Given our Noble Interest’s apparent desire to take over the world, it seems to be curiously averse to being in the kitchen. It was used in at least one recipe for pickled buds in the 17th century. However, given its medicinal action on the heart and blood pressure perhaps this recipe which uses saffron to approximate the cheery color of the Genista blossoms is a […]
A Hopping Good Meal
There are a fair number of uses for our Noble Interest in the kitchen. I must state that I have spent the better part of a day trying to find older recipes (medieval and before) and have been utterly unable to do so. I am quite certain that it’s because I don’t know what the plant was called at those times. I know that Pliny […]
A Feast To Cry For
Onion recipes abound. They are used in every type of recipe imaginable and in combination with every foodstuff imaginable. From Apicius: FRIED [1] PUMPKIN, SEASONED WITH PEPPER, LOVAGE, CUMIN, ORIGANY, ONION, WINE BROTH AND OIL: STEW THE PUMPKIN [in this] IN A BAKING DISH, TIE THE LIQUID WITH ROUX [mash] AND SERVE IN THE DISH. COOK THE LETTUCE LEAVES WITH ONION IN SODA WATER, SQUEEZE [the […]
A Pot To Cook In
Willow is not used as a food; however, it did make a major contribution to the kitchen. It is believed that the start of fired pottery began when someone who needed to boil water covered their willow basket with clay and put it over the fire. The fire got hot enough to burn away the willow and fire the clay. This site has a good […]
True Blue Treats
Blueberries are and their relatives are very popular in the kitchen. This week my problem wasn’t finding enough good recipes for our Noble Interest, it was narrowing it down to a few. I gave up. The first mention of the bilberry in Europe was in the sixteenth century and of the blueberry in America in the late eighteenth. The closest thing I found to an […]
Sweet Flowers and Pink Cakes
Before we start cooking with our Noble Interest, I would like to point out that this is one of those cases where parts of a plant are edible and parts are toxic. It is not uncommon. Just please be aware that the leaves of Dianthus are mildly toxic. Eat only the flowers. You might want to try only a small amount of those to test […]
More Than A Salad To Me
Lettuce was very popular in Ancient Rome. It is said that it was often served twice in a meal although I was unable to find a lettuce dessert from any time period. Have you got anything for me there? Post it in the comments below so I can give it a try. Other than dessert though, there are plenty of good recipes out there for […]
Finders, Eaters
This is the first of our Noble Interests that cannot be bought for the kitchen but must be foraged for. So the first step you must take in order to sample the delights offered here is to find your linden tree.DISCLAIMER!: The wise person knows exactly what it is that they are putting in their mouth. If you are not an accomplished forager, go to […]
A Sweet Harvest
Elderberry has long been as comfortable in the kitchen as it is in the stillroom. It is versatile enough that there is a recipe for every palate.From Apicius; [135] ELDERBERRY CUSTARD OR PIE PATINA DE SAMBUCO [1]A DISH OF ELDERBERRIES, EITHER HOT OR COLD, IS MADE IN THIS MANNER [2] TAKEELDERBERRIES [3] WASH THEM; COOK IN WATER, SKIM AND STRAIN. PREPARE A DISH IN WHICHTO […]
Spring Greens
Our Noble Interest of this week has been in the cook’s pot far longer than the cook has been in the kitchen.This recipe is one of the earliest recipes humankind was using. I’ve copied this recipe directly to here only because it was so far down on its page. This is a lovely site! Please do go have a look at it. From about 6,000BC. […]
