Changes

I don't often post things solely of a personal nature unless they relate to my hobby in some way, and this is only tangential although it affects it a lot.

As those close to me know I have been looking for work, training, anything to move myself forward. Well, it is happening an opportunity for job training that will leave me with a job and a certificate. I knew this would require sacrifices to be made, I am just sad that it is my entire spring, summer, and most of fall, but in the end. I will be in a much better place. So if you were counting on seeing me this year, sadly it will not likely happen, but this should mean good things for 2025!!! Raise a drink for me, send me a picture, have a great time and I will see you when I reach the other side.

Yis, 

Maggie

A new role: Management

Greetings good gentles, do not fret I will continue to randomly put food on this blog but I have embarked on a new journey. This past weekend was Drachenwald's 12th night Coronation filled with all the things expected and a few surprises! One of those surprises was I did not plan nor execute a single meal. Instead I gathered a team of volunteers who took up various roles. Bryndis and Hedwig took on feeding the hungry arriving masses with a sumptuous traveler's fare. Soup and bread, butter, cheese and salami, Renee' and Kyne graciously did breakfast! A tough job for 2 non early birds but they pulled it off well and were not too scared away. Lars and Barbara took on Lunch with a gorgeous chicken stew (that just keeps getting better as it sits!) and delights for the vegetarians as well. Feast was a masterpiece of passion created by Nehmet Arpad and assisted faithfully by Kytte. So many tasty things in 2 courses and topped off with a lovely sideboard of dessert choices. 

My role helped by Oriane who held the purse strings, was to keep the work flowing, be a 'fixer' or a 'finder' and to do the shopping. I helped to plate the first course along with Giano before my left hip gave out and Celemon stepped in. They chopped, counted, plated and made the transfer from Kitchen to Feast hall. 

Estrid headed up a crew of many to bring not just food buy joy and mirth to the feast hall. 

Many hand made light work and I did not catch the name of every helper so I will blanket THANK YOU TO ALL!

My event was relaxed and busy but very very good.

More from the KU Menu Stuffed Chicken and Cherry sauce

These recipes are less recipe and more guidelines. No amounts really needed, Play it by taste and sight.

 Stuffing for capon NC P.189 rec 81

Get marjoram and parsley and grind them up; get one or two breasts of capons and grind them with the other; get a little Parmesan cheese, two egg yolks, cinnamon, pepper, saffron and ginger, with a little lardo or cured ham, and grind everything together; stuff the capon and set it to boil or to roast; Make its glazing with egg yolks and rosewater.

Chicken                                                                1 whole

Chicken breast (or 1 breast with 2 thighs)                        

4 egg yolks (2 stuffing / 2 for glaze)        

Parmesan cheese                                                 2+ ounces

Marjoram                                                               Bunch fresh or a few Tablespoons dry

Parsley                                                                  Same as Marjoram

Cinnamon                                                             Sprinkle over the meat and mix in

Pepper                                                                  Same

Saffron                                                                  I would soak some in a tiny bit of hot water

Lard (or ham or butter)                                          2 - 4 Tablespoons

Add a bit of salt too

Salt and pepper the inside of your chicken, rub with butter or oil as well. Grind up the breast and thigh together add the spices. To test the taste have a hot pan nearby and fry it up. When it is to taste stuff the whole chicken. I roast my chickens at 180°c covered with foil and take the foil off for the last half hour. Baste with the egg yolk and rosewater (or use plain water).

Sour cherry sauce NC P. 193 rec 109

Follow the directions for the Black grape sauce but, since the sour cherries are tart, add in all the sugar and cinnamon your master may wish

* Get good black grapes, crush them carefully into a vessel with crustless loaf of bread, and add in a little verjuice so that the grapes will not be so sweet; boil this, but first strain it; when you have boiled it, add cinnamon, ginger and other sorts of spices. Note that this strained sauce should boil half an hour so that it is somewhat thick.

Take a liter of sour cherry juice and reduce it by 1/3 - 1/2

After reducing spice the juice

Thicken what is left by sprinkling in bread crumbs a bit at a time, stir well

A recipe from the KU menu Squash Torte

Apparently I made some pretty OK food for Kingdom University a few weeks ago. I will try to put up some of the recipes of the dishes that people spoke about, a lot!

I primarily used the Neapolitan Collection with a few recipes from Libre du Cuccina . The first selection came out with the 3rd course and was modified in only that I was unable to put the pasta layer on the top. 

Grating the squash is important for texture reasons. It really is different than using mashed. I think I will at some point try it with the veal (I can't eat pork) but using butter was perfectly fine.

Another note, I used cream instead of milk and the 'new cheese'. I found this worked well to give me the creaminess.

 Squash torte Neapolitan Collection p. 196 rec 128

Get a good squash, scrape and grate it, and bring it to a boil in fat broth or milk; get a pound of new and old cheese; Get a pound of pork- I mean, pork belly- or veal, boil it until it is well done, then beat it with a knife; if you like, instead of belly you can use good butter or lard, along with half a pound of sugar, ginger and cinnamon, with a beaker of milk and 8 eggs; when the squash is cooked in broth, take it out and strain it; make the mixture yellow with saffron and put it in a pan with moderate fire above and below; when it looks half done, put small lasagne on top; when it is well done, put sugar and rosewater on top.

½ kg butternut

2 oz cheese  I used a combo of emmentaler and parmesan

1 oz cream

1 oz sugar

2 oz butter (soft)

5 g fresh ginger (grated)

½ tsp cinnamon

1 egg

⅓ recipe pasta dough (100g flour + 1 egg)

Grate the butternut squash and boil for about 5 minutes in a good broth (meat or veg)

Drain the squash well, no need to squeeze 

Mix all the ingredients together

Pour into a form

Bake 180  20 min (no convection, just over under heat)

Lay pasta on

Bake for 10  min more

This recipe made a small pie in a 6inch pie form

Notes:

Tasty! Can bump ginger, cream was a good idea. Double to 2 ½ times for a single ‘pie’. if you want to create a meat broth from bouillon I recommend using a 1/2 chicken 1/2 beef and making it slightly strong. If you use commercial broth extra salt is not needed though a pinch would be OK. if you use home made and it is not salted add some salt to the mixture.

The newest project: Feast at in person KU

November 10-12 2023 finds Drachenwald's Kingdom University being held in the lands of Knights Crossing. We have a lovely site that will hopefully give us everything we need. 

The staff is a fabulous blend from every region of the kingdom! I do mean ALL the regions too. With a diverse crew from the central lands and the help of those most distant this will be a most excellent event.

I will have the task of being in charge of food. Friday night will be handled by Bryndis, Breakfast By Mari Jean (she will help production line lunch as well) and the rest of lunch and Feast will fall to me. I have enlisted the help of Eira from the far reaches of our north (Hamburg) To help me and be my second. 

I have chosen a few recipes from a Translation of Libro di cucina/ Libro per cuoco (14th/15th c.)  (Anonimo Veneziano)

Translated 2003 to January 2005 CE by Helewyse de Birkestad, OL  (MKA Louise Smithson) from the transcription of  Ludovico Frati (ed.): Libro di cucina del secolo XIV. Livorno 1899 prepared and made available online by Thomas Gloning.

Last updated March 28th 2005.

You may use/ distribute this version for non-profit use only (scholarly, private use) provided that this header is included.  Contact me by email at helewyse@yahoo.com ( https://www.medievalcookery.com/helewyse/libro.html )

With the bulk of the recipes coming from The Neapolitan Collection.

More to follow, with recipes

Sitting on my hands

 I am passionate about my hobby, not just cooking. I love to see and be at events no matter what side of the crew I am on. Running it, participation or a combo of both. 

I suppose the reason I am putting all this here is to remind myself of what I was/ am feeling and why. A record for me to look at to help me analyze how to improve my relationship with my hobby.

I volunteered to run Spring crown this past year out of that passion, the drive to see things get done. No, not a 'I must do it or it won't get done' but a 'someone has to do it, I can do it, me doing it will relieve the pressure off of others that have been doing it a long time and those that may not be ready to take on such a big project.' 

12th night coronation needs to be done. I have only a pair of things on my plate, I could do it, but I won't. I am still trying to figure out some things from post SCT (Spring Crown Tournament). I do not have the confidence I had going into that event and that will take time to rebuild. I have been frustrated lately with many aspects of the organizational side of my hobby and it has 'crisped my edges' I guess. 

So, as to keep from getting further burned out, I need to let go, I need to accept that I can not fix everything, that path only leads to ruin. I do hope that someone out there steps up, someone in a better place to be able to manage the event. Someone with a thicker skin than I have/had. And I hope that person does it from a genuine desire to run the event and not an 'I'll do it cause no one else will.'

The siren's call, or why it seems certain people work a lot!

 Look, we're volunteers for a hobby we love. We do what we like, and sometimes some things we don't like. I mean, who REALLY likes to clean the bathrooms? 

Anyway, Someone mentioned something to me,' Why does it seems some people are always doing the work? ' even possibly to excessive amounts. It is a phenomenon I call 'The Siren's Call'. 

This call is the friend that you see dozens of posts from looking to fill slots in a schedule, It is your friend who is the event organizer who needs extra hands for something, it is your friend that needs help, and not answering the call feels like you are betraying that friendship. It isn't, our friends definitely understand that we can't do everything all the time. Somehow though, knowing this doesn't help.