A new feast is underway, featuring mostly historical Italian recipes, with a few Dutch bits thrown in for good measure.  There will definitely be a spit-roasted whole lamb, and some fun sotleties for the head table.  Here is the tentative menu; I will be posting details as the test kitchen continues:


 I will be holding a banquet for my local SCA group on the first weekend of October at a yearly event known as Red Dragon.  All of the recipes are taken from historical cookbooks.  Scappi, 'Anonimo Toscano', and Martino's recipes are all 16th C. Italian; Apicus is an assembled Roman collection from 4th or 5th C. A.D., and "Pleyn Delit" is an assembly of Medieval recipes redacted for modern chefs.  The Dutch Cookbook is from 1560, entitled "Nyeuwen Coock Boeck".

First Course:
Pork Meatball Stew with Apples (Apicus )
Green Salad (Pleyn Delit 44)
Bread
Cheese Round With Herbs (Apicus 41)

Second Course:
Chicken with Blackberry Sauce (Dutch)
Baked Squash (Apicus)
Sauteed Green Beans (Anonimo Toscano)
Sliced melons

Third Course:
Spit-roasted lamb, (Scappi/Martino)     
Mushrooms (Apicus 315 or Anonimo Toscano)
Lentil Soup (Scappi)
Tortellini en brodo (in broth) with Chicken and Mushrooms, a la Pope Paul Farnese III

Dessert Course:
Fish-shaped Apple Pie (Dutch)/ Calves' Ears (Dutch)
Cherry Cheese Tarts
Fake Eggs (Dutch)

Beef Shank Stew

Well, no new photos for a while, probably, because my phone died, which was serving as my camera. However, after an extremly long hiatus, here is a new recipe, that will be soon followed by many more.
2-4 Servings

Cast iron dutch oven, at least 4 qt.

2 lbs beef shanks (usually about 4)
4 carrots
1/2 onion, yellow or vidalia
splash of fruity red wine, preferably merlot, sangria, or madiera
3 minced cloves garlic
6 cups water, room temperature
4 tsp beef bullion
3 tsp peanut or olive oil for searing the beef

Seasoning:
1 tsp ancho chile
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1/2 T french-cut dried rosemary
S&P to taste, about 1 1/2 tsp of each

Use a pair of kitchen shears to place a 2" deep cut every two inches around the perimeter of the beef shanks so that they do not buckle during searing. Lay out beef shanks 30 minutes before cooking, and sprinkle both sides with seasonings. Heat up cast iron for 8 minutes on a setting just below medium, then add peanut or olive oil, allow it to heat until a drop of water dances on the surface (1-2 min), and carefully add beef shanks, 2 at a time, 4-5 minutes per side, until nicely browned. Remove them, and place them aside for a moment. Slice the ends off of the carrots, and quarter the onion. Add these to the heated pot with the water, and put the lid on. As soon as it begins to boil, add the bullion, give it a gentle stir, and place the beef shanks on top of the veggies. Put the lid back on, and allow it to come back up to boil. Turn the heat to low, and allow to simmer at least two hours. Serve with crusty bread or rolls.

Baked Salmon with Summer Vegetables

This is now my favorite quick lunch for weekdays. I have used both salmon and Atlantic char so far in this recipe, and plan on trying other fish to see how they work out as well. The inspiration for this is that I'm trying to find some new recipes for foil-wrapped foods to cook at Pennsic this year, where almost all of our foods are made in the fire or on portable grills. I may be going there solo for the first week this year, and want to have some tasty things to eat. Equipment will be one large cooler, a propane grill, firewood, and a fire pit. If you have any favorite camping recipes, I would love to hear them!!


Ingredients:

2 tsp dried dill, to coat
1 tsp granulated garlic or garlic powder
1 tsp granulated onion or onion powder
1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
1 yellow squash
1 zucchini
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (marinate overnight in ginger, olive oil, and soy sauce if you can)
1 large fish fillet- salmon, char, or trout (skinless or skin-on)
1 3/4 cu cheddar, shredded
1 1/2 tsp mushroom bullion
dash of olive oil to coat
dash of mirin or cooking sherry
S & P to taste
Lemon juice, to taste
Heavy foil, or oiled baking dish with tight-fitting lid
Cherry tomatoes, baguette to plate at the end
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, lay out a piece of foil to thoroughly wrap the fillet.


Lay the fillet upon the foil or baking dish, season with salt, dill, and pepper. Thinly slice the zucchini, squash, and mushrooms, layering them upon the fish.

Add seasonings to vegetables, sprinkle on the mushroom seasoning. Drizzle olive oil along the length of the fish, and a dash of mirin or sherry. Seal up the foil packet, or put the lid on the dish, and place into the oven.

If using foil, place on a baking sheet with edges- juices will leak out during cooking. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Vegetables should still be slightly crunchy, but done. Turn off the heat on the oven, add cheese, return to the oven for 5-10 minutes to allow cheese to melt, remove and serve with a sprinkle of lemon juice. Fillets will slide easily off of skin with the aid of a butter knife. A flipper will be handy to transfer the sliced sections to plates. Serve with cherry tomatoes and some slices of baguette. Alternative toppings include olives, capers, minced garlic, and diced tomatoes with feta cheese and sliced lemons for a greek
flair. Let me know if you have any other favorite things to add to baked fish- I'd love to try some different versions of this!

A Good Ribbing

This was my first rack of true bbq ribs- never had a smoker with which to cook them properly before! I coated them in a dry rub of cumin, ginger, garlic and onion powder, sweet paprika, chili powder, cinnamon, coriander, pepper, and salt. They were then wrapped in cheesecloth so that the smoke would not darken them too much during cooking. They stayed in the smoker for five hours at between 170 and 220 degrees F until the thermometer indicated that they were done in several spots.

The ribs were then covered with a home-made honey molasses bbq sauce made with carmelized onions and garlic. The meat was lovely and honestly the most delicious pork I've ever had- very tender and sweet, although it was not falling off of the bone.

The smoked salmon was brined for an hour first with ginger and brown sugar. It turned out a little milder than I had wished, but I think next time I won't wash all of the brine off of it to leave a little of the salty flavor. Last time, I didn't rinse it and it was a little too salty, this time not enough...I'll find a happy medium somewhere! It's still very good on crackers with a little feta or tomato.