Planning A Medieval Feast For Christmas This Year...

Breakfast:

Vegetable Gruel.

2 cups "gritty" Cereal (such as the easily available "Grape Nuts")
8 to 10 Prunes, pits removed
½ tsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. Butter
¼ tsp. Ginger Powder
4 cups Milk
¼ tsp. Cinnamon
1 cup fresh Carrots (scraped and sliced)
½ tsp. dried sweet Basil, crushed
½ cup fresh Parsnip, scraped and diced
6 Tbsp. Honey
3 Tbsp. Purple Plum Preserves

~ In deep, covered skillet melt butter and "toast" the Grape Nuts tossing it in butter over low flame. Mix all other ingredients together—except for Basil, Honey. Add to the toasted cereal. Slowly simmer for 20 minutes. Garnish each bowl with a dollop of honey in the center, a top, plus basil or candied ginger sprinkled round the edges. Serve warm.

Potrous (or Coddled Egg).

1 raw Egg
1 sliver Spicy Cheddar Cheese
½ teaspoon Butter, for greasing
⅛ teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Ricotta Cheese
¼ teaspoon dried Sweet Basil
1 Tablespoon Honey
½ teaspoon crushed fresh Sorrel
½ teaspoon Spicy Brown Mustard

~ Break the egg into the well-greased coddler, piercing the yolk. Carefully spoon the ricotta into the center of the Egg. Make a cavity in the Ricotta and then spoon in the Honey. Into a well in the Honey, spoon the Mustard. Place the Cheddar sliver in the middle of the Mustard. (Sprinkle salt, basil, and sorrel on top.) Cover the coddler. Cook egg in coddlernfor about 7 minutes. Serve hot.

Almond Omelette.

1 cup Ricotta Cheese
½ cup softened Raisins
8 Tbsp. Butter
6 raw Eggs
3/4 cup slivered or coarsely ground Almonds
2 Tbsp. Honey
2/3 cup oats
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Fennel Seed, crushed
4 hard-boiled Eggs, chopped
2 Tbsp. Oil for sautéing

~ Place ricotta in a large bowl. In a large, heavy skillet, melt half of the Butter; toast the Almonds and Oats until golden. Pour off Almonds, Oats, and Butter into the Ricotta and mix well. Stir chopped hard-boiled Eggs and Raisins into the Ricotta mixture. Beat the raw Eggs with Honey, Salt, and Fennel. Stir the Egg mixture into the cheese.Pour mixture in to fry until golden, about 5 to 8 minutes on very low heat. Turn the omelette if you prefer the eggs well done. Serve hot.

Onion And Parsley Omelette.

6 Eggs
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 small Onion, chopped
4 Tablespoons Butter
1/2 cup fresh Parsley, minced

~ Draw egg whites and yolks through a strainer. Melt butter in heavy skillet and sauté Onions and Parsley, until Onions are golden yellow. Pour on eggs, mixing them together with onions and parsley, and fry. Flip the omelette, if desired, to crispen both sides; or serve as scrambled eggs. Salt to taste.

Figs Stuffed With Cinnamon.

12 large fresh figs
1/2 teaspoon fresh Basil
4 large hard-boiled Eggs
2/3 cup Flour
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
1/2 cup Oil for sautéing
1/4 teaspoon Salt

~ With a spoon make a ‘crater in the side of each fig. Chop the Eggs. Blend Cinnamon, Salt, Basil, and Eggs. Stuff each Fig with mixture. Lightly dredge each stuffed Fig in the Flour. Sauté for 4 to 6 minutes, until golden brown. Drain. Serve warm.


Dinner:

First Course (Soup)...

Cobages (Cabbage And Almond Soup).

1 head of Cabbage, shredded
1/2 teaspoon dried Sweet Basil
1 cup coarsely chopped Almonds
2 cups fresh Peas
6 cups Beef Broth
4 Tablespoons Honey

~ Slowly simmer all ingredients, except Peas for 20 minutes. Add Peas and simmer for 10 minutes. Ladle into soup bowls.

Charlette (Curdled Beef And Milk Soup).

6 Eggs
1 quart Milk
1 cup Ale
1 teaspoon Salt
1/8 teaspoon Saffron
2 Tablespoons Butter (for sautéing)
1 cup lean minced Beef

~ Gently heat Milk with Salt and Saffron, preventing boiling but slowly simmering. Briefly sauté Beef in Butter until meat is brown until every piece is thoroughly. Add meat to the spiced Milk and continue simmering ten minutes. Stir occasionally.Now beat eggs with ale. Add ale'd Eggs to the pot, constantly stirring, until it forms curds. Ladle into individual bowls, assuring each portion of meat, curds, and hot soup stock.

Turnypes (Creamed Turnip and Parsnip Soup).

1 cup peeled, fresh Turnips, diced
1/2 cup scraped, fresh parsnips, diced
2 1/2 cups Beef Broth
1/2 cup coarsely ground Almonds
1 cups heavy cream
3 Egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon Salt
Juice of 1/4 Lemon

~ Gently boil the Turnips and Parsnips in the broth until the vegetables are soft, about 12 minutes. Stir in the Almonds and heat for 3 minutes. Mix the yolks and Salt with the Cream; add the Lemon Juice; pour 1/2 cup hot soup into Egg mixture. stir well. slowly pour this mixture into the soup. Stir well. Heat 2 or 3 minutes, stirring, and serve warm.

Salad...

Sallat.

Turnips, quartered
Parsnips, sliced
Beets, quartered
St. John’s Bread (i.e., Carob)
Almonds
Filberts
Cabbage, shredded
large Prunes
Figs
Dates
Golden Raisins
dried Apple Rounds
dried honeyed Pineapple, cut in small wedges
Lumbard or sharp Mustard
Brown Sugar

~ In lightly salted water boil the turnips and parsnips for 5 to 7 minutes so that they retain their firmness but lose their hardness. Similarly boil the beets, separately. Toss the rest of the ingredients and serve as an ordinary salad.

Bread (for dinner)...

Parsley Bread.

2 packages active dry Yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Rosemary
1 3/4 cups warm Water
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Basil
6 Tablespoons Honey
2/3 cup finely chopped fresh Parsley
7 to 8 cups (or more) unbleached white Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Cinnamon
couple of drops natural green vegetable color
6 small whole eggs plus one yolk
2/3 cup currants, softened in warm water
Butter, for greasing bowls
1 2/3 Tablespoons coarse Salt
6 Tablespoons melted Shortening

~ Sprinkle yeast on 4 cup of the warm water; stir in honey. Ferment 5 minutes. Add remaining warm water; beat in 3 cups of flour. Beat with wooden spoon for about 200 strokes. Cover with damp towel, put in warm place, and allow this sponge to rise for 30-45 minutes, or until doubled.
Stir down. Beat 5 whole eggs plus one yolk. Stir in currants. Beat in salt and melted butter or oil. Mix into the dough. In a mortar crush the dried herbs and chopped Parsley to a paste. Mix in Cinnamon. Add to batter and beat well. (Bread should be a green hue. If color from parsley isn’t strong enough, add green food color—sparingly.) Add remaining flour first with a spoon, then with hands, until dough comes away from the side of the bowl. Turn out onto lightly floured board or marble and knead until smooth, shiny, and elastic, about 10-12 minutes, adding small amounts of flour if necessary. Preheat oven to 375°, bake for about 50 minutes, or until nicely browned and loaf sounds hollow when rapped on top and bottom. Cool on rack.

Nutterbrede.

8 Egg yolks and 8 egg whites, separated
1 cup Raspberry Preserves
3 cups Sugar
Butter, for greasing
2 Tort Pans
2 cups coarsely ground Walnuts
1/4 teaspoon Cloves
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

~ Beat Egg whites until stiff. Fold into sugared yolks. Add spices to Nuts. Pour into two well-greased tort pans, approximately 8 inches in diameter and 144 inches deep. Bake at 350° for 3/4 of an hour. Remove from pans to rack and cool.

Main Course...

Porpoise Pudding.

4 pound Pike, whole, with head and tail intact
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Fish Stock (or dry White Wine)
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Ginger
2 cups Oatmeal
2/3 cup Raisins 4 Tablespoons melted butter for basting

~ Preheat oven to 400°. Mix oatmeal, raisins, salt, pepper, and ginger. Melt butter in baking dish large enough to accommodate the Pike. Pour off half the melted Butter into the Oatmeal mixture. Add Fish Stock and stir. Stuff the pike about two-thirds full with this “pudding,” allowing for its expansion in cooking and for complete closure of the fish. Carefully sew the fish closed with needle and heavy thread. Shape leftover pudding into small balls. Place fish in buttered baking pan. Arrange pudding balls around the fish so that they bake until crisp. Brush fish and pudding balls with melted butter. Baste 4 times during baking.

Bake for 30 minutes or until fish is tender and juicy. Serve warm.

Nekkesan (Swan Neck Pudding).

Gizzard, liver, heart, and neck of one large bird
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup fresh chopped Parsley
1/8 teaspoon Pepper
2 cups Chicken Broth
2/3 cup currants
1/4 teaspoon Mace
3 raw Eggs
1/4 teaspoon Cloves
1 Tablespoon melted butter

~ Preheat oven to 375°. Carefully remove the neck skin from the flesh, tendons, and bones beneath, making a cylindrical sheath. Sew one end to seal it, creating a long sausagelike container for filling. Boil giblets with parsley and broth until tender, about 15 minutes. Discard parsley broth. Carefully remove meat from neck, discarding all bone and gristle. Finely shred the neck meat. Chop gizzard, heart, and liver and mix with neck meat. Stir all spices together with the currants; mix with giblets. Beat raw eggs and stir into giblets.

Stuff the neck skin about 34 full with mixture and sew the open end. Roast 25 minutes at 375° until crisp. Serve the neck pudding in rounds.

Humble Pie.

3 pounds honey-comb Tripe
1 teaspoon powdered Ginger
3 cups Water
1 Tablespoon Vinegar
1 teaspoon Salt
2 Eggs
2 cups Beef Broth
9-inch Pastry shell
1 cup Wine
1/4 teaspoon pepper

~ Boil Tripe in Water and Salt for 1/2 hour. Preheat oven to 275°. Drain Tripe and discard boiling Water. Cut Tripe into small pieces, about 1 inch across. In heavy covered casserole, combine Broth, Spices, Wine, vinegar, and tripe. Bring to simmer. Bake at slowest simmer for 10 hours until Tripe is tender. Reset oven to 400°. Put Tripe in pastry shell. Bake for 40 minutes until pie is set and crust nicely browned.

Before serving, sprinkle cinnamon sugar on crust of pastry.

Desert...

Medieval Shortbread.

3 cups all-purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon powdered Ginger
1/2 cup superfine Sugar
3/4 teaspoon Allspice
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Cardamon
1 cup Butter (at room temperature)

~ Preheat oven to 350°. Combine sugar, spices, and salt evenly. Separate into 2 equal portions, reserving one. On strong, clean kneading surface mix gently, by hand, one-half the spice mixture into the flour. Squeeze butter in hands, and bit by bit add spiced flour by working it into butter on the board. Take time to thoroughly integrate dry and butter mixture. Press batter into 8" square, shallow pan. Score the surface of shortbread. Bake 1 hour or less until firm and yellow, not brown. Often tastes better several days old.

Salmon Pie Tart.

1 pound cooked Salmon
1/8 teaspoon Ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 Lemon
1/4 cup raisins
1 cup Figs
1/4 cup Currants
1 cup Red or White Wine
1 1/2 Tablespoons Pine Nuts
1/2 cup Dates
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground Cloves
1/8 teaspoon Mace

~ Preheat oven to 375°. Squeeze Lemon onto chunks of Salmon. Simmer Figs in wine for 10 minutes until soft. Remove Figs to mixing bowl. In Wine simmer Dates 3 minutes. Reserve Dates. To the figs, spices except the pine nuts. Add raisins and currants and mix. Place this mixture in the bottom of the pie shell, evenly distributing the fruits. Scatter pine nuts evenly over the mixture. Close pie shell and bake 30-40 minutes.

After-Dinner Drink...

Maumenyne Bastarde (Medieval Mulled Wine)...

Ingredients: 1 pottel (2 quarts) clarified Honey, 1 pound Sandalwood, 1 pound Pine Nuts, 1 pound Cinnamon, 1 pound Currants, 2 gallons Wine (or ale), 1 pound Pepper, 3 pounds Almonds, 1 gallon Wine, powdered Ginger, 1 "good gallon" Wine that has slightly turned, Saffron

~ Mix all of these in one gigantic pot. Heat for 10 minutes. Strew powdered ginger on the surface.