Recipe#10911

Title: Medieval European

Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes 
 From: "Jennifer A. Newbury" jn1t+@andrew.cmu.edu 
 Subject: Medieval European Recipes 
 Message-ID: Mgd7wsW00WB4E_jHZ4@andrew.cmu.edu 
 Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA 
 Date: Sat, 25 Sep 1993 13:26:16 -0400 

A Tart for Ember Day
 Wastels Yfarced (or Toasted Stuffed Brown Rolls)
 Caudel of Musculs to Potage (Braised Mussels)
 Spit Roasted Meat with Egerdouce Sauce
 A Salat
 A Rosy Almond Cream
 A Tart for Ember Day
 ********************
 Ms. Berriedale-Johnson says that ember day was sone of the many days in the
 year when the church forbade eating of meat (dairy, eggs, & fish were allowed).
 250 g (9 oz.) wholeweat or whole meal pastry
 (made with 150g (6 oz) wholewheat or wholemeal flour, 40 g (1 1/2 oz) each
 of butter and lard with a little cold water)
 40 g (1 1/2 oz) butter
 150g (6 oz) onions, roughly chopped
 12 fresh sage leaves, chopped, (or 1 tablesppon dried sage)
 2 handfuls fresh parsley, chopped roughly
 75 g (3 oz) well flavoured cheese, grated
 3 eggs
 salt, pepper, 1/2 teaspoon each ground cinnamon, ginger
 180 mL (6 fl. oz, 3/4 c.) milk
 40 g ( 1 1/2 oz) raisins (optional)
 make the pastry and line an 18-20 cm (7-8") flan case; bake it blind
 melt the butter in a pan and gently cook the onions with the sage and
 parsley until they are just soft. Add the cheese, eggs, seasoning and
 milk and mix well. Add the raisins if you are using them and pour the
 mixutre into the flan case. Bake in a moderate oven (180 C / 350 F / Gas
 Mark 4) for approx.
 20 minutes or till the tart is risen, firm and lightly browned. Serves 6
 warm or cold.
 Wastels Yfarced (or Toasted Stuffed Brown Rolls)
 ***************
 (serves 6 as a starter, 3 as a main course)
 Ms. Berriedale Johnson explains that wastels were good quality loaves
 served to the gentry at a late medieval feast.
 3 wholemeal or wholewheat brown rools, halved and with their crumb removed
 50 g (2 oz) butter
 100g (4 oz) mushrooms, chopped roughly
 100g (4 oz) cooked and very well drained leaf spinich, chopped roughly
 50g (2 oz) raisins
 salt, pepper, ground cinnamon, cloves to taste
 1 large or 2 small eggs
 Put halved rolls in moderately hot oven for approx. 10 minutes or till they
 are lightly browned and crips
 Melt the butter in a pan and cook the mushrooms for a couple of
 minutes.  Add the spinich and the raisins and continue to cook
 gently for several minutes, or till the butter has been almost
 absorbed by the veggies.
 Season to taste with the slat, pepper, and spices. Beat the egg in
 a bowl, add to the veggie mixture and cook it gently just long
 enough for the egg to slightly bind to the other ingredients. Pile
 the filling into the halved rolls and serve at once.
 Caudel of Musculs to Potage (or Braised Mussels)
 *****************
 (serves 6)
 This would have been served on one of the fish eating days of the
 medieval calendar, and in a grand household, it would have been one of
 ten or fifteen of such dishes presented to the lord and his guests...
 2 kg (4 1/2 lb) fresh mussels
 2 tablespoons olive oil
 1 large onion, very finely chopped
 2 leeks, very finely sliced
 40 g (1 1/2 oz) ground almonds
 2 teaspoons ground ginger
 1/2 teaspoon each ground saffron, cloves, salt
 4 grinds of black pepper
 450 mL (15 fl oz, 2 cups) milk
 1-2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
 Clean mussels thoroughly, removing beards, and discarding any which do
 not close when tapped. Bring 5 cm water to the boil in the bottom or a
 large pan with a few slices of lemon and 150 ml (2/3 c) white wine. Drop
 the mussels in, turn the heat up to maximum, cover with a lid and cook
 briskly for 3-4 minutes or till all of the mussels have opened. Discard
 any that do not.
 Drain the remaining ones, remove from their sehells and reserved the juices.
 Meanwhile, cook the onion slowly in the oil till it is soft, but not
 coloroued. Put the leek with the almods, spices and the mild in a pan
 and bring to the boil. Simmer for a few minutes then add to the shelled
 mussels along with the onions. Bring all to the boil and simmer together
 for a few minutes. Add the wine vineagar to taste adn further seasoning
 if needed. Thin the sauce with some of the reserved cooking liquid, if
 you think it needs it. Serve the broth in bowls with plenty of fresh
 brown bread.
 Spit Roasted Meat with Egerdouce Sauce
 **************************************
 In medieval Europe, the spits were turned by kitchen boys and were
 perioedically dusted with spices and herbs. Since forks were still
 almost unknown the slices of meat were eaten in the fingers but
 accompanied by sauces. These were laid in small dishes (sauc-ers) along
 the tables, and diners would dip the little finger of teh right had only
 into the sauce and spread it on their meat. This finger was never licked
 but carefully wiped on a napkin out of respect for fellow diners.
 In the modern kitchen-- any joing of meat can be used, but it should be
 well faloured if the egerdouce sauce is to be served with it. Cook it on
 a spit, a barbeque, or on an open rack int the oven. Sprinkly it lightly
 with ground mixed herbs plus a little of any spice that you fancy.
 Egerdouce Sauce
 (served six)
 2 tablespoons olive oil
 75 g (3 oz) onions, roughly chopped
 25 g (1 oz) each of raisins and currants
 1/2 teaspoon each salt, gournd ginger, mace and saffron
 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
 120 mL (4 fl oz, 1/2 cup) dry white wine
 90 mL (3 fl oz, 1/3 cup) wine vinegar
 25 g (1 oz) sugar
 75 g (3 oz) wholemeal or wholewheat breadcrumbs
 approx. 90 mL (3 fl oz, 1/3 c) water
 Gently cook the onions in the oil till they are solft. Add the fruit and
 spices and cook for a few minutes. Melt the sugar in the wine and
 venegar and add this to the onion and fruits. Simmer all toghether,
 covered for 15 minutes then process or liquidise. Reutrn the mixture to
 the pan and add the breadcrumbs and enough water to make a thick but not
 claggy sauce. Adjust the seasoning to taste and serve with the roast
 meat.
 A Salat
 *******
 Serves 6
 Salads, made mainly of herbs, were popular througout the Middle Ages,
 often served at the start of a meal, rather than after the main course.
 The make up of the saldad would change according to the season and what
 grew in the cook's herb garden, so feel free to adapt this basic recipe
 as desired. Do NOT make it with dried herbs!
 2 bunches of watercress
 2 cartons of mustard and cress
 1medium leef, very finely sliced
 6 spring onions or scallions, chopped small
 1 bulb of fennel, slicked in thin matchsticks
 1 large handful of fresh parsley, pull off into small sprigs
 the leaves from 1 young sprig of fresh rosemary
 the leaves from 4-6 prigs of fresh mint, slightly chopped
 6 fresh sage leaves, slightly copped
 the leaves from 2 small branches of thyme
 a few leaves from any other herb you have (take care not to use too 
 much of any very strong flavoured ones)
 sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
 2-3 tablespoons wine vinegar
 4-5 tablespoons olive oil
 Wash the cresses, herbs and fennel and dry all thoroughly. Mix them,
 with the leek and spring onions, in a large bowl, sprinkly with salt and
 pepper, and mix again. Mix the oil with the vinegar and pour over the
 salad just before serving.
 A Rosy Almond Cream
 *******************
 Serves 6
 600 ml (20 fl oz, 2 1/2 cups milk)
 50 g (2 oz) ground almonds
 40 g (1 1/2 oz) rice four
 1/2 tesopoon ground cinnamon
 1 t ground ginger
 350 g (12 0z) berries or currants, fresh or defrosted
 75 g ( 3 oz) sugar
 1-2 tablespoons wine vinegar (don't worry-- used by ancient Rome to
 emphasise the flavor of the fruit)
 crystallised petals to decorate
 Put milk in pan with ground almonds, bring to boil, and simmer for 3
 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the spices with the rice flour in a pan, then
 gradually add the hot almond milk. Coo them together till the mixture
 thickens slightly. Add the fruit with teh sugar. Cook them all together
 gently till the sugar is melted and the fruit will mixed-- it should not
 totally disintegrate although it should be partially mushed. Add the
 vineagar to taste and spoon the desert into galsses. Chill for a couple
 of hours but serve at room temp., decorated with another berry or with a
 crystallised rose or violet petal.