Drepe

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

DESCRIPTION: Game Hens in Savory Almond Milk

ORIGINAL RECEIPT:

Take blaunched almaundes; grynde hem and temper hem with gode broth. Take oynouns, a grete quantite; perboyle hem and frye hem and do therto. Take smale bryddes; perboile hem and do therto, and do therto pellydor and salt, and a lytel grece.

- 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.

MODERN RECIPE:

• 3 Rock Cornish game hens, or three pounds of chicken, cut into serving pieces
• 4 C water
• 4 C unsweetened almond milk, made with chicken stock
• 2 medium onions
• 1 tsp hot mustard powder
• Salt to taste
• Butter for sautéing

2. In a large pot, bring water to a boil, and put the browned game hens or chicken into it. Reduce heat, and simmer for about twenty minutes, or until meat is tender. Remove from the pot.

3. Cut up the onions small. In a frying pan, over low heat, melt butter and sauté onions until they are translucent.

4. In a large pot, over medium heat, combine almond milk, hens or chicken, onions, salt, and mustard powder. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring frequently, for about ten minutes.

5. Remove the hens or chicken, place in serving dishes, and pour the almond milk and onions over them before serving.

Serves four to six.

NOTES ON THE RECIPE:

I brown the cut-up birds in butter before boiling them.

Pellydor is pellitory, an herb with a hot and pungent root. I substitute hot mustard powder.

Butter substitutes for the grease mentioned.