Menu and Update
The chicken documentation is not complete, but is due for review by the competition committee on 7 February 2010, so I will be working on edits and generally making sense of something that has been very difficult for me to write.
I have a good friend that I have neglected to invite to dinner in too damn long, so I am fixing that this Saturday by making a medieval feast for him, his girlfriend, and another couple. The recipes are all going to be out of the dutch cookbook and will be served as traditional courses, rather than in the medieval fashion as I don’t have the time to do that many dishes at this time.
The current menu is:
Onion Sop
Capon in the Spanish Manner
Stewed Spinach
The original recipes and the translation (Copyright, Jennifer Strobel):
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.
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.
85 Om eenen capoen te braden op het Spaensche.
Neemt een half pont rozijnen ende soveel versch speck alst u belieft ende soveel loocx als ghy wilt. Cappet ooc met het speck wel cleyn, mengelet dan met de rozijnen ende steket tsamen in den capoen. Steeckt den capoen dan aen den spitte ende droopt hem wel met boter ende dienet ter tafelen.
85 How to roast a capon in the Spanish [manner].
Take a half pound of raisins and as much fresh bacon as you please and as much garlic as you want. Chop it together with the bacon very small, then mix with the raisins and put it in the capon. Then put the capon on the spit and baste it well with butter and serve to the diners.
205 Om spinagie te stoven.
Neempt spinagie ende sietse morwe. Dout dan t’water schoon uut. Neemt dan geschelde appelen. Captse wel cleyn met de spinagie. Setse tesamen te stoven met wijn ende een weynich verjuys, suycker, gengheber ende boter. Laet dit tsamen stoven totdat ghenoech is. Rechtet dan in schotelkens ende stroyt er gengeber over. Dientse dan dese spijse. Ghy moecht oock ronde taertkens backen ofte ronde coecxkens in de boter gefruyt.
205 To stew spinach.
Take spinach and boil it soft. Then remove the clean water. Then take peeled apples. Chop very small with the spinach. Set together to stew with wine and a bit of verjuice, sugar, ginger and butter. Let this stew together until is enough. Dress it then in small dishes and strew thereover ginger. Then serve this food. You might also bake small round tarts, or small round cakes fried in butter.
The redactions will be posted as I create them. The one for the chicken is going to be a challenge as this is the dish that I make when I want to impress company as it’s really a small amount of work for a huge culinary payoff. I’m excited about making it for non-SCAdian friends and getting their take on the flavors and textures.
My guests are providing dessert and I am excited to try it. I love when people share food with me that they have made, no matter how complicated or simple, I love sharing that experience.
The other projects that I am working on right now will get updates of their own, especially the updates to the Frisian food research that I will be presenting at the Royal University of the Midrealm on 20 February 2010. I will also be presenting what I learned while doing chicken research and participating in the suburban farming roundtable.
As usual, I have little updates and links of interest posted on the Medieval Cooking Facebook Page, so if you haven’t added the page, please consider doing so.
I am hoping to have another update in about a week with more details about the chicken research paper, with the paper then being available after I have turned it in for review on 7 February 2010. Look here for that and there will be some non-food updates while I get ready to participate in The Pent at Ice Dragon.