Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 134 Harbelet opyn

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 © 2014 by Daniel Myers, MedievalCookery.com

-=-=-

134. Harbelet opyn
Smyte buttes of pork in pecys boyle hem in fayre watyr that they be ynowghe then do hem on a borde & do awey the skyn & the bonys hew hit small do hit in a fayre boll take ysope sage & percelly a grete quantite pike hit hew hit do hit in a vessell take fat of the same broth & do ther to boyle hit a lytyll & do to the flesch mynsyd datys clovis macys reysons of corauns pynes poudyr of gynger safron & salt & draw yolkes of eyron thorow a streynour put to sugure cull hem well to gedyr make rownd cofyns hardyn hem a lytyll in the oven then take hem out fill hem with a dysch full of the stuf set hem in the oven all opynly let hem bake thorow & serve hem forth.

-=-=-

This recipe is a match for recipe 74 from A Noble Boke off Cookry.

To mak hairblad opyne tak Buttes of pork and smyt them to peces boille them in faire water till they be enough do it on a bord and put away the skyne and the bones and hewe it small and put it in a fair bolle then tak parsly ysope and saige and hewe it smale and put it in a bolle do ther to fat of the brothe and boile them and put ther to the fleshe mynced dates clowes mace raissins of corans saffron salt pouder of guinger yolks of eggs and draw them throughe a strener and labour it to gedure welle and mak round coffins and hardyn them in an oven then tak them up and fill them with a dysshe with the stuf and set them in the ovene all opyne and let them bak and serue them.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]

There are also two recipes from Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books that are very similar.

xxxj - Herbelade. Take Buttes of Porke, and smyte hem in pecys, and sette it ouer the fyre; and sethe hem in fayre Watere; and whan it is y-sothe y-now, ley it on a fayre bord, and pyke owt alle the bonys, and hew it smal, and put it in a fayre bolle; than take ysope, Sawge, Percely a gode quantite, and hew it smal, and putte it on a fayre vesselle; than take a lytel of the brothe, that the porke was sothin in, and draw thorw a straynoure, and caste to the Erbys, and 3if it a boyle; thenne take owt the Erbys with a Skymoure fro the brothe, and caste hem to the Porke in the bolle; than mynce Datys smal, and caste hem ther-to, and Roysonys of Coraunce, and Pyne3, and drawe thorw a straynoure 3olkys of Eyroun ther-to, and Sugre, and pouder Gyngere, and Salt, and coloure it a lytel with Safroune; and toyle yt with thin hond al thes to-gederys; than make fayre round cofyns, and harde hem a lytel in the ovyn; than take hem owt, and wyth a dyssche in thin hond, fylle hem fulle of the Stuffe; than sette hem ther-in a-3en; and lat hem bake y-now, and serue forth.  [Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books (England, 1430)]

Herbe-blade. Take buttes of Porke, and smyte hem in peces, and sette hit on the fire, and seth it in faire water; And whan hit is soden y-nogh, take it oute, and baude hit, and pike oute the bones, and hewe it small, and putte hit in a faire boll. And take Isop, Sauge, and parcelly a goode quantite; pike hit, and hewe hit small, And put hit in faire vessellez; And take a litul of the broth that the porke was soden yn, and drawe hit thorgh a streynour, and caste to the erbeblade, and yef hit a boyle; then take oute the herbes with a Skymour fro the broth, And cast hem into the porke in the bolle; And then myce faire dates small, And caste hem there-to, And reysons of coraunce, and pynes; And draw rawe yolkes of egges thorgh a straynour, and caste thereto Sugur, powder of Ginger, salt; colour hit with a litull saffron; And trull hit with thi honde, al this togidur in the bolle; And then make faire rownde cofyns, and put hem in the oven, and hard hem a litull, and take hem oute ayen, and with a dissh in thi honde, fil hem full of the stuffe, and sette hem ayen in the oven al open, And let hem bake ynowe. And thenne serue hit forth.  [Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books (England, 1430)]