Testing Recipes If you would make boiled dumplings - Sabrina Welserin cookbook 1553

 The cookbook of Sabrina Welserin offers this surprisingly modern recipe to make "boiled dumplings"!  which sounds delicious however, one important bit of information is missing..how do you make the dumpling dough??  Fortunately, she offers two additional recipes for dumplings, one of which refers us to "making a dough of good flour as if you would make a tart".  

119 If you would make boiled dumplings

Then take chard, as much as you like, some sage, marjoram and rosemary, chop it together, also put grated cheese into it and beat eggs therein until you think that it is right. Take also cinnamon, cloves, pepper and raisins and put them into the dumpling batter. Let the dumplings cook, as one cooks a hard-boiled egg, then they are ready.

The ingredients for boiled dumplings are: 

Chard

Sage

Marjoram

Rosemary

Cheese

Egg

Cinnamon

Clove

Pepper

Raisins

Dumpling dough

Further research finds the recipe for the dough here:

70 A tart with plums, which can be dried or fresh

Let them cook beforehand in wine and strain them and take eggs, cinnamon and sugar. Bake the dough for the tart. That is made like so: take two eggs and beat them. Afterwards stir flour therein until it becomes a thick dough. Pour it on the table and work it well, until it is ready. After that take somewhat more than half the dough and roll it into a flat cake as wide as you would have your tart. Afterwards pour the plums on it and roll out after that the other crust and cut it up, however you would like it, and put it on top over the tart and press it together well and let it bake. So one makes the dough for a tart.

Ingredients for Dumpling Dough

2 Beaten eggs

Flour

Test Recipe: 

For the dough: 

2 eggs

1 cup flour

pinch of salt (to satisfy modern taste)

For the Stuffing:

1 bunch of Chard cleaned and chopped

1- 2 tsp. each Sage, Marjoram, Rosemary

1/2 - 1 cup Cheese (emmantal, quark, parmesan or cottage)

1- 2 Eggs

1/2 tsp. Strong Spices 

1 tbsp. Raisins

Salt and Pepper for modern taste

Mix the ingredients together for the dough and allow to rest at least 30 minutes. Mix the ingredients for the stuffing.  Roll out the dough and cut into 3" rounds, fill with a bit of the stuffing, seal, and then boil in lightly salted water approximately 6-10 minutes.  Remove from water, and serve. 

Opt.  Serve with a sauce? Or Pan drippings? 

GTOD Vigil Recipe - Ein condimentlin (A Condiment) - Pickled cucumbers and radish (Hausbuch, 1350)

You are missing a treasure trove of information if you have not visited Dan Myer's Medieval Cookery Site.  It is one of my most often used resources when looking for online cookbooks or specific instructions on how to make different recipes.  The search function is phenominal in helping you to locate similar recipes among the varied recipes available.  I urge you to check this site out. 

Below is a small peek into the research that I do in order to recreate a reciept from period. The pickled vegetables were delicious. 

[Ein Buch von guter spise, A. Atlas (trans.)]: 48. Ein condimentlin (A condiment). Mal kümel und enis mit pfeffer und mit ezzige und mit honige. und mach ez gel mit saffran. und tu dar zu senf. in disem condimente maht du sulze persilien, bern und clein cumpost oder rüeben, waz du wilt.

Flavor caraway seeds and anise with pepper and with vinegar and with honey. And make it gold with saffron. And add thereto mustard. In this condiment you may make sulze (pickled or marinated) parsley, and small preserved fruit and vegetables, or beets, which(ever) you want.

Question? What vegetables/Fruits?? 

Answer--Parsley (root) and Beets are mentioned

Consider "Composte"?  Similar ingredients and process.  

Ingredients:

Caraway seeds

Anise Seed

Pepper

Vinegar

Honey

Saffron

Mustard (preferably Black)

An Anonymous Tuscan Cookery Book  <==Most Closely Resembles

[62] Compost. Take carrots well cleaned and boiled, and let them cool: and in their water cook turnips (rape) cut in four pieces and not cooked too much, and likewise let them cool. Then take parsley roots, radishes, ... and the white part of leeks, and fennel, pears, capers, and heads of cabbage, and boil everything separately, and cool them as above: according to the Lombard custom, you can put in garobbi [see note]. Then take good mustard, made with strong vinegar, fennel seeds, anise; and arrange them individually in batches. And put finely sliced radish in each batch of the aforementioned vegetables, and put in mustard and then particular vegetables, as is convenient. These things thus arranged, put them in a jar, and put a large board on top, and let it stand for eight days.

[63] Another preparation. Take finely minced radishes, anise, fennel seeds, and set them to cook in must; and cook them so much that the must is reduced to half: and with this must dilute the mustard. Then take small turnips (rape piccioli) and turnips (naponi), and quince, and apples, cut into four pieces, and pears cut in half, and whole carrots, and parsley roots, and fennel bulbs, and set all of these things to cook. And when they are cooked, arrange them in order in a clean jar, interspersing the diluted mustard on top, in the aforementioned batches. And if you like, you can put in some honey; and this can be made with sugar and cinnamon diluted with the aforementioned things and with vinegar, and put it away and serve it.

Een notabel boecxken van cokeryen

One may also make it thus. When one boils the quinces in wine vinegar and also in wine together, this dish gives a good appetite. And if it is too sweet for you or you wish to save honey, so take white bread and toast it as one puts in black peper [sauce]. Then you shall soften it and pass it through a cloth. And replace half the honey with this. One may also do this in compost and also in all things where one should put in much honey. But not much of the bread. Because otherwise it will encourage mould.

Forme of Cury

COMPOST. C. Take rote of parsel. pasternak of rasenns. scrape hem waisthe hem clene. take rapes & caboches ypared and icorne. take an erthen panne with clene water & set it on the fire. cast all þise þerinne. whan þey buth boiled cast þerto peeres & parboile hem wel. take þise thynges up & lat it kele on a fair cloth, do þerto salt whan it is colde in a vessel take vineger & powdour & safroun & do þerto. & lat alle þise thinges lye þerin al nyzt oþer al day, take wyne greke and hony clarified togider lumbarde mustard & raisouns corance al hool. & grynde powdour of canel powdour douce. & aneys hole. & fenell seed. take alle þise thynges & cast togyder in a pot of erthe. and take þerof whan þou wilt & serue forth.

BINGO! After further research, I believe I have found a list of appropriate ingredients in this recipe from "Wel ende edelike spijse"  as translated by Christianne Muusers. 

.xv. Compost neemt worttelen van pedercelle reene wel gezoden in watere ende vercoelt hebt dan soffraen Caneele ghinghebare naglen al wel ghewreuen tempert met goeden mostaerde Ghemaect van 
wijnasijne ende doeter suker toe frijt die worttelen wel cleene kensenruwelen of anguwissen ende dadelen den steen daer vutgedaen Cabuse coolen gesoden ghescheeden vercoelt maect een sausse pentenine doeter vp die voorseide dingen ende doeter toe vinckel saet anijs vygen kernellen van criekelsteenen zeem ende suker Ghesoden wel ghe scuymt ende dan minget metter voorseide saussen

Vegetable Stew. Take cleaned parsley roots, well boiled in water and cooled. Then have saffron, cinnamon, ginger and cloves, well brayed. Temper with good mustard made of wine vinegar, and add sugar. Fry the roots, [cut in] very small [pieces], pears (either "kensenruwelen" or "anguwissen"), stoned dates, white cabbage, boiled, the leaves separated and cooled. Make a sauce "Poitevin". Add the afore mentioned things, and add fennel seed, aniseed, figs, cherry stones, honey and sugar, boiled and skimmed off. Then mix it with the afore mentioned sauce.

Interpreted

4 cups assorted firm vegetables - I used cucumbers, parsnips, radish, white and yellow carrots

1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp.  sweet powder)
1 tsp. anise seed
1 tsp. fennel seed

1/2 teaspoon cubeb or pepper

Saffron

1 cup vinegar

1/2 cup honey

1 1/2 tbsp. prepared mustard (maille original)

Prepare as for compost.

GTOD Vigil Recipe - man bradet Zwybeln in Bradfeift - Onion Relish - (1598). Kunstbuch Von mancherley Essen

Ein condimentlin, Rote Ruben, Man bradet Zwybeln in Bradfeift, Wilthu machenn eynngemacht Crautt

UPDATE: The original event this receipt was researched for did not come to pass due to covid.  However, I was able to use this at the Vigil feast. 

I'm still working on rounding out the first course. I feel that it needs an onion element, something sweet and sour to serve as an alternative to or in addition to the mustard sauce for the sausages and neat's tongue. It could even serve as an additional topping for the cheese sop if wanted, and I came across this receipt from a book written in 1598, that creates a kind of onion relish.  I have done something similar for another 12th Night feast that was served with roasted chicken called "A Pickle for the Mallard".  It was a lovely, and I'm looking forward to creating it's German equivalent. 

Kunstbuch Von mancherley Essen

6. Item / man bradet Zwybeln in Bradfeift / machtſie abmit groſſem Roſin /Pfeffer und Eſsig / gibts über die Braten / beſtreretſiedannmit Pfefe fer und Eſsig und gibt ſie zumdiſch.

6. Item / you fry onions in butter /made with great raisins / pepper and vinegar / serve over the roast / then sprinkle them with pepper and vinegar and add them to the top.

Interpreted Recipe

1 large or 2 medium onions chopped
2 tbsp. oil or lard
½ cup white wine
¼ tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup (or to taste) raisins

Heat the oil in a small pot. Add the onions and cook until they are lightly browned. Add remainder of the ingredients. Bring to boil, then lower to simmer and allow to cook until sauce has reduced a bit. Keep warm until ready to serve. 

====

Rontzier, F. d. (1598). Kunstbuch Von mancherley Essen, Gesotten, Gebraten, Posteten, von Hirschen, Vogelen, Wildtprat, vnd andern Schawessen, so auff Fürstlichen, vnd andern Pancketen zuzurichten gehörich .... (n.p.): In der Fürstlichen Druckerey.

GTOD Vigil Recipe - Von eingepickten hünern - Pickled Chicken - Inntal. In: Ostbairische Grenzmarken 12 (1970) 118-128.

As you can see, I had originally worked on translating this recipe in anticipation of the 12th Night event that did not happen.  I found it such a unique dish, I wanted to bring it to Appolonia's Vigil.  It was quite popular.  And will be making an appearance at a future event. 

Slightly disappointed that what I thought was cheese soup (Käeßsuppen does mean cheese soup just ask google!!) but was more of a spread to go on bread, I thought I needed to "round out" the first course of the 12th Night feast with a meat cooked in a broth, or a soup like substance :-/.  To be fair, the cheese sops, the fennel and bacon savory pastries, smoked neat's tongue, various sausages & mustard, pickled vegetables and pears in syrup should be enough! However, I want to offer something for individuals who may not be interested in trying the pork or beef dishes. I really need a "chicken" dish.

Fortunately, I don't need to make a lot of this dish to satisfy the nibbley-appetizer part and this does fit the very definition of something to be served to open the stomach--it is vinegary, and contains warm spices! Perfecto!

I think on first look, people would be turned off by the idea of a "pickled chicken". I was and I had bypassed the recipe in my search for that "little something else" before actually looking at the ingredients.  I had cooked something similar before for a private dinner!! Chicken Ambrogino with Dried Fruit from "The Medieval Kitchen; Recipes from France and Italy" by Odile Redon, Francoise Sabban & Silvano Serventi--it is absolutely delicious, and should be served again at a future date.  Voila!  

According to the author's, this dish falls into the category of escabeches- dishes that are marinated in vinegar and spices used for preserving meat, fish or vegetables.  No wonder it is referred to as "pickled".  I must admit, that having cooked to great success a similar dish, I did not do a lot of testing of this recipe. I know that the portions presented in the previously mentioned cookbook appeal to modern tastes, so I pulled it down and am using a similar method for this dish.  There are some things that are present in the Chicken Ambrogino not found in this dish, for example, the bread that thickens the sauce.  I may need to do a bit more cooking down of the sauce to form the syrup.  

Stefan's Florilegium is an abslute Gem! If you have an interest in things Medieval, please visit. It is where I found this translation of the Inntal.

Von eingepickten hünern
Nim weinper, zwifal, mandel, essich ader
wein vnd mach dy h¸ner zu III tailen vnd
legs ein vnd mach sy ab mit gew¸rcz vnd
richcz an.

Pickled chickens

Take raisins, onions, almonds, vinegar and wine, cut the chickens into three parts, put them into the pickle, spice them and serve.

Ingredients

3-4 Chicken breast and thighs cut into chunks

1/2 cup Raisins

1 large Onions

1/2 cup Almonds

3 tbsp.  Red Wine Vinegar added to 1/2 cup chicken broth 

1/4 cup Red Wine

For Spices; 1 tbsp. fine spice powder.

I'm cutting the chicken into manageable chunks instead of leaving it whole as this will be an appetizer served alongside roasted neat's tongue, and sausages so it needs to be easily skewearable.  The plan is simple, mix all ingredients together and cook in a pot until the chicken has cooked through, and the sauce has thickened up. Note: I may need to add more liquid to this, and if so I will simply double it up, but I have no idea at this point how much "sauce" will be needed for that amount of chicken to "stew" properly.  Serve.

Addendum: I cooked the sauce down till the pot was dry.  The chicken grabbed onto the flavors of the dish.  This was a great "make ahead" dish, that was delicious cold.