Medieval Cooking

Cheese.

About eight years ago, I thought that if I could conquer bread, specifically sourdough, that I would be achieving something akin to climbing Mt. Everest. I spent years refining and building my bread repertoire. Within a couple of years, I understood and could manipulate my recipes based on humidity, available ingredients, and whim. But when I looked down from my perceived peak – it was merely one of the foothills surrounding Mt. Everest, not Everest itself.

That is when I discovered the fallacy of a single item being Everest and that it was all a series of learning experiences that would persistently lead you to just see the top of Everest, while never quite reaching it, and that it didn’t matter because you got to learn new things all of the time and use what you already knew in new ways, which is awesome and makes me incredibly happy.

But I still needed a giant challenge.

For the last couple of years, I’ve been watching seriously talented people learning how to make cheese and being really happy about it. I’d made green cheeses in the past, heck, I taught four people how to make ricotta and it was served that evening at feast. It’s dead simple – milk, heat, acid, drainage, and salt. Hell, it’s easier than making nut cheeses because there are fewer ingredients and fewer steps.

But that’s only the beginning of cheese making. There’s a whole other level of anal-retentive temperature watching, sterilizing equipment, and following instructions. There is the threat of contamination and possible food borne illness if you screw things up.

What is there not to love?

So, I purchased a gallon of raw milk and some rennet from my local Co-Op and sent messages to my two cheesemaking heroes:

THL Waldetrudis von Metten and
Countess Elizabeth Von Kulmbach

They offered a lot of awesome advice and pointed me towards this website.

So, it took another round of raw milk and a week for me to get up the nerve, but here I am after putting everything under pressure and walking away, writing up my experience.

Last night, I inoculated the milk with yogurt (introduced bacteria I wanted to the milk) and allowed it to sit overnight. I’ve made yogurt before so it wasn’t scary or off-putting, and it actually eased me into the process. This morning just before I put my daughter on the bus, I turned the stove onto “low” and began warming it as per the instructions on the website. It took about 15 minutes to reach temperature before I put in the rennet.

Then the wait. I hate waiting. Seriously. Patience is not a virtue I have. That hour took forever, but I was rewarded with coagulated milk. I was on the phone with a friend when I checked it and I literally squealed and said “OMG! It worked!”

I got to work cutting the curd and moving forward with the instructions when I realized that my whole plan had been contingent on my having PVC of the appropriate diameter. Well, yeah. Not so much. But, I did have a #10 can of beets and then I had three pints of pickled beets and a clean #10 can. I followed the instructions on the website to put together an ad-hoc cheese press. The only modification that I made was that I used a plastic travel mug of poor design to weigh things down as I need my mason jars for canning and didn’t want to run the risk of breakage.

So, now I wait until tomorrow morning to pull everything apart and see how I did.

Issues I’m aware of:

1. My curds floated. It says that this isn’t necessarily a deal breaker and I will need to age for a minimum of two months to avoid food borne illness. Did I mention that patience is not a virtue that I have?

2. I like using raw milk and I have to choose at which point I start using a friend’s connection for larger quantities of raw milk.

3. I suck at taking process pictures when I’m learning something and that’s okay. I would rather focus on what I’m doing than documenting the process.

So, things are looking rather good for my first attempt. We shall see what happens. Yes, I will take pictures of the product and what happens to it over the next couple of months.

Medievalcooking.org is broken.

Seriously broken and in a not easily fixed kind of way. I did a backup last Spring, so I have entries from the past, so all is not lost, but it seriously makes me think about what to do from here – and I like it.

I’ve been doing a lot of food writing on Google+ and it has felt amazingly good. Not everything is medieval cooking. Most of the time, I just don’t have the funds to go out and buy food to experiment with, I play with what I have and learn new things as I go along. I can’t do as much specific work as I’d like, but feeding my family comes first, and experimentation comes in fits and starts.

But, in any case, what does it really mean if you lose several years of information? The wayback machine has a bunch of what I have lost and I have the ability to rebuild rather large sections of what I had.

So. I ask myself. What would Wil Wheaton do? He had a major malfunction in 2006 and lost tons of data due to a bizarre incident involving a random string of characters that wasn’t actually random to the typepad program. He moved to the regular typepad website (rather than using a locally installed version), found that he liked it, and to this day he’s still there “in exile”. I admit that I have been reading his blog long enough that I remember this all happening and the “couple of weeks” he assumed it would take to fix everything and get back to his regular blog. Five years later, he’s still wilwheaton.typepad.com and it was basically invisible to the rest of us.

For the immediate future, I am going to reload wordpress and upload what I have. It will either work or not. I will re-assess what I’m using as far as the template and we shall see.

What makes me feel good about this is that it is all about being an opportunity, not being a failure. Onwards and upwards.

This is a riff on a recipe from Cocboek -

Original Recipe
19 Om een ajuynsoppe te maken.
Neemt ajuyn, snijt die in schijven ende roost hem in olye met de corsten van de brooden. Als dit nu wat gesoden heeft, so doet er wat azijns by, wat byers, wat suyckers ende wat gengeberpoeder. Laet dit tesamen sieden totdat het begint dick te werden ende alsdan in de schotel ghedaen ende gegeten.

Translation (by Jennifer Strobel)
19 How to make onion sop.
Take onion, cut it in slices and roast it in oil with crusts of bread. When this now has cooked a while, so put therewith some vinegar, some beer, some sugar and some ginger powder. Leave this together to boil until it begins to become thick and then place it in the dish to be then eaten.

Modified Recipe (this is NOT the redaction for the above recipe, it’s a variation based on the original)

6 yellow onions, sliced thin
3 T Sicilian Olive Oil
1 bottle Stella Artois Lager
1 t salt
1 med celery stalk, diced small, use the whole stalk, including leaves, if they are on the stalk
2 t ground ginger
2 t “An Herb Mixture” from Livre Forte (1555)
4 c beef broth

The stove was given low heat.
Fry the onions in olive oil until they are soft.
Add the salt and cook until you see a decent amount of liquid being drawn out of the onions.
Add the bottle of Lager.
Cook for about 20 minutes, until the onions are translucent.
Add the celery stalk, ginger, and Herb Mixture.
Mix the herbs and spices into the onions and celery.
Add the beef broth.
Bring the broth to a boil.
Serve with half a piece of buttered bread on the side.

Recently I have had a series of conversations about the project that I have been working on for the last six years: The translation of “Eenen seer schonen ende excellenten cocbook” by Carolus Battus. I took on the translation because it was a significant challenge for me. I had to learn Modern Dutch (to have a basis from which to work from), and familiarize myself with Dutch culture during the Middle Ages. To complicate things, about three years into the project I had a hard drive crash that destroyed nearly all of the previous three years of work. Fortunately, I had taken quite a few notes by hand that I was able to re-create some of what was lost. I’ve also taken at least one year off where my work/life situation was completely overwhelming and I didn’t put time towards the translation in order to focus on my job and my family.

I produce approximately 2-3 recipes a year, sometimes more, sometimes less. There are approximately 300 total recipes (that includes variations on numbered recipes that are not themselves numbered) in the book. As I have more time, I do more. This year is my most productive with four recipes translated as I originally planned to do a feast based entirely on translated works. The feast isn’t going to happen this year, however, the translations are mostly done, which is the most concentrated work I’ve been able to do to date. I’m extremely pleased with the work that I’ve done this year.

The process of translation is not a trivial one and due to my inexperience as a translator, the time I have available, and newness to the Dutch language one translation can take me a month or two or three to do, depending on the complexity of the original. I also have set backs like failing to translate something correctly or discovering that a term has been borrowed from Medieval French after weeks of futile searching, which has happened. Then I go back and check through the rest of the translation to be sure that I have nailed it as well as I possibly can. This is something that will live well beyond me and I don’t want part of my legacy to be a slapped-together shadow of a translation that pleases absolutely no one. The slowness of the progress is not something that I am thrilled with, but it is what it is.

The decision to take this project on has significantly informed everything that I do now. Without the translation I would not have the chosen name I now carry, I would not be on the path that I am on, and I would certainly never have fallen in love with the Low Countries in the way that I did. This project is thoroughly a labor of love.

The translation is important enough to do slowly and methodically. Once I complete the project I can then provide the Medieval Cooking community with a complete resource that will be meaningful. It’s my gift to the craft that I practice and to the community that I am part of. I have continually published my work so that what I have done is available to the community as a whole and will continue to do so as I progress.

If anyone here is working on a similar project, I would love to hear about your experiences as translator. I know that my experience isn’t unique and merely don’t know anyone in my area that does translation on this scale. Anyone have any advice or a story to share?

You’ve all seen them. Vikings in full regalia, whispering to each other and sneaking outside in large groups. The whiff of ammonia-tinged breath mints on their breath and the obsessive hand washing. These thrill-seekers are only up to one thing – ingesting Hakaarl. The first experience isn’t pleasant, but they somehow come back to it again and again.

One woman tells her story:

“I struggled briefly, then concluded, that with a nice slug of Brennivin it couldn’t be so bad. Didn’t I want to know everything I could about Iceland? And besides, my chum, Sarah, ferocious criminal attorney, just threw back her Brennivin, and chomped down her hakarl. Time to follow suit. I’d forgotten about my nose being turned off, however, and without thinking opened it to let the Brennivin prepare my system for the shark. The “Jaws” theme raced through my head, and just when I thought it was safe to go back to breathing my stomach, and head told me otherwise. The shark rode a Brennivin wave half way down and then decided to come on back up. Suddenly, I decided it was time to go out and check the girth on my saddle. The fresh outside air beckoned me so loudly that I ran the last few steps to the barn door. Ah, sweet air! Part of the shark smell followed me out, but soon gave up its dominion to the rain-cleansed air. A few minutes of quiet, and I won the multi cultural battle within. I went back to the tasting room to find my colleagues laughing at my sudden departure.” (Nelson, 2005)

As you can see, the pressure put upon these new Harkaarl users is great and it is incredibly difficult to resist Shark that reeks of stale urine, but has a long and exciting history.

The next thing you know, they’ve traded all of their amber and gold just to find that next round of Harkaarl. Eventually they stop caring about hiding it, and the smell lets you know that you are dealing with someone who has extended beyond ration and reasonable behavior. Extreme measures must be taken with these individuals to save them from themselves.

There is help.

If you or someone you know has been using Harkaarl, or has moved on to other foods, such as Lutefisk, there is help for you. You can’t wean yourself off of Harkaarl, you have to do it cold turkey. My recommendation is to move somewhere warmer, like Flanders, and experience the wonders of food that doesn’t have to be detoxified before consuming. For more information; throw a detailed, carved rock through the window of the Viking Anonymous offices, located somewhere in Iceland during the Dark Ages.

References

Nelson, Holly. (2005) A visit with Gisli Palsson, hakarl maker and author. © Iceland Adventure, LLC. http://icelandadventure.com/p24.html

There are entire lists of great reasons to eat locally, which is why I’m not going to re-iterate them here. The fact remains that the mainstream still looks at the Locavore diet to be kind of a Treehugging-Granola- Lefty-Green thing to do, which is where our President enters the picture.

Okay, I admit that it’s still Lefty, but give me a chance here.

The Obamas chose to bring their personal chef, Sam Kass, from Chicago to the White House. Now, this isn’t unusual. There are previous Presidents that have brought their own chefs into the White House to cook for the First Family. In this case, it’s the cooking philosophy of the chef that makes the choice interesting. European trained Sam Kass produces cuisine that focuses on local and healthy foods.

It’s not only the ingredients that he focuses on, Chef Kass has gone so far as to say that Chefs should lead the charge in promoting healthy eating,

”Not only is there an unconscionable amount of people who remain hungry, there’s even a larger population, mostly poor, who are faced with obesity, diabetes and various other problems from overabundance.” (Yahoo News, 2008)

How is that for a culinary role model?

In addition to making the choice of hiring Chef Kass, the President has been very public about his preference for healthy foods in general and his 90 minute per day workout schedule has been well documented in the press.

I hope that America in general will take a look at the First Family and their personal Chef and consider that if the busiest people in the United States can sit down and eat a healthy meal every evening that with just a little effort, they can too.

Yes we can.
–
References and additional reading:
The Hindu (2008) Obama’s personal chef now part of White House kitchen Cabinet. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/003200901292186.htm

Piazza, J. (2008) Chef Executive: Three cooks in the running for Obama’s top White House kitchen post. http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/food/2008/11/09/2008-11-09_chef_executive_three_cooks_in_the_runnin.html

Yahoo News (2008) Hail to the chefs. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_pl231

I’ve been giving my dear husband a hard time for years because when his muse comes to call it’s usually not just a gentle nudge. It’s a full-on body slam (we call his muse “Reggie” after the late, great Packers defensive end Reggie White). He ends up composing prolifically for a couple of weeks or a month and then afterwards has some dribs and drabs come to him until the next time Reggie comes to call.

Most artists, performers, and other creative people will find themselves in a situation where they need an idea or an inspiration and come up blank. There are ways to engage your creativity without the full-on muse bomb with that fully formed idea or concept that you seemingly just channel from the ethers. Not to say that it won’t happen any longer, or that you will somehow mess up that particular “force”, you will simply be able to generate ideas and inspiration under your own steam.

The technique of calling your muse is more about discipline and practice than it is anything else. They are tools and their only value is that they can be used to fix a problem, but I can’t promise that they will work 100% of the time, just that they will work.

Brainstorm Let your mind wander and kick out as many possibilities as it possibly can. Not every idea in a brainstorming session is going to be a winner, but you may find a thread of an idea that you can use to begin building more solid ideas on.
Define your problem Grab a sheet of paper, electronic notebook, computer or whatever you use to make notes, and define your problem in detail. You’ll probably find ideas positively spewing out once you’ve done this. (Baumgartner, 2003)
If you can’t think, go for a walk A change of atmosphere is good for you and gentle exercise helps shake up the brain cells. (Baumgartner, 2003)
Create a discipline Take 15 minutes of every day to do whatever it is that you do. Writers – write, Painters – paint, Musicians – music! That 15 minutes will give you the ability to go through and force your brain into a creative mode on a daily basis. Even if all you do is go over something you’re in the process of already doing, it’s 15 minutes that you brain knows that it’s “time to be creative” which can help when you need it to do so at a moment’s notice.
Read as much as you can about everything possible Books exercise your brain, provide inspiration and fill you with information that allows you to make creative connections easily. (Baumgartner, 2003)

Exercise your brain. Brains, like bodies, need exercise to keep fit. If you don’t exercise your brain, it will get flabby and useless. Exercise your brain by reading a lot (see above), talking to clever people and disagreeing with people – arguing can be a terrific way to give your brain cells a workout. But note, arguing about politics or film directors is good for you; bickering over who should clean the dishes is not. (Baumgartner, 2003)

Subscribe to mailing lists, periodicals, etc. that relate to your creative field. Seeing what other people are doing, and having people with similar interests gives you a pool of individuals that can help you move forward when you’re stuck through either direct suggestion, or providing inspiration from what they are doing.

Creativity is an ongoing process, rather than an accidental happening and learning the skills and disciplines necessary to create an environment where you can be creative when you need to be will only benefit you and your art or science.

Suggested Links to Visit:
Gretchen Rubin writing about the work of Dorothea Brande.
The 2009 Creative Every Day Challenge.
The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity.
Creativity Techniques – an A to Z.

References
Baumgartner, J. (2003) 10 steps for boosting creativity. Retrieved from http://www.jpb.com/creative/creative.php on February 7, 2006.

Two notes:

1. When you freeze the gnocchi, cook it in batches. Seriously. You’ll only get away with not doing that once. If you cook it in batches, the water temperature doesn’t drop as extremely and you don’t end up with potato water.

2. I’m putting some raw information here about the history of gnocchi as gathering that information has proved more difficult than I originally thought (but isn’t everything?).

gnocchi
/nyokki/
• plural noun (in Italian cooking) small dumplings made from potato, semolina, or flour.
— ORIGIN Italian, plural of gnocco, alteration of nocchio ‘knot in wood’. (OED, 2008)
It has been difficult finding references on “gnocchi”. Dumplings, yes. That’s not difficult and it’s in a number of cultures. The specific references are so far appearing in the late 1500’s and early 1600’s. My utter lack of Italian may be complicating things.)
There is a specific reference to “gnocchi” in a sixteenth century Italian cookbook (The following recipe and translation is via Louise Smithson):

Original:
Per fare & cuocere Maccaroni in piu modi per giorno quadregesimale. Cap CCLV. Terzo libro.
Piglisi una libra di fior di farina, & una libra di pangrattato, passato per lo foratoro minuto, impastisi ogni cosa con acqua che bolla & oglio d’olive mescolato con un poco di zafferano, e faccia la pasta che non sia troppo soda, ma ben mescolata sopra una tavola, e come havera preso il caldo, faccianosi i gnocchi cioe maccaroni sopra la grattacascio, e poganosi a cuocere in acque che bolla con un poco di sale, & come saranno cotti, cavinosi e ponganosi in un vaso di terra o di legno, e mettavisi sopra una agliata fatta di noci peste, spigoli d’aglioi, pepe, & polpa di pane ammogliata nell’acqua calda, mescolisi ogni cosa insieme, & servanosi con pepe & cannella sopra. Ma volendo farsi maccaroni tirali ad basta, facciasi la pasta piu sodetto, & lascisi un pochetto riposare lo sfoglio sopra la tavola, e taglisi con lo sperone a liste quadre o in altro modo, a beneplacito, & faccianosi cuocere all’acqua e sale, e servanosi come i soprascritti. Et chi vorra potra ancho coprirli di salza verde.

Translation:
To make and cook macaroni in many ways for lenten days.
Take a pound of flour and a pound of grated bread passed through the finest sieve. Bind everything together with boiling water and olive oil mixed with a little saffron. Make pasta that is not too firm, but well mixed on the table (knead well) and when it has lost its heat make the gnocchi that is macaroni above the cheese grater and put them to cook in boiling water with a little salt. When they are cooked strain and put them in a dish of clay or wood and put above a garlic sauce made of walnuts ground, garlic cloves, pepper and crumb of bread that has been soaked in hot water. Mix everything together and serve them with pepper and cinnamon above. But if one wants to make macaroni drawn out enough, make the pasta more firm and leave it to rest as a sheet on the table and cut it with a sperone into square (four cornered) strips and cook them in water and salt and serve them as it is written above. And if you want they can also be served covered with green sauce (Smithson, 2004))

References
The Compact Oxford English Dictionary (2008) Gnocchi. Retrieved from http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/gnocchi?view=uk on 22 December 2008.
Louise Smithson (2004, 22 Sep) Re: Period or no: drop dumplings. Message posted to SCA-Cooks electronic mailing list, archived at http://www.florilegium.org/?http%3A//www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD/idxfood.html.