The Cook-A-Long is a virtual kitchen for Medieval and Renaissance Cooking enthusiasts in the SCA. Each month a period recipe will be posted in the original language (when available) and a translation. All cooks are encouraged to try their hand at redacting and preparing the monthly dish and post his/ her results to the blog. If you are interested in becoming a participant in this cook a long, or would like to submit a dish for the month please send an e-mail to valkyr8 (at) yahoo (dot) com.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

February recipe ideas

I decided that January was simply going to be a wash and not stress about it and move onto February. Anyone have any dishes that they would like to suggest? Any culture/ time/ food stuff?

Please make suggestions in the comment section.

Thanks.

Giovanna

10 comments:

ecb said...

Let's see.

February will see Lent begin. Should we do Lenten versions of recipes? What would our personae eat at Lent?

We've done a fowl, a veggie, a fruit. Should we do a grain, or a dairy and wipe out the food groups?

We've done a main dish, a pottage, and a tart/dessert. Should we try for some kind of side dish or a beverage?

Or, maybe we should hit a recipe that can stand the application of some creativity. For instance, in my version of Pleyn Delit, there is a recipe called milkemete. It's *really* bland; I was so disappointed when I made it in my early days of experimental cooking. We could challenge ourselves to not only redact this recipe, but to also seek medieval ways to improve it.

There are some initial thoughts. :-)

ecb said...

Heh. We should cook a barnacle goose. ::snicker:: That's a period Lenten dish.

Alinore said...

Some sort of period cheese dish would be lovely. I've gotten curious lately on the topic of period cheeses. Does anyone have any suggestions on where I should start looking for suggestions on varieties that are usable?

Liz said...

A period cheese could be fun and I would like to pick Danr's brain for suggestions. However I'm thinking we should save the period cheese for the spring, as that would be the time to start making cheese, when the world is all green and the fat in back in the milk.

I think I'm liking Merouda's thoughts and we should look to a lenten dish, or a lenten version of dish. Good thing I have a whole bunch of ground almonds in the freezer. We could also do a dish for Shrove (Fat) Tuesday and get rid of our eggs, butter and milk.

Fat Tuesday falls on the Primary for MN and I think I will be needing some comfort food (and drink) by the end of the night.

ecb said...

Alinore:

Godecookery has a list of cheeses here:

Note that swiss cheese is a descendant of Emmanthal, and so can be substituted for it if you can't find/afford emmanthal.

One of my favoite blogs has this cheese essay, which is useful, amusing, and sorta cited.

And there's a nice article on cheese in the florigium (sp).

That should get you started. :-)

Gwyneth said...

I like the lenten idea as well.

Alinore said...

Could we perhaps do two recipes? A study in contrasts for Shrove Tuesday and then something a little more restrained for Lent?

Liz said...

I think that could work just fine. Do you want to suggest some recipes?

Alinore said...

This looks like a tasty pie for lent.. http://www.godecookery.com/nboke/nboke74.html

Gwyneth said...

It's another fruit, but I kinda want to try this, from Coquinaria (http://www.coquinaria.nl/english/recipes/03.2histrecept.htm)

Fake fish:

The recipe for fake fish also appears in the "Nyeuwen coock boeck" (New cook book) by Gerard Vorselman from 1560

Om gheuormde wijs te maken in die wasten ende oeck calfsoeren.

stoet jn enen mortijer vijf of sees appellen schon gheschelt sonder kersel huijs ende doter jnne van ghestoten amandellen of gheroost pepercock met een luttel sofferaens ende backt dese jn olye of mackt groten wijs backse gheuerwet ende van gheghat jnden ouen Crush in a mortar five or six apples, peeled and cored. Add sugar, ginger and cinnamon, and add some pound almonds or toasted gingerbread with some saffron. Bake this in oil. Or make a big fish: bake this in the oven, painted and with some holes in it.
Item calfs oeren maeckt aldus nempt gheplet deck sausijer ronde maeckt dat dobbel ende dan slaet die tve langen eynden te samen ende dan nempt scherp eynde tussen tve wijnhgheren ende steckt jrst dat runt ende en luttel daer nae met allen ende als dit stijf is nempt dat wijt ende doet daer jnne vanden vorseyde stof sonder sieden ende dijnt dat.

To make formed fish during lent and also calf ears:

Crush in a mortar five or six apples, peeled and cored. Add sugar, ginger and cinnamon, and add some pound almonds or toasted gingerbread with some saffron. Bake this in oil. Or make a big fish: bake this in the oven, painted and with some holes in it.

Calf ears are made thus: Take the flattened dough, rounded like a saucer. Make it double, and take the two long ends together. Then take the pointed end between two fingers, and put first the rounded end in [the boiling oil], and shortly afterwards the whole. Take it out when it is crunchy, and put some of the afore mentioned stuffing in it without boiling [it], and serve it.