Documentation: kasha is a traditional Russian food mentioned frequently in period Russian sources. Remains of appropriate grains are found in archeological digs. There are no surviving period Russian recipes. I based the below recipes on traditional Russian kasha recipes combined with the Frumente recipe of Curye on Inglysch as redacted by Cariadoc, and the instructions on the package of the bulgar that I used.
Milk kasha:
2 cup milk
1 cup water
1 cup bulgar (cracked wheat)
¼ cup honey, etc.
Bring milk and water to a boil and immediately stir in bulgar and honey. The milk doesn’t seem to boil over as much the almond milk. Simmer over low heat stirring every 15 minutes until the desired texture, approximately 45 minutes. I didn’t add any spices, but a little poudre douce would probably be nice with it.
Chicken kasha:
3 cups water
3 chicken boullion cubes
1 cup bulgar (cracked wheat)
2 whole eggs or 3 egg yolks, beaten lightly.
Bring water and boullion cubes to a boil and immediately stir in bulgar. Simmer over low heat stirring every 15 minutes until the desired texture, approximately 45 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the beaten eggs, then put back on low heat a few minutes and stir continually until egg coating is cooked.
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Almond milk kasha:* (my favorite)
1 cup almond milk
2 to 2 1/2 cups water
1 cup bulgar (cracked wheat)
Honey to taste
Bring almond milk and water to a boil and immediately stir in bulgar. This likes to boil over so be ready to add the bulgar right away. Simmer over low heat stirring every 15 minutes until the desired texture, approximately 45 minutes. This seems to thicken quicker than the milk kasha, which is why I have the extra ½ cup of water to add during the simmering process if needed. I’ve used both homemade almond milk and store-bought almond milk. The homemade milk seemed to make the kasha sweeter.
Almond milk:*
½ cup (2 oz) slivered almonds
1 cup water
Food process almonds (or grind some other way) until as fine as possible. Slowly add water while continuing to process the mixture. Then process for a full minute to get as fine a blend as possible. Use as is for kasha, or strain out the nut residue.
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Spiced breakfast kasha:* (nice and satisfying)
1 cup almond milk
2 to 3 cups water
1 cup bulgar (cracked wheat)
2 tbs brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup raisins
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, diced
Optional Topping: 3/4 c chopped walnuts, 1 tbs brown sugar, 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Bring almond milk and 2 cups water to a boil and immediately stir in bulgar, sugar and spices. This likes to boil over so be ready to add the bulgar right away. Simmer over low heat stirring every 15 minutes until the desired texture, approximately 45 minutes. The dried fruit absorb some fluid, which is why I have the extra cup of water to add during the simmering process if needed.
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Kutya* (Liquids decreased and cinnamon increased after the war.)
2 cups cracked wheat (bulgar)
5 cups water (could substitute almond milk)
1/2 cup poppy seeds (was excessive for my tastes)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 apple, peeled and cubed
1/3 cup honey
1 cup sugar
1.5 tsp cinnamon (this was increased from ½ tsp)
3/4 cup raisins
Bring liquid to boil, then add wheat and sweeteners and cook on low about 45 minutes until most liquid is absorbed. Mix in the other ingredients. Freezes well, but may need to cook off excess fluid that is drawn out in the process.
Documentation: kutya is an ancient dish associated with the rituals of important events such as funerals, weddings and important holy days. The Christmas kutya is traditionally taken to the church on Christmas eve to be blessed.
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Apricot dinner kasha:* (surprisingly edible)
3 to 4 cups water
1 cup bulgar (cracked wheat)
2 carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup (?) of prunes, dried apricots, raisins or other dried fruit - chopped
salt to taste
Bring water to a boil and immediately stir in bulgar, onion and carrot. Simmer over low heat stirring every 15 minutes until the desired texture, approximately 45 minutes. Add the appricots toward the end of cooking. The dried fruit absorbs some fluid, which is why I have the extra cup of water to add during the simmering process if needed.
Bread and savory pastries
Instant Fine Cheate Bread:*
(started to get moldy at the end of a week at room temp)
1 1/2 c warm water
2 tbs dry yeast (optional)
1 tsp salt
1 c whole wheat flour
4 c unbleached flour (bread flour best)
Pour water into large mixing bowl and crumble in yeast. When yeast has softened and expanded, stir in salt, and whole wheat flour. Stir in 3 cups of the white flour, one cup at a time. Sprinkle remaining flour on work surface. Turn dough out on it and toss until covered with flour. Knead 5 minutes. Put dough into clean, warmed mixing bowl large enough for doubling. Cover and set in warm place to rise 1 to 1.5 hours. [Start 2:30] Tourn out dough on the floured surface, punch it down and knead into a ball. Divide into 12 and knead into balls. Flatten to 1/2 inch thick. Cut around circumferance about 1/8 inch deep. Place on floured cookie sheet 2 inches apart and punch fork holes (or cut a cross) into the tops. Set to double/rise approx. 45 min. [Start 4:30] Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. [Start 5:30] Cool on wire rack.
This is meant to be a sourdough bread, but I skip making the sourdough when I'm in a hurry. The dough doesn't quite rise as much, but the final loaves are indistinguishable in size. There is only a subtle flavor difference to my untrained taste buds.
Slow Fine Cheate Bread:*
Starter:
1/2 c warm water
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry yeast
1 c whole wheat flour
Put yeast into water with salt and, when softened, stir in flour. Knead until uniform. Cover and set in a warm place for 2 days. [Start Tuesday]
Bread:
1 c of starter
1 1/2 c warm water
2 tbs dry yeast (unnecessary?)
1 tsp salt
1 c whole wheat flour
4 c unbleached bread flour
Crumble yeast into warm water and when softened stir in sourdough, salt and whole wheat flour. Stir in 3 cups of the white flour 1 c at a time. Use remaining flour on kneading surface and knead for 5 minutes. Rise in warm place 1 to 1 1/2 hours. [Start 2:30] Knead again and divide into smaller loaves as desired. Rise for 45 minutes. [Start 4:30] Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. [Start 5:30]
Fine Cheate Bread is meant to be a sourdough bread, but I obviously skip making the sourdough when I'm in a hurry. The dough doesn't quite rise as much, but the final loaves are indistinguishable in size. There is only a subtle flavor difference to my un-tutored taste buds.
Documentation: "Slow" recipe from Master Gawaine of Miskbridge, Shire of Shadowdale, Kingdom of Calontir. "Instant" recipe is my own variation on it. Both recipes use period ingredients (except for the commercial dry yeast, of course).
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Traditional Whole-wheat sourdough bread:* (I haven't tried this yet.)
Starter/Chef:
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/8 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp milk
scant 1/4 c water
Make a well in flour and put in other ingredients. Gradually combine and knead into a firm, springy dough. Proof for 2 days [start Sunday pm]. It should end up bubbly and no longer springy.
1st refreshment:
walnut size piece of chef
3/4 c whole wheat flour
1/3 c water
Make a well in the flour. Break up the chef and add it to the well with the water. Combine the chef with the water, then gradually work in the flour. Knead into a frim springy dough. Proof for 18 hours [start Tues pm]. It should be no longer springy and be starting to make an open texture.
2nd refreshment:
1/2 cup of above
3/4 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c white flour
1/2 c water
Prepare same way as above. Proof for 4-5 hours [start Wed pm] until no longer springy and a nice open texture is developed. The result may be frozen for later use.
Final Loaf:
Orange-sized piece of above
3 cups white flour
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 c flour (hold back some until sure needed)
Prepare in same way as above. Keep dough a little drier than regular bread dough if planning to make a sculpted loaf. Proof for 5 hours. [Start Thurs AM] Form into final loaf. Rise 2-4 hours. [start noon] Bake at 400 degrees for about 50 minutes. [start 5pm]
Documentation: Recipe and technique from the Joe Ortiz episode of "Baking with Julia" on PBS.
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Beef pirogi: [make 1/2 batch next year]
1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb ground beef
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
¼ tsp dill
Several shakes of garlic salt
Pre-made frozen pie crust for about seven 9-inch pies, cut into 4ths
Cook onion in skillet over medium heat until soft and transparent, but not brown. Add ground beef and cook until completely brown, breaking up the lumps as small as possible. (The original recipe calls for grinding the meat-onion mixture after it’s cooked!) Drain any excess oil. Combine meat mixture with eggs and seasonings. Roll out pie crust to usual pie crust thickness (about 1/8 inch) and cut into 5 inch rounds. Put a couple of tsp of the filling onto one half of each circle, then fold over to make turnovers and seal the edges. Bake at 400 degree for 20-30 minutes until golden brown. Makes about 30 pirogi. Freezes well.
Documentation: recipes for traditional Russian pirogi are found on various websites. No period Russian recipes for this item survive, but similar pastries are named in period texts and pasties are documented in Western Europe.
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Cabbage pagach:** [surprisingly popular]
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium cabbage, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste (1 tsp and 1/8 tsp, respectively.)
Enough frozen pie crust for five 9-inch pies.
Cook the onion in a large pot until soft. Add the chopped cabbage and seasonings and cook covered until soft. (No additional water needed if on fairly low heat. The cabbage and onions will sweat out plenty of moisture.) Roll out 9-inch crust and put into a pie tin. Put cabbage mixture on one half of circle. Fold over other half of dough to form a large turnover and seal the edge, leaving half the pie tin free to hold another pagach. This recipe will make about 5 of these. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Freezes well.
Would be suitable for Lent if used a different type of pastry wrapping.
Documentation: recipe for a traditional Russian pagach found on a couple of websites using ingredients known to be used in period Russia. No period Russian recipes for this item survive, but similar pastries are named in period texts and pasties are documented in Western Europe.
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Vegetable Dishes
Compost:* (pleasantly interesting)
1 parsley root (or carrot)
1-2 radishes
1 parsnip (for sweetness)
1 small turnip
1/2 cabbage, shredded
2 pears, peeled, cored, diced
1/4 c white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp powder forte
3 or so strands of saffron
1/4 c honey
1/2 tbs dijon mustard
50 gm currants (1-2 oz, 1/4 cup?)
1/8 tsp aniseed
1/4 tsp fennel seed
1/4 tsp cinamon
1/2 tsp powder douce
Cook the peeled roots and cabbage in lightly boiling water until nearly cooked. Add pears and boil until tender. Drain well. Dice the root vegetables. Salt the vegetables adn pears and allow to cool. Put in a non-metallic container with a lid and add vinegar, powder forte and saffron and mix well. May want to add 1/4 cup water depending on the strength the vinegar. Marinate for several hours or overnight. Bring 1/2 cup wter and the honey to boil in a pan. Clarify by skimming off the foam. Mix with the mustard, currents, aniseed, fennel seed, dinnamon and powder douce. Add to vegetable mix. Supposedly will keep for a week or so, expecially if refrigerated and improves with age.
Documentation: adjusted version of Thorngrove Table Website redaction of recipe from Form of Curye #103 (white wine removed to make appropriate for Orthodox Lent).
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Pokhlyobka (Russian vegetable pottage):*
(quite edible, if a bit bland)
150 g shredded cabbage
150 g turnips, cubed
50 g onion, chopped
50 g carrots, cubed
50 g pearl barley
1-2 tsp dill
1/4-1/2 tsp salt
Cook barley in water (3-5 cups?) until half done, then add the cabbage, turnips, onion, and carrots. Sprinkle with chopped dill before serving. Consider adding celery (a stalk), parley (1 tbs), garlic (1/2 clove), half a bay leaf, or mushrooms.
Documentation: recipe for a traditional Russian pottage from RussianFoods.com using ingredients known to be used in period Russia. No period Russian recipes for this soup survive, but similar pottages are documented in Western Europe such as Rapes in Potage from Curye on Inglysch.
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Vegetable borsch:*
(spicy, best for those who really like beets)
2 beets (one 15oz can)
1 sm carrot
1 sm parsnip
1 rib celery
1 onion
1-2 peppercorns
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp fresh dill
Scrub beets and cut into quarters. Cover with water and cook over low heat until tender, about 1-2 hours. Cool and pour off the liquid, reserving it. Slip off the peels. Peel and cut up the other vegetables. Add the bay leaf, peppercorns and boletus or mushrooms (?) to the vegetables, with enough water to cover, and cook in a large pot over low heat until tender. Strain the beet liquid into the vegetables. Shred the beets on a medium grater and add to the vegetables. Simmer for about 10 minutes and strain into a large pot. To keep the broth lear, do not press the vegetables. Add more beet liquid, pepper and salt. Bring to a gentle boil, then turn the heat low. Taste. The flavor should be tart mellow and full. For more tartness, add fresh lemon juice or vinegar.
Documentation: Most borsch recipes call for tomato paste, which is almost certainly a post-period ingredient for Russia. However, this recipe for a traditional Russian vegetable beet pottage I found at RusCuisine.com uses ingredients known to be used in period Russia. No period Russian recipes for soup survive, but such soups are named in period Russian sources and similar pottages are documented in Western Europe such as Rapes in Potage from Curye on Inglysch.
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Cold Sweet Borsch:* [popular with those who like pickled beets]
15 oz. canned, sliced beets
3 turnips
4 tbs, heaping dried fruit (mixed berries - cranberries, blueberries, cherries)
5 tbs vinegar
1 1/2 tsp salt (reduced because of salt in canned beets)
3 1/2 TBS sugar, approx.
1/8 tsp pepper
water as listed below
Clean dried fruits, add 1/2 cup cold water and the sugar and cook over low medium heat until soft. Cut beet into strips, and put into pot with beet juice, 2 cups hot water, vinegar, pepper, the cooked fruit (a cup of water was used to rinse the fruit pan) and cubed turnips and boil for 20 minutes (until turnips tender). Taste to ensure proper balance of vinegar and sugar. Freeze until ready to serve. Served cool. (Would have been better to boil and drain the turnips separately to get rid of some of the bitterness. I did not bother to provide sour cream, green onion, and chopped egg garnishes.)
Documentation: soups are a standard part of traditional Russian meals and often would have been made with whatever produce was at hand. Tangy soups and beet soups seem to be a favorite. This recipe is modified from RussianFoods.com and uses ingredients available in period.
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Watermelon Soup:*
Watermelon
Mint sekanjabin syrup (see below)
Water
Chop watermelon into bite size pieces and remove as many seeds as possible. Mix 1 part sekanjabin syrup with 5 parts water to make enough "stock" to make soup of the desire consistency.
Documentation: soups are a standard part of traditional Russian meals and often would have been made with whatever produce was at hand. Mint and watermelon were available to Russians in period, and they drank sekanjabin-like beverages. The combination is my own creation.
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Lentil Stew* [very tasty, one of my favorites]
1 cup lentils
1/2 cup pearl barley
6 cups of water or stock (vegetable, chicken or beef)
2 tsp salt
1 cup leek, chopped (white parts only)
1/4 cup fresh dill weed
3 tbsp olive oil (omit for most days of Lent)
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/4 cup mint, finely chopped
Bring 5 cups of water/stock with a teaspoon of salt added to a boil. Wash the lentils and drain. Add the lentils to the boiling water/stock and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the lentils are soft.
After about an hour of cooking, add the leeks, dill, olive oil, vinegar and mint.
When the lentils are soft, bring 1 cup of water/stock to a boil in a separate saucepan. Add the barley and cook for about 10-12 minutes, until soft. Put the entire contents of this saucepan into the lentils-vegetable pan. Stir to mix.
Cook the entire contents together about 5-10 minutes to allow the flavors to come together. Serve hot.
Documentation: Recipe served by HL Brigida von Muenchen for a Byzantine feast but uses ingredients available in period Rus and fitting descriptions of dishes in period sources.
Meat/Fish/Shellfish Dishes
Shashlyk (traditional Russian/Caucasian kabobs)
Marinade for 5 lb meat:
1-2 onions, coarsely chopped
2 bay leaves
2 clove garlic
Pepper corns
2 cups pomegranate juice
Layer cubed meat (lamb leg or shoulder is traditional, but all I could find was beef) with onion and spices. Top layer should be onion. Pour pomegranate juice over the meat. Put in freezer. Stayed pretty frozen in the cooler from Saturday morning to Thursday and was still very cold Friday afternoon with just regular ice added daily.
If I made this again, I would decrease the garlic and onion a little, remember to salt the meat before serving (!), and consider substituting pomegranate molasses for the pomegranate juice. (Pomegranate molasses is a kind of sugar syrup that looks like a pain to make, but sounds yummy.) There are lots of variations on shashlyk.
Documentation: uses ingredients and cooking techniques available in period Rus.
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Chicken a la Rus:
14 (?) pieces of chicken (breast, thighs, drumsticks)
Bacon (to wrap the chicken)
8 turnips
1 tbs butter
2 c sour cream
Greek seasoning
1-2 small cans of mushrooms
15 peppercorns
2 bay leaves
Wrap each piece of chicken in bacon and sprinkle with Greek seasoning. Place chicken in crock pot. Peel and cube turnips and saute in butter until lightly brown. Add to crock pot. Add remaining ingredients to crock pot. Cook until chicken and turnips are tender. Barely fit in the crock pot and bubbled over a little making a small mess. Froze well.
Documentation: uses ingredients and cooking techniques available in period Rus. Russians are known for their love of mushrooms and use of sour cream, smetana, in cooking. It is a combination of Chicken a la Stasi (Slow Cooker Chicken) and the Russian recipe "Chickens Stewed in Sour Cream" (The Best of Russian Cooking?).
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Fisher's Ukha (Fish Soup): [declared edible even by the fish-fearful]
1.9 lb alaskan pollock
1.2 lb catfish
5 turnips (plus 1, see below)
6 small onions
1 parsley root (substituted 2 celery stalks and a turnip)
2 qts water (substituted chicken stock)
1/8 tsp pepper
salt to taste
3 sprigs parsley (used 8 inch squirt of parsley paste)
dill (used 8 inch squirt of dill paste)
spices (a couple dashes each of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg)
Put chopped turnips into water and boil until nearly tender. Drain and add to boiling chicken stock along with other ingredients including fish. Simmer on low heat until fish is done (about 1 hour). Freeze until ready to reheat and serve at War.
Documentation: fish soups are named in 16th cent. Russian texts and fish has long been a popular item in Russian cuisine. No actual recipes survive to my knowledge. The above recipe is based on traditional recipes found at RussianFoods.com, russia-in-us.com and The Best of Russian Cooking and uses ingredients available in period.
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Split Pea Soup with Smoked Oysters**
11 oz can of plain split pea soup
approx. 11 oz. water
3.5 oz can of smoked oysters, drained and cut in half
Prepare soup as directed on the can, with the addition of the oysters. OR make the soup from scratch as below...
Documentation: Pea dishes are part of medieval Russian cuisine according to the "Cloister Meal in the 16th Century" and the "Domostroi". Traditional Russian pea soups are called "Gorokhovye" and can include smoke bacon or pork. Period recipes are available - Green Pea Pottage on Jane Williams "Medieval Cookery" website, based on recipes from "Curye on Inglysch" and "Two fifteenth-century cookery books". Le Menagier de Paris also discusses various ways of preparing "Soup of Old Peas". Smoked oysters seemed like a logical substitution for smoked pork during Lent.
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Nowmbyls of Clams*:
10-oz can of (cooked) clams
2 (?) cups almond milk
pinch of saffron (or turmeric or food coloring)
Drain clams and chop into large pieces. Make a thick almond milk and color it with the saffron/turmeric/food coloring. Can make as thick as desired.
Documentation: modified from Nowmbyls of Muskyls, 15th Century English MS Harley 5401, found at Gode Cookery. Recipe chosen because it follows restrictions of Orthodox Lent and uses plausible period Rus ingredients..
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Clams en Grauey*:
10-oz can of (cooked) clams
2 cups almond milk
1 cup vegetable stock
1 medium onion minced
2 tbs sugar
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp mace
Drain clams. In a large pot over medium heat combine almond milk, minced onions, stock, spices and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring constantly, until the onions are done. Stir in clams and simmer, stirring frequently, for another 10 minutes, adding stock or water if it starts to get too thick. Serves four to six.
Documentation: modified from Oysters en Grauey from 15th century English Harleian MS 279 on Gode Cookery. Recipe chosen because it follows restrictions of Orthodox Lent and uses plausible period Rus ingredients.
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Boiled "crayfish" with vinegar*
Pre-cooked pouch shrimp
Apple cider vinegar
Open pouch of shrimp. Dip in vinegar to eat.
Documentation: Russians have long been fond of crayfish, although I haven't found documentation of their use in period, they would have been useful item on fast days. Le Menagier de Paris and the 15th century English Harleian MS 4016 (at Gode Cookery) both mention boiling shrimp/crabbe/lopster/lobster with salt and using vinegar as a sauce.
Desserts
Trudonoshi: [like little cheesecakes, very yummy]
24 oz. cottage cheese
2 eggs
1/3 c sugar
pinch of salt
Pre-made frozen pie crust for about five 9-inch pies, cut into 10ths
Food process all the filling ingredient about 30 seconds on low speed (need to do in batches). Roll out the pie crust pieces to usual pie crust thickness (about 1/8 inch). Put into mini-muffin tins (or regular muffin tins) and put approx. a tablespoon of filling into each (fill about 1/3-1/2 full). Bake at 400 degree for 20-30 minutes until golden brown. The filling puffs up impressively during baking, but deflates on cooling to make room for the sauces. Makes about 48 pastries. Freezes well.
Served with blueberry and raspberry sauces.
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Blueberry sauce (based on recipe for blueberry pirogi below):*
One 16-oz. package frozen blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tbs all-purpose flour
Toss together blueberries, sugar, cinnamon and flour. Bring to a boil just long enough for the flour to thicken the sauce slightly. Freeze for transport.
Raspberry sauce:*
One 16-oz. package frozen raspberries
1 cup sugar
3 tbs all-purpose flour
Toss together raspberries, sugar, and flour. Bring to a boil just long enough for the flour to thicken the sauce slightly. Freeze for transport.
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Documentation: recipes for a traditional Russian cheese pirogi were found on a couple of websites using ingredients known to be used in period Russia. No period Russian recipes for this item survive but cheese/tvorog pastries are documented in 16th cent. Russian texts as "trudonoshi" and similar pasties are documented in Western Europe. I modified the form of the pastries from the usual turnover shape, so I could transport them in the muffin tins and have them arrive at war more intact.
Blueberry pirogi:**
One 16-oz. package frozen
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tbs all-purpose flour
Pre-made frozen pie crust for about seven 9-inch pies, cut into 4ths
Toss together blueberries, sugar, cinnamon and flour. Roll out pie crust 4ths to usual pie crust thickness (about 1/8 inch) into about 5 inch rounds. Put a couple of tsp of the filling onto one half of each circle, then fold over to make turnovers and seal the edges. Arrange on baking sheet with "sealed" edges up, to minimize leakage. Bake at 400 degree for 20-30 minutes until golden brown. Freezes well.
Would be suitable for Lent if used a different crust.
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Spiced cherries:*
2 cans of cherries
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp mace
Mix the spices with the cherries and let sit in the refrigerator as long as you can stand it. Measurements of spices are approximate.
Documentation: uses ingredients and cooking techniques available in period Rus. Cherries have "always" been prized by the Rus.
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Prianiki - Russian gingerbread
See the Prianiki Project for more details.
Plausible Moldable Prianiki #1*:
1 c honey
3 c flour
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cardamom
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Plausible Moldable Prianiki #2*:
1 c honey
3 c flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp mace
1/2 tsp cardamom
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Plausible Moldable Prianiki #3*:
1 1/4 c honey
1/2 tbs turbinado sugar
3 c flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp mace
1/2 tsp cardamom
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Instructions for the above:
Boil honey and skim. Stir in sugar (if any), and keep it hot as long as one cooks an egg (5-10 minutes) stirring continually. Pour it hot into the flour. Stir it slowly and add the spices. Stir slowly and not too long. Let the dough set for as long as one needs to hard boil eggs (10 minutes). Dip the hands in flour and make balls out of it, then roll them out as smooth as possible. Dip the mold in rose water, and mold the cookies. (Let them set overnight.) Bake the cookies on a floured pan at 325 degrees until they are dry, checking them frequently, about 8 minutes. When they are entirely dry, rotate the pan and bake a short while longer (3 more minutes). Brush the flour off the bottoms. (Omitted the rose water sponging and oven drying steps that follow here in original recipe).
All three of the Plausible Prianiki recipes gave a lovely, play-dough-like dough that just begged to be shaped in all sorts of ways. They all came out dry and firm, but fairly easy on the teeth. As for the spices, I liked the blend in #3 the best.
Documentation: - based on my redaction of Sabrina Welserin's period German lebkuchen recipes and traditional Russian recipes.
Unmoldable Prianiki:* - careful not to make too thick!
2 c dark honey
1 c rye flour
1 c flour
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cardamom
Heat honey in a pan until thin. Let the honey come up to the boil once, then keep it very hot. Sift together rye meal and flour and stir constantly in a pan on low heat. Do not allow the flour to brown. Add the spices to the flour, mix quickly and add part ofthe four to the very hot honey. Stir together then add the rest of the flour mixture. Beat it all together as hard as you can with a wooden spoon. Keep beating until the dough comes off the spoon easily. Shape into a long roll, flatten it slightly and cut into slices about 1/4 inch thick. Put on a lightly greased and floured cookie sheet. Bake in a slow oven (325 degrees) till light brown - about 30 minutes. The cookies should come out quite crispy. (Medieval Western European recipes use breadcrumbs instead of flour/rye meal, and they do not bake the candy/cookie.)
Warning: If you do not make these thin enough, they may kill teeth.
Documentation: this recipe is based on modern Russian recipes (especially The Best of Russian Cooking) but bears a striking resemblence to Western European medieval gingerbreads.
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Prianiki-like Springerle:
1 1/2 c honey
3/4 c butter
3 eggs
4 3/4 cups sifted flour
1 tbs milk
1/4 tsp baking powder (instead of hartshorn)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp ginger
Dissolve baking powder in milk and set aside. Beat eggs until thick and lemon-colored (10-20 minutes). Slowly beat in the honey, then the softened butter. Add baking powder and milk, salt, and preferred flavorings. Gradually beat in as much flour as possible with mixer, then stir in remainder by hand to make a stiff dough. Turn onto floured surface and knead in enough flour to get a good print without sticking. Imprint and dry cookies using general instructions. Bake on greased or baker’s parchment lined cookie sheets at 300 degrees till barely golden on the bottom, approx. 15 minutes, depending on the size of the cookie.
Documentation: based on Perfection Springerle (from House on the Hill Bed & Breakfast website), but powdered sugar replaced with honey, and the spices based on modern Russian prianiki recipes. Springerle are a traditional Germanic gingerbread-type cookie.
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Beverages
Strawberry shrub* (aka sekanjabin aka syta)
One package frozen strawberries
Approximately 2 cups vinegar.
Approximately 2 cups sugar/honey
Pour enough vinegar over frozen berries to almost cover them. (As the berries thaw and soften, they will settle under the vinegar.) Cover and leave out at room temperature overnight. Strain out berries. Measure liquid and put in medium saucepan. Add equal amount of sweetener of choice. Boil the mixture for 10 minutes. Make sure your pan is big enough to avoid boiling over. (I used a 2 quart pan.) Dilute syrup to taste to serve, approximately 1 part syrup to 5 parts water.
Documentation: recipe is from Food on the Frontier - a cookbook of 19th cent. Minnesota pioneer recipes. It is obviously in the sekanjabin family of beverages, which are documented to period. Similar honeyed beverages in traditional Russian cuisine are called syta.
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Mint sekanjabin* (a refreshing change from plain water)
2.5 cups water
4 cups sugar/honey
1 c wine vinegar
1/2 c mint (or 8 sprigs)
Dissolve the sugar in the water. Bring to a boil and add the vinegar. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add the mint, stir, and remove from the heat. Allow to cool and strain out the mint. Dilute syrup to taste to serve, approximately 1 part syrup to 5-10 parts water. The syrup does not need refrigeration.
Documentation: recipe found in Cariadoc's Miscellany. Similar honeyed beverages in traditional Russian cuisine are called syta. Mint grows well in Russia's climate and is used on Russian recipes, and I believe the Domostroi discusses a mint-flavored kvas.
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*Suitable for strict fasts, i.e. Lent.
**Suitable for "oil days"
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