Kitchen Adventures – Kirschen - Cherries Stewed in Wine (GTOD Vigil Recipe)

Original German (Ein New Kochbuch by Marx Rumpolt)

Kirschen/ die dürr seinn/ seß zu mit halb Wasser unnd halb Wein/ magst sie kalt oder warm geben.

Cherries/ that are dried/ set to (cook? Or soak) with half water and half wine/ (you) may serve them cold or warm.

Recipe:

1 pound frozen cherries
1½ cups red wine
1½ cups water
½ c sugar

Dried cherries are a bit more expensive then the frozen cherries, s I opted to use frozen cherries for this particular recipe.  However, at some point in the future I would like to try this with cherries thtat have been dried. 

To make, simply combine all ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until the sauce has reduced and cherries begin to break down.  

Sources: 

Bayerische Staatsbibliothek - Digitale Bibliothek, M. (2022). Rumpolt, Marx: Rumpolt, Marx:Ein new Kochbuch ( 1587) - Digitised Book from the copyright-free holdings of the Bavarian State Library Munich [Germany] 2007-2022 Image-based Similarity Search. Retrieved 20 April 2022, from https://bildsuche.digitale-sammlungen.de/index.html?c=viewer&bandnummer=bsb00090475&pimage=1&v=2p&nav=&l=en

DFG-Viewer: Ein new Kochbuch
"DFG-Viewer: Ein New Kochbuch". Dfg-Viewer.De, 2022, http://dfg-viewer.de/show?tx_dlf%5Bdouble%5D=0&tx_dlf%5Bid%5D=http%3A%2F%2Fdaten.digitale-sammlungen.de%2F~db%2Fmets%2Fbsb00090475_mets.xml&tx_dlf%5Bpage%5D=394&cHash=fe888b8427aa3211b8dbd29c1f6ded66. Accessed 25 Apr 2022.

Italian (Medieval) – Vaccina salpresa alessata, servito con petrosemolo -Cold salted beef lightly spiced

To lightly salt and boil every cut of the said animal, chapter 4, Scappi

I find that the shoulder and breast of the said animals are more appropriate than the others. When the cow or bull is dead and skinned without being skinned, one cuts it into the said layers in many pieces, and one puts it in slat in a ceramic vessel or wood, the which has been well washed, because if the salt is not cleaned, and if it is full of dirt it will have a bad smell, and when the pieces are places one on top of the others one covers the vessel with a wood cover, adding above a weight that holds everything well pressed until it has made the salt solution, and the summer when it has been curing for four days, and in the winter for eight, one pulls it out of the vessel, as much as you want to cook, rinse it in fresh water, and put it to cook in water without salt, and make sure above all that it is well skimmed. When it is cooked one can serve it hot or cold at every time with garlic sauce or mustard in plates. And if you want to make it in the same day that the animal is killed, take a piece of the shoulder or another part, and put it to boil in strong salted water until it is well cooked. And serve this in the same way that it is said above.

Ingredients

2 Pounds beef brisket or flank steak 
1/2 C. salt
1/2 Tbsp. pink salt (sodium nitrite)

2 Tbsp.  coriander

2 Tbsp. cracked black pepper 

1 Tbsp. each garlic powder and crushed fennel

Trim and clean the beef, removing connective tissue and most of the fat. Prepared the dry rub by mixing together all ingredients.  Rub the cure over all of the meat surfaces and place in a ziplock back.  Refridgerate for 7 days, turning the bag daily. 

I chose to "brine" my meat instead and omitted the pink salt.  I placed the dry rubbed meat into a ziplock bag and then covered it with water.  I allowed it to sit for three days before cooking.  I rinsed the meat very well, dried it with a paper towel and then cooked it on a grill. 

Alternatively, you can cook your meat in a slow cooker on low overnight. Allow meat to cool, slice and serve garnished with parsley or on a bed of greens. 

Kitchen Adventures – Wine Braised Beef (1615) (To Stew Fillets of Beefe)

In June, I hosted a cook's gathering featuring a selection of dishes that would have been found on "Shakespeare's" table. Each of the cook's that attended chose a dish from the recipes presented and brought it with them. We dined that night on buttered eggs, french bread, stewed fillets of beef, Fridayes pye and a berry cream.

The beef was delicious, tender, and served over a bed of saffroned rice. I cooked it in a crock pot. It recieved rave reviews. I don't cook with salt or pepper if I can avoid it, so the major comment of the evening were that this dish would have been better if I had added some salt and pepper while cooking. Note to self: Add Salt and Pepper!

To stew Fillets of Beefe

Take a rawe fillet of beefe and cut it in thin slices halfe as broad as your hand and fry them till they bee halfe fried in a frying-panne with sweete butter uppon each side with a soaft fire, then powre them into a dish or pipkin putting in a pint of claret-wine, a faggot of sweet herbes, and two or three blades of whole mace, a little salt, the meate of a Lemon cut in slices, then stewe these all together very softly for the space of two or three houres till it be halfe boyled away, then dish it up on sippets and throwe salt upon it, and serve it to the table hot  John Murrell "A Booke of Cookerie" (Lorwin, 1976).

Interpreted Recipe

2 to 3 pounds beef chuck shoulder roast (aka pot roast), sliced into ¼ inch thick slices

2 Tbsp. butter

2 cups red wine (preferably a Bordeaux which is another name for “claret”)

8 sprigs fresh thyme

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1-2 Tbsp. parsley

2 bay leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

1/8 tsp mace

1 lemon, peeled, sliced

Beef prepared to be stewed

Fry the slices of beef in the butter (if you wish, add olive oil to keep butter from burning). Remove from the pan until the all of the meat has been cooked thoroughly. Add meat back into the pan and add remaining ingredients. Allow meat to simmer two to three hours, or until liquid has been reduced by half and meat is tender.


I have included some pictures of the product in process, but silly me! I forgot to take a picture of the finished product. This was a huge hit at the gathering and I will be making it again in the future for an event. Probably 12th Night in January.