Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 32 Conynggez in gravee

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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32.  Conynggez in gravee
Perboile conyngges in gode brothe take them up smyte them in peces make hem clene do hem in a pott with hole clowis macys & onyons y cut somedel grete in poudere blaunche almondys grynde hem & draw up withe the same brothe a thike mylke & do to gedyre sugere boyle hit loke hit be salt messe hit forthe cast ther one a dragge of clowys macys a mynsyde gyngere and blaunche poudyre.

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While there are a handful of recipes for various meats in onion gravy, this particular combination of rabbit, spices, and almond milk appears to be unique.  The closest recipe I could find that had all these ingredients is the following one from Ancient Cookery, however it adds several other items.

Browet Browet of almayne. Take conynges and parboyle hom, and choppe hom on gobettus, and rybbes of porke or of kydde, and do hit in a pot, and sethe hit; then take almondes and grynde hom, and tempur hit up wyth broth of beef, and do hit in a pot; and take clowes, maces, pynes, ginger mynced, and raysynges of corance; and take onyons and boyle hom, then cut hom and do hom in the pot; and colour hit with saffron, and let hit boyle; and take the flesh oute from the brothe and caste therto; and take alkenet and frye hit, and do hit in the pot thurgh a streynour; and in the fettynge doun put therto a lytel vynegar, and pouder of gynger medelet togedur, and serve hit forth.  [Ancient Cookery (England, 1425)]

If the almond milk is omitted then the recipe isn't too far off from recipe 133 in A Noble Boke off Cookry.

To mak cony or malard in cevy tak cony henne or malard and rost them till they be almost enoughe or els chope them and fry them in freche grece and fry onyons mynced and put them in a pot and cast ther to freche brothe and half wyne clowes maces pouder of guinger and pepper and draw it with venygar and when it is boiled cast ther to thy licour and pouder of guingere and venygar and sesson it and serue it.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry  (England, 1468)]