Thursday, November 14, 2024

Orange Omelette for Harlots and Ruffians - first and second attempts

Recipe #122: Orange Omelette for Harlots and Ruffians




from “Le ‘Registre de Cuisine’ de Jean de Bockenheim”, originally published in “Le Moyen Age à table” by Bruno Laurioux, Paris, Adam Biro, 1989.

Sic fac fritatem de pomeranciis

Recipe ova percussa, cum pomeranciis ad libitum tuum, et extrahe inde sucum, et mitte ad illa ova cum zucaro; post recipe oleum olive, bel segimine, et faac califieri in patella, et mitte illa ova intus. Et erit pro ruffianis et leccatricibus.
Translation:

How to make an orange omelette. Take eggs and break them, with oranges, as many as you like; squeeze their juice and add to it the eggs with sugar; then take olive oil or fat, and heat it in the pan and add the eggs. This was for ruffians and brazen harlots.

Ingredients (for this attempt):

2 medium chicken eggs

3 tablespoons of 100% orange juice.

1 teaspoon of organic, unbleached sugar

small pinch of salt.

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.


Method:

Add the oil to a pan and bring up to medium-high heat.

Crack the two eggs into a cup and add the orange juice, sugar and salt. Wisk well.

Pour the egg mixture into the hot oil and cook until the bottom sets. Flip to cook the top side. Remove from the heat once both sides have started to brown.




Explanation:

While this is called an omelet in the translations, the original source calls it a fritatem, which translates to frittata. What is the difference? In modern terms, frittatas have stuff mixed in with the egg mixture and left to cook or bake in the pan; no flipping or rolling. Omelets are a thin layer of eggs with stuff placed on top, and then the eggs are folded or rolled over the stuff. Frittatas are generally cooked longer at a lower temperature so that the stuff is cooked without overcooking the eggs. I went with a half and half method. Using only two eggs, I knew that I wasn't going to have enough structure to side out of the pan in one, frittata shaped piece. 

Also, Italian omelets, according to recipes starting in the late 19th Century, are cooked in a hotter pan than French style omelets, and the Italian style uses more fat in the pan. The French style uses enough fat to keep the eggs from sticking and the Italian style almost has enough fat to fry the eggs. 

The orange juice that was available in the 15th Century would have been sour, as sweet oranges hadn't been cultivated by the time this cookbook was written. For simplicity's sake, I picked up a pint of 100% orange juice with nothing added to the bottle. While my juice was sweet, it wasn't very sweet, so I decided to add some additional sugar. I used some organic, pure cane sugar that still has a little bit of color to it. I think that this sugar would be as good as the best sugar our medieval cooks would have had access to, without being 100% pure sucrose and bleached of all color. The sugar that I used tastes like sugar, identical to the pure sugar that comes in the little packets next to the coffee at work. Just like the crystal sugar that I used in the past. Using the organic sugar ensured that no bleaching agents were used to make the sugar completely white, as well as no anti-clumping agents added. It was what I had readily available in my kitchen.

I added a small pinch of salt, even though it wasn't mentioned, because eggs need salt. 

Once the oil was shimmering, I added the egg mixture and let the bottom set. Unfortunately, it did not set enough to allow me to flip it in one piece: My frittata was turning into a poorly made omelet. Once both sides had started to brown, I turned the heat off of the stove and let the thing set for another 30 seconds before moving to a plate. 

Still hot, the whatever you wish to call it was nice. The oil let the eggs cook fluffy and airy, so it was really light on the tongue. There wasn't much of an orange flavor and it was sweet. Not sweet enough to be called a dessert. Quite nice.

I cleaned out the pan and attempted recipe #2.

Ingredients (attempt 2):

2 medium chicken eggs

5 tablespoons of 100% orange juice.

1 tablespoon of organic, unbleached sugar

small pinch of salt.

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.

Method:

I followed the same procedure as before, with less than satisfactory results. 




The added juice and sugar kept the eggs from setting fully. There were eggy curds, but it just didn't set like an omelet should. 

It also didn't brown in the same way. The egg mixture set after 4 or 5 minutes of high heat, but it was more like basted scrambled eggs than a frittata or an omelet. 


They were good. Very sweet with an orange flavor, and the texture was still light and airy, but there was a bit of oily orange juice left on the plate when I was done eating. 

I think that for my third attempt I will increase the amount of orange juice but keep the added sugar to 1 teaspoon. Or I might go to the store and get an orange, juice it myself, and add in the zest. Zest wasn't mentioned but there is no reason why it can't be added if it is fine enough. It might compromise the texture of the eggs, but I'll have to try it.

The next phase would be to figure out why this was recommended for harlots and ruffians, or pimps and prostitutes and this recipe is sometimes translated as. There is no meat in this dish and the sugar would have been a luxury. I have a couple of theories that I need to track down. I think that this would make an excellent entry to the Kingdom A&S Champions coopetition.

Basic Bibliography:
REDON, Odile; SABBAN, Françoise; SERVENTI, Silvano and English translation by SCHNEIDER, Edward. The Medieval Kitchen: Recipes from France and Italy

The Thorngrove Table:  https://thorngrove.wordpress.com/2005/11/14/foody_saturday_/

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Finally Finished

 Design from the AEthelmearc Scribal Playtime.

Started in 2013. Finished in 2024.


No clue what paint I used on this, originally. Probally what was on the table for the Scribal Playtime. It was okay.... Kinda of blotchy and I went over the lines in places. Might have been why I hid it away.

So, a quick coat of red and blue W&N gouache to remove the blotchiness. Some W&S gold to cover the little gold paint I used way back when. A Micron green brush to even up the green vine. A .25 black Micron pen to outline everything, and some W&N opaque white ink for the white work. Applied with a fine brush: I didn't feel like digging out a pen. A simple wavy line for the blue and red and some dots on the leaves. And now it looks like someone who knows what they are doing did the scroll from scratch.

This ended up as Scroll # 561




Monday, October 14, 2024

Happy "Columbus Was A Bastard" Day

This was a post I put on my FB profile on 10/14/24, and FB took it down because they flagged it as spam. "It looks like you tried to get likes, follows, shares or video views in a misleading way."

Really, FB. This was on my personal page with no links to outside sources, pictures or videos. 
==========

"New" evidence was released, today, that implies that Columbus wasn't Italian; he was a secret Jew born in Spain. The evidence comes from 2001 DNA analasys of what might have been his bones and those of his son and Brother. Might. There is some question as to where his bones were eventually interred.

This is not a new theory; it dates back to the mid 19th Century and was based on two promiant Spanish Jews who funded his first voyage. It gained some noteraity in the '70s with some questionable letters apparetly written by Columbus in Hewbrew, apprently claiming that his mission to the New World was to find a new home for his fellow Jews. Let's ignore that all of the written accounts of his proposals to Italian, Spanish, Portugese, English and French Crowns say that he was looking for a short cut to China and Japan. And that he and his family were devote Catholics and all of the written evidence showing that he, and his family, were from Genoa and did extensive business there before moving to Savona.

There are also competing theories that Columbus was born in Catalan Spain, because he referred to himself as "Christobal Colom" (Colom means "dove" in Catalan). Except that Corombo, his actual family name, also means "dove" in Genoese. As does the Italian Colombo. Columbus is, of course, Latin.

There is also another theory, from 1916, that Columbus was actually Portuguese and was the son of a Salvador Fernandes Zarco. This is based on Columbus's handwriting on certain documents owned by the Vatican.

Monday, October 7, 2024

Things You Should Not Put On An SCA Scroll

 Things You Should Not Put On A Scroll, part whatever. 

Sometimes, no explanation is needed.



This is a 15 Century German engraving of Aristotle and Phyllis. (Lehrs 1908-34 / Geschichte und kritische Katalog des deutschen, niederländischen und französischen Kupferstichs im XV Jahrhundert (VI.243.64))

No.

Just, no. 

Not even for an equestrian scroll.

No.

Saturday, October 5, 2024

Scroll Text - Richard of Baldwinsville - Keystone 2024

 Scroll Text - Richard of Baldwinsville - Keystone 2024

Kingdom of AEthelmearc - Service Award

Richard of Baldwinsville, hear these present letters from Bjarki and Gabrielle, King and Queen of Sylvan AEthelmearc. It has come to Our notice the notable service done for Ourselves and Our predecessors, as well as for Our good subjects, that We are so moved to take action. Therefore We who not only by common renown but also by the report and testimony of other nobles worthy of credence are truly advertised and informed that you have performed feats of service and have conducted yourself honorably such that henceforth you may be in all places honorably admitted, renowned, counted, numbered, and received among the number and in the company of the Noble Order of the Keystone. And for the remembrance of this We assign to you the right to bear the badge of the Order. In witness whereof We King and Queen of AEthelmearc, as named above, have signed with Our hands and sealed with Our seal and given the fifth day of October in the year of the society 50 and 9, at Our Crown Tourney.

inspired by 1459/60 grant of arms to John Alfrey

https://www.flickr.com/photos/calebreynolds/54013790559/in/dateposted/

Scroll Text - Julie Alewife - Sycamore 2024

Scroll Text - Julie Alewife - Sycamore 2024

Kingdom of AEthelmearc - A&S Award

Come hear the words of the King and Queen of AEthelmearc, right trusty and welbeloved. Forasmuch as We, of Our special grace, in consideration of the true and faithful service which Our welbeloved subject Julie Alewife hath done unto Us and Our Kingdom, know that We have avowed and award unto her a place within our Noble Order of the Sycamore where We had noticed her absence before hand. We further give her leave to wear the badge of the Order as she sees fit for one of her station and further give unto her all said rights and duties of the Order and demand that the Order receive and admit the aforesaid Julie Alewife without delay; and these Our Letters shall be your Warrant. Given by Our hands at the fields of Our Crown Tournament, the 5th day of October, AS59 and signed with Our marks as:  Bjarki- King and Gabrielle - Queen.

Inspired by Signet Letter for the Issue of Letters under the Privy Seal only (20 Nov., 16 Edward IV)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/calebreynolds/54013466456/in/dateposted/

Thursday, October 3, 2024

Alphabet challenge - ten years later.

 The first four blanks are laid out for the ten year revisit of my alphabet challenge.

What the hell was I thinking. I hated doing knotwork ten years ago; I hate it even more, now.