"I've got a feast / in my back pocket . . ."

[bunnyjadwiga]

A recent SCA request for help with a feast led me to thinking. I know that if I was in a hurry, and had to scramble together a feast menu off the top of my head, based on what was easy to prepare, easy to get, and popular, I could probably pull one out of my back pocket relatively easily. In fact, most SCA foodies could (in my opinion). I started asking around and found that others liked this pleasant game.

So... I'm inviting you all to go ahead and try it. Assume 60-100 attendees, and a budget in the normal range for your area. Please post your 'back pocket feast' before reading other people's comments, if you would. I'm looking forward to seeing your answers...

Comments

Re: Back Pocket Feast - a survey of Dutch cooking (800 -1600 ACE)

[joef-johnm.livejournal.com]

Onion Ale Soup?

Sharing is good... :)

Re: Back Pocket Feast - a survey of Dutch cooking (800 -1600 ACE)

[fiannaharpar.livejournal.com]

From "Eenen seer schoonen ende excellenten Cocboek" (1593, Carolus Battus) Translated by me, Odriana vander Brugghe, Redaction by Dona Illadore de Bedegrayne (she was the cook for an event I was autocratting)

19 Om een ajuynsoppe te maken.
Neemt ajuyn, snijt die in schijven ende roost hem in olye met de corsten van de brooden. Als dit nu wat gesoden heeft, so doet er wat azijns by, wat byers, wat suyckers ende wat gengeberpoeder. Laet dit tesamen sieden totdat het begint dick te werden ende alsdan in de schotel ghedaen ende gegeten.

19 How to make onion sop.
Take onion, cut it in slices and roast it in oil with crusts of bread. When this now has cooked a while, so put therewith some vinegar, some beer, some sugar and some ginger powder. Leave this together to boil until it begins to become thick and then place it in the dish to be then eaten.

Onion Sop
4 onions, peeled and sliced
breadcrusts from 4 pieces of bread
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 bottle of beer
1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
1/4 tsp white wine vinegar

Fry onions and the bread crumbs in the bottom of a stew pot in the oil until onions are transulcent. Pour in beer. Add the other ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve.
-----

We did get lucky with this as the head of our brewer's guild had a great amount of ale that needed to be used. As in 2 cases of Ale that needed to be used NOW. Since the only liquid in this is the ale it can be pricey if you haven't made friends with your local brewer, or are not your local brewer :-) If you were cooking at a site that was dry, you could use beef broth....everyone would recognize it as French Onion Soup ;-)

Re: Back Pocket Feast - a survey of Dutch cooking (800 -1600 ACE)

[bunnyjadwiga.livejournal.com]

Yumm.....