Compost

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Compost

Compost is a traditional Medieval recipe for a vegetable preserve, served as a salad, which is flavoured with spices and honey. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Medieval version of Compost.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

45 minutes

Total Time:

65 minutes

Additional Time:

(+over-night pickling)

Serves:

4–6

Rating:

Tags : Vegetarian Recipes Spice Recipes Vegetable Recipes British Recipes English Recipes

Original Recipe

Compoſt

(from A Forme of Cury)

Take rote of p̱ſel, paſeternak of raſeens. ſecrape hem and waiſethe hē clene. take rap⁹ caboch⁹ ypared and icorne. take an erthen pāane w^t clene wat^{r et ſet it on the fire. caſt all þiſe þ⁹inne. whan þey buth boiled caſst þ⁹ peer⁹ et p̱boile hem wel. take þiſe thyng⁹ up et lat it kele on a fair cloth, do þ⁹ ſalt whan it is colde in a veſſel take vineg^r et powdo^r et ſafron et do þ⁹to. et lat all þiſe thing⁹ lye þ⁹in al nyzt oþ}9 al day, take wyne greke and nony clarified togid^{r lumbarde muſtard et raiſons corance al hool. et grynde powdo^r of canel powdo^r douce et ancys hole. et fennell ſeed. take alle þiſe thyng⁹ et caſt togyd ī a pot of erthe. and take þof whan þ^u wilt et sūe forth.}

Note that the original carrots, salsify and parsnips come from the different but interchangeable Latinate roots. Thus, there can often be confusion as to exactly which root vegetable was being referred to depending on the Latinate root preferred by the author (eg daucus/pastinaca). Also, modern orange carrots had not been bread yet — though Medieval carrots yielded a whole gamut of colours so this would probably have been a much more colourful dish than the modern equivalent. Why not mix carrots, salsify, parsnips and radishes for more variation in colour and flavour? Parsley root is another vegetable that could be employed.

Modern Redaction

Ingredients:

1 kg carrots, sliced thinly
half a medium cabbage, shredded
4 pears, cored and thinly sliced
1 tsp salt (sea salt for preference)
6 tbsp sherry vinegar
2 tsp freshly-grated ginger
6 saffron threads ground in 1 tbsp white wine vinegar in a pestle and mortar
1 bottle dry white wine
120ml honey
1 tbsp mustard powder
180g seedless currants
1 tsp powdered cinnamon
½ tbsp fennel seed
½ tbsp aniseed

Method:

Bring a large stock pot of salted water to the boil, add the carrots and cabbage and blanch for a few minutes. Add the pears and continue cooking until these become tender. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop further cooking.

Spread the cooked vegetables and pears on a clean cloth and sprinkle with salt. Leave for at least ten minutes then layer the vegetables in a large (preferably earthenware) dish or container and add the vinegar, ginger and the prepared saffron. Cover this dish with a lid (or the cloth you've already used and allow to partially pickle over night).

The following day, mix the currants, fennel and aniseeds in with the vegetables and place in a sealable container (this must not be metal) and set aside.

Meanwhile, place the honey, cinnamon and wine in a saucepan and bring to the boil, skimming-off the scum that appears until the liquid becomes clear. Remove from the heat, allow to cool a little and pour this liquid over the vegetables. Allow the mixture to cool and seal. The mixture will keep for at least a week and tastes better if you leave it for at least a day to infuse.

Find more Medieval recipes as well as more recipes from the Forme of Cury here.