06 December, 2009

Useful recipes

Included with a piece of Viagra spam:
TO MAKE CLEAR GELLY OF BRAN Take two pound of the broadest open Bran of the best Wheat, and put it to infuse in a Gallon of Water, during two or three days, that the water may soak into the pure flower, that sticks to the bran. Then boil it three or four walms, and presently take it from the fire, and strain it through some fine strainer. A milky substance will come out, which let stand to settle about half a day. Pour off the clear water, that swimmeth over the starch or flomery, that is in the bottom (which is very good for Pap, &c.) and boil it up to a gelly, as you do Harts-horn gelly or the like, and season it to your taste. TO BAKE VENISON Boil the bones (well broken) and remaining flesh of the Venison, from whence the meat of the Pasty is cut, in the Liquor, wherein Capons and Veal, or Mutton have been boiled, so to make very strong broth of them. The bones must be broken, that you may have the Marrow of them in the Liquor; and they must stew a long time (covering the pot close:) that you may make the broth as strong as you can; and if you put some gravy of Mutton or Veal to it, it will be the better.
I like 'Pour off the clear water, that swimmeth over the starch or flomery'. Also, the assumption that I'm always whipping up a batch of Harts-horn gelly when I've a few minutes to spare.

And then I wondered, what are 'walms'? And Practically Edible, the Web's Biggest Food Encyclopedia tells me that it's a 'surge upwards of boiling water'. 'Cooking instructions might also tell you to bring the water to a boil till 'it boil high with great walms in the middle of the Kettle'.

Well, I never.

4 Comments:

Blogger Penni Russon said...

You read your spam?

I do rather appreciate the poetry of this one. It has undercurrents. Stirrings.

06 December, 2009 21:57  
Anonymous klages said...

Is the urge for Medieval cooking a previously unknown side-effect of Viagra? Wait til the SCA finds out...

07 December, 2009 05:27  
Blogger Among Amid While said...

Penni: A lot has been turning up in my main inbox instead of being automatically junked. I sometimes can be bothered to check that it isn't someone real saying 'Hi', before junking it myself.

I think that would be an EXCELLENT side-effect! It would certainly bring new life to many tired relationships.

07 December, 2009 07:27  
Blogger Among Amid While said...

I mean, ELLEN, I think that would be an EXCELLENT side-effect.

07 December, 2009 07:33  

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