Gode Broth

PERIOD: England, 15th century | SOURCE: Noble Boke off Cookry | CLASS: Authentic

DESCRIPTION: A broth suitable for all dishes

ABOUT THE RECIPE:

In making Gode Broth, I use the recipe for broth found in "Hens in bonet" from Napier's Noble Boke off Cookry, as translated in W.E. Mead's The English Medieval Feast, p. 71:

This is made by stewing hens and fresh pork together, grinding pepper, bread, and cumin, seasoning it, tempering it with the hens' broth, colouring it with saffron, adding salt, and serving it.

- Mead, William Edward. The English Medieval Feast. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1967.

MODERN RECIPE:

• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup pork broth
• ½ - 1 c. unseasoned bread crumbs (often optional - see note)
• ½ tsp. each pepper & cumin
• pinch saffron (for color)
• salt (to taste)

The amount of bread crumbs used depends on the thickness of the sauce desired. Less than ½ cup or more than 1 cup may be necessary, or none at all. Use your best judgment. (Many of the recipes in A Boke of Gode Cookery use this broth without the bread crumbs.) The same is true of the salt & other spices - adjust them to your preferred taste.