To make formed fish during lent and also calf ears
from http://www.coquinaria.nl/

The manuscript this recipe if from, Wel ende edelike spijse, which is conserved in the Royal Academy in Gent (Belgium) as nr.15, is a convolute. It consists of several separate smaller manuscripts, which at some point in time were bound in one volume. There were four such manuscripts, three with mainly culinary recipes, the last with medicinal recipes. The culinary parts of KA Gent 15 have been published by W.L. Braekman.

The recipe for fake fish also appears in the Nyeuwen coock boeck (New cook book) by Gerard Vorselman from 1560 (edition). More on the manuscript KANTL Gent 15 you can find in 'Ende dienet ter tafelen'. Culinaire recepten uit de Middeleeuwen ('Serve it forth'. Culinary recipes from the Middle Ages), by C. Muusers, in the volume Een wereld van kennis (A world of knowledge), pp.147-167. This contains also a number of recipes from the manuscript with an adaption.

Wel ende edelike spijse (Good and noble food)

Om gheuormde wijs te maken in die wasten ende oeck calfsoeren.

stoet jn enen mortijer vijf of sees appellen schon gheschelt sonder kersel huijs ende doter jnne van ghestoten amandellen of gheroost pepercock met een luttel sofferaens ende backt dese jn olye of mackt groten wijs backse gheuerwet ende van gheghat jnden ouen

Item calfs oeren maeckt aldus nempt gheplet deck sausijer ronde maeckt dat dobbel ende dan slaet die tve langen eynden te samen ende dan nempt scherp eynde tussen tve wijnhgheren ende steckt jrst dat runt ende en luttel daer nae met allen ende als dit stijf is nempt dat wijt ende doet daer jnne vanden vorseyde stof sonder sieden ende dijnt dat.

To make formed fish during lent and also calf ears

Crush in a mortar five or six apples, peeled and cored. Add sugar, ginger and cinnamon, and add some pound almonds or toasted gingerbread with some saffron. Bake this in oil. Or make a big fish: bake this in the oven, painted and with some holes in it.

Calf ears are made thus: Take the flattened dough, rounded like a saucer. Make it double, and take the two long ends together. Then take the pointed end between two fingers, and put first the rounded end in [the boiling oil], and shortly afterwards the whole. Take it out when it is crunchy, and put some of the afore mentioned stuffing in it without boiling [it], and serve it.

Modern adaptation of the recipe
For 12 to 24 portions.

The dough
500 gram (4 1/2 cup) flour
125 gram (1/2 cup) oil (neutral of taste)
40 gram (1/3 cup) ground almonds
3 decilitre (1 1/4 cup) water
1 tsp. salt
saffron (optional)
whole or sliced almonds to make scales if you want to

The stuffing
3 apples
90 gram (1/2 cup) cane sugar
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. saffron
2 slices gingerbread, lightly toasted en crumbled, or 40 gram (1/3 cup) ground almonds

Preparation in advance
Prepare the dough by mixing all the ingredients well together. The given quantities are relative: you may have to add water or flour accorling to wether the dough is too crumbly or sticky. Knead until you have a homogenous dough. Cover with plastic foil and let it rest for an hour in the refrigerator. Half an hour before you want to roll the dough, take it out of the refrigerator.
Make the stuffing: Put everything in the blender.

Preparation
Preheat the oven at 200 dgC/390 oF. Divide the dough into two. Roll out the first part to an oval form. Use a pizza roller or a knife to cut out the form of a fish. Arrange the fish on a baking tray. Sprinkle some toasted breadcrumbs on the dough, to absorb the moisture of the stuffing. Spread the stuffing on the dough, leaving free the outer rim of the dough.

Roll out the second part of the dough, and cut the second fish, which is to cover the stuffing. Make two holes in it, one where you would expect the eye of the fish, and another near the tail. Place this second fish on the stuffing, and press the rims of the two fish well together. Now you can form fins, tail, gills, scales, whatever you want, to give your fake fish a realistic appearance.

Place the fake fish in the middle of the oven, bake for 45 to 60 minutes.

To serve
This applepie can be served either hot or cooled to room temperature. In the fifteenth century this ' fish' would have been served alongside with real fish. Now we serve applepie for dessert, or with tea or coffee. However, this applepie is spicier then the average modern apple pie, especially when it is made with gingerbread instead of ground almonds.

To make almond milk you add to 150 gram ground almonds 1 litre water. Let soak for twenty minutes. Pass through a sieve with a piece of cloth in it. The drained and squeezed liquid is the almond milk (You can repeat the process with the same almonds to obtain more milk). The used ground almonds can be recycled: add them to dough or other (medieval) dishes. When you have to grind the almonds yourself, let 120 gram almonds soak several hours in 1 litre water, then crush them with the water in a blender. Sieve this in a sieve with a piece of cloth in it.