Tagged ‘pepper’

Bag of Pudding

May 18th, 2013 by KM Wall

Not just any bag – the pudding bag! Pudding in a bag? Isn’t that messy? Not if you know how it’s done.

Possible the most famous bag pudding is the Christmas Pudding that Mrs Cratchit serves in Dicken’s The Christmas Carol:

“Mrs Cratchit left the room alone — too nervous to bear witnesses — to take the pudding up and bring it in… Hallo! A great deal of steam! The pudding was out of the copper which smells like a washing-day. That was the cloth. A smell like an eating-house and a pastrycook’s next door to each other, with a laundress’s next door to that. That was the pudding. In half a minute Mrs. Cratchit entered — flushed, but smiling proudly — with the pudding, like a speckled cannon-ball, so hard and firm, blazing in half of half-a-quarter of ignited brandy, and bedight with Christmas holly stuck into the top.”

 

 

Christmas Pudding - IN A BAG

Christmas Pudding – IN A BAG

Often the bag is a linen napkin ……. bag is a verb as well as a noun…..

Bag Pudding (OED)

[f. BAGn.1 + PUDDING.]

1. A pudding boiled in a bag.
1598 in FLORIO. 1600HEYWOOD1 Edw. IV, Wks. 1874 I 47 Thou shalt be welcome to beef and bacon, and perhaps a bag-pudding.

1641W. CARTWRIGHTOrdinary II. i, A solemn son of Bagpudding and Pottage.

And if there’s bag pudding, could pudding bag be far behind?

 

Puddingbag (OED)

A bag in which a pudding is boiled. Also transf. and fig. Cf. pudding-poke.

c1597 T. DELONEY Jack of Newberie (1619) iv. sig. G3, The other maide..with the perfume in the pudding-bagge, flapt him about the face.

1626 in NARES (Halliw.), [A piece of Sail-cloth] about half a yard long, of the breadth of a pudding-bag.

And now for what very well be the most comprehensive pudding recipe in any English cookbook ever, no matter the century. I have added the numbered and letter divisions to help you keep track of the possibilities:

Oatmeal Puddings, otherwise of Fish or Flesh Blood.

Take a quart of whole Oatmeal, steep it in warm Milk overnight, and then drain the groats from it, boil them in a quart or three  pints of good Cream; then the Oatmeal being boyled and cold have Tyme, Penny-royal, Parslee, Spinnage, Savory, Endive, Marjoram, Sorrel, Succory, and Strawberry-leaves of each a little quantity, chop them fine and put them to the Oatmeal, with some Fennel-seeds, Pepper, Cloves, Mace, and Salt,

  1. boyl it in a Napkin,

  2. or bake it in a Dish,

  3. Pie,

  4. or Guts:

    1. sometimes of the former Pudding you may leave out some of the herbs, and add these, Pennyroyal, Savory, Leeks, a good bigg Onion, Sage, Ginger, Nutmeg, Pepper, Salt, either for fish or flesh dayes, with Butter or Beef-suet, boyled or baked in Dish, Napkin, or Pie

1661. William Rabisha.  The Whole Body of Cookery Dissected. p. 184.

 

Rag Pudding - a 20th century dish that may hearken back to the 19th century, but is a pudding in a pie

Rag Pudding – a 20th century dish that may hearken back to the 19th century, but is a pudding in a pie

 

You are he that did eat the pudding and the bag.

Proverbs Collected by J. H. Esqr. London 1659

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Three Rice tarts

May 14th, 2013 by KM Wall

Three tarts of rice, each a little different. They were in three columns to compare and contrast, but they don’t want to seem to stay that way. Sigh.

But the line divisions did remain, so compare away.

BTW – Oranges are pretty unlikely for New England in 1627, but rice is a common commodity on ships; eggs easy to come by in May; and milk – from goats, if not from cows – would be new enough to New England, and still scarce enough to be special .

To make a Tart of Ryce.

Boyle your Rice,

and put in the yolkes of two or three Egges into the Rice,

and when it is boyled, put it into a dish,

and season it with Suger, Sinamon

and Ginger,

and butter,

and the juyce of two or three Orenges,

and set it on the fire againe.

1596. T. Dawson. The Good Housewifes Jewell

 

 

To make a Tart of Rice.

Boyle your Rice, and pour it into a Cullender, then season it with Cinnamon,

Nutmeg,

Ginger,

and Pepper,

and Sugar,

the yolkes of three or four Eggs,

then put it into your Tart with the juyce of an Orange,

then close it, bake it, and ice it,

scrape on Sugar,

and serve it.

1653. W.I. A True Gentlewomans Delight.: 1991.p. 51.

 

To make a Tart of Rice.

Boil the rice in milk or cream, being tender boil’d pour it into a dish, & season it with nutmeg,

ginger,

cinnamon,

pepper,

salt,

sugar,

and the yolks of six eggs, put it in the tart with some juyce of orange; close it up and bake it, being baked scrape on sugar,

and so serve it up.

1671. Robert May. The Accomplist Cook (third edition). p.245.

pies

Now we tend to think of tarts as being open, and pies being closed, even though there are pies without a top crust….think lemon meringue, coconut cream, tarte tartin ,….

Thomas Dawson doesn’t mention pastry or baking, yet both W.I and Robert May have an upper crust as in, “close it, bake, it, ice it” and “close it up and bake it”.

There are clearly tarts with tops on.

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A Plaice, the yuce of Sorrel and more sops

April 30th, 2013 by KM Wall
Hippoglossoides platessoides - American Plaice

Hippoglossoides platessoides – American Plaice

 A Plaice

Sole Meunière is a classic French treatment of flatfish with a lovely, lemony sauce, and worth noting if only for the Julia Child in Rouen moment (pause and praise Julia), and  Poisson à l’oseille  – Fish with Sorrel Sauce au francais – was my sorrel moment. A different flatfish, a different French city, a different decade, but in one mouthful I knew I’d been wasting sorrel and it was time to make up for lost time.  And this recipe calls for sorrel juice – that is, yuce. Don’t be afraid – the fish should be more poached then boiled, and if you can get a whole one, and not just a fillet….heaven on a plate.

20. To butter Plaice vpon Sorrell sops.

Boyle your Plaice in faire water and Salt, and a fewe sweete Hearbes and Vinegar, then take them vp and dry them in a faire cloath, then dish them in sippets in the bottom of a dish then power vpon it a quarter of a pint of the yuce of Sorrell, and set it vpoon a chafindish of coales, and when you bee ready to serve it, poure vpon it a little butter drawne thicke with the yuce of Sorrell, then strowe grose Pepper and Salt, put sippets about it and serve it then to the table hotte, your sauce will looke very green and the fish east pleasant and short.

-         1621. John Murrell. A Delightfull daily exercise for Ladies and Gentlewomen. Falconwood Press: 1990. p. 38.

 

Biblical bread

 More sops

John 13:21-26   1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)

21 When Jesus had said these things, he was troubled in the Spirit, and [a]testified, and said, Verily, verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

22 Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake.

23 Now there was one of his disciples, which [b]leaned on Jesus’ bosom, whom Jesus loved.

24 To him beckoned therefore Simon Peter, that he should ask who it was of whom he spake.

25 He then as he leaned on Jesus’ breast, said unto him, Lord, who is it?

26 Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it: and he wet a sop, and gave it to Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son.

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Rice puddings

April 24th, 2013 by KM Wall
Rice

Rice

 

Spring is a season where things change fast. One minute it’s all about dragons, the next there’s an abundance of milk and eggs to use. Rice was a common commodity to take to sea, but also a special treat when made into puddings.

Pudding funnel (these are white puddings or boudin blanc) from Ivan Day's site

Pudding funnel (these are white puddings or boudin blanc) from Ivan Day’s Historic Food site

 

Rice puddings

Take half a pound of Rice, and steepe it inn new milke a whole night and in the morning drain it, and let the Milke drop away; then take a quart of the best sweetest and thickest Creame, and put the Rice into it, and boyle it a little; then set it to cool an hower or two, & after put in the Yelkes of half a dozzen Egges, a little Pepper, Cloves, Mace, Currants, Dates, Sugar and Salt; and having mixt them well together, so serve it into the farms[1], and boil them as before shewed, and serve them after a day old.

1631.  Gervase Markham, Best ed. English Housewife. p. 72.


[1] ‘farms’ or forms a/k/a guts or puddings

 

To make Rice Puddings.

Boyle halfe a pound of Rice with three pintes of Milke, a little beaten Mace, boyle it untill your Rice be drie, but never stirre it, then you must stirre it continually or else it will burne: powre your Rice in a Collinder, or else into a strainer, that the moisture may runne cleane from it: then put to it sixe Egges, and put away the whites of three, halfe a pound of Sugar, a quarter of a pinte of Rose-water, a pound of Currans, a pound of Beefe suet shred small, season it with Nutmeg, Sinamon, and a little Salt, stirre all this together with a spoone thinne, drie the smallest guts of a Hog in a faire cloth being watered and scoured fir for the Puddings, and fill them three quarters full, and tie both ends together, let them boyle softly a quarter of an houre or scarce so much, and let the water boyle before you put them in, and doe as the other Puddings last spoken of.

Note: the previous puddings were Liverie Pudding and the notes are:

…cut the small guts of a Hogge about a foot long, fill them three quarters full of the aforesaid stuffe, tie both ends together and boyle them in a kettle of faire water, with a pewter Dish under them, with the bottome upward, and it will keepe your Puddings from breaking:…(p. 26)

1638. John Murrell. The Second Booke of Cookerie. Stuart Press: 1993.p. 27.

 

A Ryce Pudding.

Steep it in faire water all night: then boyle it in new Milke, and draine out the Milke, through a Cullinder[1]: mince beefe Suit [2]handsomely, but not too small, and put it into the Rice, and parboyled Currins[3], yolkes of new layd Egges, Nutmeg, sinamon, Sugar, and Barberryes[4]: mingle all together: wash your scoured guttes, and stuffe them with the aforesaid pulp: parboyle them, and let them coole.

1615. John Murrell. A New Booke of Cookerie. Falconwood Press. 1989. p. 18.

 

[1] colander

[2] that’s suet – a beef/sheep fat

[3] currents

[4] a small, red, sour berry much like a cranberry…..

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Paling

April 7th, 2013 by KM Wall

 

Gerookte paling - smoked eel

smoked eels – gerookte paling 

Gerookte paling is (at least according to an on-line translator app) Norwegian for smoked eels.

In March the eels come forth out of places where they lie bedded all winter, into the fresh streams, and there into the sea, and in their passages are taken in pots. In September they run out of the sea into the fresh streams, to bed themselves in the ground all winter, and are taken again in pots as they return homewards. In the winter the inhabitants dig them up, being bedded in gravel not above two or three foot deep, and all the rest of the year they may take them in pots in the salt water of the bay. They are passing sweet, fat and wholesome, having no taste of mud, and are as great as ever I saw any.” 1622/23. Three Visitors (John Pory), p.7.

Christian IV , King of Denmark and Norway and Anne Catherine

Christian IV , King of Denmark  and Anne Catherine

 

Christian IV was the king of Denmark-Norway from 1588 until his death.  He is sometimes referred to as Christian Firtal in Denmark and Christian Kvart or Quart in Norway.

And his sister married the King of England

 

Anne of Denmark, consort of James I and VI and mother to Charles I

Anne of Denmark, consort of James I and VI of England and Scotland and mother to Charles I

a shilling with the images of Charles I - how most Englishmen see the King

a shilling with the image of Charles I – how most Englishmen see the King

How to make an Eele Pye

“Take two pennyworth of very fat Eeles when they be blead and very faire washed, seeth them in a little faire water, and Salte till they be halfe sodden, that they may slip from the bones, cut awaye the fines on every side, then slip them the bones, and shred them somewhat fine with a knife and take two or three Wardens and shred them very fine to put among them, or Pippins or other apples, if you do want wardens, then take a little Salte, a little Pepper, Sinamon, cloues Mace and Suger, and season it withal put in a quarter of a pound of sweete butter, so put it in paste, and bake it not too rashlye, you maye put in the yolke of an egge and a little verges when it is halfe baked if you will but I think  it is better without.”

The Good Hous-wiues Treasurie. Edward Allde: London. 1588

 

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Tart of Ryce

April 1st, 2013 by KM Wall

 

rice

rice

 

1596. T. Dawson. The Good Housewifes Jewell.

To make a Tart of Ryce.

Boyle your Rice, and put in the yolkes of two or three Egges into the Rice, and when it is boyled, put it into a dish, and season it with Suger, Sinamon and Ginger, and butter, and the juyce of two or three Orenges, and set it on the fire againe.

 

1653. W.I. A True Gentlewomans Delight. Falconwood Press: 1991.p. 51.

Still Life of a roast chicken blah blah blah and an ORANGE

Still Life of a roast bird blah blah blah and an ORANGE

To make a Tart of Rice.

Boyle your Rice, and pour it into a Cullender, then season it with Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, and Pepper, and Sugar, the yolkes of three or four Eggs, then put it into your Tart with the juyce of an Orange, then close it, bake it, and ice it, scrape on Sugar, and serve it.

1654. Jos. Cooper. The Art of Cookery. London. p. 138.

Portuguese baked rice pudding

Portuguese baked rice pudding

How to make a Rice–pudding baked.

Boyle the Rice tender with Milke, and season it with Nutmeg or Mace, Rosewater, Sugar, yolks of Eggs, with half the whites, with grated Bread, and Marrow minced, with Ambergriece (if you please) temper them well together, and bake it in a dish buttered.

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Potato of Canada

January 11th, 2013 by KM Wall

The Story of the English Underground, Colonial Edition.cont

 

Jerusalem artichoke

from the OED:
2. Jerusalem Artichoke: a species of Sunflower (Helianthus tuberosus), a native of tropical America, cultivated in Europe, having edible tuberous roots, somewhat resembling the Artichoke proper in flavour.
‘The name of Jerusalem Artichoke is considered to be a corruption of the Italian Girasóle Articiocco or Sunflower Artichoke, under which name it is said to have been distributed from the Farnese garden at Rome, soon after its introduction to Europe in 1617.’ W. B. Booth in Treas. Bot.
1620 VENNER Via Recta vii. 134 Artichocks of Ierusalem, is a roote vsually eaten with butter, vinegar, and pepper.

1641 R. BROOKE Nat. Eng. Episc. I. iv. 16 Error being like the Jerusalem-Artichoake; plant it where you will, it overrunnes the ground and choakes the Heart.

also in New England:
Champlain at Nauset, 1605
“…and roots which they [Natives] cultivate, the later having the taste of an artichoke.” in Sailor’s Narratives, p. 87.

Jerusalem artichoke before they reach 7' tall and sprout yellow flowers

Gookin, 1674
“Also they [natives] mix with the _____ pottage several sorts of roots; as Jerusalem artichokes, and ground nuts and other roots…”

“We in England, from some ignorant and idle head, haue called them Artichokes of Jerusalem, only because the roote, being boyled, is in taste like the bottome of an Artichoke head: but they may most fitly be called, Potaoes of Canada, because their rootes are in some forme, colour and taste, like unto the Potatos of Virginia, but greater, and the French brought them first from Canada into these parts)…

 

“…but after they [the stalks] be withered, and so all the winter long vntill the Spring againe, they are good, and fit to bee taken vp and vsed, which are a number of tuberous round rootes, growing close together; so that it hath been obserued, that from one roote, being set in the Spring, there hath been forty or more taken up againe, and to haue ouer-filled a pecke measure, and are of a pleasant good taste as many haue tryed.”

-Parkinson, p. 518.

 

Jerusalem artichokes - the root part you eat (and why Parkinson calls them Potatoes of Canada)

The naming confusion continues – now (as in this morning) you can find them called :

  • sunchokes
  • sunroots
  • topinambour
  • earth apples

“The rootes are dressed diverse waies;

some boil them in water, and after stew them with sacke and butter, adding a little Ginger:

others bake them in pies, putting Marrow, Dates, Ginger, Raisons of the Sun, &c.

Others some other way, as they are led by their skill in Cookerie.

But in my judgement, which way soever they be drest and eaten they stir and cause a filthie loathesome stinking winde within the bodie, thereby causing the belly to be pained and tormented…

1633. John Gerard The Herbal p. 754

 

 


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Everything old…..

January 10th, 2013 by KM Wall

Purple dragon carrot..

…is new again. This year’s seed catalogs have carrots in many colors. Like purple, although it looks rather more violet to me.

 

 

 

 

Purple sun carrots - these are almost black

 

 

Atomic Red carrots

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yellowstone carrots

 

 

The Story of the English Underground, Colonial Edition.Continued.

Chapter: Carrot.

Before carrots were orange – which is Soooooo Modern – so back in the good old Early Modern days, carrots were violet. Or black. And white. Yellow and even red. Just beginning to be seen in orange. Orange is tres Flemish and Dutch. The Dutch are very fond of Orange. Consider it Princely, even. The English, on the other hand, were fine with things they way they had always been. They were latecomers to the orange bandwagon.

Carrots color wheel- 21st AND 17th centuries

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carrot colors are fashion – and have been for the last 400 years.

“A Carrot Sallad.

Carrots boyled and eaten with Vinegar, Oyle, and Pepper serve for a special good sallad to stirre up appetitie, and to purifie blood.”

-        1617 Wm Vaughn in Dining with William Shakespeare. Madge Lorwin.(1976)  p. 299.

 

 

Willem Frederik van Royen The Carrot 1699

Check out the World Carrot Museum. It’s on the blogroll. Totally amazing.

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Seals

January 8th, 2013 by KM Wall

“Monday, the 8th day of January[1620/1], was a very fair day, and we went betimes to work. Master Jones sent the shallop, as he had formerly done, to see where fish could be got. They had a great storm at sea, and were in some danger; at night they returned with three great seals and an excellent good cod, which did assure us that we should have plenty of fish shortly.”

-         Mourt’s, Applewood ed, p. 44

Betimes is early.

A shallop is a boat.

Seals are not endangered and would be taken for their meat as well as their fur.

Cod is the reason they were forming a plantation.

Harbor seal

 

Common Seal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cod - Gadus morhua

For white Peas Pottage.

Take a quart of white Pease (1) or more & seeth them in faire water close, until they doe cast their huskes, the which cast away, as long as any wil come up to the topp, and when they be gon, then put into the peaze two dishes of butter, and a little vergious(2), with pepper and salt, and a little fine powder of March(3) , and so let it stand till you will occupy it, and then serve it upon sops.(4) You may seethe Porpose and Seale in your pease, serving it forth two peeces in a dish.

- 1597 Dawson, Thomas. The Second part of the good Hus-wives Iewell. London. p. 26.

[1] white pea are dried or old (not fresh ‘green’) pease

[2] verjuice is  the  unripe juice of grapes or apples(f. vert green, unripe + jus JUICE.]) use vinegar instead

[3 powder of march is ground spices, usually ginger and something else

[4] sops are pieces of bread soaked in something

photo of dried peas from USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council - Dry peas and Lentils have their very own council!

Harbor porpoise

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Two Turtledoves

December 27th, 2012 by KM Wall

Two European Turtle Doves (Streptopelia turtur)

 

To bake Pigeons wild or tame, Stock-Doves, Turtle-Doves, Quails, Rails, & c. to be eaten cold.

Take six pigeons, pull, truss, and draw them, wash and wipe them dry, and season them with nutmeg, pepper, and salt, the quantity of two ounces of the foresaid spices, and as much of the one as the other, then lay some butter in the bottom of the pye, lay on the pigeons, and put all the seasonings on them in the pye, put butter to it, close it up and bake it, being baked and cold, fill it up with clarified butter.

Make the paste of a pottle of fine flour, and a quarter of a pound of butter boil’d in fair water made up quick and stiff.

If you will bake them to be eaten hot, leave out half the seasoning: Bake them in dish, pie, or patty-pan, and make cold paste of a pottle of flour, six yolks of raw eggs, and a pound of butter, work into flour dry, and being well wrought into it, make it up stiff with a little fair water.

Being bakes to be eaten hot, put into yolks of hard eggs, sweet breads, lamb-stones, sparagus, or bottoms of artichokes, chestnuts, grapes or gooseberries.

Sometimes for variety make a lear of butter, verjuyce, sugar, some sweet marjoram chopped and boil’d up in the liquor, put them in the pye when you serve it up, and  dissolve the yolk of an egg into it: then cut up the pye or dish, and put some slic’t lemon, shake it well together, and serve it up hot.

In this mode or fashion you bake larks, black-birds, thrushes, veldifers, sparrows or wheat-ears.

- 1678. Robert May. The Accomplist Cook. Falconwood Press ed. p. 124.

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