Sluggie
Sep 14th, 2007, 11:23 AM
There was an article in the Independent today about ancient recipes. Most of them were for vile things like roasted hedgehogs and haggis but there were a few vegan or veganisable ones that looked interesting:
Pottage
Prepare some stock. Use about as much stock as the quantity of pottage you wish to end up with. In this stock cook as many different kinds of vegetables and herbs as you like. (Tomatoes and potatoes would not have been used.)
Suggestion of ingredients:
Onions of all varieties
Leeks
Cabbage of any kind (sorrel, cabbage)
Green beans or dried beans
Carrots
Turnips
Celery
Thyme, sage, parsley, marjoram, rosemary
Method:
When all the vegetables are cooked, add some porridge oats.
If you want your pottage to be runny, like soup, add a couple of tablespoons of oats.
If you want it to be extra thick and filling add a large cupful.
Continue to simmer until the porridge is cooked.
Adjust the seasoning and serve with bread.
www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk/recipes.htm (http://www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk/recipes.htm)
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Barley Bread with Beer
Ingredients:
500g barley flour
500g stone-ground wheat flour
1 tsp salt
250g margerine
Beer to mix
Method:
Mix the flours and salt together and rub in the margerine.
Add enough beer to make a soft dough and shape into small cakes.
Cook on a hot stone (or griddle) until firm.
This is a very light bread because of the addition of the beer.
********************************
Nettle Pudding (dumplings)
Ingredients:
1 bunch of sorrel
1 bunch of watercress
1 bunch of dandelion leaves
2 bunches of young nettle leaves
Some chives
1 cup of barley flour
1 tsp salt
Method:
Chop the herbs and mix in the barley flour and salt.
Add enough water to bind and place in the centre of a linen or muslin cloth.
Tie the cloth and add to a pot of simmering stock. leave for an hour or so.
Originally this would have been boiled with meat so would have absorbed some of the juices. It might work well if you were to put something like yeast extract or miso into the stock for extra flavour.
This dish is thought to date back to 6,000BC. It is described in Prehistoric Cooking by Jacqui Wood (Tempus, 2002)
********************************
Urchins (Urchin is the medieval name for hedgehogs)
Ingredients:
1 packet sosmix*
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon pepper
some blanched slivered almonds
a few currants
Method:
Make the sosmix according to the packet instructions and mix with the spices. Knead well and shape into balls about the size and shape of a large hen's egg.
Spike each ball with enough slivered almonds to make them look like a hedgehog and press 2 currants into each ball for eyes.
Bake them in a medium oven for about 25-30 minutes until they are a nice shade of brown.
*They didn't have sosmix in the middle ages. I made that bit up.
http://www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk/recipes.htm
Pottage
Prepare some stock. Use about as much stock as the quantity of pottage you wish to end up with. In this stock cook as many different kinds of vegetables and herbs as you like. (Tomatoes and potatoes would not have been used.)
Suggestion of ingredients:
Onions of all varieties
Leeks
Cabbage of any kind (sorrel, cabbage)
Green beans or dried beans
Carrots
Turnips
Celery
Thyme, sage, parsley, marjoram, rosemary
Method:
When all the vegetables are cooked, add some porridge oats.
If you want your pottage to be runny, like soup, add a couple of tablespoons of oats.
If you want it to be extra thick and filling add a large cupful.
Continue to simmer until the porridge is cooked.
Adjust the seasoning and serve with bread.
www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk/recipes.htm (http://www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk/recipes.htm)
********************************
Barley Bread with Beer
Ingredients:
500g barley flour
500g stone-ground wheat flour
1 tsp salt
250g margerine
Beer to mix
Method:
Mix the flours and salt together and rub in the margerine.
Add enough beer to make a soft dough and shape into small cakes.
Cook on a hot stone (or griddle) until firm.
This is a very light bread because of the addition of the beer.
********************************
Nettle Pudding (dumplings)
Ingredients:
1 bunch of sorrel
1 bunch of watercress
1 bunch of dandelion leaves
2 bunches of young nettle leaves
Some chives
1 cup of barley flour
1 tsp salt
Method:
Chop the herbs and mix in the barley flour and salt.
Add enough water to bind and place in the centre of a linen or muslin cloth.
Tie the cloth and add to a pot of simmering stock. leave for an hour or so.
Originally this would have been boiled with meat so would have absorbed some of the juices. It might work well if you were to put something like yeast extract or miso into the stock for extra flavour.
This dish is thought to date back to 6,000BC. It is described in Prehistoric Cooking by Jacqui Wood (Tempus, 2002)
********************************
Urchins (Urchin is the medieval name for hedgehogs)
Ingredients:
1 packet sosmix*
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon pepper
some blanched slivered almonds
a few currants
Method:
Make the sosmix according to the packet instructions and mix with the spices. Knead well and shape into balls about the size and shape of a large hen's egg.
Spike each ball with enough slivered almonds to make them look like a hedgehog and press 2 currants into each ball for eyes.
Bake them in a medium oven for about 25-30 minutes until they are a nice shade of brown.
*They didn't have sosmix in the middle ages. I made that bit up.
http://www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk/recipes.htm