Ladle the soup into individual bowls, crumble a bit of the leftover bacon on top, garnish with thyme and feta, and serve.
Pork Pie
“If I could fly, I’d be back at Castle Black eating a pork pie,” said Sam
.
—A CLASH OF KINGS
Medieval Pork Pie
To mak pyes of pairis tak and smyt fair buttes of pork and buttes of vele and put it to gedure in a pot with freshe brothe and put ther to a quantite of wyne and boile it tille it be enoughe then put it in to a treene vesselle and put ther to raw yolks of eggs pouder of guinger sugur salt and mynced dates and raissins of corans and mak a good thyn paiste and mak coffyns and put it ther in and bak it welle and serue it
.
—A NOBLE BOKE OFF COOKRY, 16TH CENTURY
Serves 6 to 8
Prep: 15 minutes
Cooking: 45 minutes to 1 hour
This medieval pork pie is nothing like the savory modern meat pies with which you may be familiar. This is a sweet meat pie, flavored with honey and ginger. If you enjoy pork served with sweet barbecue sauce, this is the dish for you.
1½ pounds ground pork
½ teaspoon salt
4 egg yolks
2 teaspoons ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
⅓ cup honey
½ cup dried currants
½ cup chopped dates
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Brown the pork in a skillet over medium heat. Let cool slightly, and mix well with the salt, egg yolks, spices, honey, and fruits. (The filling should be very moist.) Place the mixture in the pie shell and add the lid. Fold the top dough under the edge of the bottom crust and pinch the edges shut. Cut decorative steam holes in the top of the pastry, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until golden brown.
Cook’s Note:
This makes a great pairing with the Cream Swans, because you will be able to use the egg yolks for the pork pie, and the whites for the swans.
Modern Pork Pie
Serves 6 to 8
Prep: 15 minutes
Cooking: 45 minutes to 1 hour
The modern pork pie is dense and savory. Drizzled with barbecue sauce, hot sauce, or ketchup, it is rendered utterly delicious. If, against all odds, you end up with leftovers, this pie is wonderful for a quick, cold breakfast straight from the fridge.
1 onion, diced
1½ pounds ground pork
1 sleeve of Ritz crackers, about 1½ to 2 cups crushed
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch each of salt and ground black pepper
⅓ cup spicy barbecue sauce, plus additional for serving
2 apples, cored, peeled, and thinly sliced
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Hot sauce and ketchup, for serving
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Lightly brown the onion in a pan over medium heat. Place it, along with the pork, crackers, poultry seasoning, cumin, and salt and pepper, in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Pour the filling into the pie shell, spreading it out evenly. Brush the sauce over the pork mixture. Arrange a layer of sliced apples over the top of the sauce, then sprinkle the cheese over the top of the apples.
Cover with the second piece of dough. Fold the top dough under the edge of the bottom crust and pinch the edges shut. Cut decorative steam holes in the top of the pastry and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until golden brown. Serve with the option of BBQ sauce, hot sauce, or ketchup.
Pease Porridge
They ate oaten porridge in the mornings, pease porridge in the afternoons, and salt beef, salt cod, and salt mutton at night, and washed it down with ale
.
—A FEAST FOR CROWS
Medieval Pease Porridge
French owt. Take and seeþ white peson and take oute
perrey; & pboile erbis & hewe he grete, & cast he i a pot w the perrey pulle oynons & seeþ he hole wel i wat & do he to
perrey w oile & salt; colo it with safron & messe it and cast þon powdo douce
.
—THE FORME OF CURY, 14TH CENTURY