Butcher's Stall

Flemish

Pieter Aertsen (1508-1575)

Beef Steaks¹

^{alows de Beef or de Mouton}

^{Take fayre Bef of the quyschons and mouton of the bottes and kytte in the maner of steky; then take raw percely and oynyoonys smal y-scredee and yolkys of eyroun sothe hard and marow or swette and hew alle these to-geder smal; then caste ther-on poudere of gyngere and saffroun tolle hem to-gederys with thin hond, and lay hem on the steyks al a-brode; and caste salt there-to; then rolle to-gederys and put hem on a round spete and roste hem til they ben y-now; then lay him in a dysshe, and pore ther-on vynegre and a lityl verious, and pouder pepir ther-on y-now, and gyngere and canelle and a fewe yolkys of hard eyroun. (Two Fifteenth-century Cookery Books)}

Serves 4

1 ounce (1/2 cup) parsley, finely chopped

1 1/2 ounce (1/2 cup) onion, finely chopped

4 hard-boiled egg yolks

2 ounces (4 tablespoons) raw beef marrow, minced (or shredded suet)

1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger

1/2 teaspoon powdered cinnamon

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon salt

4 steaks, thinly sliced

Butter for basting

Sauce

2 ounces (4 tablespoons) butter

1 tablespoon wine vinegar

1 tablespoon verjuice (see sauces) o cider

1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger

1/2 teaspoon powdered cinnamon

2 hard-boiled egg yolks,mashed

Mash together the parsley, onion, egg yolks, marrow, ginger, cinnamon and seasoning and spread on one side of the steaks, pressing it down firmly.  Roll the steaks like pancakes and secure with skewers.  Put them in an oiled pan under the broiler or grill and grill on both sides, basting with the butter.  When they are done arrange them on a serving dish and keep warm while you prepare the sauce.

Pour the butter and drippings from the broiler or grill pan into a small saucepand and add the butter, vinegar and verjuice or cider.  Stir in the spices and thicken the sauce with the mashed egg yolks.  Bring to the boil and simmer for a few seconds.  Add pepper and salt to taste and pour the sauce over the steaks through a strainer.  Serve very hot.

Meat Loaf with Almonds¹

For to make a bruet of sarcynesse: Take the flesh of the fresh beef and cut it all in pieces and bread and fry it in fresh grease take it up and dry it and do it in a vessel with wine and sugar and powder of  cloves, boil it together till the flesh have drunk the liquor and take the almond milk and quibibs maces and cloves and boyl them together, take the flesh and do thereto and mix it forth. (Ancient Cookery, 1381)

The Saracen brew shows the influence the Saracens exerted on Europe during their long occupation of Spain.

Serves 4 -6

2 pounds (4 cups) minced (ground) beef

2 ounces (1 cup) fresh breadcrumbs

4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) red wine

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 pint (1/2 cup) almond milk (see sauces)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground mace

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and shape into a loaf.  Put into a deep, covered casserole and bake at 350 degrees (Mark 4) for 1 hour.  Drain off the fat and turn out into a serving platter.

Liver Pasties¹

Chewettes (Two Fifteenth-century Cookery Books)

For 4-6 pasties

1 pig's liver

4 chicken livers

1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) cooking fat

4 hard boiled eggs

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 1/2 pound pastry

Chop the livers together and fry in the fat.  Add the chopped eggs and ginger, seasoning with salt and pepper.  Roll out the pastry and cut it into 4-inch circles.  Spoon tablespoons of the liver mixture on one half of each circle, then fold the other half over and pinch the edges together.  Fry or bake at 375 degrees (Mark 5) for 15-20 minutes.

For a modern verions, replace the ginger with fried onions or chopped hers and perhaps a drop of sherry.  Calves' instead of pig's liver, or chicken livers alone, or chicken liver plus minced chicken are also excellent.

^{1Seven Centuries of English Cooking, A Collection of Recipes by Maxime de la Falaise, Grove Press, New York}