Historical Recipes, from any past century or time period

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Category: SOUPS

Name: SOUP WITHOUT WATER

This is a recipe from the 18th century, Regency time period:

Ingredients:

Small Leg of Mutton
3 Medium Turnips
3 Small Carrots
2-3 Lettuces
Spinach
Onion
225g (8oz) Butter
Parsley
Bunch of Sweet Herbs
Toasted Bread
Salt and Pepper

Method:

Cut the leg of mutton into slices, season with salt and pepper.
Cut the turnips into rounds and the carrots into pieces.
Chop the herbs and leaf vegetables finely.
Place a layer of turnips and carrots at the base of an ovenproof pot, add a layer of meat, another of onions, then one of leaf vegetables and herbs, continue until all ingredients are used.
Add the butter.
Cover with a tight fitting lid, use a paste made from flour and water to seal the lid.
Cook in a saucepan of boiling water for 4 hours or in a very low oven overnight.
Strain and skim off any fat.
Serve over toasted bread with a little stewed spinach.

Category: SOUPS

Name: BEEF AND BARLEY SOUP

A recipe from the 15th-16th Century.

Ingredients:

1.135kg (2½lb) Beef, cooked and diced
3.4lt (6 pints) Beef stock
450g (1lb) Carrots, chopped
450g (1lb) Barley
1-2 Onions, diced

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan.
Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat.
Allow to simmer until carrots are soft and barley has cooked, approx. 45 minutes.
Be careful not to scorch.
For a thicker soup, add extra barley.

As you may have noticed there are no spices used in the original recipe! You should give it a try though.
If you prefer a more tasty and adapted variety you may add salt and pepper.

Category: FISH

Name: GRILLED PIKE IN SAUCE

This is a recipe from the medieval period. Very tasty.

Ingredients:

2-4 Medium-sized Pike (or other fish), gutted and cleaned
470ml (16 floz) Red or White Wine
1½ tsp Ginger
1 tbsp Sugar (or to taste)
Salt to taste

Method:

Roast or grill the fish until done.
Bring the wine to a boil.
Reduce heat, then add the spices, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
Cook to reduce the sauce to the desired consistency.
Place the fish on a serving dish, pour a little of the sauce over the fish. Serve the remainder as an accompaniment

If you prefer you can substitute pike for trout or any other fish of your choice. My personal favorite is trout.

Category: MEAT

Name: STEWED VEAL OR CHICKEN IN SAUCE

This is a medieval recipe again.

Ingredients:

1 Whole Chicken
12 Egg Yolks, beaten
1 Small Bunch Parsley, chopped
110ml (4 floz) Red Wine Vinegar
Chicken stock
2 tbsp Sage Leaves, chopped
1 tbsp Hyssop, chopped
1 tbsp Ginger
1 tsp Mace
1 tsp Cloves
A few strands of Saffron
Salt to taste

Method:

Place the chicken in a large saucepan, cover with chicken stock.
Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer, and continue cooking until tender and falling from the bone
Remove from the stock and allow to drain and cool.
Remove the bones, fat and skin from the chicken and cut into large chunks.
Place chicken in a separate large saucepan.
Strain the stock and add enough to just cover the chicken meat.
Bring to the boil and then reduce heat, add the herbs, spices, and vinegar, beat in the egg yolks, and simmer until thick.

Here is one of my 12 year olds favorite 18th century recipes:

Recipe Name: SPICED NUTS
Category: 18TH CENTURY
Serves: 6

SOURCE FELICITY'S COOK BOOK - AMERICAN GIRL COLLECTION

Butter, to grease cookie sheet
1 Cup Sugar
4 Tblsp Cinnamon, Ground
1/4 Tsp. Nutmeg
2 Egg Whites
1 Cup Pecans
1 Cup Almonds

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease the cookie sheet with butter.
Measure the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a bowl and mix well.
Put the egg whites into another bowl and beat them with a fork. Stir in a few nuts and remove. Roll the nuts in the sugar and spice mix. Place the nuts on the cookie sheet. Prepare the remaining nuts the same way.
Bake the spiced nuts for 20 minutes. Let cool. Serve or store for trail food . These keep for several days.

Here is one of my favorite 18th century recipes:

Recipe Name: PICKLED GREEN TOMATOES
Category: 18TH CENTURY
Serves: 8

2 Quart Green tomatoes ( cut in half )
1 Quart water ( boiling )
1/2 Cup white vinegar
3 Tblsp pickling salt
2 Clove garlic
3/4 Tblsp pickling spice

Place tomatoes in a large bowl. Pour vinegar and salt into water. Put garlic and pickle spice in bowl with tomatoes, pour hot brine over tomatoes. Weigh down tomatoes under brine. Leave at room temperature until cool. Refrigerate. Ready to eat in 24 hours.

gaberlunzie--

I really liked the stewed chicken or veal recipe. I love sauces and soups thickened with egg -- they are so smooth and rich. I also like including the herbs for only a short final cooking, so they don't cook to death and lose all their aromatic flavor.

I wonder -- how would you prepare the veal if you were going to use that instead of chicken? Would you saute it lightly, perhaps?

Veal would have been treated just like the chicken, recipes from that time period were not complex, veal or chicken stock would have been used for the veal.

I agree, Shadows and thank you for answering!

I have tried them and loved the nuts. We rarely buy snacks like potato chips but do a lot of them by ourselves. So the nuts a great idea...I also tried them in a spicy variation (salty) and they turned out well, too.

I have tried them and loved the nuts. We rarely buy snacks like potato chips but do a lot of them by ourselves. So the nuts a great idea...I also tried them in a spicy variation (salty) and they turned out well, too.

Variations on this recipe can be found for salty, hot, and even sweeter... but this one can be documented to the 18th century, that is why I put it here.

Food is not a constent thing... everyone can make changes to a recipe and be satisfied. I see no way of preparing food to be wrong, after all it is the collective human taste bud we are trying to please LOL!

Experimentation with taste produces some of the best recipes in the world!

Recipe Name: OCHSENSCHWANZSUPPE (OXTAIL SOUP)
Category: SOUP
Serves: 4

2 pound( Oxtail pieces
1 Onion sliced
2 tables Vegetable oil
8 cup(s) Water cold
to taste Sea salt
to taste Black peppercorns
1 cup Parsley stems bunch
1 cup(s) Carrots diced
1 Bay leaf
1/2 cup(s) Tomatoes chopped
1 teaspo Thyme dried
1 tables Butter
1 tables Flour
1/4 cup(s) Madeira

A rustic and hearty German soup, accented with Madeira. Oxtails were once taken from oxen, but today's variety refers to beef or veal tail. This bony, tough cut requires long, slow braising, yielding a rich stock and satiny, pleasantly chewy texture. Serve with bread and beer.

Cuisine: German
Prep Time: 1 Hour and 30 Minutes
Cooking Time: 4 Hours
Yield: 4 Servings


Brown oxtails and onions in oil in a heavy 4-quart pot. Add water, salt, and peppercorns. Simmer uncovered for about 2 hours. Cover and continue simmering for an additional 3 hours.
Add the parsley stems, carrots, bay leaf, tomatoes, and thyme; continue simmering for 30 more minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
Remove bay leaf from stock. Cool stock, strain, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Remove meat from oxtails. Puree meat and vegetables in a blender; reserve. Skim fat from stock and reheat.
In a large skillet, melt butter. Stir in flour to make a "roux" (flour and butter mixture used as a sauce thickener.) Add hot stock to roux and whisk to combine thoroughly. Simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add reserved pureed meat and vegetables.
Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, and stir in madeira just before serving.

Recipe Name: STEWED TOMATOES JEFFERSON
Category: 18TH CENTURY
Serves: 4

SOURCE Shadows

3 Tblsp butter
1 sliced yellow onion
6 whole tomatoes or
1 Quart canned tomatoes
to taste basil or oregano or both
1/4 Cup dry white wine or beer
to taste salt and pepper

Thomas Jefferson was an excellent cook. He was one of the first to use tomatoes in this country.

Melt butter in a saucepan and saute` onion until clear. Add remaining ingredients and simmer over low heat until tomatoes are very tender or to your liking. Serve hot.

A PUDDING OF RAISINS, recipe from the 15th century:

Ingredients:

4-6 Apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
225g (8oz) Raisins
340g (12 floz) Almond Milk
4 tbsp Rice flour (or unbleached white flour)
1 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Mixture of Galingal and Ginger

Method:

Boil the apples and raisins until the apples are very soft, drain well.
Mash the fruit and place in a saucepan with the almond milk, spices, and sugar.
Cook over medium heat.
Add the flour and continue to cook until thickened.
Sprinkle top with ginger just before serving.
Serves 4.

ALMOND MILK:

In the Middle Ages, milk would not stay fresh, especially in the summer.
So this basic was used as it kept for longer and was not prone to curdling.
It is high in fats and can even be churned to produce a butter.
There are a number of references for it through-out literature which refer to the use of both almonds and walnuts.

225g (8oz) Ground almonds
450ml (16 floz) Boiling water

Combine almonds and water.
Steep for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Sieve the mixture or use a blender until all of the ground almonds are combined.
Produces: 450ml (16 floz) almond milk.

To make Walnut Milk simply substitute walnuts for almonds.