Compost

Compost (Cold spiced vegetables in wine and honey sauce) – From The Master-Cook of Richard II, The Forme of Cury (c1390)

103. Compost. Take rote of persel, of pasternak, of rafens, scrape hem and waische hem clene. Take rapes & caboches, ypared and icorue. Take an erthen panne with clene water & set it on the fire; cast alle þise þerinne. Whan þey buth boiled cast þerto peeres, & parboile hem wel. Take alle þise thynges vp & lat it kele on a faire cloth. Do þerto salt; whan it is colde, do hit in a vessel; take vyneger & powdour & safroun & do þerto, & lat alle þise thynges lye þerin al nyyt, oþer al day. Take wyne greke & hony, clarified togider; take lumbarde mustard & raisons coraunce, al hoole, & grynde powdour of canel, powdour douce & aneys hole, & fenell seed. Take alle þise thynges & cast togyder in a pot of erthe, & take þerof whan þou wilt & serue forth.

GODE COOKERY TRANSLATION:

Pickled Salad. Take parsley, carrots, radishes; scrape and clean them. Take white radishes & cabbages, pared and cored. Take an earthen pan with clean water & set it on the fire; and put all these in. When they've boiled, add pears and parboil well. Take all these things out and let cool on a clean cloth. Add salt. When cooled, place in a container; add vinegar, powder, and saffron, and let sit overnight. Take Greek wine & honey, clarified together; take "lumbarde" mustard and whole currants, and cinnamon, "powdour douce" & whole anise seed, & fennel seed. Take all these things and place together in an earthen pot, and take from it when you need to, and serve.

Modern Redaction

3 parsley roots; 3 parsnips; 3 carrots; 10 radishes; 2 turnips; 1 small cabbage; 2 pears; ½ tsp salt; 1 cup vinegar; ¼ tsp pepper; 1 pinch saffron, ground;

1 cup sweet wine or Marsala; ½ cup honey; 1 tbsp mustard; ½ cup currants; 1 tsp cinnamon; 1 tsp powder douce; 1 tsp anise seed; 1 tsp fennel seed.

Method: Peel vegetables and chop into bite-sized pieces. Parboil until just tender, adding sliced pears about halfway through cooking time. Remove from water, drain, place on tray, sprinkle with salt, and allow to cool. Place vegetables in large bowl and add pepper, saffron, and vinegar. Refrigerate for several hours, then put wine and honey into a saucepan, bring to a boil, and then simmer for several minutes, removing any scum that forms on the surface. Allow to cool and add currants and remaining spices. Mix well and pour over vegetables. Serve cold.

Another Redaction, from Gode Cookery

2 lbs. carrots, sliced
½ head cabbage, in small pieces
3-4 pears, sliced thin
1 tsp. salt
6 Tbs. vinegar
2 tsp. ginger
few threads saffron
1 bottle (750 ml.) white wine
½ cup honey
1 Tbs. ground mustard
3/4 cup currants
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ Tbs. each anise seed & fennel seed

Boil the carrots and cabbage for several minutes, then add the pears. Cook until tender; drain well. Lay vegetables and pears on a clean cloth. Sprinkle on the salt. Let cool, then place in a large dish or container and add the vinegar, ginger, and saffron. Cover (the cloth works fine for this) and let stand for several hours or overnight. When ready, mix the vegetables with the currants and the seeds. Place in a non-metallic sealable container and set aside. In a separate pot, bring the honey, cinnamon, and wine to a boil, skimming off the scum until clear. Remove from heat and pour over the vegetable mixture. Let cool and seal. May be stored for a week or more. Serves 12 - 15.

This is a delicious marinated and pickled salad, and tastes nothing like the images the name suggests! The modern recipe is a modified (but just as tasty) version of the medieval receipt, containing only the "pasternak" (carrots - from the Latin "pastinaca"), "caboches" (cabbage), "raisons of coraunce" (currants), and "peeres" (pears). The other medieval ingredients are "rote of persel" (parsley root), "raf ens" (radishes), and "rapes" (white turnip).

"Lumbarde" (or "Lumbard") mustard was a mixture of ground mustard seed mixed with honey, wine, & vinegar. "Pouder douce" was a mild concoction of ground spices, often containing sugar, though not always; in general, pouder douce usually included cinnamon but not pepper.