Gourdes in Potage
This is a 14th century recipe from England. Collected from the “Forme of Cury” manuscript. It is basically a squash and pork stew, easy to make and inexpensive.
Ingredients
- 1 kg. Pork, ground or in chunks
- 1 large butternut squash or 1 kg. pumpkin, in chunks
- 1 large onion
- 750 cl. Gode Broth (see below)
- 1 tbs. Powdour Douce (see below)
- 1 pinch saffron
- cumin
- black pepper
- 2 egg yolks
- ginger, grated or powdered
- sugar
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
- clove
- Walnuts or flax seeds for garnish
Gode Broth (good broth)
Put the pork in a pot at medium heat and add salt, after a few minutes turn the meat around so it seals well. When it starts releasing broth add ¾ liter of chicken stock. When it boils again add ½ tsp. ground black pepper and ½ tsp. ground cumin. Let it boil until the pork is done.
Powdour Douce (sugar & spice):
In a dry bowl mix the following powdered spices: 1 tsp. ginger, 1 tsp. sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, ¼ tsp. nutmeg ¼ tsp. clove.
The original recipe goes as follows:
Gourdes in Potage.
Take young Gowrdes; pare hem and kerue hem on pecys. Cast hem in gode broth, and do þerto a gode pertye of oynouns mynced. Take pork soden; grynde it and alye it þerwith and wiþ yolkes of ayren. Do þerto safroun and salt, and messe it forth with powdour douce.
Depending on how good your Middle English is you might want to also see these instructions:
Perparation
If you are going to make a gourd bowl, prepare the gourd, add 2 tbs. of water or broth and wrap it in tinfoil. Put it in the oven at medium heat for 60 minutes.
Assuming you just made the Gode broth, you should have cooked pork available. If you want to grind the pork now is the time to do so. When ready proceed to the next step.
In a large pot add the chopped onion, the squash chunks and the pork. Pour the Gode broth in and top the rest with water. Let it boil for 30 minutes or until the squash is cooked but still firm.
Now mix the egg yolks and the Powdour Douce and saffron in a bowl and mix it together before adding it to the main pot.
Stir and let it boil once more before tasting and adding salt and pepper as needed.
Serve in a large bowl (or gourd bowl), and garnish with walnuts or flaxseeds.
This stew will feed 4 hungry stewquesters.