninsula until very late period, so Seville orange juice would bemore suited to the recipe than sweet juices such as Valencia.I cooked this for my parents and grandson. I served it with a green saladwith vinegar and oil dressing, and spring peas in butter and garlic. Myfather swore he doesnŐt like salmon any other way than in fried croquets, butwhen we convinced him to try it, he liked it a lot. He expressed regretthat I had not made more. My fourteen month old grandson demolished his withgusto, but then again, we have not found a food he does not demolish withgusto. My mother took a couple of spoonfuls of the juices and herbs from thedish and used it instead of dressing on her salad and declared it delicious. Note on the SCA-Cooks e-mail list: This list is for anyone interested inmedieval cooking: recipes, techniques, and ingredients. To subscribe, sende-mail to Majordomo at Ansteorra.Org with the words Subscribe SCA-Cooks as the body of the message.Mordonna the Cook is head cook for House Warrior Haven. She is from latesixteenth century Ireland and can read and write. She has studied all thegreat chefs of history. She is a widow. She is the alter ego of AnneFrancoise DuBosc, an early 14th century French noblewoman who can neitherread nor write, and who has never learned to cook. Both are loyal subjectsof the Barony of SunDragon, Kingdom of Atenveldt.Pat Griffin is a customer service tech for Conair Corporation, an avid cook,and has been n the Society for over three years and four Estrellas.All three can be reached at Mordonna22 at AOL.COM
Date: Sat, 13 Nov 1999 03:32:01 EST
From: Mordonna22 at aol.com
Subject: SC - For submission to the Chronus Draconum
From MordonnaŐs Kitchen
Tuffahiya
From al-Baghdadi, "A Baghdad Cookery Book" (1226 A.D./623 A.H.) A.J.
Arberry,translator, Islamic Culture, 1939, As found in Duke Sir Cariadoc's
Collection copyright 1992 by David Friedman
Tuffahiya
al-Baghdadi p. 37/5
Take fat meat and cut into small strips: throw into the saucepan with a
little salt and dry coriander, and boil until almost cooked. Remove and throw
away the scum. Cut up onions small and throw in, with cinnamon-bark, pepper,
mastic and ginger ground fine, and a few sprigs of mint. Take sour apples,
remove the pips, and pound in a stone mortar, squeezing out the juice: put in
on top of the meat. Peel almonds and soak in water, then throw in. Kindle the
fire under it, until the whole is done: then leave over the fire to settle.
If desired, add a chicken, cutting it into quarters, and letting it cook with
the meat. Then remove.
My adaptation;
2 lb. lambŐs tail,
1 frying chicken,
2 c. water,
1 t. salt,
2 large onions,
2 tsp dry coriander,
1 tsp each ground cinnamon, black pepper, and ginger,
1 pinch mastic,
3 or 4 sprigs fresh mint,
8 large "Granny Smith" apples,
1/2 cup almonds.
Put almonds on to soak in an equal amount of water. Core apples, and place
in a blender with a little water and blend until the consistency of
applesauce (this will take several batches) or use a food processor. Place
cheesecloth over a bowl and allow apples to drain while completing the rest
of the dish. Cut lamb into thin strips and quarter the chicken. Dice the
onions, and add the onions and the meats to the water with the spices and
mint, cover, and boil until very tender (about 30 to 45 minutes depending
upon how thinly you have sliced the meat.) Skim off the scum and remove the
chicken quarters to serve separately. Add the apples and the drained almonds
and cook another 5 to 10 minutes uncovered. Serve hot with a salad and fresh bread.
Note on the SCA-Cooks e-mail list: This list is for anyone interested in
medieval cooking: recipes, techniques, and ingredients. To subscribe, send
e-mail to Majordomo at Ansteorra.Org with the words Subscribe SCA-Cooks as the body of the message.
Mordonna the Cook is head cook for House Warrior Haven. She is from late
sixteenth century Ireland and can read and write. She has studied all the
great chefs of history. She is a widow. She is the alter ego of Anne
Francoise DuBosc, an early 14th century French noblewoman who can neither
read nor write, and who has never learned to cook. Both are loyal subjects
of the Barony of SunDragon, Kingdom of Atenveldt.
Pat Griffin is a customer service tech for Conair Corporation, an avid cook,
and has been n the Society for over three years and four Estrellas.
All three can be reached at Mordonna22 at aol.com
Date: Sun, 19 Dec 1999 12:07:22 EST
From: Mordonna22 at aol.com
Subject: SC - Apple Fritters, For submission to the Chronus Draconum
From Mordonna's Kitchen
Here is a wonderfully tasty dish to enliven the usually bland, dull fare
of the upcoming Lenten season.
From Take a Thousand Eggs or More: a colleciton of 15th century recipes :b
y Cindy Renfrew: a translation of medieval recipes from Harleian MS. 279,
Harleian MS 4016, and extracts of Ashmole MS. 1439, Laud MS.553, and Douce
MS. 55 from Two Fifteenth Century Cookery Books edited by Thomas Austin
Harleian MS. 4016
133 Lente ffrutours. Take goode floure, Ale yeest, Saffron, and salt, and
bete al to-gidre as thick as o(th)er maner frutours of fflesh: and (th)en
take appels, and pare hem, and kut hem in maner of ffrutours, and wete hem in
(th)e batur vp and downe, and fry hem in oyle, and cast hem in a dissh, and
cast sugur (th)eron ynowe, and serue hem forth hote.
Lenten Fritters. Take good flour, ale yeast, saffron, and salt, and beat all
together as thick as other manner fritters of flesh : and then take apples,
and pare them, and cut them in manner of fritters, and wet them in the
batter, up and down, and fry them in oil, and cast them in a dish, and cast
sugar thereon enough, and serve them forth hot.
My adaptation:
Apple Fritters for Lent
4 medium size apples 2 cups plain flour
8 ounces ale
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
a pinch of saffron
2 Tbs. boiling water
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup confectioners sugar
Peel and core apples and cut into thin round slices.
Heat ale in a small pan until warm but not hot (body temperature).
Add the yeast to the ale.
Add the saffron to the boiling water.
Add the saffron mix to the ale.
Add the salt to the flour, then stir in the ale mix until it forms a batter
thick enough to cling to the apples.
Allow the batter to rest 20 minutes.
Heat the oil until a drop of batter sizzles and rises to the top when added.
Dip the apple slices into the batter and drop into the oil a few at a time.
Cook until golden brown.
Drain briefly on brown paper
Place sugar in a bag, add cooked fritters a few at a time and shake to coat.
Serve hot..
Notes: I prefer a good multi-purpose apple such as Gala to the imore insipid
eating apples like Red Delicious.
While modern confectioners sugar contains corn starch, it can be substituted
for the very fine sugar often used in dishes like this.
Mordonna The Cook is a late fifteenth century Irish Cook. She can both read
and write and has studied cooking all her life. She is the alter ego of Anne
DuBosc, a fourteenth French Noblewoman who can neither read nor write and
never learned to cook.
Pat Griffin has been cooking in the SCA for four years and (almost) five
Estrellas.
------
Copyright 1999 by Pat Griffin, (Mordonna22 at aol.com). Permission is granted for
republication in SCA-related publications, provided the author is credited and receives a copy.
If any of these articles are reprinted in a publication, I would appreciate a notice in the publication that you found these articles in the Florilegium. I would also appreciate an email to myself, so that I can track which articles are being reprinted. Thanks. -Stefan.
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