Posts

Period Food on a UDS

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 I took the Drum Smoker to the Principality of Cynagua May Coronet 2023 and prepared several period dishes on it.  This is a post i made to Facebook at the end of the event. ----- Can you cook Medieval/Renaissance food on a Drum Smoker? Why, Yes! Yes you can. Scappi Ribs hanging in the UDS Along with period food, I'm also into BBQ. One of my goals was to build a Drum Smoker. It got me thinking, "Could this be applied to period food?" Specifically, bigger cuts of meat that would be cooked in fireplaces or an oven. Also, open fire is a particular danger and is mostly prohibited at event sites. I don't want to accidentally set CA on fire. A Drum Smoker is fully contained and can be easily shut down. It is al also portable . . . ish. It's large, but can easily put in a trailer along with other SCA camping gear. Friday Night: (Sauce Madame (Whole Chicken with Fruit and Herb Stuffing)) Friday went a bit Sideways. After getting camp set up, I find that I lef

UDS (Ugly Drum Smoker)

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Drum Smoker Beta .57. I started this project last fall, but had to put it on hold during the long cold snowy winter but it should be fully ready for eventing shortly. I still need to purchase a few parts for it including an exhaust chimney. I already have a Rotisserie to be installed. Final painting of the exterior will come later this year.   Along with Medieval Cooking, I also really enjoy BBQ.  The UDS provides me the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.  There are some Medieval recipes that I would like to make at events that require an Oven, Rotisserie, or something other than a Camp Stove or Bed of Coals.  Like Alton Brown, I don't want to bring a bunch of Unitaskers to an event unless I'm working a specific demo.  This build includes three 1 inch air intakes.  The Exhast Chimney will be 2 inches.  The Firebox was created by chopping down my old Bullet Smoker.  With the three 1 inch intakes, I believe I can get the temperature over 400 degrees which

Beef with Harvest Sauce

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Translation: If you want to cook with a harvest sauce, prepare the meat like I told you. Put parsley roots,  (parsley) leaves and onions into it. After it’s cooked, add six or seven eggs, according to your needs. After you’re done, put the eggs into vinegar and start whipping it. Then pour the meat’s juices into it. Pour it onto the meat again, but don’t boil it; if you boil it, its size will suffer. [ The Science of Cooking ] Ingredients: Beef ( Bottom Roast) Salt ½ Parsley Root Parsnip diced ½ Yellow Onion diced Butter 3 Eggs 2 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar ¼ – ½ Cup Beef Broth (if needed) Interpretation: Salt the Beef. Roughly Dice Parsnip and Onion. Saute Parsnip and Onion until transluscent in a Dutch Oven. Add Beef. If you don’t think that the Beef will produce enough drippings, add Beef Broth. When Beef is done, remove the Beef and tent it. Separate the Onions and Parsnip from the Broth. Set up a Double Boiler with a Stockpot with Water in it and a Mixing Bowl on top and place over

Cormarye (Pork in Red Wine)

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Original: Take colyaundre, caraway smale grounden, powdour of peper and garlec ygrounde, in rede wyne; medle alle þise togyder and salt it. Take loynes of pork rawe and fle of the skyn, and pryk it wel with a knyf, and lay it in the sawse. Roost it whan þou wilt, & kepe þat þat fallith þerfro in the rostyng and seeþ it in a possynet with faire broth, & serue it forth witþ þe roost anoon. [The Forme of Cury, XX.II.XIII, 53, c1390, From MS7 Ryland Library, University of Manchester, Rendered into Modern English by Glen Hughes, Derbyshire, England, Foods of England, 2016.] Take Colyandre, Caraway smale grounden, Powdour of Peper and garlec ygrounde in rede wyne, medle alle þise togyder and salt it, take loynes of Pork rawe and fle of the skyn, and pryk it wel with a knyf and lay it in the sawse, roost þerof what þou wilt, & kepe þat þat fallith þerfro in the rosting and seeþ it in a possynet with faire broth, & serue it forth witþ þe roost anoon [The Forme of Cury, XX.II.XI

Another Pea or Bean Recipe (Chickpeas)

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Original: Aliter pisam sive fabam: despumatam subtrito lasare Parthico, liquamen et caroeno condies. Oleum modice superfundis et inferes . [Apicius 5.3.7] Translation: when they have been skimmed, season them with finely ground Parthian laser, liquamen and caroenum. Pour on a little oil and serve. [Grocock and Grainger] Ingredients: Chickpeas 2 Tbsp Liquamen Fish Sauce ½ tsp Laser (Asafoetida) C aroenum ( Grape Must Syrup) Reduced Wine and Honey Olive Oil Interpretation : Boil Chickpeas in Water then drain. Add Caroenum, Asafoetida, and Fish Sauce and mix together over heat. Drizzle with Olive Oil when served. Notes: Caroenum – Syrup made from Grape Must. To substitute, I reduced Wine by 1/3 and added Honey. Bibliography: Apicius: A Critical Edition with an Introduction and English Translation, Grocock, Christopher and Grainger, Sally, Recipe 5.3.7 , pg.2 13 , Prospect Books, 2006.  

Pullum Particum (Parthian Chicken)

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Original: pullum aperies a naui et in quadrato ornas. teres piper, ligusticum, carei modicum. suffunde liquamen. uino temperas. componis in Cumana pullum et condituram super pullum facies. laser et uinum interdas. dissolues et in pullum mittis simul et coques. piper aspersum inferes. [Apicius, 6.9.2] Translation: Draw the chicken from the rear and cut it into quarters. Pound pepper, lovage, a little caraway, pour on liquamen, flavour with wine. Arrange the chicken pieces in a ceramic dish, put the sauce over the chicken. Dissolve fresh laser in warm water and put it straightaway on the chicken and cook it. Serve sprinkled with pepper. [Grocock and Grainger] DRESS THE CHICKEN CAREFULLY AND QUARTER IT. CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE AND A LITTLE CARRAWAY MOISTENED WITH BROTH, AND ADD WINE TO TASTE.  PLACE THE CHICKEN IN AN EARTHEN DISH POUR THE SEASONING OVER IT, ADD LASER AND WINE LET IT ASSIMILATE WITH THE SEASONING AND BRAISE THE CHICKEN TO A POINT. WHEN DONE SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE. [ V

Sauce Verte

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Original: Take parcely, Mintes, Betany, Peleter, and grinde hem smale; And take faire brede, and stepe hit in vinegre, and drawe it thorgħ a streynour, and cast thereto pouder of peper, salt, and serue it fortħ. [Two Fifteenth Century Cookbooks, Cookery Book II, Harleian MS.4016, c1450 A.D.] Translation: Take Parsley, Mint, Betony, Pellitory, and grind them small; And take fair bread, and steep it in vinegar, and draw it through a strainer, and cast into it powder of pepper, salt, and serve it forth. Ingredients: 1 Bunch Parsley Leaves from 4 stems Mint Betony Tea Pellitory 2 Slices (Crust removed) Bread About 2 Tbsp Vinegar (Apple Cider) Pepper Salt Interpretation : Place two slices of Bread in a bowl and add just enough Vinegar to soak Bread. (About 2 Tbsp) Make a cup of Tea. Cut the stalks off of the Parsley below where the leaves start. Place Parsley in a Blender. Remove the leaves from the stalks of the Mint and add the Mint leaves to the blender. Start blending the Parsley and M