Hattes

PERIOD: England, 15th century | SOURCE: An Ordinance of Pottage | CLASS: Authentic

DESCRIPTION: Small meat-filled pastries that resemble medieval hats

ORIGINAL RECEIPT:

112. Make a past of paryd floure, knodyn with yolkes of eyroun; & make a stuf of vele & porke, sodyn & groundyn, with yolkes of eyron; mary dysed, & datys mynsyd; corauns; sigure, safron & salt & poudyr; & medyll al togedyr. & make youre past on round foyles of the brede of a saucer, as thyn as may be drawn. Turne hem doble, that the brerdys may come to the medyll of the foyle; then turne hem togedyr that the brerdys on the more side mete al aboute, & the lasse brerde turne upward withoutyn in the maner of a hat. & close well the egges that they hold well. Fyll theron thy stuff. Have a bature of yolkes of eyroun & whete floure in the opyn syde that ys toward. Loke theryn the stuf be closyd, & set hit yn hote grece upryght. When the bature ys fryed, thu may ley hym down & fry hym al overe.

- Hieatt, Constance B. An Ordinance of Pottage. An Edition of the Fifteenth Century Culinary Recipes in Yale University's MS Beinecke 163. London: Prospect Books Ltd, 1988.

GODE COOKERY TRANSLATION:

Make a pastry dough of prepared flour, kneaded with yolks of eggs; & make a stuffing of veal & pork, boiled & ground, with yolks of eggs; marrow diced, & dates minced; currants; sugar, saffron & salt & spices; & mix all together. And make your pastry on round foils of the breadth of a saucer, as thin as may be drawn. Turn it double, that the edges may come to the middle of the foil; then turn it together that the edges on the bigger side meet all about, & the smaller side turn upward without in the manner of a hat. And close well the edges that they hold well. Fill there-on your stuffing. Have a batter of yolks of eggs & wheat flour in the open side that is toward. Look there-in the stuffing be closed, & set it in hot grease upright. When the batter is fried, you may lay it down & fry it all over.

Flour - "prepared" probably means "sifted."
Egg yolks - raw & beaten.
Veal - boiled and ground.
Pork - boiled and ground.
Marrow - diced.
Dates - minced.
Currants
Sugar
Saffron
Salt - use to taste.
Spices - any period spices you'd prefer: cinnamon, pepper, clove, mace, cardamom, ginger, cubeb, etc.

Combine the flour and egg yolks until a workable pastry dough is formed, one capable of being rolled out like ordinary pie dough; set this aside. Combine veal, pork, egg yolks, marrow, dates, currants, sugar , salt, & spices. This mixture should be soft, thick, and moist, and should hold together like a raw meatloaf or meatball mix. Add egg yolks as necessary to ensure moistness. Set this mixture aside.

Make a thick batter of egg yolks and flour; set aside.

Roll out the pastry, and cut it into medium-sized circles. Take a circle of pastry, and fold it in half, with the middle of the fold on top; then, fold back the round edges of the circle up to the middle of the fold. You'll see that a small pocket or cavity is formed at the end opposite the folded middle - this is the bottom of your "hat." Make sure that the side edges of the pastry are well sealed so that the hat will stay together - use a bit of egg yolk or white as "glue" if necessary. Stuff the cavity with some of the meat mixture (this will round out the pastry into more of a hat-shape), then cover the entire bottom of the hat with batter, sealing the meat in completely. Set the hat bottom down in hot oil, cooking until the batter is done and the filling is completely sealed within, then cook the entire pastry in the oil until done - the pastry will become puffy and will lightly brown. Remove from the oil, drain well, and serve.

This recipe makes a meat-stuffed pastry which looks like a small Robin Hood-style hat. Decorate this treat with a feather and the picture will be perfect!

Hattes for Lent

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany (Beinecke MS 163), 1460

113. (Hattes) In lentyn
Thou may make thy past of paryd floure knodyn with milke of almondys & put ther to alytyll safron take fresch samon base melete & the lyver of fisch sodyn & groundyn & a lytyll fruyte ther with & yf thu wilte poudrys safron & salt make thy bature of paryd floure & milke of almondys & dryght hit in the same maner as thu dedyste byfore.

While the name "Hattes" is implicit in the title, it is explicitly included in the corresponding recipe (number 51) in A Noble Boke off Cookry.

A Noble Boke off Cookry

To mak hattes in lent mak a paist of pured flour knoddene with mylk of almondes then tak saffron eles base or molet and the leuer of the fishe sodden and grond put them to alitille fritture pouder of saffron and salt and mak the bater of pured floure and almond mylk and do it as ye did be for. [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]

The list of fish from the Noble version seems to have left out salmon - perhaps a copying error that collapsed "saffron take fresh salmon" into just "saffron".