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Ideas

Spices

Ginger, cinnamon, cloves, mace, galingale and other costly spices brought to Europe from the East, with saffron grown in Spain, Italy and England, used freely at great tables and mixed into ready-made powders.

Recipes from the king's kitchen

The master cooks of King Richard II, The Forme of Cury (about 1390), in the edition of Samuel Pegge (London, 1780) · about 1390, as Pegge dated the roll

9

Ryse of Flesh. Take Ryse and waishe hem clene. and do hem in erthen pot with gode broth and lat hem seeþ wel. afterward take Almaund mylke and do þer to. and colour it wiþ safroun an salt. an messe forth.

Rice with meat broth. Wash the rice clean and put it in an earthenware pot with good broth, and let it boil well. Then add almond milk. Color it with saffron, add salt, and serve it.

18

Connates. Take Connes and pare hem. pyke out the best and do hem in a pot of erthe. do þerto whyte grece þat he stewe þer inne. and lye hem up with hony clarified and with rawe zolkes and with a lytell almaund mylke and do þerinne powdour fort and Safron. and loke þat it be yleesshed.

Quince paste. Peel the quinces and pick out the best of them. Put them in an earthenware pot and add white lard, so that they stew in it. Thicken them with clarified honey, raw egg yolks and a little almond milk. Add powder fort and saffron, and see that it is cut in slices.

35

For to boile Fesauntes. Partruches. Capons and Curlewes. Take gode broth and do þerto the Fowle. and do þerto hool peper and flour of canel a gode quantite and lat hem seeþ þerwith. and messe it forth. and þer cast þeron Podour dowce.

To boil pheasants, partridges, capons and curlews. Take good broth and put the bird in it. Add whole peppercorns and plenty of ground cinnamon, and let them boil together. Then serve it, and sprinkle powder douce on top.

49

Loseyns. Take gode broth and do in an erthen pot, take flour of payndemayn and make þerof past with water. and make þerof thynne foyles as paper with a roller, drye it harde and seeþ it in broth take Chese ruayn grated and lay it in disshes with powdour douce. and lay þeron loseyns isode as hoole as þou mizt. and above powdour and chese, and so twyse or thryse, & serue it forth.

Loseyns. Put good broth in an earthenware pot. Make a dough of the finest white flour and water, and roll it out into sheets as thin as paper. Dry them hard and boil them in the broth. Grate ruayn cheese and lay it in dishes with powder douce. Lay the boiled sheets on top, as whole as you can, and then more spice powder and cheese. Do this two or three times, and serve it.

58

Chyryse. Take Almandes unblanched, waisshe hem, grynde hem, drawe hem up with gode broth. do þerto thridde part of chiryse. þe stones. take oute and grynde hem smale, make a layour of gode brede an powdour and salt and do þerto. colour it with sandres so that it may be stondyng, and florish it with aneys and with cheweryes, and strawe þeruppon and serue it forth.

Cherry pudding. Wash unblanched almonds, grind them, and draw them up with good broth. Add cherries, a third as much. Take out the stones and grind the cherries fine. Make a thickening of good bread, spice powder and salt, and add it. Color it with sandalwood, and make it thick enough to stand. Scatter aniseed and cherries on top, and serve it.

67

Payn Ragoun. Take hony suger and clarifie it togydre. and boile it with esy fyre, and kepe it wel fro brennyng and whan it hath yboiled a while; take up a drope þerof wiþ þy fyngur and do it in a litel water and loke if it hong togyder. and take it fro the fyre and do þerto the thriddendele an powdour gyngener and stere it togyder til it bigynne to thik and cast it on a wete table. lesh it and serue it forth with fryed mete on flessh dayes or on fysshe dayes.

Payn ragoun. Clarify honey and sugar together, and boil it over a gentle fire. Take care that it does not burn. When it has boiled a while, take up a drop on your finger and put it in a little water, to see if it holds together. Then take it off the fire and add a third part [of bread] and ground ginger. Stir it until it begins to thicken, then pour it out on a wet table. Cut it in slices and serve it with fried food, on meat days or fish days.

71

Peson of Almayne. Take white pesoun, waisshe hem seeþ hem a grete while. take hem and cole hem thurgh a cloth, waisshe hem in colde water til the hulles go off, cast hem in a pot and couere þat no breth go out. and boile hem right wel. and cast þerinne gode mylke of almandes and a pertye of flour of Rys wiþ powdour gynger safroun. and salt.

German peas. Wash white peas and boil them a long time. Take them out and strain them through a cloth, then wash them in cold water until the hulls come off. Put them in a pot, cover it so that no steam escapes, and boil them very well. Add good almond milk and some rice flour, with ground ginger, saffron and salt.

79

Appulmoy. Take Apples and seeþ hem in water, drawe hem thurgh a straynour. take almaunde mylke & hony and flour of Rys, safroun and powdour fort and salt. and seeþ it stondyng.

Apple pudding. Boil apples in water and press them through a strainer. Add almond milk and honey, rice flour, saffron, powder fort and salt, and boil it until it is thick.

87

Cawdel of Almaund mylk. Take Almaundes blaunched and drawe hem up with wyne, do þerto powdour of gyngur and sugur and colour it with Safroun. boile it and serue it forth.

Almond-milk caudle. Draw up blanched almonds with wine. Add ground ginger and sugar, and color it with saffron. Boil it and serve it.

93

Tostee. Take wyne and hony and found it togyder and skym it clene. and seeþ it long, do þerto powdour of gyngur. peper and salt, tost brede and lay the sew þerto. kerue pecys of gyngur and flour it þerwith and messe it forth.

Toast in spiced honey. Mix wine and honey together, skim it clean, and boil it a long time. Add ground ginger, pepper and salt. Toast bread and pour the syrup over it. Cut pieces of ginger, garnish it with them, and serve.

132

Peeres in confyt. Take peeres and pare hem clene. take gode rede wyne & mulberes oþer saundres and seeþ þe peeres þerin & whan þei buth ysode, take hem up, make a syryp of wyne greke. oþer vernage with blaunche powdour oþer white sugur and powdour gyngur & do the peres þerin. seeþ it a lytel & messe it forth.

Pears in syrup. Peel the pears clean. Boil them in good red wine with mulberries or sandalwood [for color]. When they are cooked, take them out. Make a syrup of Greek wine or vernage with white powder or white sugar and ground ginger, and put the pears in it. Boil it a little and serve.

134

Colde Brewet. Take Almaundes and grynde hem. take the tweydel of wyne oþer the þriddell of vynegur. drawe up the Almaundes þerwith. take anys sugur & branches of fenel grene a fewe. & drawe hem up togyder with þer mylke take poudour of canell. of gyngur. clowes. & maces hoole. take kydde oþer chikenns oþer flessh. & choppe hem small and seeþ hem. take all þis flessh whan it is sodenn & lay it in a clene vessel & boile þer sewe & cast þerto salt. þenne cast al þis in þe pot with flesh. &ter.

Cold stew. Grind almonds. Take two parts wine, or a third part vinegar, and draw up the almonds with it. Take anise, sugar and a few green sprigs of fennel, and draw them up together with the almond milk. Add ground cinnamon and ginger, cloves, and whole mace. Take kid or chickens or other meat, chop it small and boil it. When the meat is cooked, lay it in a clean dish. Boil the broth and add salt. Then pour all this into the pot with the meat, and serve it.

136

Sawse blaunche for Capouns ysode. Take Almandes blaunched and grynd hem al to doust. temper it up with verions and powdour of gyngyner and messe it forth.

White sauce for boiled capons. Grind blanched almonds to a powder. Mix it with verjuice and ground ginger, and serve it.

140

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.

Green sauce. Take parsley, mint, garlic, a little wild thyme and sage, a little cinnamon, ginger, pepper, wine, bread, vinegar and salt. Grind it fine with saffron and serve.

149

Frytour of Pasternakes of Apples. Take skyrwates and pasternakes and apples, & parboile hem, make a batour of flour and ayrenn, cast þerto ale. safroun & salt. wete hem in þe batour and frye hem in oile or in grece. do þerto Almaund Mylk. & serue it forth.

Parsnip and apple fritters. Parboil skirrets [a root vegetable], parsnips and apples. Make a batter of flour and eggs, and add ale, saffron and salt. Dip them in the batter and fry them in oil or lard. Add almond milk and serve.

194

For to make Mawmenny. Take þe chese and of Flessh of Capouns or of Hennes. & hakke smale in a morter. take mylke of Almandes with þe broth of freissh Beef, oþer freissh flessh. & put the flessh in þe mylke oþer in the broth and set hem to þe frye. & alye hem up with flour of Ryse. or gastbon. or amydoun. as chargeant as þe blanke desire. & with zolkes of ayren and safroun for to make it zelow. and when it is dressit in disshes with blank desire styk above clowes de gilofre. & strewe Powdour of galyngale above. and serue it forth.

To make mawmenny. Take the [thighs?] and some meat of capons or hens, and chop it small in a mortar. Take almond milk with the broth of fresh beef or other fresh meat. Put the meat in the milk or the broth and set it on the fire. Thicken it with rice flour, gastbon or amydoun, as stiff as the blank desire, and make it yellow with egg yolks and saffron. When it is served in dishes with the blank desire, stick cloves on top, sprinkle ground galingale over it, and serve.