Aliter, RIS. Eslisez-le et le lavez en deux ou trois paires d’eaues chaudes tant que l’eaue reviengne toute clère, puis le faites ainsi comme demy cuire, puis le purez et mettez sur tranchouers en plas pour esgouter et séchier devant le feu: puis cuisiez bien espois avec l’eaue de la gresse de la char de beuf et avec du saffran, se c’est à jour de char: et se c’est à jour de poisson, n’y mettez pas eaue de char, mais en ce lieu mettez amandes bien forment broyées et sans couler; puis succrer et sans saffren. -LM 243
RICE, Another Way. Pick it over and wash in two or three changes of hot water until the water is clear, then do as above until half cooked, then puree it and put on trenchers in dishes to drain and dry in front of the fire: then cook it thick with the fatty liquid from beef and with saffron, if this is a meat day: and if it is a fish day, do not add meat juice, but in its place add almonds well-ground and not sieved; then sweeten and do not use saffron.
Ingredients
Rice, Sugar, Salt, Almond Flour, Bitter Orange
| Both LV and LM attest to this dish, and their recipes are the same – which is common. However, LM gives us additional directions, specifically how to prepare this dish for a fish day. That is the recipe I present here. We know that Rice was an expensive delicacy at this time in Europe, and there is little informaiton on what kind was imported. However, there is some indication that it would have been a medium grain type. Because of this, I chose that here, and give directions that stir the dish as little as possible, preserving the grain texture rather than beating it to mush. LM includes this recipe in menu 52, which is for a “fish day.” Here he directs that he will need “rice topped with fried almonds; one pound of sugar for the rice and oranges.” Unfortunately, he does not tell us how much rice to buy, so the proportions here are based on my own sweet rice dishes. We know that the oranges he refers to are bitter or Seville oranges, the type still used in marmalade. Sweet oranges were not introduced to Europe until at least 1450. Therefore we know these oranges must be cooked in sugar, and LM corroborates this indirectly. Since I am using dried Bitter Orange, I made a thick syrup. A marmalade also seems appropriate and would be delicious. Frying the almonds accomplishes toasting them, as we generally prefer them today, and also gives them an attractive sheen. |
References
LM 243
Modern Redaction
| 1 c. | Rice, medium grain |
| 5 c. | Water |
| 1/2 c. | Sugar |
| 1/2 t. | Salt |
| 2 c. | Almond Flour |
| 1/4 c. | Almonds, fried |
| 1/4 c. | Bitter Orange Marmalade |
- Bring the Water to a boil and stir in the Rice
- Stir this VERY occasionally at the start to prevent sticking to the bottom.
- Reduce to a simmer and let simmer for 20 minutes
- Add the remaining ingredients all at once and stir just enough to combine
- Continue cooking until the mixture thickens and rice grains are visible on the surface
- While hot, pour into your serving dish or prepared mold.
- If you intend to mold it, allow to cool and refregerate overnight.
- Serve topped with bitter orange marmalade, thinned with hot water, and fried almonds
Process Photos
