Category Archives: Drinks

Requested recipe – Arthurian legend meal

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So, a couple weeks ago, I had a request for a meal reminiscent of Aurthurian legends, from QXZenith.  This request, I felt was a worthy one, but I wanted some time to do some research.  There are plenty of ingredients that you might first think would be suitable, but weren’t around in Arhturian times.  Anything with wine was a bit much to request, potatoes are right out, and even the seasonings involved are restricted.

That said, I think I have a good one.

Entree – pot roast marinated in mead

Mead is often overlooked culinarily these days, because you don’t see as many people sell it anymore.  That said, it has its own rich flavor, it was popular in Arthurian times, and it marinates just as well as any other alcohol.  A standard roasting procedure using mead, a basic mirepoix (that’d be two parts onions, one part celery, and one part carrots for the unfamiliar – all of which have been around for millennia; feel free to substitute shallots for onions if you want to be fancy), and choice herbs.  As sage was a traditional flavoring and ward against evil in Arthur’s time, it’s an excellent choice, as are parsley, bay leaves, and thyme.

A pork tenderloin would also work for this, as would a Cornish hen, but I find beef to be the most evocative of a knight.

Side dish – Steak over salad

Taking inspiration from Gawain and the Green Knight, I think a salad featuring steak strips over lettuce is a perfect choice – a little salt and a good sear is all you need for the steak.  Feel free to top it with an appropriate blue cheese (many fine varieties from either northern mainland Europe or England itself will do), and perhaps some cucumbers if you’re up for them.  I highly recommend using a stronger-flavored lettuce varietal, like Bibb, over something that’s used as a dressing-carrier like iceberg.

Drink – mulled apple cider

Mulled drinks (alcoholic or not) were quite popular amongst the royalty of the era; if you’re going to eat like you’re in the court, you should drink like it as well.  While nutmeg isn’t nearly as exotic today as it once was, it’s an excellent choice for a high-end mulled drink, as well as a tiny amount of peppercorn for kick.  While cinnamon and cloves are ordinarily wonderful for such purposes, trade issues that weren’t fully resolved until the 1700s limited England’s access to the seasoning, so I recommend against a period-specific drink featuring it.  For those who want a bit of an exotic flavor, mull a bit of currant with the drink.  And, of course, red wine and mead also work well for this.

Totally flipping out, but not killing everyone

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First off, I’m totally going to do the limeade for Halloween.  Upon a simple review of everything, it’ll be a nice shock to guests.  Also, I imagine someone will probably have fun turning it into a mixer for some drink.  Plus, I really only have to modify my lemonade recipe a tiny bit, so it’ll be a fairly quick make.

Limeade

1 cup lime juice (probably about 12 limes)
1 cup sugar
Water

In a pot, mix together the sugar, the lime juice, and one cup of water.  Mix well.  Stir over low-medium heat for 10-15 minutes, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the volume of the mixture is reduced anywhere from 25-50%.

Remove from heat.  Pour into a half-gallon container.  Fill the rest of the container with water, and stir well.  Chill, then serve.

For later this weekend, I think I’m going to experiment with making my own carnitas – maybe it’s remembering too many family outings to Mexican places as a kid, but nothing quite beats the versatility of a good batch of carnitas – you can treat it like pulled pork, taco or fajita meat, or do any number of other delicious things with it.

The tricky part, though, is carving up the pork shoulder.  I used to use a chef’s knife for it, but I actually found the curvature of the knife a pain to use in such a fashion.  That said, I now have a santoku knife imported from Japan.  I probably shouldn’t be so obsessed over it, but it’s such a nice blade.  Feel like I’m Miyamoto Musashi or Sarutobi Sasuke (well, if the latter really existed) when I’m using it to chop through food.  Plus, I got a blade with excellent heft in the handle – it always feels weird when I use kitchen knives that have light handles, like I’m going to apply too much pressure to the work.

I don’t know what I’ll include in the carnitas yet – that’s a recipe that just begs to be freestyled.  I’ll post more when I figure that one out.

Brainstorming – Halloween entrees

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I haven’t been cooking much the last couple of days – when you make lots of food, you end up with tons of leftovers, so I’ve really been working through those.  With that in mind, though, it’s never too early to start planning on big meals.  I’m next thinking Halloween.

Now, I know the popular thing is to come up with some apple cider drink, throw in some green dye, and call it a witch’s brew.  Little too predictable, if you ask me.  What might work, though, is if I surprise them with something with a powerful flavor.  Perhaps limeade, since that also is a bit green.

I’m actually thinking of something fun with meatballs for a dinner idea, though.  I usually make meatballs with just beef, but you can really blend all sorts of ground meat together.  I’m thinking a combination of beef, lamb, and pork, and make some kind of awesome Frankenstein meatball.  Maybe come up with some powerful seasonings for it too, to make it really memorable.

Not sure how bold I feel, but I could even come up with a flambe gravy for extra fun – fire bad! Fire bad! Though I suspect I’ll need my trusty fire extinguisher on hand if I try this.