Recipes from John Crophill's Commonplace Book - 51 Ravioles

Recipes from John Crophill's Commonplace Book (Harley MS 1735)

This manuscript is dated before 1485.

The 69 recipes in John Crophill's Commonplace Book are on pages 16v through 28v.

Images of the original manuscript are freely available on the British 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 © 2015 by Daniel Myers, MedievalCookery.com

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[51.] Ravioles
Tak freysch pork & braun of hennys grind it smal yelks of eyren & grind hem & do ther to good poudre of maces qwybibes & mong with alwynd it in past & set it in a panne of fat broth colour it with saffron & florysch hem with hole chese [f.27r] gratyd.

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The first half of this recipe's title is unclear, with only the "R" being certain and the rest appearing to be small letters (no ascenders or descenders). The combination of "R???oles" along with the instruction to wrap the meat in pastry suggested that this is a recipe for ravioli. That being said, the recipe is not much like other contemporary English ravioli recipes.

Raffyolys. Take swynes lire (stejh), and sethe hit, and hewe hit smalle, and do therto zolkes of egges, and medel hit wel togedur, ande make hit right fouple, ande do therto a lytel larde my need, and grated chese, and pouder of ginger, and of canelle ; then take and make balles therofas gret as an appull, and wynde hom in the calle of the swyne, every balle by hymself; then make a coffyn of paste fchapet aftur hit (formed like it), and lay hit therin, and bake hit; and when thai byn baken, take zolkes of egges, and bete hom welle in a vesscll, and do therto sugur, ande gode pouder, and colour hit with saffron, and poure above, and serve hit forthe.  [Ancient Cookery (England, 1425)]

Raynedes. Take swete porke, dates, figges, braied togeder, and put therto a fewe zolkes of eyren, and in the brayinge alay hit with a lytel brothe, and cast therto pouder of clowes, pouder of pepur, sugre, raifynges of corance, and colour hit with saffron, and medel al togeder; and then hille the stuffure in paste as men maken ruschewes ; and then take the brothe of capons fothen in herbes, and let hit boyle, and colour hit with saffron, and then put in therto the raynecles, and when thai byn boyled take hom up, and lay three of hom in a dissh, and poure brothe therto; and take grated chesc medelet with pouder of ginger, and strewe above theron, and serve hit forthe.  [Ancient Cookery (England, 1425)]

There is a recipe from Liber that seems close to the one in Crophill, but it is titled risshens instead.

For risshens. Take grounden porke þat soþun hase bene With peper and swongen egges clene. Put berme þer to, I undertake, As tome as belle hit wille hit make. Lay hit in a roller as sparlyng fysshe, Frye hit in grece, lay hit in dysshe.  [Liber cure cocorum (England, 1430)]