To Cook Gourds in Pottage

From Forme of Cury, England, 14th century:

Take young Gowrdes; pare hem and kerue hem on pecys. Cast hem in gode broth, and do þerto a gode pertye of oynouns mynced. Take pork soden; grynde it and alye it þerwith and wiþ yolkes of ayren. Do þerto safroun and salt, and messe it forth with powdour douce.

My Redaction:

6 pints of butternut squash, peeled, cleaned, and cut into 1/2"-1" cubes
12 oz pork loin
1 qt. beef stock
2 small onions, minced
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 pinch saffron

Bring beef stock to a boil in a pot, add pork and reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes, turning as necessary to achieve even cooking. Remove pork from stock and add squash, onions, and egg yolks. Add the saffron and half the salt and bring to a strong simmer.

When the pork has cooled enough to work with, process it on the coarsest setting of a meat grinder, or mince with a knife. Add it back to the simmering squash.

When the pottage has simmered for about 90 minutes, or when the chunks of squash have started to break down and the broth is thick, check the salting and add more to taste. Serve with cinnamon and nutmeg sprinkled on each bowl.

Serves 8.

Notes:

The sweet spices take this from a mundane dish to an engaging one. I have tried it without them, but it is much better with.

The choice of what gourd to use in medieval recipes is always imprecise; I have opted for a gourd that has the right flavor and texture for the dish.

For to Make a Penche of Eggs

From The Forme of Cury, c.1390 English manuscript modernized in 1780 by Samuel Pegg:

Tak water and do it in a panne to the fyre and lat yt sethe and after
tak eggs and brek hem and cast hem in the water and after tak a chese
and kerf yt on fowr partins and cast in the water and wanne the chese
and the eggys ben wel sodyn tak hem owt of the water and wasch hem in
clene water and tak wastel breed and temper yt wyth mylk of a kow.
and after do yt over the fyre and after forsy yt wyth gyngener and
wyth cornyn and colowr yt wyth safroun and lye yt wyth eggys and oyle
the sewe wyth Boter and kep wel the chese owt and dresse the sewe and
dymo eggys thereon al ful and kerf thy chese in lytyl schyms and
do hem in the sewe wyth eggys and serve yt for the.

My Redaction:

7 poached eggs

1/2 C grated queso fresco

3/4 C bread, crumbed

3/4 C milk

1 T butter

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp ginger

pinch saffron

salt to taste

Simmer all ingredients except poached eggs in a saucepan until a thick sauce is formed. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve over poached eggs in ramekins.

How to Cook Leeks and Funges

From The Forme of Cury, c.1390 English manuscript modernized in 1780 by Samuel Pegg:

Take Funges and pare hem clere and dyce hem. take leke and shred
hym small and do hym to seeth in gode broth. colour it with safron and
do ther inne powdour fort.

My Redaction:

1.5 lbs mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

8 leek stalks, split lengthwise and thoroughly rinsed, then sliced thinly

1 C water

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp galangal

Cook all ingredients in a pot over medium heat, decreasing to low as leeks and mushrooms cook down. It's done when there is no excess liquid or very little. Spicing is to taste.

(Poudre Fort varies in composition, but pepper, ginger, nutmeg, and galangal are fairly typical ingredients.)

How to Cook Chyches

From The Forme of Cury, c.1390 English manuscript modernized in 1780 by Samuel Pegg:

Take chiches and wry hem in ashes all nyzt, o˛er lay hem in hoot
aymers, at morrowe, waisshe hem in clene water and do hem
ouer the fire with clene water. see˛ hem up and do ˛erto oyle,
garlec, hole safroun. powdour fort and salt, see˛ it and messe it
forth.

My Redaction:

2 29oz cans chickpeas drained

1 C water

3 T olive oil

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp galangal

8 cloves garlic

1 tsp salt

pinch saffron (optional)

Put all ingredients in crock pot, cook on high or low until soft but not completely disintegrated, stirring occasionally and spicing to taste. Add more water if it seems dry.

(Poudre Fort varies in composition, but pepper, ginger, nutmeg, and galangal are fairly typical ingredients.)

How to Make a Lombardy Mustard

[One of six sauces I made from Forme of Cury for the feast at the King's & Queen's Rattan Championships in Malagentia (Fall 2010)]


The English take on a sauce of my country. It makes a thin and potent sauce, which you might prefer evened out by mixing in breadcrumbs - but it is usable as is.


6 tsp powdered mustard
3 tsp honey
1/4 white wine vinegar

Mix ingredients together thoroughly. Wine may be added for a rounder
flavor, and perhaps flour for thickness if desired. The flavors will
initially be quite strong, but will blend and mellow, slightly, as the
mixture sits for hours or days.


Source:

LUMBARD MUSTARDTake Mustard seed and waishe it & drye it in an ovene, grynde it drye. farse it thurgh a farse. clarifie hony with wyne & vynegur & stere it wel togedrer and make it thikke ynowz. & whan þou wilt spende þerof make it tnynne with wyne.

How to Make an Almond Sauce (from Forme of Cury)

[One of six sauces I made from Forme of Cury for the feast at the King's & Queen's Rattan Championships in Malagentia (Fall 2010)]


A fairly mild sauce. It could be doctored in various ways to make it more lively, but I think this captures the likely intent as write.


4 C blanched almonds
2 C white wine vinegar
2 C water
2.5 tsp ginger
1.5 tsp salt

Grind almonds in food processor. Add other ingredients to taste, and
water to desired thickness. Makes about 6 cups.


Source:

SAWSE BLAUNCHE FOR CAPOUNS YSODETake Almandes blaunched and grynd hem al to doust. temper it up withverions and powdour or gyngyner and messe it forth.

How to Make a Sauce of Galangal

[One of six sauces I made from Forme of Cury for the feast at the King's & Queen's Rattan Championships in Malagentia (Fall 2010)]


The flavor of galangal is an interesting and subtle one; if you needed to make this without any, you could perhaps approximate it by increasing the ginger a lot, and the cinnamon a little.


Galyntyne
2 1/3 C breadcrumbs
2 C wine vinegar
3 2/3 C water
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 tsp galangal
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients except water together; use water to thin out as
much as desired. Makes about 6 cups.


Source:

GALYNTYNE
Take crustes of Brede and grynde hem smale, do þerto powdour of galyngale, of canel, of gyngyner and salt it, tempre it with vynegur and drawe it up þurgh a straynour & messe it forth.

How to Make a Pepper Sauce for Veal (Pevorat)

[One of six sauces I made from Forme of Cury for the feast at the King's & Queen's Rattan Championships in Malagentia (Fall 2010)]


A delightfully savory sauce. Pevorat is believed simply to mean pepper.

2.5 C breadcrumbs
1/2 C olive oil
7.5 C beef broth
2 C wine vinegar
1 C water
5 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt (or less, depending on broth's saltiness)

Fry breadcrumbs in olive oil, using broad skillet with medium-low
heat. Bring broth to a boil. Add breadcrumbs, pepper, and any
necessary salt. Add vinegar to taste and water to desired consistency,
and simmer together for 20-30 minutes, adjusting fluid level as
needed. Note: the vinegar flavor and especially aroma will be
strongest during the simmering process, so do not worry if the sauce
tastes slightly more vinegary at this time. The sauce may also become
somewhat thicker as it cools - it can always be thinned with more
water for serving. Pre-thinning, makes about 9 cups.


Source:

PEVORAT FOR VEEL AND VENYSOUN
Take Brede & fry it in grece. drawe it up with broth and vynegur, take þerto powdour of peper & salt and sette it on the fyre. boile it and messe it forth.

How to Make a Green Sauce (from Forme of Cury)

[One of six sauces I made from Forme of Cury for the feast at the King's & Queen's Rattan Championships in Malagentia (Fall 2010)]


As with most green sauces, the garlic is important to keep the flavor balanced.


1 packet Parsley (small packet, not bunch)
1 packet Thyme
2/3 packet Mint
2/3 packet Sage
3 T chopped garlic (use less if fresh; I used jarred)
2 C breadcrumbs
1.5 C white wine vinegar
2 C water
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ginger
3/4 tsp black pepper

Chop all greens together. Add breadcrumbs and blend, then add spices
and thin out to desired consistency with vinegar and water.


Makes about 4.5 cups.


Source:

VERDE SAWSE 

Take parsel. mynt. garlek. a litul serpell and sawge, a litul canel. gyngur. piper. wyne. brede. vynegur & salt grynde it smal with safroun & messe it forth.

How to Make a Camelyne Sauce

[One of six sauces I made from Forme of Cury for the feast at the King's & Queen's Rattan Championships in Malagentia (Fall 2010)]

This is a thick, sweetly spiced sauce, mainly tasting like a raisin sauce.

1 C raisins
1 C almonds blanched
1/2 C breadcrumbs
2 C wine vinegar
1/2 C water
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Chop almonds in food processor as fine as you can, then add raisins
and breadcrumbs and make the whole as fine as you can. Mix in all
other ingredients, in food processor or in a bowl.

Makes about 3 cups, improbable though the proportions make that seem.


Source:

SAWSE CAMELYNE 

Take Raysouns of Coraunce. & kyrnels of notys. & crustes of brede &
powdour of gyngur clowes flour of canel. bray it wel togyder and
do it þerto. salt it, temper it up with vynegur. and serue it forth.