This Wardrobe better lead to Narnia...

For the last two weeks, I've been sewing like a fiend.  You see, an old friend of  Husband has been bitten by the SCA bug and decided to take his four kids to Panteria.  I, foolish mortal that I am said, "Pick up the fabric and I'll make garb for you guys".  Then, Husband decided that maybe it would be better to switch to the 12th century in England rather than 14th century China.  He's new enough to the SCA that I'm not sure anyone knew that was the time and place he was going for, so the switch will be easy; except that meant he also needed new garb.

My poor sewing machine needs an extended vacation.

We got back from a very soggy and disappointing Panteria yesterday. I'm not sure we even got any photos of the event to post, but I'll write about our first camping trip of the year next Sunday.  I'll also do a few tutorials on how to outfit 6 people for two nights of events for under $200.  Right now... I never want to see another piece of fabric again.

A Crown Tourney Soup

At the crown tourney of King Edward Grey and Queen Thyra Eiriksdottir in Endewearde, the feast was inspired by medieval Polish recipes.  In the first course, a soup with parsnips and cabbage was served that was so delicious, I had to have the recipe.  Head chef, Lady Leofwyn Wytleseie was kind enough to share it with me.  When my next door neighbor gave me some of his freshly dug parsnips, I knew just what to do with them. 

I modified Lady Leofwyn's dumpling recipe a little as her recipe called for barley flour and mace, which I didn't have, and as I wasn't creating dumplings for 150 people, I opted to cook them right in the soup.  The results were delicious.  Also, since I was cooking them in the soup, I cut her recipe in half so that I would have room for them and all the soupy goodness as well. 

Although I don't have the original recipe which I like to post to share the original source, the recipe itself comes from Food and Drink in Medieval Poland by Maria Dembińska.  

Duszony Por z Pasternak i Gier 
(Stew of Parsnips, Leeks, and Alexanders)

4 pounds leek greens (use the leafy part that is normally discarded
3 pounds small parsnips, trimmed, pared, and sliced on a slant to resemble thick potato chips
2 cups sliced leek, white part only
2 cups white cabbage, shredded as for sauerkraut
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, sliced in half lengthwise
6 tablespoons honey
1/8 teaspoon ground saffron
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cumin1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 cup coarsely chopped alexanders (leaves and small stems only)

Boil the leek greens in 1 gallon of water until soft and until the stock is reduced by one-fourth (about 1 hour). Strain and reserve the liquid, discarding the leek greens. Put the stock in a stewing pot with the parsnips, sliced leeks, cabbage, onion and garlic. Cover and stew 45 minutes, or until the parsnips are tender, then add the honey, saffron, cinnamon, salt, and vinegar. Stew 15 minutes, then add the alexanders. Let the alexanders cook for about 5 minutes, then serve immediately over pieces of stale manchet bread or cheese dumplings.

NOTES:  As the hour was late when I started this dinner, and people were getting very hungry, I opted to use some homemade turkey broth that I had on hand rather than use the leeks to create the base for the soup.  Alexanders or black lovage is a spring plant that is part of the Umbelliferae family (carrots, celery, fennel, dill, caraway, anise, etc).  Reports are that it tastes a little like celery.  Or asparagus.  Or parsley.  Or pepper.  Or chicken.  Well, maybe not that last one, but there does seem to be disagreement as to what it tastes like.  As celery seemed to be mentioned most often, and I had celery in the fridge, I substituted celery for the alexanders.  It was still delicious.

Cheese Dumplings

1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp butter, melted
6 oz feta cheese, crumbled
3 eggs

In a bowl, mix bread crumbs, flour, and nutmeg together.  Stir in butter and feta, making the mixture as crumbly as possible.  Add the eggs, until a soft dough has formed. 

When the soup is just about done, make balls about 1 to 2 inches with the dough and drop them into the hot soup.  When they rise to the surface, the soup (and dumplings) are done.

Autocrat Gift for Lady Bryn Millar

For her fine works in organizing the Endewearde 25th Anniversary celebration, House Fulton presented Lady Bryn Millar with a small embroidered sachet.

This sachet was stuffed with lavender and dried strawberries for an early summer fragrance.  The embroidery was based on an Elizabethan carnation design and was done with cotton embroidery floss on linen.  The outline of the flower and the leaves was couched with gold thread and the design was filled with a simple satin stitch.  Freshwater pearls adorn the corners.

Two 14th century recipes for dinner

This week's medieval dinner comes courtesy of 14th century England.   The meal consisted of a fish dish, a bean and onion dish, and a green salad with a simple oil/vinegar/mustard/honey dressing.  With a sweet cake or some kind of fruit dish added, this would be a lovely first remove for a feast.

First up is A Dauce Egre or Fish in a sweet and sour sauce.  This is the sort of sauce that it's very important to taste and adjust the sweetness/tartness of it before putting on the fish. I used a cider vinegar for my first attempt and it definitely needed more sugar after the simmering/reducing. Good strong flavor though.   The beans and onions made a lovely accompaniment to the tart fish and had a much milder, more buttery flavor.

A Dauce Egre (Fish in a sweet and sour sauce)
Tak luces or tenches or fresch haddok, & seth hem & frye hem in oyle doliue. & þan tak vynegre & þe thridde part sugre & onyounnes smal myced, & boyle alle togedere, & maces & clowes & quybibes. & ley þe fisch in disches & hyld þe sew aboue & serue it forth.
Source: Hieatt, Constance B. and Sharon Butler. Curye on Inglish: English Culinary Manuscripts of the Fourteenth-Century (Including the Forme of Cury). New York: for The Early English Text Society by the Oxford University Press, 1985.

1 lb haddock fillets (or any other fresh white fish)
olive oil
1 1/2 cups cider or red wine vinegar
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar
1 medium sized onion, minced
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp clove
1 tsp ground black pepper

In a sauce pan, combine vinegar, sugar, onions & spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Continue cooking until the onions are thoroughly soft and sauce is reduced. In a frying pan, heat a little olive oil. Fry the fish on both sides in the hot oil until a crispy light brown. Remove from the oil and drain. Place the fish in a serving platter and ladle the sauce on top.

Benes yfryed (Sauteed beans and onions)

Take benes and seeþ hem almost til þey bersten. Take and wryng out þe water clene. Do þerto oynouns ysode and ymynced, and garlec þerwith; frye hem in oile oþer in grece, & do þereto powdour douce, & serue it forth. Source: Hieatt, Constance B. and Sharon Butler. Curye on Inglish: English Culinary Manuscripts of the Fourteenth-Century (Including the Forme of Cury). New York: for The Early English Text Society by the Oxford University Press, 1985.

1 can cannellini beans 
1 onion, chopped
3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs olive oil or butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg

Drain and rinse beans. Saute drained beans, onions, garlic and spices with olive oil or butter. Serve warm.

Pikestaff cover

Back in January,  Lady Katerine atte Wyshe put out a call for Pikestaff covers.  She assigned me the May cover and this was what I designed.  I haven't done portraits in a long long time, but I'm not displeased with this one.  It's based on a photo taken by Lady Camille DeJardin at King Edward and Queen Thyra's Crown Tourney in Endewearde.  If I were to do this again, I would extend that background pattern under the two pointy bits on the top of the P.  I'd also remember that like hair, beards have a shape that should be drawn in, rather than drawing the shape of his face and adding the beard after.  Rookie mistake, but it did spawn my new favorite exclamation of frustration "Gregor's beard!"