Title: Buknade (A Pottage)
Categories: Medieval Soup
Yield: 6 Servings

Buknade. Take veel, keed or hen, and boyle hem in faire water or elles in good fressh broth, and smyte hem in peces, and pike hem clene; And drawe the same broth thorgh a streynour, And cast there-to parcelly, Issope, Sauge, Maces and clowes, and lete boyle til the flessh be ynogh; and then set hit fro the fire, and aley hit vp with rawe yolkes of eyren, and cast thereto pouder ginger, and vergeous, & a litel saffron and salte, and ceson hit vppe and serue it forth.

2-3 sprigs each of fresh parsley and hyssop 2-3 sage leaves 1.1 litres/2 pints/5 cups chicken stock Good pinch each of ground mace, ground cloves, pulverised dried saffron strands and salt 350 g/12 oz cooked chicken meat without skin, cut in small thin slices or flakes 3-4 egg yolks (depending on how rich you want your pottage) 1/2-1 teaspoon cider vinegar White pepper and ground ginger to taste

Chop the herb leaves fairly finely, discarding the stems. Put the chopped leaves in a saucepan with the stock and sprinkle in the mace, cloves, saffron and salt. Bring to simmering point and add the shredded meat. Simmer until it is well heated through, while giving the egg yolks a quick beating to liquify them. Beat into them a little hot stock, then pour the mixture back into the pan and stir for a few moments over the lowest possible heat to blend and thicken the liquid slightly. Add the vinegar, pepper and ginger.

Serve as soup, or as a fairly liquid stew.

Variations: Use veal (or kid) if you wish rather than chicken, and start with raw meat if you prefer. However, it seems foolish to go to the labour of shredding raw meat when it is easier to make a useful and pleasant dish with left-over cooked meat.

from The Medieval Cookbook by Maggie Black Chapter 6, "The Court of Richard II" posted by Tiffany Hall-Graham

previous

next