Pomegranate Chicken Part 2 - The Motherdish

About a year ago, I posted a recipe for Pomegranate Chicken. Loosely based off of a recipe I had come across from Liber de Coquina, a 14th century cookbook. There is some debate on whether the book is originally from France, or Italy but currently resides in the Bibliotheque Nationale in France.

The original manuscript in Latin calls for almond milk and cinnamon. Being the pomegranate is very sweet to begin with, I decided to not channel the sweeter, creamier side of things and went a savory route. In the original recipe, it even states "However, it can be broth green with herbs. [loosely translated by Google from Latin]" which I interpreted as an option to make an herb focused broth for the chicken.

The original recipe (in Latin) is as follows:

"De romania: de romania, suffrigantur pulli cum lardo et cepis et tarantur amigdale non mondate et distemperentur cum succo granatorum acronum et dulcium.

Postea, colletur et ponatur ad bulliendum cum  pullis et cum cocleari egitetur. Et ponatur species.

Potest tamen fieri brodium uiride cum herbis."

The translation that Google provided wasn't exactly the best (other than the last line of text offering a more herbaceous alternative).

" On Romania, from Romania, suffrigantur chick with bacon and onions and terantur almond pomegranate juice with no mondate and distempered Acroria and sweets. Then, collet and set for boiling with chickens and spoonfuls of disturbance. And a kind.

However, it can be broath green with herbs."

I decided to do more digging on a possible alternate translation.

I came across a translation from Euriol of Lothian that went over their redaction of the recipe. It too included the almond milk, and cinnamon option with no mention of the alternate. Their translation did offer a clearer glimpse into how the prepare and cook the chicken, though. Euriol's recipe translation can be found here.

I hadn't found an alternate broth recipe for the chicken yet, so I decided to make my own using what I thought would be an educated guess at ingredients. Mixing a little Andalusian in with it (as per my persona) I came up with the recipe you see below. It is shown next to Euriol's for comparison.

Euriol of Lothien’s Pomegranate Chicken 1 whole chicken 1 small onion, diced 1 tbsp of olive oil ¼ tsp grains of paradise ¼ tsp ground ginger ¼ tsp cinnamon 1 c almond milk 1 c pomegranate juice Cut the chicken into 8 pieces ( 2 drumsticks, 2 wings, 2 thighs, 2 breasts) and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a Dutch oven or 6 quart stock pot. Brown chicken in oil, turning at least once to brown each side. Remove chicken and set aside. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add remaining ingredients, and reduce heat to simmer. Let stew until chicken is tender and garnish with pomegranate seeds if preferred.

Lady Elvira’s Pomegranate Chicken 12 lbs of Frozen Chicken Wings 750 ml of Pomegranate Syrup 4 Sprigs of Rosemary 4 Tablespoons of Minced Garlic 2 cups of Parsley 1/2 c of Soy Sauce Bake the chicken in the oven as directed on the package. While the chicken is cooking, combine the sauce ingredients and set aside. Once the chicken is cooked, let it cool for 10-15 minutes. Place your chicken in a container of your choice (I used an aluminum pan) and add the sauce. Let it refrigerate overnight. Cook on low heat for a few hours, moving chicken regularly to get even flavor distribution. Once the chicken looks caramelized, it's ready to plate.

In the original recipe, only a cup of pomegranate juice was used, but it was for a single chicken. Being that I was using 12 pounds of chicken versus a single bird, I increased the pomegranate juice. I had also seen rosemary used in Liber de Coquina in a fish dish.

Murri (which I substituted with soy sauce) was a little bit of a stretch. I've seen it used in Andalusian cooking of course, but I haven't found definitive use in Italian cooking. Also, considering this book is either French or Italian further lessens the likelihood of murri being used. This was merely a liberty I took in relation to my persona. 

The original recipe called for onions, which I tend to avoid for allergy reasons. I used garlic instead, and added parsley to lend more herb flavor.

The chicken also doesn't sit nearly as long in the juice in the original recipe. In period, overnight marinating wouldn't have really been an option. I wanted the flavors to get into the chicken though, so I took liberties with this step. Extended cooking was a method to promote tender meats so I still utilized that to give the chicken the tender texture mentioned in the original recipe.

My interpretation is clearly more on the anachronistic side of things, but there were indeed bases built off of period recipes and methods.

Sources:

Original Text Found: http://www.staff.uni-giessen.de/gloning/tx/mul2-lib.htm

Euroil of Lothien's Translation: http://www.medievalcuisine.com/Euriol/recipe-index/romania

Food and the SCA

When I started playing in the SCA - I didn't know what I wanted to focus on (if anything). At first socializing, and spectating were my primary involvement. There's so much to do that it took awhile for me to come into my own. Eventually I fell upon a cooking adventure and it's been a love of mine ever since.

A plate from my first dayboard - April 2015

Two years ago I planned my first dayboard with the help of some friends. It was EKU in the Barony of Endewearde. It was a great learning experience, and very very scary for a first attempt. The site location had been changed with less than 24 hours notice, and the cooking space went from a large kitchen - to a nook in a hallway with 6 outlets.

That being said, we all pulled together and the event went off without a hitch. It was fun for everyone involved and at the end of the day a complete success. After that, there is very little that could scare me from cooking.

Food is love to me. It means sitting down with friends and family and enjoying time together. Eating together. Sharing an experience, and making memories. Even when I'm cooking it's a sharing experience. I get to cook with some great people. We share a passion about food and run little tastes of things we're making back and forth across a kitchen.  Or we'll discuss recipes we tried or had come across in our research. It's love, and it means something to me. It has helped mold my experience within the SCA.

The appetizers from Hafla 2017

Over the weekend I got to cook at one of my favorite events, Hafla. It's a Middle Eastern themed
event with dancing, music, and delicious food. I got to cook with my friend, Aleksei and it was a great time. We shared recipes, cooked together, and despite my accidentally biting him - I'd say we had a good time. He was feeding me lamb and I got his finger on accident... I didn't hurt him! There'll be an upcoming blog post on that soon (Hafla - not my biting Aleksei).

I've learned a lot of recipes over the years, and have met a lot of great people. I'm still amazed at what food can do for any kind of relationship. It helps close gaps that might have been there before. Sitting down with a total stranger who, like yourself has never had stuffed dates, or rabbit before. You now have that. You tried it together, and hopefully became acquaintances or friends because of it. Or maybe you went to a cookery class and met someone else on the same journey you are. It's such a great experience on so many levels, and I only plan to share the love.

Bycocket, I Think She's Got It!

Ever since I joined the SCA, I've wanted a bycocket. I especially wanted one when I found out what they were called. It's just too much fun to say!

The original pattern found on Honor before Victory

I remember seeing someone wearing it so nicely with a simple veil and a cotehardie many years ago at an event. The combination itself was enough to have me intrigued. It would be some time before I made the attempt, but always had the vision in my head.

The opportune moment came at this year's Market Day at Birka when Queen Anna issued an "Accessories" challenge for the fashion show. House Strangewayes also had a personal challenge of "Tips and Toes". This was my "excuse" to try something I always wanted to, and finally had the courage to do so.

I ended up going with a pattern found on "Honor before Victory" - another SCAdian blog showcasing a GORGEOUS bycocket made for an elevation. The pattern itself seemed simple enough so it was the one I decided to go with. I didn't use the split loop seem method as suggested in my reference, but I used the basic pattern included with it.

I decided on linen and silk in contrasting colors for my first attempt. Most of the bycockets I had seen were primarily made with wool felt, and sturdier cloth - so I used canvas as an interlining to give it more support.

The tip of linen layer needed to be trimmed later on.

I started by measuring around my head, to make sure it fit, and measuring the "height" the crest of the hat would be. Make sure you measure the width of your head, so your hat closes at the top (I have a pretty big noggin, so this is important).

Once I had those measurements I followed the diagram I had found, and tested out the fit. It was perfect. After that step was taken care of I cut out the layers of silk and linen. I ended up making the linen layer longer than the silk, since this would form the rim of the hat. I wanted to give it a little more space to make sure it'd be long enough to sew up the brim of the hat without issue.

The completed bycocket! (sans feathers)

I did initially serge the pieces together, and used a machine to construct the two pieces individually. The rest of the hat was completed by hand. Because the silk had a diamond pattern to it, I decided to use a small blanket stitch down the center of the hat, and an invisible stitch along the brim. The total amount of time I would say it took would be about 4-6 hours total.

I would definitely recommend trying your hand at one of these if you've ever wanted one. This ended up being much easier than I had originally anticipated. You don't necessarily have to do the finishing by hand, but I preferred doing that to go with the outfit overall. I think I'll try to make another one eventually, but for now I'm still very pleased with this one and how it came out.

Thanks for stopping by (cocket)!

The Path to Peerage - Part 1.5

At the end of January every year, the Barony of Stonemarche hosts "A Market Day at Birka". An event based off of the Viking trading post, welcoming all manner of SCAdian to peruse the market place and see what the East Kingdom has to offer. It is a wonderful event filled with warm hearts and cool surroundings. In my five years in the Society, I've not missed one yet.

This year, was especially important for me as I took another vital step in my "SCA Career"...

A few years ago I was approached my Maestra Imigla Venture, asking if I would like to be her student. Naturally I knew what it meant, but I didn't realize how it would start to mold my experience within the society.  Since that first question, I have tried to expand my knowledge and become more involved in the Kingdom of the East. Naturally, I have much more to learn and do - but what I have done has gotten me where I am today. 

On Saturday, I was officially made Apprentice to Maestra Venture. There was an intimate gathering of some of our beloved friends to bear witness, and I could not feel more humbled and honored. I wrote up a simple contract for the both of us and my Household Matriarch read it aloud for those in attendance. It read:

"This indenture made the 28th day of January during the reign of Brion and Anna of the East shall witness that Lady Elvira Violante Ballesteros does bind herself prentice to Maestra Imigla Venture so that she may expand her studies in cookery and other diverse arts.

During which term Elvira shall this term serve in good faith, keep her Misstress' council and the lawful commandments of same. Elvira shall not withdraw unlawfully from service nor flee for any reason until she has completed her apprenticeship. In return Imigla Venture does pledge to provide for Elvira should she be lacking in shelter, food, or clothing.

Until by agreement that these terms be ended, Elvira shall serve in good faith and all implied therein."

With this development I'm planning to really step up my game. I'm planning to teach a class or two this year, as well as cook my first feast! Dayboards have been my main source of service and study as of the last year, and this year it's time to try for bigger things. I'm also hoping to post a lot more as far as research and my studies. 

Again, thank you to those that made it to this lovely occurrence and I am deeply honored to be continuing on such a prestigious path. Thank you.