Recipe 6: may eggs

Ouveture de Cuisine, 1604 Master Lancelot de Casteau Montios, France, Translation based on tanscription by Thomas Gloning.

PDF downloaded from medievalcookery.com

Original: page Nr 32

To make may eggs

Take eggs & put them to boil that they will be soft: then make an hole in the egg at both sides with a point or skewer of wood, that the hole is for putting a pea therein: then blow the yolks out, & chop parsley very finely, & mix it with the egg yolks, a little salt & pepper therein, & put again an egg yolk or two, or more, & refill the eggs with the point of a knife thereon, that it will be layered thereon with a little white bread, that it does not run at all: then have a cauldron of boiling water, & cast the eggs therein, & letcthem boil hard, afterwards take them out & peel, & cut them in half, & put thereon melted butter and juice of sorrel.

May eggs

12 eggs

2 Tablespoons fresh parsley

Salt and pepper

Sorrel ( or spinach with a bit of lemon juice)

Butter

Place 10 eggs in boiling water for 3 minutes!

Remove eggs and cool as fast as possible!

Make a hole in both ends of the egg. Use a skewer or a straw to go all the way from on to the other

Drain the runny yolks into a bowl

Add parsley and the yolks from the other 2 eggs

Add salt and pepper

Carefully restuff the cavity of the eggs

With pieces of bread close up the holes

Return to boiling water and boil 7 to 10 minutes

Peel and cut the eggs in half

Dress with melted butter and sorrel

Note: 7

This is frustrating and fussy but totally worth it!

In lieu of sorrel, juice of Spinach and a bit of lemon can be substituted.

Recipe 5: To boil quail

The Good Housewife’s Jewel, Thomas Dawson, England, 1597

Original page 16

To boil quails

First put them into a pot with sweet broth and set them on the fire. Then take carrot root and cut him in pieces and put into the pot. Then take parsley and sweet herbs and chop them a little and put them into the pot. Then take cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and pepper, and put n a little verjuice, and so season it with salt. Serve them upon stops and garnish them with fruit.

My redaction

To boil quail

1.5 liter Broth vegetable (amount will vary by size of pot used. Enough to cover the quail)

40 gm Parsley

½ Tablespoon each Marjoram, Thyme and Rosemary

1 Tablespoon each of Cinnamon, Ginger and Pepper

1 teaspoon ground Nutmeg

500 ml Verjuice

500 gm carrots

Large pot with enough broth to cover the quail.

Bring to a boil.

Add spices adjusting to taste.

Add Verjuice.

Simmer until done.

Serve upon sops (pieces of toast) garnished with fresh fruit of the season.

Notes:

½ quail per person

Spices are per 4 liters of liquid

50 gm carrot per ½ quail

Recipe 4: spinach fritters

The Good Housewife’s Jewel, Thomas Dawson, England, 1597

Original

To make fritters of spinach

Take a good deal of spinach and wash it clean. Then boil it in fair water. When it is boiled take it forth and let the water run from it. Then chop it with the back of a knife, and put in some eggs and grated bread. Season it with sugar, cinnamon, ginger and pepper, dates minced fine and currants. Roll them like a ball and dip them in batter made of ale and flour.

Spinach fritters

1 kg frozen spinach ( once squeezed of water will weigh about ½)

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon each Ginger, Pepper, cinnamon

1 egg

50 gm breadcrumbs

50 gm dates and Currants ( chop small!)

Oil for trying

250 ml Beer ( light in color, pilsner or the like)

130 gm Flour

Squeeze the excess water from the spinach

Add sugar and spices

Add dates and Currants

Add egg

Add breadcrumbs, not all at once you may need less

Form into balls ( can be made ahead , use scoop and cut in half)

Mix flour and beer to make a batter ( not too thick or thin)

Dip balls in batter and fry til golden brown

Drain on paper towels

Makes approximately 22

Recipe 3, Moorish Eggplant

Found in Libre del Coch, 1529 Ruperto de Nola, Spain. Translation by Lady Brighid ni Chiarain

Found on Stefan’s Florilegium

Recipe number, 52, Moorish Eggplant; Berenjenas a la Morisca

Peel the eggplants and quarter them, and their skins having been peeled, set them to cook; and when they are well cooked remove them from the fire, and then squeeze them between two wooden chopping blocks, so they do not retain water. And then chop them with a knife. And let them goto the pot and let them be gently fried, very well, with good bacon or with sweet oil, because the Moors do not eat bacon. And when they are gently fried, set them to cook in a pot and cast in good fatty broth, and the fat of meat, and grated cheese which is fine, and above all, ground coriander; and then stir it with a haravillo like gourds; and when they are nearly cooked, put in egg yolks beaten with verjuice, as if they were gourds.

Moorish Eggplant

315 gm eggplant

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tsp whole corriander crushed

180 ml meat broth

40 gm Gouda grated

1 egg yolk

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Cut stem from eggplant and peel

Boil in salted water 10-15 minutes until soft

Drain

Squeeze as dry as you can

Heat oil in the pan

Add corriander and lightly toast

Add eggplant, fry for 5 min

Add broth

Bring to simmer

Add egg yolk blended with vinegar

Add cheese

Stir through and serve

This is one eggplant, serves 2-3 people

Recipe 2, Hodgepodge

Original found in, Ouverture de Cuisine, by Master Lancelot de Casteau Montois

Rough translation by Daniel Myers based on a transcription by Thomas Gloning

Dowloaded in PDF format from medievalcookery.com

Original: page 4

Take a thigh of veal and cut the meat next to the skin for one pound and a half of meat, take half a pound of beef fat and chop it well all together and put therein also some nutmeg, a quarter ounce of ginger, four raw eggs, a little salt, a little chopped good herbs with, if you make the meat like a little ham, and you put therein like the upright ham a little foot of capon for making the sleeve of the ham, then take pine nuts and plant them therein the ham all about and put it to cook in the oven, or over the coals: for the sauce take wine white or red and put therein sugar & cinnamon, nutmeg & pepper, currants, boiled orange peel and cut into strips like tripe and set to boil all together.

My redaction:

Hodgepodge

1500 gm ground beef

500 gm beef fat

4 eggs

1 teaspoon Ginger

½ teaspoon Nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

80 gm mixed herbs ( parsely, sage, thyme, Marjoram)

100 gm pinenuts

____________________________________________

500 ml wine (red or white)

1 orange ( going to use the peel only)

40 gm Currants

2 Tablespoons sugar

Mix meat with the eggs, spices and herbs

Form into a loaf ( or 2)

Stud with pinenuts

Bake at 170c for an hour

Mix the other ingredients in a pan and bring to a simmer

Serve on top of the loaves

The first of 13 recipes from Coronation:Ravioli

Original found in, Ouverture de Cuisine, by Master Lancelot de Casteau Montois

Rough translation by Daniel Myers based on a transcription by Thomas Gloning

Dowloaded in PDF format from medievalcookery.com

Another Ravioli, page 20

Take a good handful of boiled spinach, a small handful of chopped mint withe the spinach, & press out well the water, three ounces of parmesan, four ounces of fresh butter, three egg yols, two nutmeg, half an ounce of cinnamon, & make little ravioli, & put it to boil like the others, & put on plate as you want to put with water & butter, parmesan & cinnamon thereon like the others, & serve them so when they are boiled two or three boiling thereon the plate.

Previos recipe starts with a paste of egg, wheat flour and butter. Make little covers.

My redaction

Ravioli

Dough

260 gm flour

3 med eggs

Salt

Filling

1500 gm frozen spinach ( when squeezed weight will reduce by half)

1 Tablespoon mint dried ( double if using fresh)

90 gm parmesan cheese

115 gm butter

15 gm ground cinnamon

¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 egg yolks

Extra butter, parmesan and cinnamon for dressing

Makes about 30 filled with 2 tablespoons each

Directions:

Combine salt with flour

Add eggs

Blend together for a medium but not sticky dough

     If dough is too stiff add water, too sticky add flour

Cover and rest at least 30 minutes

Mix all ingredients together

    Can be made ahead without the yolks, add those just before using

Split the dough and rollll dough into two thin sheets

Spoon filling onto first sheet leaving the space of the handle of a wooden spoon between the mounds

Brush the other sheet with water and lay watered side down on top of the sheet with mounds

Working from the inside to outside seal between the ravioli by pressing down, trying not to trap too much air

Cut apart, flour them, set aside to dry a little

Cook in boiling water or broth for about 10-15 minutes

Serve topped with butter, parmesan and a sprinkle of cinnamon

Food for the soul, a mental health post.

For those of you only interested in my cooking adventures this post is not for you. I’m going to make a post about my mental health. I am not offended if you are not interested.

This last weekend I went to an SCA event. This in and of itself is not unusual. What was unusual is that it required me traveling alone to a region I had never been. For most people this is not remarkable, for me it is astounding. I am not an adventurer, at least not outside my kitchen. I love meeting new people, but I need to do so usually from a place of comfort and security. Something I have has precious little of in the past couple of years.

About 3 years ago my life shifted dramatically. I was betrayed at a visceral level and it had left deep wounds. Though those wounds are healing the scars are deep and red and angry still. I have been diagnosed with depression and ptsd, both I knew about going into therapy but now get to add anxiety and ocd to my list. These new two have made my life particularly hard but knowing they are there has made it easier to move on.

Anyway, I looked at the list of attendees and fretted, while there were many names I recognized as people I know, I did not know how people would treat me. I had been to event where people I had known quite well completely ignored me. This set up my anxiety to tell me to expect the same from those who knew me less well. I was comforted that 2 people who are family were making the trek from the US to be there. If all hell broke loose I knew they could help keep me together.
My ocd was piqued, I was cooking completely out of my element. A situation compounded by the fact that I was not allowed to actually cook the food, because I lacked a Bulgarian health certificate, and my translator did not receive her passport in time to come to the event. Side note, only 1 of the kitchen staff spoke any English.
My anxiety eased some when I arrived Wednesday night and was immediately welcomed in and made to feel wanted and not just a tag along to an already established group. As I met and greeted old friends I hadn’t seen in years, my anxiety began to rest and I settled into a comfortable place. Each new person I greeted made me feel more at home.
Cooking of course set off new anxieties. Those I mostly know how to handle and with a security blanket of friends and family I had the resources to tackle the challenges it provided. I had one moment where I could have broke down, one moment I could have lost it and in that moment I was rescued with kind words and a hug from a friend, and in that moment I knew what a true treasure I had in her. With that simple gesture I was able to take a deep breath and carry on.
The weekend turned out to be full of hugs and encouraging words. All the things my tired soul needed to be rejuvenated and encourage me to carry on. It was on my way to a friend’s house after my return flight home that I came to an astounding and humbling idea. There are those in our kingdom that are well traveled and well loved. I have seen them and am grateful to know some of them. I always envied them and their circle of friends. Their ability to go anywhere and have support and friendship waiting for them. I discovered, I am one of those people. It is a stunning revelation and it humbles me. I am grateful to all the people who look forward to seeing when my name is on a reservation list, no matter how long it’s been.  Your support truly means the world to me.