Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 23 Cokkes of kellynge

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany (Beinecke MS 163)

This manuscript is dated about 1460.

The 200 (approx.) recipes in the Wagstaff miscellany are on pages 56r through 76v.

Images of the original manuscript are freely available on the Yale University Library website.

I have done my best to provide an accurate, but readable transcription. Common abbreviations have been expanded, the letters thorn and yogh have been replaced with their modern equivalents, and some minor punctuation has been added.

Copyright © 2013 by Daniel Myers, MedievalCookery.com

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23.  Cokkes of kellynge
Take cokkes of kellynge cut heme smalle do hit yne a brothe of fresche fysche or of fresche salmone boyle heme welle put to mylke and draw a lyoure of bredde to heme withe saundres safferyne & sygure and poudyre of pepyre serve hit forthe & othyre fysche amonge turbutt pyke samone choppyde & hewyne sesyne heme withe venygere & salt.

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This recipe is very similar to recipe 155 in A Noble Boke off Cookry, with the differences being either minor changes in wording or possibly copying errors.

To dight codlinge or keling tak a kelinge and cut them smale and put them in brothe of freche samon and boile them put ther to almond mylk and drawe bred and colour them with saffon and sanders do ther to sugur and pouder of pepper and serue it and other fisshe among as turbot pike samon chopped and sesson them with venygur and salt it and serue it.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]

The word "cokkes" in Wagstaff is most certainly supposed to be "coddes", and "kellynge" (keling) is defined by Mayhew and Skeat as  "a large kind of cod".  The use of milk in Wagstaff is a clear departure from what would otherwise be a recipe for a fish day, and is likely an error since the version in A Noble Boke off Cookry calls for almond milk.

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 22 Chaudone of Salmone

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany (Beinecke MS 163)

This manuscript is dated about 1460.

The 200 (approx.) recipes in the Wagstaff miscellany are on pages 56r through 76v.

Images of the original manuscript are freely available on the Yale University Library website.

I have done my best to provide an accurate, but readable transcription. Common abbreviations have been expanded, the letters thorn and yogh have been replaced with their modern equivalents, and some minor punctuation has been added.

Copyright © 2013 by Daniel Myers, MedievalCookery.com

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22.  Chaudone of Salmone
Take al the draught of a samone make hit clene as thu may do hit yne a pote and al the blode of a samone there withe boyle that tyl hit be y nowghe yne the brothe of the same fysche take hit up hew hit smalle yf hit be a femaule grynde the spaune do hit to gedyre to the brothe draw a lyoure of white bredde withe swete wyne do there to poudyre of peper & canell sett hit one the fyre stere hit whene hit boylez sesone hit up withe powdyre of gyngyre venygere salt & safferyne thu may serve hit forthe yne the stede of potage or els sause of samone.

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This recipe is a clear parallel of recipe 154 in A Noble Boke off Cookry.

To mak chaudron for samone tak the draught of samon and mak it clene and put it in a pot and all the blod of the samon ther with and boile it till it be enoughe then tak it up and grind the spawn and draw a liour of bred and of whit wyne and put ther to poudere of pepper and canelle and boile it and stirr it and sesson it up with pouder of guinger venygar saffron and salt and ye may serve it furthe in sted of potage or els a sauce for samon.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]

There is also a close match in Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books, and a similar recipe in Forme of Cury.

Chaudewyne. Take the Guttes of fressh Samon, and do awey the gall; and slytte hem, and caste hem in a potte, and boyle hem in water right well; And ley hem vpon a borde, and hewe hem; And then stepe brede in the same licour, And cast som of the samon broth thereto, And drawe all thorgh a streynour; and then caste the hewen guttes and the drawen brede in a potte, and a litull wyn, pouder of Canell, or saffron, And lete boyle togidre; And cast there-to pouder of peper, Vinegre, and salt; And lete hit be rennyng.  [Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books (England, 1430)] 

CAWDEL OF SAMOUN C.XI. Take the guttes of Samoun and make hem clene. perboile hem a lytell. take hem up and dyce hem. slyt the white of Lekes and kerue hem smale. cole the broth and do the lekes þerinne with oile and lat it boile togyd yfere. do the Samoun icorne þerin, make a lyour of Almaundes mylke & of brede & cast þerto spices, safroun and salt, seeþ it wel. and loke þat it be not stondyng. [Forme of Cury (England, 1390)]

All of these recipes appear to be fish-day versions of a sort of stew or sauce made from the offal of swans.

Chaudoun. Take gysers, and lyuers, and hert of Swanne; and if the guttys ben fat, slyt them clence thaym, and caste them ther-to, and boile them in faire watre: and thanne take them up, and hew them smal, and thanne caste them in-to the same brothe, (but strayne hit thurgh a straynour firste); and caste ther-to poudre peper, canel, and vynegre, and salt, and lete boile. And thanne take the blode of the Swanne, and freysshe broth, and brede, and draw them thurwe a straynour, and cast ther-to; and lete boile to-gedre. And thenne take poudre of gyngere, whanne hit is al-moste y-now, and put ther-to, and serue forth with the swan.  [Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books (England, 1430)]

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 21 Grewel enforsede

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany (Beinecke MS 163)

This manuscript is dated about 1460.

The 200 (approx.) recipes in the Wagstaff miscellany are on pages 56r through 76v.

Images of the original manuscript are freely available on the Yale University Library website.

I have done my best to provide an accurate, but readable transcription. Common abbreviations have been expanded, the letters thorn and yogh have been replaced with their modern equivalents, and some minor punctuation has been added.

Copyright © 2013 by Daniel Myers, MedievalCookery.com

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21.  Grewel enforsede.
Take merybonys & fresch beef make goode gruelle ther of thane draw heme thorow a streynere take fayre porke tender sodyne peke out the bonys & the senowys & do a wey the skyne grynde hit smal yne a mortere temper hit up with the same gruelle that ys grownde make hit smothe let hit stonde resonabely by the flesshe sesyne hit up withe salt & saferyne that sette hymt by the fyre lete hyme boyle a lytylle and serve hyme forthe.

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This recipe is very close to recipe 153 in A Noble Boke off Cookry, with the only notable difference being that the Wagstaff recipe adds saffron along with an extra boiling step at the end.

To mak grewelle enforced tak mary bones and freche brothe and mak grewelle and draw them throughe a strener then tak pork sodene tender and pick out the bones and the senewes and pille of the skyn and hew it and grind it smale in a mortair and temper it with the same gruelle that is drawen and mak it smothe and let it stond myche by freche pork and salt it and serue it.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]

Interestingly, both of those aspects missing in Noble are present in the version from Liber Cure Cocorum, though the wording is very different.

For gruel of fors. Fyrst take porke, wele þou hit sethe With otene grotes, þat ben so smethe. Whenne hit begynnes wele to alye, þou save of þe þynnest brothe þer by To streyne þy gruel, alle and summe. But furst take oute þy porke þou mun And hak hit smal and grynde hit clene. Cast hit to þo gruel þat streyned bene, Colour hit with safroune and sethe hit wele. For gruel of force serve hom at mele.  [Liber cure cocorum, (England, 1430)] 

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 20 umbelys of a dere

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany (Beinecke MS 163)

This manuscript is dated about 1460.

The 200 (approx.) recipes in the Wagstaff miscellany are on pages 56r through 76v.

Images of the original manuscript are freely available on the Yale University Library website.

I have done my best to provide an accurate, but readable transcription. Common abbreviations have been expanded, the letters thorn and yogh have been replaced with their modern equivalents, and some minor punctuation has been added.

Copyright © 2013 by Daniel Myers, MedievalCookery.com

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20.  To make umbelys of a dere.
Take the umbelys of a dere blode & alle perboyle heme in fresche brothe thene take heme up stale broune crustys of brede in the same brothe thene cut thy umbelys smalle & put heme in a potte to the same brothe tryyde in a streynoure sesyn hyme there withe swete wyne put hit to the umbelys loke thy coloure stonde by the canelle sesyne hit withe salt & serve hit forth.

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This appears to be the only surviving recipe for deer kidneys that specifies that they are to be used "blood and all".  The similar recipes for "umbles", "humbles", and "numbles" from other medieval cookbooks either do not make any reference to blood, or specifically call for the blood to be pressed out.

One possibility is hinted at in a recipe from Noble Boke off Cookry.

To mak nombles tak hert middrif and kidney and hew them smalle and prise out the blod and sethe them in water and ale and colour it with brown bred or with blod and fors it with canell and galingalle and when it boilithe kole it a litille with ale and serwe it.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]

Here the blood is being added for color, so it may be that the Wagstaff recipe leaves the blood in the kidneys so that the final product will be dark red or black.

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 19 leche lardys

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany (Beinecke MS 163)

This manuscript is dated about 1460.

The 200 (approx.) recipes in the Wagstaff miscellany are on pages 56r through 76v.

Images of the original manuscript are freely available on the Yale University Library website.

I have done my best to provide an accurate, but readable transcription. Common abbreviations have been expanded, the letters thorn and yogh have been replaced with their modern equivalents, and some minor punctuation has been added.

Copyright © 2013 by Daniel Myers, MedievalCookery.com

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19.  To make leche lardys of iij colours.
Take clene cow mylke and put hit in iij pottys breke to euerych a queantyte of eyrone as thu seist best ys to do rede coloure withe saundres & nothyre withe saueryne the iij withe grene herbys put to euerych a porcyone of clene larde of fat of bacone welle sodyne & pertyde in iij pottys put to salt boyle heme alle at ones stere heme welle for brennynge yne the boylynge take heme downe cast heme in to a clothe eueryche a boue other and wynde the clothe to gedyre & presse out alle the juse than take heme out alle hole and make leches of heme and do iij or iiij leches in a dysche and serve heme forthe.

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The trick of producing a dish in a variety of different colors seems to have been popular throughout medieval Europe, with many recipes such as blancmanger or jelly appearing in surviving cookbooks with instructions for how to color them.

While there are no exact parallels to this recipe for larded milk of three colors, the two below are good examples of recipes that are very similar.

Lete Lardes. XX.III. VIII. Take parsel and grynde with a Cowe mylk, medle it with ayrenn and lard ydyced take mylke after þat þou hast to done and myng þerwith. and make þerof dyuerse colours. If þou wolt have zelow, do þerto safroun and no parsel. If þou wolt have it white; nonþer parsel ne safroun but do þerto amydoun. If þou wilt have rede do þerto sandres. If þou wilt have pownas do þerto turnesole. If þou wilt have blak do þerto blode ysode and fryed. and set on the fyre in as many vessels as þou hast colours þerto and seeþ it wel and lay þise colours in a cloth first oon. and sithen anoþer upon him. and sithen the þridde and the ferthe. and presse it harde til it be all out clene. And whan it is al colde, lesh it thynne, put it in a panne and fry it wel. and serue it forth.  [Forme of Cury (England, 1390)]

Letlardes. Take mylke scalding hote; And take eyren, the yolkes and the white, and drawe hem thorgh a streynour, and caste to the mylke; And then drawe the iuce of herbes, which that thou will, so that they ben goode, and drawe hem thorgh a streynour. And whan the mylke bigynneth to crudde, caste the Iuce thereto, if thou wilt haue it grene; And if thou wilt haue it rede, take Saundres, and cast to the mylke whan it croddeth, and leue the herbes; And if thou wilt haue hit yelowe, take Saffron, and caste to the mylke whan hit cruddeth, and leve the Saundres; And if thou wilt haue it of al thes colours, take a potte with mylke and Iuse of herbes, and another potte with mylke and saffron; And another potte with mylke and saundres, and put hem al in a lynnen clothe, and presse hem al togidur; And if thou wilt haue it of one colour, take but one cloth, (Note: Douce MS. of these) and streyne it in a cloth in the same maner, and bete on the clothe with a ladell or a Skymour, to make sad or (Note: Douce MS. and.) flatte; and leche it faire with a knyfe, and fry the leches in a pan with a litull fressh grece; And take a litull, and put hit in a dissh, and serue it forth. [Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books (England, 1430)]

The word "leche" in the Wagstaff recipe means "slice", which suggests that the final product is something thick and solid enough to be sliced.  In the other versions of this recipe it is given as "lete", which is a corruption of the French "lait" (milk).  It's possible that somewhere in the copying of recipes from one text to another, "lete" was accidentally misunderstood as "leche".

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 18 Jussalle

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany (Beinecke MS 163)

This manuscript is dated about 1460.

The 200 (approx.) recipes in the Wagstaff miscellany are on pages 56r through 76v.

Images of the original manuscript are freely available on the Yale University Library website.

I have done my best to provide an accurate, but readable transcription. Common abbreviations have been expanded, the letters thorn and yogh have been replaced with their modern equivalents, and some minor punctuation has been added.

Copyright © 2013 by Daniel Myers, MedievalCookery.com

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18.  To make Jussalle.
Take swete brothe of capons or elys or brothe as thu may have set hit one the fyre in a brode vesselle coloure hit withe saneryne put sage there to out grote and saffrone breke eyrone styre heme welle to the eyrone and to thy herbes be mellyde to gedyre whene hit be gynnys to sethe take out thy potstyke and turne ty crude aboute withe the scome loke thy fyre be not to hasty wh whene hit ys thorow knyt take hit of the fyre and covere hit & serve hit forthe.

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This recipe is a reasonably clear match to recipe 151 in A Noble Boke off Cookry.

To mak jusselle tak the swet brothe of a capon or of other good flesshe and set it on the fyere in a large vesselle colour it with saffron put ther to saige cut gret and salt it then tak eggs and drawe them through a strener and temper grated bread and eggs and stirre it to gedure till they be ronn and let the erbes be well mellid to gedur and when yt begynnythe to boille tak out the pot stik and turn the curd about with a scorner and let not the fyere be to hasty when it is throughe knyt tak it from the fyere and couyr it and serue it.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]

Recipes for "jussel" show up in just about every medieval English cookbook, with some variants having instructions for meatless days or specifying the use of other broths.  The closest of these is probably the following one from Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books.

Guissell. Take faire capon broth, or of beef, And sette hit ouer the fire, and caste therto myced sauge, parcelly and saffron, And lete boile; And streyn the white and the yolke of egges thorgh a streynour, and caste there-to faire grated brede, and medle hit togidre with thi honde, And caste the stuff to the broth into the pan; And stirre it faire and softe til hit come togidre, and crudded; And then serue it forth hote.  [Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books, (England, 1430)]

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 17 Pylets yne sarcene

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany (Beinecke MS 163)

This manuscript is dated about 1460.

The 200 (approx.) recipes in the Wagstaff miscellany are on pages 56r through 76v.

Images of the original manuscript are freely available on the Yale University Library website.

I have done my best to provide an accurate, but readable transcription. Common abbreviations have been expanded, the letters thorn and yogh have been replaced with their modern equivalents, and some minor punctuation has been added.

Copyright © 2013 by Daniel Myers, MedievalCookery.com

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17.  Pylets yne sarcene.
Take fresche porke or motyne sodyne peke out the bonys hew the flesche smalle grynd hit smal yne a morter and temper hit withe eyrone yne the gryndynge putt there to pepyre safferyne & salt take fresche brothe clene tryede set yt over the fyre in large vesselle lete hit boyle thene sesyne hit withe the same coloure thene make smal rounde ballys put heme yne a boylyne broth & lete heme boule there yne tyll they be y now thene take heme up lete heme drye lete thy brothe keyl blow of the fat take almondys wesche heme temper heme up withe the same brothe draw there of a kynde mylke put the mylke in a swete potte set hit one the fyre put there to powdyre of pepyre & canell & a portyone of sawndrys to coloure hit sarcene coloure loke thy most coloure be of hys owne kynde put there yne clowys macys reysons of coraunce lete hit boyle as thy seyyst that good ys yf hit be tt thike a lay hit withe swete wyne and do there to sugure whene thy spycer bethe tendour put yne peletys in the same brothe zyf hyme atarage of poudyre pf pepyre of gynger and vergys & serue forthe the pelets withe the bruet iij or iiij yne a dysche as a potage for the secunde course.

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This recipe is similar to the recipe below for "Pompys" - essentially meatballs in an almond milk based sauce.

Pompys. Take Beef, Porke, or Vele, on of hem, and raw, alle to-choppe it atte the dressoure, than grynd hem in a morter as smal as thou may, than caste ther-to Raw 3olkys of Eyroun, wyn, an a lytil whyte sugre: caste also ther-to pouder Pepyr, and Macys, Clowes, Quybibys, pouder Canelle, Synamoun, and Salt, and a lytil Safroun; then take and make smale Pelettys round y-now, and loke that thou haue a fayre potte of Freysshe brothe of bef or of Capoun, and euer throw hem ther-on and lete hem sethe tyl that they ben y-now; then take and draw vppe a thryfty mylke of Almaundys, with cold freysshe brothe of Bef, Vele, Moton, other Capoun, and a-lye it with floure of Rys and with Spycerye; and atte the dressoure ley thes pelettys .v. or .vj. in a dysshe, and then pore thin sewe aneward, (Note: on it) and serue in, or ellys make a gode thryfty Syryppe and ley thin (Note: Thine) pelettys atte the dressoure ther-on, and that is gode seruyse.  [Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books (England, 1430)]

The word "sarcene" in the recipe refers to the dark red color of the sauce, which may be connected to a belief at the time that Saracens had dark red skin.