Title: Pike in Galentyne
Categories: Seafood Entree Medieval
Yield: 6 Servings

Auter pike in Galentyne. Take browne brede, and stepe it in a quarte of vinegre, and a pece of wyne for a pike, and quarteren of pouder canell, and drawe it thorgh a streynour skilfully thik, and cast it in a potte, and lete boyle; and cast there-to pouder peper, or ginger, or of clowes, and lete kele. And then take a pike, and seth him in good sauce, and take him vp, and lete him kele a litul; and ley him in a boll for to cary him yn; and cast the sauce vnder him and aboue him, that he be al y-hidde in the sauce; and cary him whether euer thou wolt.

About 1.6 kg/3 lb middle cut of pike or similar large fish 275 ml/10 fl oz/1 1/4 cups white wine 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 2-3 parsley stalks Salt 3 slices brown bread, crusts removed 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper 125 g/4 oz onions, peeled and chopped Oil for frying Gelatine (optional)

Put the fish in a pan, add the wine, vinegar, parsley stalks and enough salted water to cover the fish and poach gently for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat; if necessary, the fish will finish cooking in the liquid as it cools. Cover the pan and cool to tepid before finishing the dish.

Carefully lift the fish out of the pan. Reserve the cooking liquid. Put the bread in a bowl and add enough of the liquid to cover it.

Skin the fish and take out the spine and other bones; pike has a line of thin bones through the middle of the body flesh on each side. Cut all the flesh into small pieces both to get at them and to make a manageable dish.

Strain the remaining cooking liquid into a clean pan. Put 425 ml/15 fl oz/2 cups of it into an electric blender with the soaked bread, cinnamon and pepper; process until smooth. Return the mixture to the liquid in the pan. Fry the onions in a little oil until soft, and add them to the liquid too. Taste for seasoning, add the pieces of fish and re-heat gently to serve.

If you want a cold dish, keep the fish pieces and fried onions aside while you measure and taste the liquid, then re-heat it with enough gelatine to stiffen it; if you had cooked a whole fish, it would have jellied without help. Add the fish pieces and onions, turn into a mould and leave to set in the refrigerator.

from The Medieval Cookbook by Maggie Black Chapter 3, "Life in the Cloister" posted by Tiffany Hall-Graham From: Tiffany Hall-Graham Date: 05-24-94

previous

next