Chik Farsed

PERIOD: England, 15th century | SOURCE: Harleian MS. 4016 | CLASS: Authentic

DESCRIPTION: Game Hens Stuffed with Egg Yolks and Parsley

ORIGINAL RECEIPT:

Take a faire chek, and skald him, and breke the skyn (as sone as he is scalded) in the necke behinde, and blowe him, And cast him in faire water, and wassh him; and then kutte of the hede and nek, and lete the ffete be on al hole, and draw him clene; and then pike faire parcelly, and parboile hit; And then take hard yolkes of eyron, and hewe hem and the parcelly togidre, and fressh grece, and caste there-to pouder of ginger, peper, a litel saffron and salt, And put al in-to the Chike, and put hit on a Spitte; And thenne late him roste, and serue forth.

- Austin, Thomas. Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books. Harleian MS. 279 & Harl. MS. 4016, with extracts from Ashmole MS. 1429, Laud MS. 553, & Douce MS 55. London: for The Early English Text Society by N. Trübner & Co., 1888.

MODERN RECIPE:

• 4 Rock Cornish game hens
• 12 hard boiled egg yolks
• 4 C of parsley
• 4 T butter
• 1/2 tsp each powdered ginger and black pepper
• 1/4 tsp saffron
• Salt to taste

2. In a saucepan, over high heat, bring water to a boil. Immerse parsley and boil it briskly for two minutes. Drain the parsley, and squeeze as much water out of it as you can. Chop the parsley fine. It should yield about one cup of parsley mush.

3. In a bowl, combine hard boiled egg yolks, butter, parsley, and spices. Mash them thoroughly together with a fork. Loosely fill the birds with this mixture. 4. Place the birds on a rack in a roasting pan and put in oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350°, and roast the birds for about fifty to sixty minutes, or until they are done. Remove them from the oven.

4. Arrange the birds on a serving platter.

Serves four to eight.

NOTES ON THE RECIPE:

Most supermarkets do not sell baby chicks, dressed and oven-ready or otherwise. I have substituted the very versatile Rock Cornish game hen. Quail would also work, and be closer to the right size.

I have substituted butter in place of grease.

These birds may be gilded using the Chike Endored recipe.