HARINA DE ARROZ WITH 15TH C ENGLISH STRAWBERRY PUDDING

Rice, Mortar, Pestle and Rice Flour Photo by: Lord-Williams rice flour. Normally, this was used to thicken blancmange instead of wheat flour. It is easily made today by putting rice into a food grinder. [ES: Carroll-Mann. Guisados 2-art. Jun 6, 01:106:ftn 154; Nola. 1989:xiiii-4:xxi-2:li-1etc] STRAWBERRY PUDDING ADAPTED FROM A 15TH C COOKRY BOKE COMPLIED BY JOHN L. ANDERSON p 57 For 4 persons Ingredients

Steeping Strawberrys in Wine

Photo by: Lord-Williams

1 c almonds

2 ½ c pomegranate juice

1 ¾ c strawberries

¾ l. red wine

3 tbsp rice flour

½ c sugar

¼ tsp white pepper

½ tsp ginger scrapings

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground galangal

1 tbsp. animal fat

½ tbsp red wine vinegar

½ c currants

2 tsp. grains of pomegranate[1]
alkane (red food coloring) - optional

Garnish:

pomegranate seeds if available

other - optional

Preparation

Steep almonds in 1 c pomegranate juice overnight. Strain, discard the juice and peel the almonds. Grind the almonds in a food processor.

Add the rest of the pomegranate juice to the ground almonds and let sit up to 8 hours. 

Wash strawberries in cold water. Remove the calyx (i.e. leaves and stems). Soak the berries for

15 minutes in red wine. Discard the wine. Purée the strawberries in the food processor with the pomegranate juice and almonds. Strain through a cheesecloth reserving the liquid.

Garnished Strawberry Pudding

Photo by: Lord-Williams

Pour this into a pot.  Gently heat. Slowly dissolve the rice flour, in some of the liquid and then add it to the pot.  Add sugar and spices. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat when the mixture starts to bind. Add fat, vinegar and currants and let stand.

Pour the pudding into a large serving bowl or individual serving bowls.

Garnish with pomegranate seeds or other if not available. For this reason, sliced strawberries and currants were used. Powdered sugar can be sprinkled over the top immediately before serving.

Serve slightly chilled or at room temperature.

A 15TH CENTURY COOKRY BOKE COMPILED BY JOHN L. ANDERSON which seems to be copied from Harleian ms. 279 edited in 1888 by Thomas Austin (recipe #123, p.29)[2] STRAWBERYE, p 57

Take Strawberys, - waysshe hem in tyme of ʒere in gode red wyne;  þan strayne þorwe a cloþe, - do hem in a potte with gode Almaunde mylke, a-lay it with Amyndoun oþer with þe flowre of Rys, - make it chargeaunt, and lat it boyle, and do þer-in Roysonys of coraunce, Safroun, Pepir, Sugre grete plente, pouder Gyngere, Canel, Galyngale; poynte it with Vynegre - a lytil whyte grece put  þer-to; coloure it with Alkenade, - droppe it a-bowte, plante it with  þe graynes of Pome-garnad, - þan serve it forth.

LORD WILLIAMS’  DIRECT TRANSLATION STRAWBERRY

Take strawberries and wash then during that time of year in good red wine; strain them through a cloth, and put them in a pot with good almond milk, and mix in starch or rice flour and thicken it, and let it boil and add currents, saffron, pepper, plenty of sugar, powdered ginger, cinnamon and galingale; add vinegar and a little white grease; color it with alkanet[3]

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[1] Pomegranate juice, above was used as it is available in supermarkets but pomegranate seeds could not be used as they were not in season.

[2] This seems to be copied from Harleian ms. 279. edited in 1888 by Thomas Austin (recipe #123, p.29). A shorter version appears in Hieatt and Butler’s Cury on Inglysch, Part I Diuersa Cibaria, #13 Freseyes, p 46. 

[3] The plant was used to dye food red in the Middle Ages.