Alice uses cast iron pots and wooden utensils and keeps the recipes as close to the traditional recipe as possible. She even utilizes a fire pit located outside her home to test authentic recipes. For more information about Alice the Cook, visit her website at http://www.alicethecook.com
In future blogs, I will offer recipes, kitchen hints, and historical cooking lessons.
My assistant Nicholas and I will be working on the next piece for the July issue of Renaissance Magazine. A lot of work goes into putting the package together.
Nicholas Childs and Alice the Cook demonstrating period cooking at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival (2007).
First, we discuss and select a recipe. This is a challenge as we want to be “period correct” in our selection, have nice plate presentation, and have it taste good. Several recipes that are “very” period correct do not look very good plated or taste very good. So Nicholas and I attempt to find a happy medium.
Second, Nicholas and I head off to the market to pick up the ingredients that are needed to accomplish the recipe and the eventual plating.
Third, Nicholas and I go about cooking. From the time we arrive back into the kitchen to final plating, the process usually takes 3 hours.
Fourth, we take our time prepping the plate, the lighting, the table for the best view of the dish for Renaissance Magazine. In all, we usually take between 30-75 shots. The photos are reviewed, cleaned up (a bit), and prepped for print (high resolution, size, etc.)
Fifth, Writing the recipe is easy. Providing the research and the history of why this dish was chosen and the background information on the food, herbs, and/or techniques used all become part of the final wrap.
Sixth, final review, proof reading, and packaging the segment up for Renaissance Magazine to use.
As you can see, it is a long process, but worth it.
I love experimenting with different items in the kitchen. Once the cookbook is wrapped up and ready for distribution, I will be looking at creating hand-crafted flavored salts and sugars for the gourmet at heart.
Some of the specialty items I may offer include:
Chili Salt
Garlic Salt
Rosemary Salt
Shallot Salt
Cinnamon Sugar
Nutmeg Sugar
Citrus Sugar
All of the salts will be made with sea salt and the specialty sugars will be made with raw sugar. I will not more later, but this is merely a planning stage.
Recently, I have been experimenting with flavored butters. Once of them is a curry butter that I have been adding to fish and pasta recipes as well as old fashioned popcorn.
4 TB unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp of prepared curry powder
1/4 tsp of ground cumin
pinch of salt
Stir the spices in with the melted butter and blend with a wooden utensil. Do not use a metal utensil as it will damage the mix. After mixing, let the butter sit for 5 minutes and blend again before applying.
A Spanish influence flavored butter:
4 TB unsalted butter, melted
1/8 tsp fresh cilantro, minced
1/16 tsp of fresh garlic, minced
1/16 tsp of chili powder
pinch of ground cumin
pinch of fresh lime zest
pinch of sea salt
Combine ingredients and let sit for 5 minutes, occasionally swirling them together to blend. Add to chicken, seafood, or vegetables while grilling. If you prefer vegetarian cooking, substitute the butter for olive oil. The spices need to sit in the olive oil for an hour before using to adopt the flavors. ENJOY!
It is no secret that I love food. I enjoy a well-prepared meal.
Tool of the Trade
Several years ago, I was introduced to a cut of beef known as a skirt steak. Skirt steak is a well flavored, tender cut of beef usually popular in Mexican cuisine in fajitas and shredded beef dishes. When grilled slowly, it is one of the more tasier morsels you will encounter.
We discovered this past week, that Metro area Super Target stores has been having sales on several of their beef products including beef ribs, skirt steaks, etc. I paid $6.80 for a piece that would feed six. It was slow cooked on the grill on low heat and served with rice and grilled asparagus. Ideally, skirt steak should be cooked medium-well and let to sit for 5 minutes after pulling off the heat to let the moisture settle, but not drain.
I urge you to find your own way of preparing this little known morsel. You may find your own marinade and soon this can become a family favorite.
Chicken and Apple Stew:
One whole chicken, skin removed and deboned
2 lbs of carrot, cubed
2 lbs of red potatoes, cubed
1 Sweet potato, peeled and cubed
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 leek, cut up
1.5 lbs of apples (use a firmer apple like a Harrleson), cored and cubed
1 cup of apple cider (optional)
1 TB cinnamon
1 tsp of kosher salt
1 tsp of cumin
2 TB of cooking oil
water
Dice the boneless chicken into 1″ cubes and sauté in the oil on medium heat for about 3 minutes. The outside of the chicken should be browned. Add half of the apples, the leeks, and sprinkle the cinnamon and cumin. Stir occasionally for a minute and add enough water to cover the chicken. Stir again.
Add the carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, garlic, and hard cider to the pot. Add enough water to cover mixture and place lid on pot. Stir every 4 – 5 minutes until potatoes and carrots are tender. Remove from heat for five minutes and it is ready to serve.
I recently wrote an article for Renaissance Magazine on historical cooking. The first recipe was Orange Rosemary Chicken. My assistant, Nicholas Childs (Brandon Thielen), cooked and photographed a phenomenal dish. Below is the original submission including photos.
With summer nearly here, I wanted to offer readers a recipe that imbues warmth of the season, tastes great, and embraces the family spirit.I selected Orange Rosemary Chicken, a dish that was popular among nobles throughout the southern European and Mediterranean regions during the later renaissance period.Oranges were consider a delicacy and well-sought after.The recipe is fairly easy to follow with the most challenging part is creating the zest from the oranges.It is important to use fresh zest for the recipe, as dried orange peel will not offer the same intense flavors and offer a blander version.
The Indian and Mediterranean overtones in this recipe encompass garam masala and cinnamon which were brought to Europe via trade along the Silk Road.Garam masala is a collection of spices that have been combined, roasted and ground by hand.Each region would have its own variation of this spice.The basis of this spice usually comprises cloves, green or black/brown cardamom, cinnamon, mace and nutmeg.Commercial versions of this spice may also include dried red chili peppers, dried garlic, dried ginger, sesame seeds, mustard seeds, turmeric, coriander, bay leaves, star anise, and/or fennel.My assistant and I will often begin the first weekend at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival preparing our own batch of garam masala over a roaring fire using iron pots.
Root vegetables were commonplace in most of the cuisines throughout Europe during the renaissance.Although turnips were used frequently, most modern tastes are not accustomed to the taste and texture of turnips.
I realize that potatoes were brought to Europe with the discovery of the New World and were not commonly used; they have been added as a suggestion to this recipe for the modern American and European tastes. Sweet potatoes may also be used to add additional color and a sweeter flavor to the dish.
I hope you will like this recipe, as it has been a favorite among my family and friends.
Orange Rosemary Chicken
3 chickens (cut into pieces)
4 cups of orange juice
2 TB olive oil
1 tsp garam masala
6 oranges
2 large leeks, diced (a very mild onion flavored vegetable)
4 sprigs of rosemary
2 turnips, peeled and cubed or 4 large white potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 parsnip, cleaned, peeled and thinly sliced
7 large carrots, cleaned and cubed
Black pepper (to taste)
Serves 12
Marinate the chicken in 4 cups of orange juice for at least 4 hours.While marinating, remove the zest and juice four of the oranges (you may eat the other two of use the juice). In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil up and remove the chicken from the marinade and begin to brown the chicken. At this time, dispose of the marinade.
Once browned and without removing the chicken, add the majority of the zest (reserve 2 TB of orange zest) and fresh juice along with enough water to cover the chicken.Add the turnips (or potatoes), parsnips, leeks, and carrots.Tear the rosemary in half and add to the mixture.
Cook until the vegetables are tender.Pull off the heat and let set for 5 minutes before serving, sprinkling the 2 TB zest and garam masala to the dish and serve family style along with some rustic bread and red wine.
