Recipe from Country contentments, or The English huswife. by Gervase Markham, published 1623. Above you can see a scan of the original text. The book can be read at archive.org. This is known to be the oldest found recipe for pound cake.

Very unusual for a historic recipe to have specific quantities listed, so that is helpful. I based my baking instructions on an analysis of the recipe found on cupcakeproject.com.

I cut the recipe in half because it is huge, and I used only whole eggs, for the sake of convenience. To be more medieval, the flour should be whole wheat but soft and finely milled. (I used to be able to buy whole wheat pastry flour. It was perfect for medieval recipes. I miss it.) The sugar should be raw sugar, or brown sugar if that is more available. Sugar was crystallized in this time period, but from what I can tell it was another 100 years or so before sugar was so purified that it resembles the white granulated sugar of today.

½ lb flour ½ lb sugar 6 eggs ¼ oz fennel seeds or star anise ¼ oz coriander 1/8 oz dried orange peel or fresh orange zest

Grind the fennel/star anise, coriander, and orange peel in a mortar with a pestle, until the spices are as fine as you can get them. Remove any remaining large pieces.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and spices.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs until mixed. Slowly add the flour mixture while beating on medium-high speed with an egg beater or stand mixer. Continue to beat for 10-20 minutes (my egg beater was getting worryingly hot at 10 minutes, so I stopped).

Grease a 9”-10” circular cake pan and preheat oven to 350° F. Bake cake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

#anise #cake #coriander #dairyfree #dessert #egg #fairyfeast #fennel #historical #orangezest #sugar #vegetarian #wheatflour

Filling: 1 lb. chicken meat 1 ½ tsp minced garlic 1 cup minced celery ¾ cup chopped onion 2 cups potato, cut into ½” cubes ½ cup grated parmesan (or other cheese) ½ tsp salt 1 tsp ground black pepper 2 tsp tomato powder ½ tsp dried thyme ½ tsp dried oregano ¼ tsp fennel seed ¼ cup cornstarch ½ cup water, soup stock, or cream

Crust: 2 ¾ cup flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 6 Tbsp oil 1 ½ cup milk or water

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Place the chicken in a greased pan over medium-high heat and let the outside brown, flipping occasionally, while you prepare the rest of the filling. The chicken does not have to be cooked through at this time.

Chop the vegetables, mix the filling ingredients in a large bowl. When the chicken is seared on the outside, cut it into small pieces and stir into the filling.

In a separate bowl, stir together all the crust ingredients.

Grease a large pie pan, and press 1/3 of the crust dough into the bottom, with wet hands to smooth it out to fill the space. Pour the filling into the pie pan, evening out the top. Place the rest of the dough on top, using wet hands to smooth it out and completely cover the filling.

Bake for 1 hour, or until the internal temperature reaches at least 165° F, checking in several spots.

#bakingpowder #celery #cheese #chicken #cornstarch #cream #fennel #garlic #main #milk #oil #onion #oregano #parmesan #pepper #pie #potato #salt #soupstock #thyme #tomatopowder #wheatflour

6 chicken breasts, fresh or frozen 1 ½ – 2 pounds small potatoes ½ pound string beans 3 Tbsp olive oil 1 Tbsp minced garlic 1 tsp dried basil 1 tsp dried oregano ½ tsp fennel seed ½ tsp ground paprika ½ tsp salt

Place all ingredients in a crock pot. If using frozen chicken, it does not need to be thawed. Stir everything with a large spoon to distribute the seasoning. Cook on low heat for 4 hours.

#basil #chicken #dairyfree #fennel #garlic #glutenfree #main #oliveoil #oregano #paprika #potato #salt #slowcooker #stringbean

¼ cup thinly sliced onion ¼ cup minced garlic, raw or roasted 1 tsp fennel seed 1 Tbsp paprika 1 tsp cumin 3 Tbsp olive oil + some for sauteing 3 Tbsp lemon juice ½ tsp salt 2 cups cannelini beans or other white beans, cooked & rinsed

Saute onion with a small amount of olive oil, in a covered skillet over medium heat. Assemble the other ingredients in a food processor. When the onion is limp and translucent, add it to the food processor. Puree everything until it is as smooth as possible. Add a bit more lemon juice if necessary to make it smooth.

#beans #condiment #cumin #dairyfree #fennel #garlic #glutenfree #lemonjuice #oliveoil #onion #paprika #salt #side #snack #vegan

Bread: 2 tsp dry yeast or .6 oz cake yeast 2 tsp sugar 2 cups warm water or soup stock 1 Tbsp salt 4 cups flour 1 tiny pinch of lavender buds ½ tsp fennel seed 1 tsp thyme

Filling: 1 pound ground sausage ¾ cup grated or minced onion ¼ cup grated carrot 1 tsp minced garlic ½ cup (4 oz) cream cheese

1 egg for glaze

Stir together the sugar, yeast, and water/vegetable stock. Stir in the flour, 1 cup at a time. With the last cup, add in the salt and herbs. Knead on a floured countertop until the dough is smooth and less sticky. Coat the dough with oil, place in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise for 30 minutes.

While the dough is rising, cook the sausage, onion, carrot, and garlic in a pot over medium heat. Cook until the sausage is mostly browned. Some pink is ok, as it will be cooked again. Cut the cream cheese into chunks and stir it into the meat mixture.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the dough out into a rectangle taking up the whole space of the baking sheet, then place the filling along the middle 1/3 of the dough, leaving about 1 ½ inches of free space at the ends. Cut slashes along the sides of the dough.

Fold the short ends over the filling, then fold each fringe piece of dough over the middle, alternating sides and stretching at a diagonal to create a braided look. Pinch closed any large gaps in the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise another 30 minutes. Towards the end, set the oven to preheat to 350° F.

When the dough is done rising, beat an egg and brush it all over the loaf.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

#carrot #creamcheese #egg #fairyfeast #fennel #garlic #lavender #main #onion #salt #sausage #soupstock #sugar #thyme #wheatflour #yeast

Crust: 1 cup flour 6 Tbsp butter ¼ cup cold water 1/8 tsp salt ¼ tsp black pepper ¼ tsp basil ¼ tsp ground mustard seed

Filling: ½ cup diced potato ½ cup minced carrots ½ cup minced celery ½ cup minced onion ½ cup chopped green beans 2 Tbsp oil 1 Tbsp flour 1 Tbsp butter ¼ tsp rosemary ¼ tsp fennel seed 1/8 tsp salt 1/8 tsp black pepper ½ cup vegetable stock

Crust: Stir together the flour, salt, pepper, basil, and ground mustard. Cut in the butter until the flour is all moistened, but leave some larger chunks of butter. Stir in the water to make a soft dough. Press the dough together, then wrap in plastic wrap and chill while making the filling.

In a skillet over medium-high heat, sautee the vegetables with the oil for 3 minutes. Mix together the flour, rosemary, fennel, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low, push the vegetables to one side, and melt the butter on the other side. When it is melted, stir the flour mixture into the butter, then stir everything together. Add the vegetable stock and keep stirring as a gravy forms. Then remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 425° F.

Divide the crust dough into 4 parts. Roll each section into a thin circle. Get the outline of the circles wet with water or beaten egg. Put ½ cup of filling onto each crust piece, and fold the crust over the filling, pinching together the edges to seal it closed.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the pasties on without touching each other. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the crusts are golden brown.

#basil #butter #carrot #celery #fennel #greenbean #mustardseed #oil #onion #pepper #pie #potato #rosemary #salt #side #snack #soupstock #wheatflour

1 ½ cup milk 1 ½ cup half-and-half 1 tsp garlic, minced 1 tsp hotroot pepper 1 tsp salt 1 lb carrots 1 lb turnips 1 cup grated cheese 1 Tbsp fennel leaves 1 cup flour 4 Tbsp butter

Preheat the oven to 375° F and butter a 9”×13” baking pan.

In a medium bowl, combine the milk, half-and-half, garlic, hotroot pepper, and salt.

Cut the carrots and turnips into thin slices, no more than 1/8” thick. Put half the slices in the baking pan, then pour over half the milk mixture. Sprinkle ½ cup of cheese over it. Layer the remaining vegetable slices on top and pour over the remaining milk mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.

Mix together the flour and fennel. Cut in the butter until it is crumbly and there are no more chunks of butter. Stir in the cheese.

Remove dish from oven. Sprinkle on the topping and bake again, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, until the topping is golden brown.

#butter #carrot #casserole #cheese #fennel #garlic #halfandhalf #hotroot #milk #salt #side #turnip #vegetarian #wheatflour

1 lb cabbage (about ½ head) 1 lb fennel bulb (about 2 bulbs) 1 Tbsp butter ½ cup onion, thinly sliced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp dried thyme leaves, or 1 Tbsp fresh ½ tsp hotroot pepper (or to taste) ¼ cup vegetable stock 1 Tbsp vinegar 1 cup 2% milk, half-and-half, or cream ¼ cup corn meal ½ tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 375° F.

Chop the cabbage and fennel bulbs into thin slices.

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onion, cabbage, and fennel, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, and cook for another 5 minutes.

Pour into a 9”×13” baking pan, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes.

Use leftover cabbage and fennel bake to make pasties.

Take pie crust dough, roll into small circles, and fill each one with cabbage and fennel bake. Fold each circle in half and pinch the edges closed. Bake them at 350° F for 20-30 minutes.

#butter #cabbage #casserole #cornmeal #fennel #garlic #glutenfree #halfandhalf #hotroot #milk #onion #salt #side #soupstock #thyme #vegetarian #vinegar

(Medieval-inspired. Medieval-probable.)

Use a 9” deep dish pie tin. You also want a meat thermometer.

Pie crust:

¾ cup butter 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or semola flour ½ cup water ¼ tsp salt beaten egg whites

Filling:

2 Tbsp honey ½ cup dried fruits, minced (such as raisins, blueberries, prunes, cherries) 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon 3 egg yolks 2 Tbsp minced nuts 1 cup carrots, finely chopped ¾ cup fennel bulb, finely chopped 2 cups chicken, cut into about 1” cubes ½ tsp salt ½ tsp pepper 1 tsp thyme ½ tsp mace

Crust: Cut the butter into the flour until it is crumbly and there is no more dry powder. Dissolve the salt in the water, and stir into the flour to make a soft dough. Knead it a bit to get it all together. Form a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in fridge to chill until hard.

Mix the chicken pieces, salt, pepper, thyme, and mace. Set aside, let chill.

Stir together the rest of the filling ingredients.

When the crust dough is hard, divide it in half. Place a piece of waxed paper on the counter, and sprinkle with flour. Roll out half the dough to a circle big enough to fit in the pie tin. It should be somewhat thick crust. Place the tin upside-down on the dough, and flip it over with the dough and waxed paper to get the dough inside. Remove the waxed paper and press the dough down into the tin.

Around this time, set the oven to preheat to 350° F.

Stir the chicken mix into the rest of the filling. Spread the filling into the pie tin.

Roll out the rest of the crust in the same way, using the waxed paper to lift it and place it on the top of the pie. Trim the edge of the crust and pinch the top and bottom together.

Brush the beaten egg whites onto the crust. Make a cool design on the top crust with the remaining dough! Make sure there are some cuts in the top crust. Brush the design with egg whites as well.

Bake for about 1 hour, until the internal temperature reaches or exceeds 165° F.

#blueberry #butter #carrot #cherry #chicken #cinnamon #driedfruit #eggwhite #eggyolk #fairyfeast #fennel #historical #honey #mace #main #nuts #pepper #pie #prune #raisin #salt #semola #thyme #wheatflour

Apples: cut into smallish pieces. Cheese: choose sharp cheese, like goat cheese or sharp cheddar. Cut into small pieces, smaller than the apple pieces, or crumble. You want about half the amount of the apple. Drizzle of honey: I used about 1 Tbls. per apple in the salad. Sprinkling of herbs: choose mild, sweetish herbs, like fennel seed or leaves, poppy seed, lavender buds, or mint.

#apple #cheese #fennel #glutenfree #honey #lavender #mint #poppyseed #salad #side #vegetarian