Mixed pickles

1 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient

Directions

Compost. Take rote of persel, of pasternak, of rafens, scrape hem and waische him clene. Take rapes & caboches, ypared and ycorue. Take an erthen panne with clene water & set it on the fire; cast all thise therinne. Whan they buth boiled cast therto peeres & perboile hem wel. Take all thise thynges vp & lat it kele on a faire cloth. Do therto salt; whan it is colde, do hit in a vessel; take vynegar & powdour & safroun & do therto, & lat alle thise thynges lye therein al night, other al day. Take wyne greke & hony clarified togider; take lumbarde mustard & raisouns coraunce, al hoole, & grynde powdour of canel, powdour douce & aneys hole, & fenell seed. Take all thise thynges & cast togyder in a pot of erthe, & take thereof whan thou wilt & serue forth.

900 g/2 lb mixed parsley roots, carrots, radishes and turnips 450 g/1 lb white cabbage 450 g/1 lb hard eating pears 6 tablespoons salt 1 teaspoon ground ginger ½ teaspoon dried saffron strands 425 ml/15 fl oz/2 cups white wine vinegar 50 g/2 oz currants 575 ml/1 pint/2½ cups fruity white wine 6 tablespoons clear honey 1 teaspoon French mustard ⅛ teaspoon each ground cinnamon and black pepper ¼ teaspoon each anise and fennel seeds 50 g/2 oz white sugar (Makes 2.3 kg/5 lbs)

The Goodman had recipes for pickling walnuts and various vegetables and fruits grown on his farm separately, but he soaked the whole lot in honey--to the ruin of his household's teeth, I should think! This recipe is much more like the modern ones.

Prepare the root vegetables and slice them thinly. Core and shred the cabbage. Put these vegetables into a large pan of water and bring slowly to the boil. Peel, core and cut up the pears and add them to the pan. Cook until they start to soften. Drain the contents of the pan and spread in a 5-cm/2-inch layer in a shallow non-metallic dish.

Sprinkle with the salt, ginger, saffron and 4 tablespoons of the vinegar. Leave, covered, for 12 hours. Rinse well, then add the currants. Pack into sterilised storage jars, with at least 2½-cm/1-inch headspace.

Put the wine and honey in a pan. Bring to simmering point and skim.

Add the rest of the vinegar and all the remaining spices and sugar.

Reduce the heat and stir without boiling until the sugar dissolves.

Bring back to the boil. Pour over the vegetables, covering them with 1 cm/ ½ inch liquid. Cover with vinegar-proof seals and store.

from The Medieval Cookbook by Maggie Black Chapter 4, "The Goodman of Paris" posted by Tiffany Hall-Graham From: Tiffany Hall-Graham Date: 05-26-94

Submitted By DALE SHIPP On 04-20-95

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