Schutzenfest A.S.46 was hosted by the Barony of Nordskogen at a camp in Southeastern Minnesota.Saturday evening a Middle Eastern feast was served by Sayyeda Samiaal-Kaslaania and her fabulous team of cooks and helpers. Listed here arerecipes for several of the dishes served. Sayyeda Samia al-Kaslaania, Nordskogen
Banana chicken dessert
A recipe for Judhaba of bananas by Ibn al Mahdi
Al-Warraq, 10th century Baghdadi recipe
Translation: Peel the bananas and set them aside. Spread a ruqaqa (thinround of bread) in the pan and spread a layer of bananas over it. Sprinkle thebanana layer with pure sugar, and spread another ruqaqa all over it.Repeat the layering of banana, sugar, and ruqaqa until the pan is full.Pour enough rose water to drench the layered ingredients, [put the pan in a hottannur,] suspend a fine chicken over it [and let it roast] God willing.
10 oz lavash (typically four sheets of thin bread; Flatout brand flatbreadwould be a good sub)
1-4 T rose water
3 ¼ lb ripe plantains or bananas
strawberries, optional
4-5 lb fryer chicken
½ c sugar
2 lemons
Oil the bottom of a pot. Line the pot with lavash. Cover that with sliced (ormashed) bananas and sliced strawberries, if used. Use one half lemon tosprinkle lemon juice over each layer. Sprinkle over them 2 T of sugar. Coverwith another layer of lavash. Repeat, and top with the last layer of lavash.Sprinkle the rose water sparingly over that.
Slice 1 ½ lemons and slide the lemons under the chicken skin. Arrange yourchicken so it is suspended above the layers. Bake the chicken untildone—roughly 20 minutes a pound at 350°, to an internal temperature of about190°—letting the drippings fall on and soak into the layered bread and bananas.Serve the chicken for dinner and then the dessert will be just the righttemperature to serve. Ingus recommends a cold glass of milk with dessert. Strawberries were added because it was lessscary to the head cook.
• Cariadoc did it by running a hardwood skewer lengthwise through the chickenand laying it across the top edge of a pot.
• Samia did it by using a large convection oven and placing the chickensdirectly on an oven rack. The lavash and fruit were layered on a jelly roll panwhich was placed on a lower oven rack beneath the chicken.
• Ingus made the banana-lavash layers in an 8 inch cake pan. Place cake paninside a Dutch oven, cover with the cooling rack, and place chicken on coolingrack, suspending it about 2 inches above the lavash. Put Dutch Oven andlemon-impregnated chicken into pre-heated 350 degree oven for one hour, thenturn chicken over for another hour.
NOTICE: Normally, 20 minutes per pound at 350 is sufficient to cook chicken,but the lack of heat from below because of the cake cooking there inhibits theroasting, and the meats within, around the thigh bones and along the spine, donot cook as quickly. Since the point of this was to have chicken that couldservice double duty, it is important to give it the extra cooking time to getthe flesh fully brought up to temp.
Many thanks to Master Ingus Moen (of bardic fame) for the detailed cookingsuggestions. Thanks also to Baroness Euriaut Deri for testing the recipe for aparty so I could decide it wasn't awful!
Modified from: How to Milk an Almond Stuff an Egg And Armor a Turnip: AThousand Years of Recipes By David Friedman and Elizabeth Cook ISBN:978-1-460-92498-3 http://www.daviddfriedman.com/Medieval/To_Milk_an_Almond.pdfUsed with permission.
Carrot Jam
Thirteenth Century Egypt
Redaction by Sayyeda Samia al-Kaslaania
Translation: It is necessary to select fresh red carrots,to wash them, clean them and cut them as thinly as possible. Put them in aceramic pot, add a little bit of honey, and cover them with water. Cook them until they are soft, then strainoff the water with a sieve and add a quantity of skimmed honey equal to that ofthe carrots. Mix in seasonings chosen from among pepper, ginger, cardamom,cinnamon, cubeb, spikenard, mace, galangal, alosewood [aquilaria agallocha],saffron, and musk. Cook it to thickenthe carrot jam [jawarish]. Pour it into glass jars and consume it as needed.
1 lb yellow or red carrots
1/3c honey (acacia)
9 oz honey
Use a combination of spices, equaling about 2 teaspoons.
½ t. cubebs
½ t. galangal
1 t. cinnamon (cassia)
Wash, peel, and slice the carrots. Place in a 3 ½ qt potwith 1/3 c honey and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to asimmer for 40 minutes. It stopped smelling like cooked carrots and began tosmell like sweet corn. Drain (you can reserve the cooking water for stock),push through a potato ricer, and return them to the pot. Add spices, 9 oz. ofhoney, heat to a simmer and cook down.
Kanz al-Fawai’ad fi tanwi’ al-mawa’id (“TheTreasures of Useful Advice for the Composition of a Varied Table”). 13thC Egypt. Translated by M.B. DeBevoise. As it appears in Medieval Cuisine ofthe Islamic World by Lilia Zaouali.
Cheese and Flour Cake
Thirteenth century al-Andalus
Redaction by Sayyeda Samia al-Kaslaania, based onCariadoc and Elizabeth
Translation: Knead the necessary quantity of flour, onetime with water, another with oil, and to it add yeast and milk until it hasthe same consistency as the dough of fritters, and leave it until it has nextrisen. Next grease with oil a large earthen pot, stretch in it a piece ofdough, and over it a bit of cheese, and over the cheese a bit of dough, and soa little of one, and a bit of the other until the last of the dough and cheese.Next cover it with dough as you did in the previous recipe and cook it in thesame way in the oven. Afterwards, drizzle it with honey, sprinkle it with sugarand pepper and eat it.
1 1/3 cup white flour
⅔ cup whole wheat flour
3 Tbl olive oil
½-¾ cup water
1 packet yeast
3 Tbl milk
12 oz cheese (Munster or provolone, shredded)
Topping (use larger amounts with pie pans):
6-10 Tbl honey
1-2 Tbl sugar
¼-½ tsp pepper
Proof yeast in ½ cup of water. Mix flours in a largebowl. Combine yeast, milk, olive oil. Mix liquids into the flour. Knead floursand liquid to a very dry dough, let sit five minutes. Knead the dough for about5-10 minutes, until fairly uniform. Cover with a damp dish towel and leave 45minutes to rise in a warm place. Divide dough in about 5-6 equal portions,flour and roll out to size of your pan (glass pie pans work well). Layer withsliced cheese. Bake 45 minutes at 350°.
Sprinkle with sugar and pepper, then drizzle the honeyover it while hot. According to Lady Brigid: “Put the honey on the bread hotout of the oven so it got all melty and sprinkle with sugar in the raw andfresh ground pepper. It was awesome! Sweet, crunchy, and a little spicy. Planon one loaf per table of 8 as a first course.”
Cariadoc: This should probably be done with sourdoughinstead of yeast, but we have not tried it that way yet.
Many thanks to The Honorable Lady Brigid ingenMaol-Mhichil of Northshield fame for testing this recipe. Her thoughts on theawesomness of this dish were echoed throughout the feast hall. I am gratefulfor her support on my first feast.~~Sayyeda al-Kaslaania
Translation and original redaction from: How to Milk an Almond Stuff an Egg And Armora Turnip: A Thousand Years of Recipes By David Friedman and Elizabeth Cook ISBN:978-1-460-92498-3 http://www.daviddfriedman.com/Medieval/To_Milk_an_Almond.pdfUsed with permission.
Savory crepes of chickpeas: Counterfeit(Vegetarian) Isfîriyâ of Garbanzos
Makes 8-10 crepes
13th century Andalusian recipe
Translation: Pound some garbanzos, take out the skins and grind them intoflour. And take some of the flour and put into a bowl with a bit of sourdoughand some egg, and beat with spices until it's all mixed. Fry it as before inthin cakes, and make a sauce for them.
1 c chickpea flour
4 t cinnamon
1/4 c sourdough (omitted for gluten-free option, no substitution was necessary)
4 eggs
½ t salt
1 t pepper
1 c water
olive oil or pale sesame oil (for frying, approx 4 T)
Combine the flour, sourdough, eggs, spices, water and beat with a fork to auniform, thin batter. Use the ¼ c measure to add batter to the frying pan. Addwater to the batter if the first one is not crepe-thin. Fry at medium high temperatureuntil brown on both sides, turning once. Add more oil as necessary. Drain on apaper towel. Serve with sauce.
Many thanks to Baroness Ellen de Wynter and her family for testing this recipefor me. It is toddler approved. –Sayyeda al-Kaslaania
Samia’s note: Water is often omitted from recipes in thiscookbook.
Adapted from: Howto Milk an Almond Stuff an Egg And Armor a Turnip: A Thousand Years of Recipes By David Friedman and Elizabeth Cook ISBN:978-1-460-92498-3
http://www.daviddfriedman.com/Medieval/To_Milk_an_Almond.pdf
Fish Cakes, called Muqluba al Turrikh
Maqluba alTirrikh (Fish cakes)
al-Baghdadi, 13th century recipe
Translation: Take tirrikh and fry in sesame-oil: then take out, andplace in a dish to cool. When cold, cut off the heads and tails, remove thespine, bone, and scale with the greatest care. Crumble and break up the flesh,and sprinkle with dry coriander, cumin, caraway and cinnamon. Break eggs, throwon, and mix well. Then fry in sesame-oil in a frying pan as maqluba isfried, until both sides are browned: and remove.
½ lb cod fillets
1 t caraway
2 T sesame oil, divided (pale “golden” Middle Eastern oil; not Asian toastedsesame oil)
1 ½ t cinnamon
½ t coriander
1 egg
1 t cumin
1 t salt
Tirrikh is a freshwater fish similar to salted herring. When using otherfresh (or frozen) fish include the salt.
10" skillet, 1 Tbl sesame oil, cook the fillets 3-5 minutes on mediumheat, removed them to paper towels to cool. Crumble the fillets into a bowl andadd the spices and egg. The mixture will be moist, but should hold togetherwell. Make 8 small patties approx 2" diameter and fry them in anothertablespoon of sesame oil for 3-5 minutes each side, or until they are brown andcrispy. Carefully remove the patties to paper towel to drain, they aredelicate.
Serve hot with warm pita and a vinegar based sauce.
I am grateful for the help of Maestra Giovanna di Battista da Firenze intesting this recipe, offering a revised redaction, and suggesting that salt andmore spice was warranted. Her suggestion prompted me to see if the Internetheld more details about what tirrikh might be, which allowed us tolikely come closer to the original flavor of this recipe.~~Sayyeda al-Kaslaania
Translation and original redaction from: How to Milk an Almond Stuff an EggAnd Armor a Turnip: A Thousand Years of Recipes By David Friedman andElizabeth Cook ISBN: 978-1-460-92498-3 http://www.daviddfriedman.com/Medieval/To_Milk_an_Almond.pdfUsed with permission.
Lamb and walnut "burger" recipe, calledIsfiriya
To Make Isfîriyâ (lamb and walnut"burgers")
Andalusia 13th century recipe
Translation: Pound the flesh of a leg until it is like brains. Remove the sinewsand throw in pepper, half a spoon of honey, a little oil, as much as is needed,and a little water. Mix all smoothly with flour and do not neglect to pound it,and do not slacken in this, because it will cool and be ruined. Grease the panwith oil or fat, make the pounded meat into flatbreads and fry in the pan; ifthere be with the meat almonds or walnuts or apples, it will be superb, Godwilling.
12 oz lamb, ground [Substitute up to 6 oz with ground beef]
1 Tbl corn starch [use as a gluten-free substitution for the wheat flour]
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp honey
2 Tbl olive oil
2/3 cup walnuts, chopped
[3 Tbl apple, chopped]
[almonds]
2 Tbl water
2 Tbl sesame oil for frying [This is pale, untoasted sesame oil]
Mix meat with remaining ingredients (the meat will absorb the water asdehydrated muscle), including optional walnuts, almonds, or apples. Make 8patties and fry on medium to medium-high in a frying pan. Fry a minute or twoon each side until cooked through.
Translation and original redaction from: How to Milk an Almond Stuff an EggAnd Armor a Turnip: A Thousand Years of Recipes By David Friedman andElizabeth Cook ISBN: 978-1-460-92498-3 http://www.daviddfriedman.com/Medieval/To_Milk_an_Almond.pdf.Used with permission.
I am thankful for the recipe testing and other support offered by MeistariKatriona ni Chonarain of Northshield. ~~Sayyeda al-Kaslaania
Garlicky Sauce
Adapted from: Recipe for Thûmiyya, a Garlicky Dish
Andalusia 13th century recipe
Translation: Take a plump hen and take out what is inside it, clean that andleave aside. Then take four ûqiyas of peeled garlic and pound them untilthey are like brains, and mix with what comes out of the interior of the chicken.Fry it in enough oil to cover, until the smell of garlic comes out. Mix thiswith the chicken in a clean pot with salt, pepper, cinnamon, lavender, ginger,cloves, saffron, peeled whole almonds, both pounded and whole, and a littlemurri naqî'. Seal the pot with dough, place it in the oven and leave ituntil it is done. Then take it out and open the pot, pour its contents in aclean dish and an aromatic scent will come forth from it and perfume the area.This chicken was made for the Sayyid Abu al-Hasan and much appreciated.
5-8 oz of garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp ginger, ground
¼ tsp cloves, ground
6 Tbl sesame oil
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper, ground
1 tsp cinnamon, ground
¼ cup almonds, ground
[pinch lavender, crushed]
¼ cup tamari or soy sauce
Olive oil for roasting garlic
Murri is fermented sauce, similar to soy sauce. Tamari is a soy-only saucewhich is therefore gluten free. Soy- and wheat- sauce (sold commonly as soysauce) would likely be closer to true murri.
Roast garlic: toss in olive oil and spread on a baking sheet or in a cast ironpan. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees F, stirring occasionally. Whencooled, mash with the other ingredients. Let sit over night to allow theflavors to blend. Stir vigorously (or store it in a covered container andshake) just before serving. This sauce was made for Baroness Marwen de laRivere of Northshield and much appreciated.
Clearly this recipe is far removed from the original-- and it turned out to bestunning. In preparing a feast which included some people who eat vegetarianand others with gluten intolerance, I revised this recipe to accompany roastchicken and savory crepes of chickpeas. Because I had already included in myfeast one recipe that would be a culinary adventure, I did not include thelavender in this attempt. I certainly will for the next. ~~Sayyeda al-Kaslaania
Translation and original redaction from: How to Milk an Almond Stuff an EggAnd Armor a Turnip: A Thousand Years of Recipes By David Friedman andElizabeth Cook ISBN: 978-1-460-92498-3 http://www.daviddfriedman.com/Medieval/To_Milk_an_Almond.pdf Used with permission.
Eggplant relish
Another recipe for dressed eggplant by him (ibn al-Mahdi)too
Al-Warraq, 10th century Baghdad
Translation: Boil eggplant and chop it into fine pieces. Take a platter, andpour on it a little vinegar, white sugar, ground almonds, saffron, carawayseeds, casia, [and mix]. Spread the [chopped] eggplant and fried onion all overthe sauce. Drizzle some olive oil on the dish and serve it, God willing.
1 1/2 lb eggplants
½ cup ground almonds
½ lb onion (two medium)
8 threads saffron
2 Tbl olive oil
2 tsp caraway seeds
¼ cup vinegar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbl sugar
olive oil for serving
Pierce eggplants several times, remove the green tops and boil for about ½hour. Cool slightly and peel off skin, chop. Chop onion and fry in 2 Tbl oliveoil until limp and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Combine almonds, spices,vinegar, and sugar in a food processor, mixing to a paste and adding water tothin. Spread paste thinly on the plate, layer with chopped eggplant and choppedonion, drizzle with olive oil. Serve with flatbread.
The Honorable Lady Brigid ingen Maol-Mhichil of Northshield fame tested thisrecipe and offered the revised redaction. I am grateful for her support on myfirst feast.~~Sayyeda al-Kaslaania
Translation from: How to Milk an Almond Stuff an Egg AndArmor a Turnip: A Thousand Years of Recipes By David Friedman and ElizabethCook ISBN: 978-1-460-92498-3
http://www.daviddfriedman.com/Medieval/To_Milk_an_Almond.pdfReprinted with permission.