Sarah's Cookbook

8/14/2019 Sarah's Cookbook

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Sa r a h ’s

C o o k b o o k

A n AAAA n c i e n t AAAA r t s FFFFe l l o w s h i p Pu b l i c a t i o



C o n t e n t s

INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 3

THE GREAT POTATO DEBATE (AND OTHER VEGETABLES).......................... 4

ROOT VEGETABLES AND TUBERS ..................................................................................... 4LEAF AND FLOWER VEGETABLES ..................................................................................... 5

FRUIT VEGETABLES .......................................................................................................... 5

FAST FEAST FOOD ........................................................................................................ 6

PARSNIPS WITH ALMONDS........................................................................................ 7

CHICKEN IN ORANGE SAUCE ................................................................................... 7

LOMBARD CHICKEN PASTIES .................................................................................. 8

CHICKEN WITH RICE AND ALMONDS ................................................................... 8

SAUCES FOR A BARBECUE CHICKEN .................................................................... 9

LEMON SAUCE.................................................................................................................. 9

CREAMY MUSHROOM SAUCE ........................................................................................... 9

CASSEROLE OF BEEF WITH ALE........................................................................... 10

BRAISED BEEF.............................................................................................................. 10

CASSEROLE OF ONIONS WITH ROSEMARY....................................................... 11

LASAGNE LAYERED WITH CHEESE ..................................................................... 11

WINTER VEGETABLE HOT-POT............................................................................. 12

GOLDEN DELICIOUS APPLE TART........................................................................ 13

PEARS IN RED WINE................................................................................................... 13

BEN’S BIT—STOO........................................................................................................ 14





3

In t r o d u c t i o nIn t r o d u c t i o nIn t r o d u c t i o nIn t r o d u c t i o n

This article and the ones that follow it will be a practical guide rather than a

discourse on historic foodstuffs. I am going to include recipes that are of a

medieval/dark age style rather than what they probably would have cooked andeaten. From what I have read most Dark Age cooking consisted of trying to mask

the taste of the poor quality meat they had to use. I have tried to make the recipes

as easy as possible, so even if you have never cooked before, it is worth giving

these a try. A feast is more enjoyable when you haven’t had to throw everything

together at the last minute.

If you find that cooking one of these dishes is too expensive, share the cost with

someone else. Each person should bring a dish that will serve four people. One and

a half times one of the recipes in this booklet should be perfect for the two

contributions.



4

T h e g r e a t p o t a t o d e b a t eT h e g r e a t p o t a t o d e b a t eT h e g r e a t p o t a t o d e b a t eT h e g r e a t p o t a t o d e b a t e

(A n d o t h e r v e g e t a b l e s )(A n d o t h e r v e g e t a b l e s )(A n d o t h e r v e g e t a b l e s )(A n d o t h e r v e g e t a b l e s )

There is much debate in Medieval Societies over

the use of potatoes in period dishes, due to theiranachronistic nature. While some groups

maintain the principle of historical authenticity,

others couldn't be bothered trying to find another

cheap, bulky vegetable, and never—it would

seem—the twain shall meet.

Potatoes are not, however, the only non-period vegetables sometimes used by

medievalists, often unwittingly. The following is a brief outline of the history of some

(but by no means all) common vegetables.

R o o t V e g e t a b l e s a n d T u b e r sR o o t V e g e t a b l e s a n d T u b e r sR o o t V e g e t a b l e s a n d T u b e r sR o o t V e g e t a b l e s a n d T u b e r s

Beetroot and its relatives, chard, spinach beets, and the sugar beet, are all native to

Europe, and were developed from a seashore plant named beta maritima. This plant was

grown in Germany during the Middle Ages.

Carrots are variously thought to be natives of Europe, Asia, or Asia Minor. The wild

variety was certainly cultivated in Holland during the Middle Ages, however, and these

plants are therefore quite easily in period. They were originally used for medicinal

purposes, and were yellow or purple in colour. Orange roots did not develop until the

18th Century. However, due to the difficulty of finding authentic (and not very nice)

yellow or purple carrots, orange ones should be fine. Carrots are related to both celery

and parsnip.

Parsnips are natives of Eastern Europe, but have been grown and eaten in the rest of

Europe, including England, since time immemorial.

Potatoes are not natives of Europe, as surely any medievalist who has ever attended a

feast will know. It is a native of the Peruvian Andes, and (along with maize) formed a

staple of the diet of the Incas. It was imported to Europe by the Spanish in the 16th

Century, but was not actually eaten there until the 18th Century as Europeans were

unwilling to eat something that so closely resembled it's cousin, Nightshade. It is of little

use to medievalists, as it is even to hard to be used in catapults.

Radishes, although natives of Asia, have been grown since ancient times in the Middle

East and Europe. There are black, white and red skinned varieties. A large, white variety

known as Daikon, is a native of Japan.



5

Swedes are course-skinned, orange vegetables which are often served alongside the

Scottish haggis. Like their cousins, turnips, they are native to Europe and are

widespread. Swedes are also know as the Swedish Turnip, Russian Turnip, and Rutabaga.

They are believed to be a cross between the turnip and the cabbage, and to have

originated during the middle ages.

Turnips are thought to be natives of Asia, but have been cultivated in Europe for untold

centuries. They are closely related to the Swedish Turnip, or Swede.

L e a f a n d F l o w e r V e g e t a b l e sL e a f a n d F l o w e r V e g e t a b l e sL e a f a n d F l o w e r V e g e t a b l e sL e a f a n d F l o w e r V e g e t a b l e s

Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower are all descendants of the wild

cauliflower, a native of western Europe and Britain. All have been grown as food crops in

Europe since ancient times, except the Brussels sprout, which was first grown in quantity

near Brussels (surprise, surprise) in the 16th Century. These vegetables are related to kale

and rape, and kale—which greatly resembles the wild cauliflower—is one of the oldest

cultivated vegetables. Rape is used to make canola oil, as well as soap and rubber, whichgoes some way to explaining the taste of canola oil.

Fr u i t V e g e t a b l e sFr u i t V e g e t a b l e sFr u i t V e g e t a b l e sFr u i t V e g e t a b l e s

Cucumbers are natives of India, but have long been

distributed throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. They

are closely related to melons and squashes (or squish)

such as pumpkins.

Melons originated in Persia and Africa, but have long

been widely grown in the warmer areas of Europe.

This group includes rockmelon (cantaloupe),

honeydew melon, watermelon, muskmelon, Persian

melon, and the Crenshaw. Melons are related to both

cucumbers and squashes.

Peppers such as capsicum, chili, cayenne pepper, paprika, and the Spanish pimiento,

are natives of the West Indies and the Americas, and were imported by the Spanish in the

16th Century, along with potatoes. Like potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, and—it would

seem—almost everything else, they are members of the nightshade family.

Squashes, pumpkins and gourds have all been cultivated for so long that, in the case of

the common pumpkin, a wild form no longer exists. Not all forms are edible, but most

have some kind of use, whether it be for the oil, the pulp, or the shell.

Tomatoes, like the potato and the pepper (to which it is closely related) originated in

Central America. Spanish explorers introduced tomato seeds into Europe in the 16th

Century, but the "love apple" did not become popular until the 19th century.



6

Fa s t Fe a s t Fo o dFa s t Fe a s t Fo o dFa s t Fe a s t Fo o dFa s t Fe a s t Fo o d

It's twenty minutes before the feast and you haven't even thought about what you are

going to take. You could always go and get a roast chicken, but you are pretty sure that

Sarah is going to yell at you if do. Well, Sarah is here to give you some other ideas.

One of the best places to get good quality last minute food is a bakery. To start off with

they usually have a range of savory breads. It is not a good idea to just buy plain bread

unless the feast flyer specifically asks for it. Sweet or fruit bread is also a good idea. The

main thing is to use a little imagination. Most bakeries also have a range of pies. Meat,

fruit or custard pies are all good ideas, but try to buy something that looks home made.

Quiche is another easy to find last minute food. Almost anything from a bakery is a good

choice.

If you don't want to buy something from the bakery, the next place to go is a deli. Cold

roast meats of any kind are a useful addition to the food being served at a feast. Unusualcheeses can be good too, but you have to be careful about how much you are spending.

Some places sell hot turkey hindquarters, a good substitute for the barbecue chicken.

Fresh or canned fruit are easy to dress up into a good dessert. By adding different juices,

or some fresh berries, or even just some cream, you can make an interesting dish. If you

really want to impress people, add some alcohol. Make sure you tell the people in the

kitchen that the dish is alcoholic, otherwise there could be problems.

If you have time to do some chopping, a salad or a platter of raw vegetables would be

good, but refer to the section above (The Great Potato Debate) as to what they did and did

not have.

I know that some people always end up bringing a chicken, but if you do you can make it

more interesting by bringing some kind of sauce to go with it. Raid your cupboards and

see what you can concoct.

This article is designed to give you ideas about what to buy at the last minute. In

Troubadour's to come I hope to write other articles containing simple recipes that

everyone should be able to cook. An integral part of a potluck feast is the food that people

provide. To make the night a success, people need to use their imagination and some

forethought in the food they prepare.



7

Pa r s n i p s w i t h A l m o n d sPa r s n ip s w i t h A l m o n d sPa r s n i p s w i t h A l m o n d sPa r s n ip s w i t h A l m o n d s

• 450g of small parsnips

• tablespoon of butter

• 25g of flaked almonds

• tablespoon of brown sugar

• Pinch of mixed spice

• tablespoon of lemon juice

• Salt and Pepper

Make a day in advance or on the day.

Peel and cook the parsnips in boiling salted water until almost tender. Drain well. When

the parsnips are cool enough to handle cut each in half along its width. Quarter the wide

halves lengthwise.

Heat the butter in a frying pan. Add the parsnips and almonds and cook gently, stirringand turning the parsnips until they are lightly flecked with brown.

Mix together the sugar and mixed spice, sprinkle over the parsnips and stir to mix, then

trickle over the lemon juice. Season with the salt and pepper and heat for one minute.

Store in an airtight container and reheat at feast until warmed through. Serve.

C h i c k e n i n Or a n g e Sa u c eC h i c k e n i n Or a n g e Sa u c eC h i c k e n i n Or a n g e Sa u c eC h i c k e n i n Or a n g e Sa u c e

• 1 large BBQ chicken

• 2 oranges sliced, not peeled

• 1 cup dry white wine

• Juice of ½ lemon

• ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger

• Salt to taste

Cut up chicken into pieces. Put all

other ingredients into a pan and cook

for 15 minutes. Cool sauce and store.

At feast, reheat chicken pieces and

then place them into a roasting pan.

Pour sauce over them and cover

tightly. Simmer for 15 minutes. DONOT cook too long or the chicken

will become bitter. Serve.



8

L o m b a r d C h i c k e n Pa s t i e sL o m b a r d C h i c k e n Pa s t i e sL o m b a r d C h i c k e n Pa s t i e sL o m b a r d C h i c k e n Pa s t i e s

• 350g puff pastry (fresh or package, if frozen, thaw)

• 3 eggs, beaten

• 2 tablespoon of lemon juice

• 1/8 teaspoon of ground black pepper

• ½ teaspoon of ground ginger

• 450g of chicken breast meat, thinly sliced

• 3 large rashers of bacon, trimmed of fat and cut in half

Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F. Cut pastry into six large circles 16cm across. Mix 2

beaten eggs with the lemon juice, pepper and ginger. Dip the slices of chicken in the

mixture, then divide them between the pastry circles. Place them on one side of the round,

but not right up to the edge. Lay a piece of bacon on each pile. Brush the edge of the

pastry with the remaining egg mixture. Fold the bare half of each pastry round over the

meat and match the two pastry edges. Pinch the edges together and press with a fork.

Prick the pastry in several places.

Bake the pasties on a baking sheet for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 190°

C/375°F and cook for another 20-25 minutes. Cool and store. Either serve cold or reheat

at feast.

One of the standard feast foods is stew. There are many different types of stew and you

should be able to find a recipe in any cookbook.

C h i c k e n w i t h R i c e a n d A l m o n d sC h i c k e n w i t h R i c e a n d A l m o n d sC h i c k e n w i t h R i c e a n d A l m o n d sC h i c k e n w i t h R i c e a n d A l m o n d s

• 225g long grain rice

• 1.4 litres/6 ¼ cups strong chicken stock

• 125g ground almonds

• 450g poached chicken breast, cut into small pieces

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Wash the rice in lukewarm water. Then boil it in 1.1 litres/5cups of chicken stock until

almost tender. Heat the remaining stock and use it to steep the ground almonds for about

15 minutes. Drain the rice well when done and let it cool. The return it to the dry pan and

strain in the almond ‘milk’. Bring to simmering point. Stir in the chicken meat, stir round

and cook until the meat is heated through. Season while cooking. If preparing this dish for

a potluck feast let it cool after the meat has been added, store in the ‘fridge and it can bereheated at the feast.



9

Sa u c e s f o r a B a r b e c u e C h i c k e nSa u c e s f o r a B a r b e c u e C h i c k e nSa u c e s f o r a B a r b e c u e C h i c k e nSa u c e s f o r a B a r b e c u e C h i c k e n

L e m o n Sa u c eL e m o n Sa u c eL e m o n Sa u c eL e m o n Sa u c e

• 250g butter• 4 tablespoon lemon juice

• 4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 4 tablespoon chopped parsley

Melt butter in a saucepan, add the remaining ingredients except parsley and mix them

well. Cool, reheat at feast and stir in parsley just before serving. Pour over a cut up BBQ

chicken

C r e a m y M u s h r o o m Sa u c eC r e a m y M u s h r o o m Sa u c eC r e a m y M u s h r o o m Sa u c eC r e a m y M u s h r o o m Sa u c e

• 120g butter

• 2 onions, chopped

• 200g button mushrooms, sliced

• 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 2 cup cream


Melt the butter and sauté the onion and mushrooms. Add the mustard and cream and boil

this mixture rapidly. Season it with salt and pepper and reduce it to a suitable consistency.

Cool and reheat at feast. Pour over a cut up barbecue chicken



10

C a s s e r o l e o f B e e f w i t h A l eC a s s e r o l e o f B e e f w i t h A l eC a s s e r o l e o f B e e f w i t h A l eC a s s e r o l e o f B e e f w i t h A l e

• 1kg chuck steak cut into small portions

• 2 large onions, thinly sliced

• 250g of mushrooms, sliced

• 1 clove garlic, pressed


• ½ teaspoon basil

• ½ teaspoon thyme

• ½ teaspoon mustard powder

• 1 ½ cups of ale/beer

Combine all the ingredients in a casserole

dish or aluminium tray and cover with lid or

alfoil. Cook at 150°C for 2 hours. The

casserole may be stored in the freezer and

reheated in the oven.

B r a i s e d B e e fB r a i s e d B e e fB r a i s e d B e e fB r a i s e d B e e f

• 900g/2lb boned and rolled beef ribs (braising joint)

• Dripping or other fat for roasting

• 2 tablespoon chopped parsley

• 2 medium onions, peeled and chopped

• 2 tablespoon currants

• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

• 2 fresh bay leaves

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 275ml/1 ¼ cups red wine

• 2 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Pre heat oven to 190°C/375

°F. Smear beef with the fat and roast it on a rack for 40minutes. Transfer it with its drippings to a flameproof casserole dish. Cover it with the

parsley, onions, currants, spices and salt, and add the wine and vinegar at the side of the

pan. Cover and cook gently for 45 minutes on top of stove or at 160 °C/325°F in the oven

for the same time. Remove the meat from the casserole dish and carve. Put it back in the

dish, cool and then reheat at feast.



11

C a s s e r o l e o f On i o n s w i t h R o se m a r yC a s s e r o l e o f On i o n s w i t h R o s e m a r yC a s s e r o l e o f On i o n s w i t h R o se m a r yC a s s e r o l e o f On i o n s w i t h R o s e m a r y

• 500g of onions, peeled and sliced

• ½ cup of oil

• teaspoon of black pepper

• tablespoon of paprika

• teaspoons of sugar

• Fresh rosemary

Combine the oil, pepper, paprika, sugar and rosemary in a small

casserole dish or aluminium tray. Add the onions and cook them in the oven at 180°C for

20-30 minutes, stirring once during cooking. Cool, store and reheat at feast.

L a s a g n e L a y e r e d w i t h C h e e s eL a s a g n e L a y e r e d w i t h C h e e s eL a s a g n e L a y e r e d w i t h C h e e s eL a s a g n e L a y e r e d w i t h C h e e s e

• 9–10 sheets dry lasagne

• 7 ½ cups (1.7L) of water

• Butter for greasing

• Cinnamon and white pepper for spicing

• 175g grated cheddar cheese

Choose a square or oblong baking dish which will hold the pasta in three layers. If you

pile it higher in a smaller dish it may be difficult to slice. Bring the water to boil in a

fairly big pan and boil the lasagne in three or four batches until all the sheets are cooked.

As each batch is done, remove the sheets with tongs to a damp tea towel on a flat work-

top and lay them flat side by side. Pre heat the oven to

180°C/350°F. Grease the inside of your chosen dish with butter.

Sprinkle the bottom lightly with spices and a quarter of thecheese. Cover with a layer of pasta, trimmed to fit the dish if

required. Repeat the layers of spice, cheese and pasta twice, and

end with a last layer of spice and cheese. Cook in oven until

cheese is melted. Reheat at feast.



12

W in t e r V e g e t a b l e H o t - Po tW in t e r V e g e t a b l e H o t - Po tW in t e r V e g e t a b l e H o t - Po tW in t e r V e g e t a b l e H o t - Po t

• 2 onions, sliced

• 4 carrots, sliced

• 2 parsnips sliced

• 3 small turnips, sliced

• 2 leeks, thinly sliced

• 1 garlic clove, chopped

• 1 bay leaf, crumbled

• 2 tablespoon chopped fresh mixed herbs, such as parsley and thyme

• 300ml/1 ¼ cups of vegetable stock

• 1 tablespoon plain flour

• 675g red skinned potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced

• Salt and black pepper

• Vegetable oil

I know this recipe has potato in it. If you would like to, you can remove the potato. Pre

heat oven to 190°C/375°F. Arrange vegetables except potatoes in layers in a large

casserole with a tight fitting lid. Season the layers lightly with salt and pepper andsprinkle them with garlic, crumbled bay leaf and chopped herbs as you go. Blend stock

into flour and pour over vegetables. Arrange the potatoes in overlapping layers on top.

Brush with vegetable oil and cover tightly. Cook in oven for 1 ¼ hours or until the

vegetables are tender. Remove the lid and cook for a further 15-20mins until the top layer

of potatoes is golden and crisp at the edges.



13

Go l d e n D e l i c i o u s A p p l e T a r tGo l d e n D e l i c i o u s A p p l e T a r tGo l d e n D e l i c i o u s A p p l e T a r tGo l d e n D e l i c i o u s A p p l e T a r t

• Frozen pie case, 9 in/23 cm in diameter

• large Golden Delicious apples

• tablespoon of lemon juice

• ¼ cup of sugar

• tablespoon of melted butter

• ½ cup of apricot jam

Peel and core apples and cut into slices about ¼ inch/5mm thick. Toss with lemon juice

and sugar. Arrange apple slices, slightly overlapping, in circles on the pastry. Make 2 or 3

layers. Drizzle with the melted butter. Place on the bottom rack of the oven and bake at

200°C for 35 minutes or until golden brown. If apples start to brown too much cover

loosely with foil. In a small saucepan heat apricot jam until melted and then spoon it

evenly over the apples. Bake for about five minutes longer or until apples are glazed. Let

cool to room temperature.

Pe a r s i n R e d W i n ePe a r s i n R e d W i n ePe a r s i n R e d W i n ePe a r s i n R e d W i n e

• 2 large cans of pear halves, drained

• 2 cups of red wine (not sweet)

• ½ a cup of sugar

• 2 teaspoon of cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon of ground ginger• 4 whole cloves

Cook wine and sugar until slightly thickened. Add spices and simmer gently for 15

minutes. Pour over pears. Let pears cool in syrup. Store and then serve at the feast with

syrup and a little cream.



14

B e n ’s Bi t —St o oB e n ’s B i t —St o oB e n ’s Bi t —St o oB e n ’s B i t —St o o

• ½kg Red meat (veal, lamb, mutton, beef,

venison, whatever. This recipe can also

be made using chicken, but use beef

stock where chicken stock is indicatedbelow) cut into 1” cubes

• Pepper

• 1 tablespoon of lard

• 2 Large onions

• 2 Leeks

• Wholemeal flour

• 2 Large parsnips

• 2 Turnips

• 1 Small pumpkin (or ½ a normal-sized

one)

• Chicken stock

• More pepper

• Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme

(then she’ll be a true love of mine)

• ½ a handful of gravel if you’re feeling

particularly medieval

Stoo is just like stew, except is has more “O”s and less “E”s and “W”s. It’s also a bit more

medieval. Remember the folk song Scarborough Fair (very popular in the ‘70s)? It’s a great guide

on how to make any recipe medieval. Simply remove all the herbs and replace them with Parsley,

Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, or any combination of the four. I generally use all four, but that’snot compulsory. In fact, none of this recipe is compulsory, but refer to the section on The Great

Potato Debate above before you get too carried away.

Anyway, to cook stoo, put the cubed meat in a plastic bag (you don’t have to be medieval at this

point, especially considering that the period equivalent of a plastic bag is probably a pig’s

stomach) with the wholemeal flour (make sure you’re not using self-raising flour. I’ve never tried

it, but I dread to think) and some pepper (measurements are simply to taste, don’t panic about

exact amounts). Shake it all up until the meat is coated in flour and pepper.

Melt the lard in a large saucepan (or vat if you’re doubling the measurements as I usually do).

Fry the onions (chopped) and leeks (also chopped) until they are golden brown. Add the floured

meat and stir it all about. The flour will tend to stick to the saucepan a bit and burn. This is not a

problem, but make sure all the doors between the kitchen and the smoke detectors are closed.

Add all the vegies (chopped into about 1” cubes). Stir them around a bit.

Add the chicken stock. Again, the measurements are according to taste. If you want something

that looks like soup with lumps in, add 4 cups. If you want something a bit more solid, go for 2

cups.

Let it simmer for a while (about 45 minutes), stirring occasionally.

Add the herbs and pepper. ½ a handful of each herb (remember I’ve got small hands), but again,

add the herbs to taste (I know it’s Peter Russel-Clarke cooking, but that’s the way it is. You

should have seen how I was in Chemistry). I would recommend not getting too carried away with

the rosemary or thyme. The other two are fairly harmless.

Let it simmer for a while longer, stirring during the ad breaks. Let it go for as long as you have

time. Less than about half an hour could be bad, and two hours is ideal.

Bung it in a casserole dish and take it to the feast.

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Sarah's Cookbook