Raphioles

PERIOD: England, 14th century | SOURCE: Forme of Cury | CLASS: Authentic

DESCRIPTION: A sausage-meatball pie

ORIGINAL RECEIPT:

158. Raphioles. Take swyne lyuours and seeþ hem wel, take brede & grate it; and take yolkes of ayren, & make hit sowple, and do þerto a lytull of lard caruoun lyche a dee, chese gratyd, & white grece, poudour douce & of gynger, & wynde it to balles as grete as apples. Take þe calle of þe swyne & cast euere by hymself þerin. Make a crust in a trape, & lay þe balles þerin, & bake it; and whan þey buth ynowy, put þerin a layour of ayren with powdour fort and safroun and serue it forth.

- Hieatt, Constance B. and Sharon Butler. Curye on Inglish: English Culinary Manuscripts of the Fourteenth-Century (Including the Forme of Cury). New York: for The Early English Text Society by the Oxford University Press, 1985.

GODE COOKERY TRANSLATION:

Take swine livers and boil them well, take bread and grate it; and take yolks of eggs, & make it supple, and do there-to a little lard carved like a dice, cheese grated, & white grease, powder douce & of ginger, & wind it to balls as great as apples. Take the caul of the swine & cast ever by himself there-in. Make a crust in a pan, & lay the balls there-in, & bake it; and when they be enough, put there-in a layer of eggs with powder fort and saffron and serve it forth.

INGREDIENTS:

• Pork liver
• Unseasoned white bread crumbs
• Egg yolks - beaten.
• Lard or suet - finely diced into small cubes.
• Cheese - finely grated.
• Bacon fat
• Powder douce - this was a Medieval blend of sweet spices, almost always containing sugar & cinnamon and never pepper, and with such other spices as nutmeg, clove, cardamom, mace, etc.
• Ginger
• Sausage Casings (a substitute for the sheep's caul)
• One nine-inch pie shell in pan.
• Eggs - beaten.
• Powder fort - a Medieval blend of strong spices, almost always containing pepper (and never sugar). A nice mix might consist of such spices as black pepper, white pepper, cardamom, ginger, cubeb, clove, etc.
• Saffron

Boil the liver until very tender; drain. Mash or purée the liver as fine as possible, then blend with the egg yolks, bread crumbs, lard, cheese, and a little bacon grease. Season with the powder douce & ginger. The mixture needs to be smooth but thick enough to mold. Make balls from this mixture, about the size of small apples. Use the casings to make individual sausages from the balls, being sure to keep the round shape. Place the balls in the pie shell, completely filling it. Bake the pie in a hot oven until done - the crust will begin to turn brown. Remove the pie from the oven, then completely coat the top with beaten egg seasoned with the powder fort and saffron. Return this to the hot oven for a few seconds for the egg to cook - be careful not to overcook as the egg will turn brown, and you want it to keep a yellow color. (If you can't find saffron, use a few drops of yellow food coloring instead). Serve it forth!