What’s New at Give It Forth – June 2025 Update

 

Hello friends and fellow food historians!

There’s a lot simmering in the Give It Forth kitchen these days, and I wanted to take a moment to share a few exciting updates, improvements, and sneak peeks of what’s cooking.

---

🧭 Improved Navigation

We’ve overhauled the site navigation to make it easier to browse recipes, feast planning resources, and historical FAQs. Look for the new sidebar Pages menu, where you’ll find links to:

• Frequently Asked Questions

• Ounce to Tablespoon Conversion Guide

• Comfits and Historical Confections

• ...and more coming soon!

---

🔧 Link Updates & SEO Fixes

We’ve been busy hunting down outdated links, broken redirects, and dusty corners of the blog. Many posts are now refreshed with working links, better indexing, and improved discoverability (because even medieval mustard deserves the spotlight).

If you’ve ever stumbled across a 404 or an archived page — don’t worry, we’re on it.

---

💬 New FAQ Resources

The brand-new FAQ Page is live and loaded with answers to your most common questions:

• Cooking conversions (dry vs liquid)

• How to plan a medieval feast

• What’s a dayboard?

• Where I get my sources

• And yes... how to make comfits without losing your mind!

---

🍴 Coming Soon on the Blog

Keep your eyes peeled — these historical recipes are headed your way in the next few weeks:

• Gelo in bocconcini di piu colori
  Jelly in small bites, of many colors – from Bartolomeo Scappi

• Tortelletti d’herba alla Lombarda
  Herb tortellini in the Lombard style – Scappi again!

• Per far diverse minestre di zucche Turchesche
  A variety of Turkish squash dishes (Cap CCXX, Secondo libro, Scappi)

• Salsa di Mostardo amabile
  Sweet mustard sauce – perfect for meats, roots, and the curious palate

---

💡 Support the Project

If you’ve found joy, ideas, or research help here, consider supporting Give It Forth on Ko-fi:
☕ https://ko-fi.com/giveitforth

Thank you for being part of this delicious journey through the past. Stay tuned — and stay hungry!

Yours in herbs and humors,

Yonnie

Ancient – Ten Easy Ancient Roman & Medieval Appetizers You Could Serve at any Get Together

Since my kitchen is being remodeled and I am unable to cook -- it is a remodel that starts with replacing plumbing and electric and will end with a new kitchen.  I thought I might try something a little different.  Simply click the link to be taken to the page to find the recipe.

Please leave me a message and let me know if you would like to see more of these.

Thank you!

Ancient Rome

Lucanicae--Grilled Sausage - This ancient Roman recipe creates a delicious sausage that you can serve alongside mustard, round it out with some olives, cheese and flatbread, fresh fruit and wine. You can't go wrong.

Epityrum--Olives--roughly chopped olives marinated in a blend of herbs, olive oil and vinegar--Leave whole for an entirely different presentation.  Delicious!

Moretum -- Herbed Cheese Spread - a delicious garlic and cheese based spread, serve as part of a cheese plate or on a vegetable tray. Can be made ahead of time and served as needed.

Aliter Sala Cattabia--Snow Cooled Alexandrian Loaf - Want an easy to eat chicken salad? Instead of using whole loaves of bread, use small rolls of bread stuffed with chicken, cucumber, cheese, capers, and onions and finished with a dressing made from pepper, mint, garlic, olive oil and coriander.  This dish could not be simpler to put together, eye catching and delicious.

Trimalchio's Pastry Eggs--hard boiled eggs, stuffed with the yolk, shrimp or chicken as you prefer, wrapped in pastry and baked.  A task made even simpler by purchasing your eggs already cooked and using store bought pastry.  Want something more elegant? Try quail eggs, stuffed with minced shrimp or chicken.

Late Medieval 

Torta D’agli-Garlic Tart - A rich and creamy cheese based tart flavored with garlic.  Make in mini-muffin tins to serve. 

Une Vinaigrette- A Vinager Dish--Sliced beef, lamb, or liver quickly grilled and served with a sauce of vinegar and broth, thickened with bread crumbs and seasoned with pepper, ginger, grains of paradise and saffron.  Take it one step further, and skewer the beef and onions before grilling and you have an easy to serve appetizer fit for a King.

To Stew Shrimps being taken out of their shells -- Shrimp, wine, lemon juice, capers, garlic, thyme and butter -- a dish that is as beautiful as it is elegant.

Savoury Tostyde-- a quick and easy to prepare cheese sauce, not unlike a fondue that can easily be served with similar ingredients, bread, cubes of meat, lightly steamed or raw vegetables. Affectionately dubbed "cheese crack" because once you taste it, you cannot stop going back for more. 

Compost--sweet, savory and mustardy pickled medieval vegetables, easily served alongside the Savoury Tostyde, or with dilled pickles, olives and capers as part of a relish tray.