(Italian) To Prepare A Filled Twist

 

The Opera of Bartolomeo Scappi, 1570

If you are looking for a portable pick-me-up, that is sweet, savory, and delicious look no further than this recipe. Scappi's recipe for fruit-filled twist hist all the right spots. The moisture in the fruit prevents the dough from drying out, making this a perfect treat for the dayboard.

Original Recipe

Make a dough of two pounds of fine flour with six fresh egg yolks, two ounces of rosewater, an ounce of leaven moistened with warm water, four ounces of either fresh butter or rendered fat that does not smell bad, and enough salt. That dough should be kneaded well for half an hour. Make a thin sheet of it, greasing it with either melted butter that is not too hot or with rendered fat. With the pastry wheel, cut the edges one after the other, which are always quite a bit thicker than the rest. Sprinkle the dough with four ounces of sugar and an ounce of cinnamon. Then get a pound of currants that have been brought to a boil in wine, a pound of dates cooked in that wine and cut up small, and a pound of seeded muscatel raisins that have been brought to a boil in wine; combine all those ingredients and mix them with sugar, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Spread that mixture out over the sheet of dough along with a few little gobs of butter. Beginning at the long edge of the dough, roll it up like a wafer cornet, being careful not to break the dough. A twist like that needs only three rolls so it can cook well; it should not be too tight. Grease its surface with melted butter that is not too hot. Begin at one end to roll it up, not too tightly, so it becomes like a snail shell or a maze. Have a tourte pan on hand lined with a rather thick sheet of the same dough greased with melted butter and gently put the twist on it without pushing it down. Bake it in an oven or braise it with a moderate heat, not forgetting to grease it occasionally with melted butter. When it is almost done, sprinkle sugar and rosewater over it. Serve it hot. The tourte pan in which the twists are baked has to be ample and with low sides.

Ingredients

For the filling

1 cup dried currants or raisins

1 cup raisins

1 cup chopped dates

1 cup red wine

1/4 cup sugar (I used golden sugar)

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cloves

Note: I used "Duke's Powder"

Instructions

1. Mix together all ingredients in a pot and cook until soft. Set aside to absorb the remaining liquid and cool while you work on the dough.

Ingredients

For the Dough

1 packet yeast

2/3 cup water

3 1/2 cups flour

3 tbsp. or to taste rosewater

3 egg yolks

4 ounces butter

1/2 tsp. salt

Instructions

1. Add yeast to the flour and mix well

2. Add water, rosewater, egg yolks butter, and salt, and knead the dough for 20 minutes if kneading by hand, or, 7 minutes if using a mixer and dough hook. The dough should be supple and not sticky.

3. Spray a baking sheet with a bit of oil before you begin shaping the dough.

4. Divide the dough into eight pieces. Shape each piece into a rectangle.

5. Divide the fruit filling among the rectangles and roll the long sides of the rectangle up into a cylinder. Then shape it like a cinnamon roll.

6. Place it onto the oiled sheet and allow it to rise for 30 minutes. While the dough is rising, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

7. Before baking, brush the tops with an egg yolk that has been beaten. Bake for ~ 50 minutes or until browned.

8. You may glaze with a mix of 2 1/2 tbsp. sugar and 2 tsp. rosewater. I usually do 1 tsp. rosewater and 1 tsp. orange juice.

To serve, you can cut your rolls into slices, or serve whole.

Sources

"The Opera Of Bartolomeo Scappi (1570)". Google Books, 2022, https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Opera_of_Bartolomeo_Scappi_1570/oF2jsqrWtEkC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=twists. Accessed 5 Sept 2022.

Bronwyn's Kettle Worms to be Eaten Cold with Mustard - A Harvest Day Lunch with the "Vikings"

 

What did early medieval Scandinavians eat? It is an intriguing question that is difficult to answer. Part of the difficulty is that what has been written about them, was written after their time period, and is considered by many modern historians to be inaccurate.

Some information is available through what has been written within the Icelandic Sagas. Another resource that has provided a wealth of information is the excavation of midden pits, latrines, and old fireplaces. By recovering the remains of plants and animals as well as the various kinds of cooking vessels archeologists and food historians are able to hypothesize what could have been eaten based on what has been discovered.

This is an example of such a recipe. I took two recipes, one for Kettle Worms from Daniel Serra's "An Early Meal" and the other for Guest House sausages, and combined them to create my own sausage.

If you have not purchased Daniel Serra and Hanna Tunberg's "An Early Meal; A Viking Age Cookbook and Culinary Odyssey", do so. It is full of plausible recipes based on extensive research. I also recommend visiting the Ribe Viking Center website to learn a little more about early Scandinavians.

Bronwyn's Kettle Worms to be Eaten Cold with Mustard- Serves 8

1/2 pound ground pork

1/2 pound 80/20 ground beef

2 slices of uncured bacon minced

1 small apple cut into small dice

1 shallot (you could use ramps, leeks or wild garlic)

Thyme, salt, and pepper to taste

Plastic wrap

Instructions

1. Mix together the first three ingredients along with a couple of tablespoons of water until the meat becomes sticky

2. Add apples, shallot and your seasoning, and continue to mix until all are well incorporated

3. Divide the meat mixture into fourths. Roll each out into a log of similar size and shape.

4. Wrap each in plastic wrap and tie off the ends. NOTE: The plastic wrap will be taking the place of sausage casings you would need to remove if serving cold.

5. While you are wrapping your meat, place a pot of salted water on the stove and bring it to a simmer.

6. Place your sausages into the water and allow to simmer until they are cooked through. Remove from the heat.

NOTE: If you have a smoker, prepare it, and smoke your sausages instead. Instead of cooking them thoroughly in the water, cook them only long enough that they will hold together. Remove the plastic wrap, and then smoke overnight or for several hours. I personally find that simmering them first in the water keeps them moist.

I used commercial whole grain stone ground mustard, but if you are looking for one that is slightly more fitting, I recommend this recipe for mustard.

For more information on what has been discovered (food and cooking ware), I recommend the following resources:

• Hurstwic - Food, Diet, and Nutrition in the Viking Age

• Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Volume 31, June 2020, 102361 - Fragments of meals in eastern Denmark from the Viking Age to the Renaissance: New evidence from organic remains in latrines

• Nationalmuseet i København - Prehistoric period (until 1050 AD) / The Viking Age / Food

• Sons of Vikings - Viking Diet: Why you should eat like the Vikings did!

Sources:

Hald, Mette Marie et al. "Fragments Of Meals In Eastern Denmark From The Viking Age To The Renaissance: New Evidence From Organic Remains In Latrines". Journal Of Archaeological Science: Reports, vol 31, 2020, p. 102361. Elsevier BV, doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2020.102361. Accessed 12 Sept 2022.

Hurstwic: Food, Diet, And Nutrition In The Viking Age". Hurstwic.Org, 2022, http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/daily_living/text/food_and_diet.htm. Accessed 12 Sept 2022.

København, Nationalmuseet. "Meat And Fish". National Museum Of Denmark, 2022, https://en.natmus.dk/historical-knowledge/denmark/prehistoric-period-until-1050-ad/the-viking-age/food/meat-and-fish/. Accessed 12 Sept 2022.

Ribe Viking Centre: Viking Cooking At Home". Ribevikingecenter.Dk, 2022, https://www.ribevikingecenter.dk/en/learn-more/viking-slow-food/recipes/guest-house-sausages-served-with-root-vegetables.aspx. Accessed 12 Sept 2022.

Viking Diet: Why You Should Eat Like The Vikings Did!". Sons Of Vikings, 2021, https://sonsofvikings.com/blogs/history/eat-like-a-viking. Accessed 12 Sept 2022.

Flatbreads (Scandinavian) - A Harvest Day Lunch with the Vikings

 

The Ribe Viking Center offered an intriguing recipe for making flatbreads from various flours and then gave suggestions on how to flavor them. This is their recipe, with a few tweaks of my own.

First, I was unable to locate barley flour, so I made my own. I also added the milk that separated from the butter when I made it along with some of the whey from making the fresh cheese. In lieu of dried bilberries or dried lingonberries, I used the dried cranberries as suggested, along with hazelnuts. You could also substitute blueberries or raisins, or any dried fruit you favor.

To make your own flour

You do not need a grain mill to make your own flour. If you have a blender you can make your own flour.

I make the flour 1 cup at a time. Simply add the flour to the blender, pulse for a few seconds, and then turn it up to your highest setting, and allow it to continue to blend until the flour reaches the consistency you want. It's that easy. It should go without saying that if the blender seems like it is struggling, stop.

Before using the flour you might want to sift once or twice. You should only grind enough flour to use immediately. However, if you do make extra it can be stored in the refrigerator for about ten days, or in a freezer for a month.

Full disclosure, I have ground rice, barley, and a grain and pea mix to make various flours. The grain and pea mix was for soup originally, and it contained wheatberries.

Basic Flatbreads

Makes approximately 8 flatbreads

Ingredients

3 cups flour (I used the mix that was suggested on the Ribe Viking Site - 1 cup each of stoneground whole wheat, stoneground dark rye, and barley.

1 cup whey

Butter milk or water (in this case it was about 2 tablespoons) to make a dough that does not stick to the table

1-2 tsp. salt

Instructions

1. Mix salt and flour together

2. Add whey and water (buttermilk) and mix until the dough is formed

3. Cover the dough and set it aside for approximately 30 minutes

4. Mix in optional add-ins before dividing into 8 pieces and shaping into rounds approximately 1/2" thick. Allow the bread to set again for 20 more minutes.

5. Heat a dry pan over medium heat. Cook the flatbreads until they are golden. Serve.

NOTE: I placed the still hot bread into a ziplock bag because I was not going to serve it right away. Don't be alarmed when you see moisture build-up, leave the bag open, and the moisture that builds up will keep the bread from turning into hockey pucks.

Opt. Flavorings

Hazelnuts

Hazelnuts and dried fruit

Honey & Thyme

Garlic or Savory

Let your conscious be your guide

(Medieval Cooking Basics) Make Your Own Cheese and Butter

 

Making your fresh cheese and butter is an easy way to start a project that would require whey, or, buttermilk to complete. The flatbreads that I made for the Harvest Day "Viking" lunch needed whey or buttermilk to create.

Making your cheese and butter is cost-effective as well, especially when feast planning, and is one of the tricks I used to stay within a tight budget. A gallon of milk is less costly than a pound of butter, or, a pint of ricotta.

Fresh cheese should be served at the beginning of the meal. This is based on the dietetics of the time, which likens the stomach to an oven, where the opening of the stomach in preparation for continuing to "cook" what you eat and keep you healthy begins with those things that are light, easily digestible, sugared, spiced, or oil and vinegared. This creates room in the budget to serve ripened cheese at the end of a meal of meat, or nuts, after a meal of fish or both as you choose. Diners are full and will eat less of the ripe more expensive cheese at the end of the meal. To be quite frank, I only plan about 2 ounces of ripe cheese at the end of a meal per table, which works out to a pound of cheese for eight tables. I do also plan two to three different cheeses cut into bite-sized pieces as well. Yes, it's a trick I use and nobody has complained (yet) that there wasn't enough cheese.

To learn more about the very basics of dietetics and how a modern cook can plan a meal around them, check out the Medieval Cooking Basics Class How to Arrange the Feast; The Application of Medieval Dietary Theory to Modern Day Feasts.

There is tons of available different recipes on how to make your own cheese and butter available through google. This is how I do it

"Fresh Cheese"

1 Gallon of Milk makes approximately 1 1/2 to 2 cups of cheese

Ingredients

4 cups whole milk + 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (I prefer grass-fed organic milk or Fairlife whole milk, they produce the best flavor and curds)

Juice of a lemon (you can substitute vinegar)

Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Mix milk and cream together and place into a pot on the stove.

2. Heat until just below boiling. You will see steam rising from the milk and tiny bubbles forming all along the edge of the pot. Turn off the heat at this point

3. Squeeze in lemon juice, and add a pinch of salt. Allow setting on the stovetop until room temperature. The milk will curdle up and continue to curdle while it cools.

4. Strain off the whey by pouring the cheese into a cloth-lined strainer. Allow it to continue to drip for several hours or overnight depending on how firm you would like your cheese to be.

5. Add favorite add-ins and serve, or serve plain

NOTE: If you plan to bake the cheese, you will want a much dryer curd, you can add cream to it if it is too dry, but you can't take away too much moisture and nobody wants a soggy pie. If you want to serve the cheese as a "cream" cheese, leave it a little moister and blend in a blender.

"To Make Butter"

2 cups of heavy cream make approximately 1 cup of butter

Somewhere out there a real chef or old-time homesteader is probably going to gasp in horror at what I am about to disclose. This was a happy mistake on my part.

Ingredients

Heavy Whipping Cream

Pinch of Salt

Instructions

1. Pour heavy whipping cream into a blender and add the pinch of salt, with the idea that you are going to make whipped cream.

2. Pulse a few times, then set on "blend" and walk away for a few minutes to fold the laundry.

3. Lose track of time (ten minutes or so) and return too late to save the whipped cream, and voila, you have butter. What??

4. Remove butter from the blender, save what is left of the butter milk, curse the fates, and then press onward----

5. Using ice water to firm the butter and clean it. Using the back of a spoon or spatula press the water into the butter and rinse it a few times until the water runs clear. Pat or press the butter into shape, and store it to serve later.

Note: It is THAT easy. You can serve the butter right away if you wish without cleaning it, which will result in a very creamy spread. I prefer to clean the whey(?) out so that the butter lasts longer. One difference you will note right away, it is not yellow, it will be white. You can color it if you wish to serve it in a more familiar way. I choose not to.

The liquid that is strained off is a kind of "butter-milk" and you can drink it but it is much better if used right away to bake. If you need fermented buttermilk for baking, mix one part of the strained liquid with three parts of milk and allow to set overnight. Voila!