Ingredients
1 1/2 lb pork or veal, cubed
1 1/2 cup water
1 pastry for 8 double pie crust
6 tbsp chopped dates
6 tbsp currants
2 tsp salt
5 saffron threads
3/4 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground mace
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3/4 cup red wine
1 tbsp wine vinegar
10 egg yolks
Directions
From a manuscript in the British Library known as Harleian 479,
dating from around 1420; recipe adapted from a version developed by
David Friedman and Elizabeth Cook.
In saucepan, simmer meat in water 20 minutes. Drain. Line 8" square
baking dish with pastry. In bowl, combine meat, dates and currants.
Place meat mixture into pastry-lined dish.
In bowl, combine salt, saffron, ginger, pepper, mace, cloves, wine,
vinegar and 9 egg yolks, reserving 1 yolk, and pour over. Cover with
top crust, crimp well, make triangular cuts in center and fold tips
back.
Beat reserved yolk (save whites for another use) and brush on crust.
Bake at 375'F. until crust is browned and meat is heated through,
25-30 minutes. Makes 6-8 servings.
Servings: 8 servings
Chawetty's (15th Century Meat Pie) Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Meat; Pie
The History of Recipes
It is possible to follow the history of written recipes way back into ancient history, in truth as far back as the Egyptians, and quite possibly further than that. Having said that, generally, these early records were just primitive hieroglyphic recipes for food preparation.
In fact, the most ancient recipe in existence, according to academics are a few tablets in ancient Sumerian which recount the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made those who drank it feel wonderful and blissful. Later on, in Roman times around 25BC a roman called Apicius wrote a collection of documents showing how to cook the recipes enjoyed by the Romans. In his scrolls, he tells us how the roman meals were split into starters, main meal and dessert, something we still use today. Additionally, he describes how the cooks of Roman times made use of a wide range of aromatic flavors, including many that are still in use today for example bay, mint and dill. For the next few years, the powerful and wealthy strove to serve up the most exotic banquets, and as a consequence, the best cooks and their recipes were much in demand. Notwithstanding that, it was during the 19th century that fine cookery and recipe books really came of age. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and Fannie Farmer in the US, dedicated the best years of their lives to assembling, trying out, and recording recipes of the day. The introduction of the TV gave us TV chefs and the accompanying recipe books. Which brings us neatly to the present day and the internet revolution, allowing everybody to search through massive numbers of recipes just like those on sites such as this. |
We hope you enjoy this Chawetty's (15th Century Meat Pie) recipe.
