Turnips baked with cheese

2 lbs white turnips, peeled
10-12 oz. good Swiss cheese, minced
1/4 lb. butter, melted
pinch of allspice and/or nutmeg, to taste
salt and pepper, also to taste

If roasting meat, boil turnips 5 min., then add to meat and roast 10-15 min.; or just boil them until barely tender. Allow turnips to cool while mincing the cheese, then slice them. Place a layer of the cheese in a well-buttered baking dish, top with a layer of turnips, spices, and some butter; continue alternating layers, ending with more cheese. Place in a moderate oven just long enough to melt the cheese. You can cover and microwave it about 5 min. instead but that's really not authentic.

From: Hieatt, Hosington, and Butler, Pleyn Delit : medieval cookery for modern cooks. University of Toronto Press, w996. ISBN: 0802076327.

In recreationist circles, this dish is something of an "old standby," easy and popular. The boil-then-roast technique shows up a lot in medieval cooking; I'm told it was considered healthier than cooking with just one method. The medical science of the day held that combining wet and dry heat would balance the humors of the resulting dish.

Esperanta traduko: this post is also available in Esperanto, because Dana is a language geek.

Slow cooker "chyken in hocchee"

1/2-1 cup white grapes, with or without seeds (enough to loosely fill cavity)
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp fresh parsley
1 Tbsp fresh sage, or 1/2 Tbsp. dried rubbed sage
1/4 tsp fresh thyme, or slightly less dried
other herbs as desired (fans of Scarborough Fair might like some rosemary)
1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice or white wine vinegar
1 small roasting chicken (or 2 game hens)
1/2 cup chicken broth (or, in a pinch, water)
cinnamon, sugar, ginger, and salt to taste

Combine grapes, garlic, herbs, and lemon juice. Stuff the chicken with grape mixture and place in slow cooker. Add broth, and cook about 6 hours, or until done, on med. Remove skin if desired. Sprinkle bird with spices and serve.

Notes
The original medieval recipe from which this is adapted calls for sour grapes; if you can get unripe grapes and want a more authentic dish, use them and leave out the lemon juice or vinegar. If you are using ripe grapes, I would suggest using the smallest ones you can get, although it comes out quite well even with huge mainstream ones.

Adapted from: Hieatt, Hosington, and Butler, Pleyn Delit : medieval cookery for modern cooks. University of Toronto Press, 1996. ISBN: 0802076327

The rest of the story

The food bank's TEFAP commodities this month included a frozen chicken, which was nice but wouldn't fit in my freezer. So with it thawing in the fridge, I hit the books and found a nice medieval roast chicken recipe, but it was, ideally, to be cooked in a clay pot. Well, I don't have a clay pot, but it sounded fairly suitable for my slow cooker, so I tried that.

The idea of fruit combined with meat surprises some, but it's not that unusual even in mainstream fare: turkey with cranberry sauce, pork and apples or applesauce, ham in raisin sauce. I'm a big fan of fruit/meat combos:
Pork and peaches
Chicken, asparagus, amd pears
Fish and bananas

Esperanta traduko: this post is also available in Esperanto, because Dana is a language geek.

Cranberry season again

While searching through my recipes for how long to process the cranberry sauce I was canning, I came across these interesting recipes from 1921. Since the food bank often has fruit toward the end of its season, I decided to go ahead and share them. Enjoy!

Cranberry Butter
three pints cranberries
1/2 cup water
2 cups sugar (or 2 cups white corn syrup)

Cook the cranberries and water until the skins of the fruit are broken, then press thru a sieve. Cook this pulp until it becomes quite thick, add the sugar (or syrup, if you use it) and cook for 1/2 hour over a very gentle fire, stirring constantly. When slightly cool, turn into jars and cover closely. This makes a delicious and healthful spread on hot biscuits, bread, buttered toast or cake.


Cranberry pie
Have ready a partly baked pastry shell. When cold, pour in filling made from cranberry sauce recipes; put strips of pastry over top and finish baking in a moderate oven.



Cranberry Mock Mince-Meat
2 lbs. chopped apples
3 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup chopped citron
1 1/2 cups cranberry sauce
1/2 cup vinegar
1 1/2 cups chopped raisins
1/4 teaspoon each of cloves and cinnamon
1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons lemon juice

Put all ingredients into a kettle and cook slowly until thick.

Cranberry Mince-Meat
To the above recipe [i.e. Cranberry Mock Mince-Meat] add:
1 1/2 cups cooked beef hearts put through a meat chopper
1/2 cup stock in which hearts were cooked

From: Cranberries : twenty-five ways of preparing for table / Leila W. Hunt. Extension Service, State College of Washington, Nov. 1921 (Bulletin No. 76).



Esperanta traduko: this post is also available in Esperanto, because Dana is a language geek.

Mammy's banana cake

1 c sugar
2/3 c butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp. baking soda
4 ripe bananas
1/2 c chopped nuts (optional)

Mix in the usual fashion for a cake*. Bake in an 8- or 9-inch square pan at 350F for 35-40 min.

The rest of the story
This recipe originally came from my mother's "Mammy" (grandmother), who would have been cooking for children in the early 20th century in, approximately, Arkansas. Mom would have eaten this in the 1930s-1940s. I'm not sure which grandmother "Mammy" was -- 50% chance it was the one on whose farm my mother grew up during the Depression as part of a multi-generational extended family -- but I do remember my mother's delight at getting her hands on this recipe. We made it together within the week.

Then I misplaced it. I'd been looking for it for awhile now, because I was pretty sure I'd had it at some point. I particularly wanted it because the food bank almost always has bananas, but they're often very ripe and/or badly bruised (bananas bruise incredibly easily) -- perfect for banana bread (meh) or Mammy's banana cake! So now I'm almost as delighted as Mom was to have it again. Even if it did mean going through an entire file box of old printouts and photocopies.

As a side note, my family seems to have a tradition of losing and rediscovering grandmothers' recipes, and I am extremely grateful for the rediscovery part of that. And... let's see, my soapbox has to be around here somewhere... Labor Day weekend is coming up, a nice three-day with few socially-mandated activities connected to it; why not take this time to gather your favorite recipes from any remaining parents, grandparents, or even great-grandparents? And if you're a parent/grandparent/great-grandparent, why not gather up your descendants' favorite recipes into a notebook or (well backed-up) computer file as a first-apartment-warming gift? Your descendant is only six? Well, put it somewhere safe until it's wanted, but write 'em out now; your survival is not guaranteed. Your descendants are already on their second mortgage? Well then, it's about time they had their culinary birthright!

*There are about three different ways to mix cake batter, depending on the age of the recipe. When I make this cake, I just go with the given order of ingredients: cream the butter, sugar, and eggs, add the flour and baking soda, then the bananas and nuts. I need to do more research on this topic; I vaguely remember reading about a "new" method of mixing cake batter that appeared in the mid-20th century and made the process much easier, but recall none of the details (how frustrating).

Esperanta traduko: this post is also available in Esperanto, because Dana is a language geek.

Broccoli with fennel

1 large fennel bulb, about 8 oz.
8 oz. broccoli florets
2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, marjoram, and/or savory to taste

Trim top from fennel and cut bulb into eighths. Parboil fennel and broccoli about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Heat oil, add broccoli and fennel, and toss to coat. Cover and let steam over low heat, shaking pan occasionally, until done, 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle with herbs.

Adapted from: The original Mediterranean cuisine : medieval recipes for today / Barbara Santich. Chicago Review Press, c1995.

Versión en español: this post is also available in Spanish.
Esperanta traduko: this post is also available in Esperanto, because Dana is a language geek.

Spiced cherries

Spiced cherries

The Royal Anne is the cherry that gives the best results in spicing. Put the cherries into a stone jar or porcelain pan. Heat one quart of good cider vinegar with two coffee cups of sugar; put into a muslin bag one teaspoon each of various spices, heat with the vinegar and sugar to the boiling point, then pour over the cherries and let stand over night. Repeat this a second time. Then put the cherries in glass bottles or jars, heat the vinegar a third time, pour over and seal. Fine with meats. Prunes are good spiced by this recipe, but the skins of the prunes must be pricked with a fork to prevent bursting.

From: Jennings, Linda Deziah (compiler), Washington women's cook book. The Washington Equal Suffrage Association, 1908.

Versión en español: this post is also available in Spanish.
Esperanta traduko: this post is also available in Esperanto, because Dana is a language geek.

Newsletters: 8 Sept, 2010

Excerpt from the Market Newsletter originally published on 8 Sept, 2010. View the full newsletter for all the photos and links.

Cooking, and reading about cooking
I don't have any questions to answer this week, which means I get to pick something from my own collection. If you enjoyed the medieval recipes I shared last spring, you should find these classical Greek and Roman reconstructions interesting too.

Cheese and sesame sweatmeats
(Globi, from Philoxenus and Cato)
1.25 c. milk
2 Tbsp. semolina
3 Tbsp. honey (divided)
4 oz. ricotta cheese
.75 c. lightly roasted sesame seeds (divided)
olive or vegetable oil for deep-frying
Bring the milk to a boil and sprinkle the semolina over it, stirring constantly. Cook briefly but do not let it burn. Allow to cool slightly, stirring occasionally, until it forms a firm paste. Add 1 Tbsp. honey and the cheese; mix well and stir in the sesame seeds. Heat oil in a deep-fryer or saucepan until a little of the mixture dropped into the oil rises and begins to color. Form mixture into balls between two spoons and drop into the oil 2-3 at a time. Turn occasionally until they are golden-brown on all sides; lift from the oil and drain on paper towels. Warm the remaining honey and toss the cooked balls in it, then in the remaining sesame seeds. May be served hot or cold.

Garlic cheese
(Moretum, from a poem attributed to Virgil)
2 bulbs garlic (very roughly, 15-25 cloves)
8 oz. Pecorino Romano cheese
1 large handful cilantro
2 tsp. chopped fresh rue
2 heaped tsp. chopped fresh celery leaf
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
Peel and roughly chop the garlic and herbs; grate the cheese. If you are grinding by hand, start with the garlic and salt and break it down to a pulp, then add the cheese and herbs. When you have a smooth mixture add the liquids and mix well. If you are using a food processor, process all the solid ingredients into a smooth mixture, then add the liquids. Chill. Serve with a crusty loaf as a snack.

Both recipes this week are from: The classical cookbook / Andrew Dalby and Sally Grainger. J. Paul Getty Museum, c1996.

Newsletters: 24 Aug 2011

Excerpt from the Market Newsletter originally published on 24 Aug 2011. View the full newsletter for all the photos and links.

In the belly
Tomatoes are native to central America and were cultivated by the Aztecs. They belong to the nightshade family, which also includes chili peppers, potatoes, and eggplants. This may be why people in some places and times have been leery of eating them. Tomatoes are rich in vitamins A, C, and K, potassium, manganese, and the anti-oxidant lycopene, which gives them their red color. Other flavinoid compounds in tomatoes are good for the eyes. Tomatoes are also helpful against urinary tract infections, skin ailments, diabetes, thrombosis (blood clots), inflammation, and hypertension. Cooking tomatoes actually makes the lycopene more accessible, especially when eaten with a little fat or oil -- so it could be argued that spaghetti is a health food (I'll take any excuse I can get).

In the kitchen
With much less fanfare than the carrots, apricots, and blueberries, the humble cabbage has arrived at the market. As far as I'm concerned, the only thing to do with cabbage is shred it and fry it up in bacon fat, but many people prefer to make it into cole slaw or sauerkraut.

Sweet and sour cole slaw
6 c (1 lb.) red or green cabbage, shredded
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
1/2 c sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt or 1 tsp. table salt
1/4 tsp. celery seed
6 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 c rice wine vinegar (use cider vinegar if making ahead)
pepper to taste
Toss all ingredients but oil, vinegar, and pepper; let stand in a colander 1-4 hours, until cabbage wilts. Discard drained liquid and remove to bowl; add oil and vinegar and toss to coat. Season to taste. May be refrigerated, covered, up to 2 days.
Variation: add 1 tsp. curry powder, 1 peeled, chopped apple, and 1/4 c raisins with the oil and vinegar.
From: The best recipe / by the editors of Cook's illustrated. Boston Common Press, c1999.

Mixed pickles (aka Compost)
2 lb. mixed parsley roots, carrots, radishes, turnips, peeled, thinly sliced
1 lb. white cabbage, cored and shredded
1 lb. hard eating pears, peeled, cored, and chopped
6 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. saffron strands
2 c white wine vinegar, divided
2 oz. currants
2.5 c fruity white wine
6 Tbsp. clear honey
1 tsp. French mustard
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. anise seed
1/4 tsp. fennel seed
2 oz. white sugar
Slowly bring root vegetables and cabbage to a boil in a large pan of water; add pears. Cook until pears start to soften; drain and spread in a 2-inch layer in a shallow, non-metallic dish. Sprinkle with salt, ginger, saffron, and 4 Tbsp. vinegar. Cover and let sit 12 hours. Rinse well and add currants. Pack into sterilized jars, leaving at least 1 inch headspace. Bring wine and honey to a simmer; skim. Add remaining ingredients, including the rest of the vinegar. Reduce heat and stir without boiling until sugar dissolves. Return to a boil and pour over vegetables, covering them by 1/2 inch. Cover with vinegar-proof seals.
From: The medieval cookbook / Maggie Black. British Museum Press, c1992.

Cabbage the Athenian way
1 small white cabbage, finely sliced, washed, drained
2 heaped tsp. chopped fresh green coriander in oil
2 tsp. chopped fresh or dried rue
3 Tbsp. honey vinegar
2 pinches asafoetida powder
salt
Toss cabbage with coriander, rue, and honey vinegar. Sprinkle with asafeotida powder and salt.

Honey vinegar
1/2 c honey
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
Bring honey to a boil and skim. Add vinegar; continue boiling until it reduces a little.
From: The classical cookbook / Andrew Dalby and Sally Grainger. J. Paul Getty Museum, c1996.

Newsletters: 29 June, 2011

Excerpt from the Market Newsletter originally published on 29 June, 2011. View the full newsletter for all the photos and links.

In the belly
Fresh strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin c (1 cup supplies 140% of the RDA), fiber, folate and potassium. They have been linked with lower blood pressure and may help against cancer, memory loss, diabetes, gout, constipation, and sluggish liver. They contain flavinoids that help cholesterol from damaging artery walls, and antioxidants that also have anti-inflamatory properties. They're even good for the eyes. The Romans acknowledged the medicinal properties of strawberries, and Native Americans treated digestive complaints with strawberry leaf tea.

Although strawberries have been eaten in Europe since ancient times, the modern commercial strawberry is a mix of varieties from the Americas and Europe. Defining "berry" popularly, the strawberry is the world's most popular berry (defined technically, the banana is the most popular, and strawberries aren't really berries at all).

You can find more info at World's Healthiest Foods and Organic facts.net.

In the kitchen
As I promised (or threatened) last week, I checked Dalby and Grainger for pea recipes, but they only give one. However, I found two medieval recipes in good ol' Pleyn Delit, so you still get historic pea recipes this week.

Vitellian peas
8 oz. marrowfat or other dried peas, or substitute 1 lb. fresh fava beans
3/4 inch fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped
2 tsp. chopped lovage or celery leaves
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3 egg yolks, cooked
3 Tbsp. honey (+ more to taste)
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
2/3 c white wine
1/3 c white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Soak peas overnight in cold water, strain, and cover again with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender, 1 to 1.5 hours, adding more water if needed. Drain and beat (or puree in a food processer) until smooth. If using broad beans, boil 4-6 min., until tender, drain and puree. Pound ginger, lovage, and pepper in a mortar. Add egg yolks and pound until a smooth paste forms. Stir in honey and fish sauce until smooth. Flush out the mortar into a saucepan with the wine and vinegar; add oil and simmer gently for a few minutes. Add the peas and reheat. Add more honey if desired.
From: The classical cookbook / Andrew Dalby and Sally Grainger. J. Paul Getty Museum, c1996.

Grene pesen (Green peas)
3 lb fresh shelled peas, or 20 oz. frozen peas
1 c beef broth
2 sprigs parsley
a few leaves of fresh mint, or 1/2 tsp. dried
1-2 fresh sage leaves (1/8 to 1/4 tsp. dried)
sprig of savory (1/8 to 1/4 tsp. dried)
1 slice bread, crusts removed
Boil peas about 12 min until almost done (less for frozen). Blend herbs and bread with enough broth to moisten. Drain peas and add about 1/2 c to the herbs; blend into a smooth, fairly thick sauce, adding more broth as needed. Gently reheat remaining peas in this sauce

Pois en cosse (Peasecods)
2 lb. young peas in the pod, untrimmed
2 Tbsp butter
salt to taste
Boil peapods in salted water 10-15 min., until done. Stir in butter and serve.
From: Pleyn delit : medieval cookery for modern cooks / Constance B. Hieatt, Brenda Hosington, and Sharon Butler. University of Toronto Press, c1996.

Newsletters: 1 June, 2011

Excerpt from the Market Newsletter originally published on 1 June, 2011 (there were earlier ones, but this is the first to include non-market information and recipes). View the full newsletter for all the photos and links.

In the flesh
Raw rhubarb is a good source of fiber, potassium, magnesium, manganese, and vitamins c and K. It is a traditional remedy for indigestion, and has been linked to lowered blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It also has anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergy properties. Some claim that regular doses of rhubarb extract will diminish hot flashes.

Rhubarb is related to buckwheat, thrives in cold climates, and is native to western China, Tibet, Mongolia, and Siberia. Look for deep red stalks, which will be sweeter and richer, that have been pulled rather than cut; but whatever you do, don't eat the leaves!

In the kitchen
There's something about spring and beginnings that makes me want to play with historic recipes. Here are some comparatively recent ones I found in the historic cookbooks at the State Library (yes, they're still open to the general public, at least for now...).

Rhubarb Conserve
1 lb. rhubarb, washed and sliced
2 c sugar
1/2 c raisins
Juice and grated peel of 1 lemon or 1/2 orange
Sprinkle rhubarb with sugar. Mix with remaining ingredients and let stand a half hour to draw the juice. Bring slowly to boiling and simmer until thick, about 1/2 hour. Let cool and seal.
From: 28 delicious ways to serve Sumner hot-house rhubarb. Sumner Rhubarb Growers Association, [1930]

Chili butter
1 Tbsp. chili sauce
2 Tbsp. butter
toast round
thin slice liver sausage
paprika
Mix chili sauce and butter. Spread on toast round, top with liver sausage, and sprinkle with paprika.
From: Yum-yum recipes. Compiled and pub. by the Tonasket Civic League, 1938.

Lettuce cocktail
1 crisp head lettuce, cut fine with scissors
4 Tbsp catsup
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
4 hard boiled eggs, shredded
4 Tbsp. vinegar
3 Tbsp. sugar
4 small onions, shredded
salt to taste
Mix lettuce, eggs, and onions. Melt butter and allow to cool; add catsup, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, vinegar, and salt. To serve, pour sauce mixture over lettuce mixture and chill in cocktail glasses.
From: Yum-yum recipes. Compiled and pub. by the Tonasket Civic League, 1938.

Newsletters: 2 June, 2010

Partly for fun and partly to avoid work, I thought it would be interesting to republish the less ephemeral bits of some old newsletters. Besides, why should recycling be limited to stuff? In an attempt to retain some seasonality here, I'll be posting them at what I calculate to be the opposite time of year as the original post -- so if this blog turns out to have any readers in the southern hemisphere (and if there is anyone, please drop me a line to say hi and make my day, I'm at TTCFMweb["at" sign]gmail.com), they should be just about in the right season for you.

Some of the recipes will have already been posted here once, but they're on a different context here. Besides, as I already mentioned, I'm avoiding work this winter.

Oh, and please be assured, I will be writing new posts this winter as topics occur to me (or are suggested by readers, hint, hint), so there will be some fresh info showing up as well.

So here we go. Excerpt from the Market Newsletter originally published on 1 June, 2011 (there were earlier ones, but this is the first to include non-market information and recipes). View the full newsletter for all the photos and links.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I got rushed and forgot to put [a recipe] in last week, so I'll send two this week. They're from Pleyn delit, a classic book of medieval recipes interpreted for the modern cook. The first is fifteenth century English; no date is given for the second, Middle Eastern one. Enjoy!

Buttered Wortes (buttered greens)
2-3 lbs beet greens, spinach, or other greens, plus some parsley
2-3 leeks
2 Tbsp (or more) butter
4-6 slices bread, diced and lightly toasted
Blanch greens and leeks in a large pot of boiling, salted water for 3-4 minutes, no longer. Drain in a colander; squeeze out excess water with a potato masher or broad spoon, then chop roughly by running a knife through the mass in the colander. Combine with butter and 1/2 cup fresh water in a pan; stir, cover, and leave over very low heat for another five minutes. Salt to taste and serve mixed with the bread cubes.

Isfanakh Mutajjan (fried spinach)
2 lbs fresh spinach, washed and trimmed
2-3 Tbsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp salt
1-2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tsp)
1/4 tsp each ground cumin and coriander
pinch ground cinnamon
Parboil the spinach in a large pot of salted water for 2-4 minutes. Press out excess water and chop the spinach roughly. Stir-fry in the oil until fragrant, adding the spices towards the end; or put in a heavy saucepan or casserole with the oil and spices, stir, and leave to cook over very low heat another 10-15 minutes; or cook, covered, in a low oven 15-20 minutes (or microwave 3-4 minutes if that doesn't seem too weird).

Spiced grape juice

3-4 lbs. white grapes, or a combination of white, red, and purple grapes*
water as needed
generous 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick
4 cloves
1/4-inch piece of long pepper**
dash nutmeg
9 cardamom seeds
1/4 tsp. grains of paradise**
1/4 tsp. chopped ginger

Wash and stem grapes. Place in a kettle and add enough water to keep grapes from burning. Slowly heat grapes, occasionally mashing and stirring, until they start to simmer. Simmer grapes (still mashing and stirring occasionally) until soft and starting to burst, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a jelly bag or several layers of cheesecloth and let juice drain into a kettle or bowl (I have found that cheesecloth laid over a steamer basket fitted into a good-sized kettle works well). Leave to drip several hours, then squeeze bag or cheesecloth to express any remaining juice. Discard skins and chill juice at least 24 hours to allow lees to settle.

Pour off juice, either being careful not to disturb sediment or filtering through a coffee filter. Adjust the amount to about 750 ml. (3-3 1/4 cups). Place all spices except ginger in a mortar and grind coarsely; add to juice along with ginger. Return juice to refrigerator and let sit; taste just before bedtime and make any adjustments in spices you think necessary (remembering that spices will grow stronger); add sugar or honey if you want (not recommended); let sit at least overnight. At this point it's ready to drink.

If you've made enough to can, strain juice through another coffee filter, a tea towel or similar cloth (remembering that the juice will stain), or a layer or two of good-quality paper towels to remove spices. Bring juice to a boil and pour into sterilized jars, leaving at least 1/4-inch headspace. Process in boiling water 5 minutes for quarts or smaller. If you can this in jelly jars, you have nice individual drinks that don't have to be refrigerated, although you'll want to pack a can opener in that lunch.

Adapted from: To the king's taste / Lorna J. Sass, in an attempt to mimic the muste served at the Bors Hede.

Juicing and canning instructions from the National Center for Home Food Preservation

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*It is possible to use bottled grape juice for this recipe, but juice from concentrate is significantly sweeter than juice that has never been concentrated -- so much so that I cannot recommend it. If you can find bottled juice that is a mix of from-concentrate and never-concentrated, you can try adjusting the sweetness by adding the acid blend used in winemaking (I have not had good results from trying this with juice that is all from concentrate, however).

**Try Buck's or Penzey's for the more unusual spices; grains of paradise can sometimes also be found among brewing and winemaking supplies.

Versión en español: this post is also available in Spanish.
Esperanta traduko: this post is also available in Esperanto, because Dana is a language geek.

Vitellian Beans

1 lb. fresh fava beans, shelled and peeled (if desired)
3/4-inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped
2 tsp. fresh lovage or celery leaf, chopped
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 cooked egg yolks
3 Tbsp. honey (plus more if desired)
2 Tbsp. fish sauce (your preferred garum substitute, such as colatura di Alici, nuoc mam, or nam pla)
5 fl. oz. white wine
3 fl. oz. white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. olive oil

Cook beans in boiling salted water until tender, 4-6 minutes; drain and puree. Pound ginger, lovage, and pepper in a mortar; add egg yolks and continue until it forms a smooth paste. Add honey and fish sauce; stir until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan, rinsing the mortar into pan with the wine and vinegar. Add oil and simmer gently a few minutes. Combine with beans and reheat if needed. If desired, sweeten with more honey.

Recipe originally from De Re Coquinaria" (compiled in the 4th or 5th century C.E. and commonly referred to by the supposed author, Apicius). This version adapted from The Classical Cookbook / Andrew Dalby and Sally Grainger. J. Paul Getty Museum, 1996. ISBN: 0892363940

Versión en español: this post is also available in Spanish.
Esperanta traduko: this post is also available in Esperanto, because Dana is a language geek.

Butterboos

Just in time to help you break your new resolutions, here is my grandmother's best chocolate recipe. It's not difficult, but it is fiddly and can't be rushed. If you haven't worked with chocolate before, you may want to read up on it a little before you start.

6 oz. milk chocolate (Hershey’s quality) + about 3-4 oz. for coating
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp. butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
finely chopped nuts (walnuts are traditional, but almonds or filberts are also good)

Melt chocolate and butter over hot water. Blend in milk and vanilla (it will go a little grainy, but will smooth out again). Pour into a shallow pan lined with foil and chill for at least 2 hours (if chilling overnight, cover it closely to prevent the top drying out). Roll into balls and rechill briefly while melting chocolate for dipping. Dip balls into melted chocolate (for best results, keep half the batch in the fridge while dipping the other half) and roll in chopped nuts. Place on waxed paper to cool. If your kitchen is warm, they may flatten a little while cooling; to prevent this, return them to fridge to cool.

Yield: not nearly enough. I recommend making a double batch.

Notes:
If you find some dry, crunchy edges when you roll the centers, you can melt the hard bits between your fingers a little to soften them (or, of course, you can pick them out and eat them, but you may actually not want any chocolate for a few hours after making these).

Avoid subjecting the finished butterboos to sudden temperature changes, especially if you have omitted the nuts; the chocolate may bloom. If you need to ship them, you'll want to use special coating chocolate (which mostly isn't really chocolate anymore) or temper the chocolate before dipping (which is better but makes the process even more fiddly).

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This recipe has a history:
My father's parents lived in the little town of Davenport, WA. My grandfather had a gas station and car dealership and for many years they gave out boxes of my grandmother's handmade candy to their regular customers at Christmas -- they finally stopped in the late 1960s, I think because of a new law. By that time she was making something like 100 lbs. of the stuff: peanut brittle, peppermint bark, fudge, divinity, turtles.... She would start right after Thanksgiving and by mid-December her pantry was full of it all. The whole family would help to pack the gift boxes, thousands of little paper cups all over.

By the time Grandma died, my mother had many of her recipes, but not this one. For several years we thought butterboos were out of our lives forever. When I came across it at last, I started giving it to anyone who would take it, to ensure that I would be able to get it back if I ever misplaced my copy.

Yes, there's a moral to this story:
This slow time of the year is perfect for making sure your children and grandchildren have all those recipes you're so famous for, and for making sure you have all your favorites from your grandparents and parents while they're still around to find them for you. In fact, why not get a recorder out and do a whole oral history project while you're at it?

Versión en español: this post is also available in Spanish
Esperanta traduko: this post is also available in Esperanto, because Dana is a language geek.

Spinach ring

2 cups cooked spinach, sieved
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup bread crumbs
butter ball
salt
pepper
chopped parsley

Add to the above two beaten egg whites. Bake in ring form which has been buttered and sprinkled with parsley. Put in pan of boiling water and bake 30 minutes. Serve with poulette sauce of mushrooms or hard boiled eggs.

From: Peach Blossom cook book. Wenatchee Milling Company, [192-?],
available in the Washington State Library's Rare Book collection.

Versión en español: this post is also available in Spanish.
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Golden leeks and onions (Blaunche porre)

1 tsp. saffron threads
2 Tbsp. boiling water
6 med. leeks, white part only, sliced into thin rings
3 med. onions, peeled and chopped
1 pint chicken broth
1/3 tsp. light brown sugar
sprinkle of "pouder douce" or a pinch each of white pepper, cinnamon, and cloves

Soak the saffron in the boiling water until the water is a deep golden color. Place all ingredients in a large pan and cook, uncovered, 6-8 minutes. Drain to serve as a vegetable dish or add more broth to serve as a thick soup. For a brighter golden color, add a drop of yellow food coloring.

The original medieval recipe called for the addition of small birds such as blackbirds or finches, so it would not be inappropriate to add some chicken pieces to the dish -- just make sure they're small enough to cook through in the 6-8 minutes the vegetables will take.

Adapted from: Black, Maggie, The Medieval Cookbook. British Museum Press, 1992. ISBN: 0714105562

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Honey candy

Here are a couple of honey treats from the ancient world, as recreated by Andrew Dalby and Sally Grainger in The Classical Cookbook (J. Paul Getty Museum, 1996. ISBN: 0892363940).

Delian sweets (Greek)

3/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour (preferably unbleached)
olive oil for deep frying
2 Tbsp. warm honey
poppy seeds or ground black pepper for sprinkling

Vigorously beat flour in water and let cook for a few minutes. Turn out onto a large plate or, if available, a marble slab. Let cool completely; it should be firm but a little sticky. While the oil heats, cut flour mixture into cubes. Test the oil with a little of the mixture; when it rises and colors, the oil is ready. Cook cubes 2-3 at a time in the oil for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and drain on kitchen paper, then drizzle with honey and sprinkle with poppy seeds or pepper.

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Alexandrian sweets (Roman)

1 cup sesame seeds
3/4 cup (total) chopped almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts
3/4 cup honey

Roast sesame seeds and nuts at 350F until they begin to color. Bring honey to a boil, skim, and simmer 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sesame seeds and nuts. Spread in a greased baking tray or shallow dish to cool. When cool enough to handle, form into small balls; wrap in pieces of paper to store.

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Medieval strawberry dessert

1 pint strawberries, hulled
1/4-1/2 cup red wine
2 Tbsp. rice flour
1/3 cup sugar
pinch each black pepper, ground ginger, cinnamon, salt
1 1/4 cups almond milk (unflavored)
1 Tbsp. butter or lard
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. dried currants

Pour wine over strawberries and mix gently, then pour off and discard the wine. Blend or process strawberries, rice flour, sugar, spices, and almond milk. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, and boil about 2 minutes to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in butter, then vinegar and currants. Pour into serving dish(es) and chill.

From: Hieatt, Hosington, and Butler, Pleyn Delit : medieval cookery for modern cooks. University of Toronto Press, 1996. ISBN: 0802076327

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Medieval mixed pickles

In recreationist circles, this dish is often called by its amusing medieval name, Compost.

2 lb. total parsley roots, carrots, radishes, and turnips, peeled and thinly sliced
1 lb. white cabbage, cored and shredded
1 lb. hard pears, peeled, cored, and cut up
6 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. saffron
2 cups white wine vinegar (divided)
2 oz. currants
2 1/2 cups fruity white wine
6 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. French mustard
1/8 tsp. each ground cinnamon and ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. each anise and fennel seeds
2 oz. sugar

Bring root vegetables and cabbage to a boil, add pears, and cook until they start to soften. Drain and spread vegetables in a 2-inch layer in a shallow non-metallic dish. Sprinkle with salt, ginger, saffron, and 4 Tbsp. of the vinegar, cover, and let sit 12 hours.

Rinse well and add the currants, then pack into sterilized canning jars, leaving at least 1 inch headspace. Bring wine and honey to a simmer, skim, and add the rest of the vinegar, mustard, cinnamon, pepper, anise, fennel seeds, and sugar. Bring to a boil and pour over vegetables, covering them with 1/2 inch of liquid. Close with vinegar-proof seals and store.

From: Black, Maggie, The Medieval Cookbook. British Museum Press, 1992. ISBN: 0714105562

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