Venyson Y - bake: Country of Orgin England 15th century
2 lbs of ground vension - due to cost of vension been in the 20.00 plus range per KG, I cut this down to 1 lb pound of ground vension and added 1 pound of ground lean beef.
1/2 lb bacon - because of the meat pie been so dry because of the vension and lean dry beef, it may be advisable to increase this amount to 1 lb, and use ground beef, not the lean beef version.
pepper, salt, ginger, grains of paradise (this is a spice that comes from the ginder plant, and has a tendency to be a pepper favor - to find one may have to go to a speciality spice store).
pie crust. It is list below for the recipt under Paest royal. However you may use the other crust provided just below.
Notation; To improve the favor of this meat pie, one may add garlic (crusted garlic - a couple of cloves, and as an option 1/8 cup of finely chopped onions)
200 gms flour
1 tsp of salt
100 grams of unsalted butter
pinch of saffron - this is optional as it is used more so to act as a coloring agent. If using buckwheat flour, the color will not be shown as buckwheel is a natural dark flour.
1 egg yolk, and ice water to add.
Sift flour, salt into bowl. Cut and chilled butter into flour choping into small pieces. With figures rub butter into flour, shaking bowl in intervals to bring up the lumps to the top. When completed the misture should look meanly, (breadcrumbs). Drop in eggyolks after making well in mixture, and add a few tablespoons of ice water. Mix together with butterknife. Mixture should start to form lumps, if it does not add ice water a little at a time until mixture does. Form into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap, refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour before using. Roll out on a flour board (you may use wax paper or parchment paper as this makes cleanup easier). Note use a chilled rolling pin. Mixture should make on small pie.
To make the coloring - place saffron in a glass measuring cup, and add a tablespoon of hot water to steep the saffron for a 1/2 hour. This will give you a yellow coloring agent.
In searching for the recipe over the web, I have found sources for the mentioning of this recipe used in courses removed (2nd course). web link http://www.bl.uk/learning/images/texts.cooks
The course removed is listed in "The Good Huswifes Jewell - Serving Courses; and is listed in the second removed which includes roasted lambe, roasted Capons, Roasted Coines, Chickens, Pehennes, Lart and Baked Vensison.
Mushroom pasty, enter as an A&S arts entry for October 2011 event - Duchy of Connacht - Adria. Mushroom pasty. In making of this pasty use commerical raised mushrooms as harvesting mushrooms in the wild can be the poisonous type, and some made even be deadly. The orginal main recipe comes from the Menagier de Paris, a French text from the end of the 14th century which is more than a cookbook. Menagier wasn't printed in its own time but several manuscripts were produced; the first been printed by Baron Hierome Pichon in 1846/47.
Modern adaptation:
2.5 cups of white mushrooms (fairly mushrooms) can use other mushrooms as a substitute which may enhance the favor. Please note: If you do not know which mushrooms are posionous do not go out a pick your own mushrooms, buy them from a reliable source.
3.5 ozs of firm Brie de Meaus or fresh goat cheese. As to where I live this cheese is very limited in supply and I used old chedder cheeze instead.
3.5 ozs of Gruyere (French not Swiss) or parmesan, Pecoring or Manchego. In my case I used parmesan.
2 Tsp of each - ginger, cinnamon, cloves, grains of paradise sugar and a
Pinch of salt.
2 slices of white bread, less crust and crumbled.
Dash of olive oil
Pastry pie crust - options on pie crust may vary from a full pie, to a open pie to closed pasty. If using pasties, use butter or grease for the mold be a release agent. In presenting this pie I used the Paest Royal. See below this recipe for recipe.
Peel and wash mushrooms if the hide of mushroom is tough and old, otherwise rinse under water to remove an foreign particals of matter. Cut off the end stalk and then halve, and keep cutting till chopped. A blender works really good for this task. Use a blender to crumble bread although it is optional, but helps to remove any excessive mositure from the mushrooms. Covering dough on bottom of pan with bread crumbs. If using Brie fopr the pasty, cut of the white crust before dicing the cheeze and if using goat cheese crumble it. Grate the gruyere, parmesan or manchego cheese.
Heat oil, sautee the mushrooms for a couple of minutes until mushrooms release moisture. Drain and pat dry with a clean paper towel to remove excess oil; let to cool. Add cheeses to mushrooms with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 355 F. Grease mold and with a sheet of pastry dough. Fill the cavity with mushroom stuffing. By your choice you can leave the pie open, or cover it with another sheet of dough. Place in middle of oven. Small pasties are usually done in12 to 15 min while large ones can take 30 to 40 minutes. When ready remove from oven and let cool for five minutes before demolding if using molds.
In making this recipe, I prefer to serve mushroom pasties hot. Makes about 12 servings.
It should be noted the pasties were the medieval food take out, and bought at a pastry bakery and could be eaten while on the road, or served as an extra dish a home. Pasties are a form of a small tart that had lids of dough.
Pasteideeg van Lancelot de Casteau
& faictes de la pafte de fine farine auec des oeufs & du beurre, vn peu d'eau, & que la pafte ne foit pasdure, puis battez bien la pafte vn quart d'heure, puis, faites des couuertures bien tennes & delies, & mettez deux l'vne fur l'autre, qu'il foit frotte' de beurre fondu entre deux, puis mettez ce deux couuertes en vne tortiere.
Modern translation
2 cups flour
1 egg
1 Tsp salt
3 Tbsp butter + 2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup water
Combine flour, salt: melt butter but make sure it does not change color. Stir in melted butter with water and egg. Kneal with flour and cover with plastic or a towel for 1/2 hour room temperature. Divide dough into two portions and roll each out into a thin sheet. Spread melted butter (2 Tbsp) on one sheet, cover with the other sheet. Note: roll out together if necessary pending thickness you may want and dress pie mould r springform with it.
Le Menagier de Paris
Translated: Mushrooms of one might be the best and they be little and red within and closed at the top: and they must be peeled and then washed in hot wate and parboiled and if you wish to put them in a pasty add oil, cheese and spice powder,
Power Eileen. The Goodman of Paris (Le Menagier of Paris), a Treaties on Moral and Domestic Ecomony by A citzen of Paris 1395. Translation Harcout, Brace and company 1928
Source: Le Menagier de Paris: The Medieval Cookbook, by Maggie Black published by British Museum Press (ISBN 0-7141-0583-X)
To improve on flavor one may add crushed garlic cloves to the mushrooms before playing in pasties.
Source: www. gocookery.com/goderee
