Rat (mock) on a stick - a soteltie

I created these "charming" creatures as an entry for an arts and sciences competition, the theme of which was rats and cats. 

I based them on the recipe for Herissons (hedgehogs) in Le Viandier de Taillevent (Vatican manuscript) which is from the first half of the 15th century.   

Prenez chair crue, hachiez la plus menue que faire se peult, puis fault roisin de Daingne, frommage de gain esmié, et tout meslez emsemble avec pouldre fine, puis ayez des caillettes de moutton, eschaudez et lavez très bien, et non pas en eaue trop chaude qu'ilz ne se retraient, et les emplez de ladicte chair hachiée, et puis les coudre d'unne petite brochette de boys. 

Take raw flesh, chop as finely as possible, then add raisins de Digne*, crumble harvest cheese, and mix everything together with fine powder, then have sheep intestines, scald and washed very well, and not in water too hot for them to shrink. And stuff them with the said minced flesh, and then sew them up with a small skewer.

I have to admit that I can't give you the quantities of ingredients as I have to admit that I just went with something between what I had, and what felt right. 

• 

  Just before going into the oven
  

  Pork minced then ground
• Feta crumbled finely
• Finely chopped sultanas
• Spice powder**
• pine nuts (for teeth)
• bacon rind for tails

I formed the mix into rats, skewered them, and used pine nuts to make teeth and a currant for an eye. 

I then endored*** them with a mixture of flour, saffron, egg yolks, sandalwood and water. Saffron was the most common colouring for endoring (being to make something look gold) but sandalwood was used in this period to give food a red colour. 

I was keen to see if I could get a colour that resembled the rats on a stick that you buy even now for sale in some countries. A single coat of endoring was ok, but a second coat of the endoring paste half way through ended up making a very effective but slightly disturbingly realistic 'skin'. 

I was really pleased at how the final rats looked. 

Double endored mock rat on a stick

  Notes: I spent/spend a lot of time trying to figure
  out what 15th century French "harvest cheese"
  might be.  Cheese ready to be eaten at harvest
  time? Cheese made from the milk drawn
  at harvest time?  That is a whole other post
  for another day. 

  The other question that I had to think about was
  whether the original recipe is indeed for making
  a soteltie... or is it a recipe for cooking hedgehog
  meat? Who knows?  The original recipe does not
  specify what meat it uses. 

Fresh out of the oven

* Raisins de Digne – Le Menagier de Paris (15th century) tells us what Raisins de Digne are : take two pounds of the raisins which be called raisins of Digne, to wit small ones, with no pips or seeds of any sort therein.

** Fine powder – from le Menagier de Paris : Ginger, cinnamon, cloves, grains of paradise, long pepper

*** Endoring : 15th century English recipe for cockentrice : ''endore them with yolkes of eggs, and poudre of gynger, and saffron, & ioiss of persely or malves, & draw them, and endore them a abowte in euery perty of him. ''

Offella: medieval Italian cheesecake pastries

Cooking from original medieval and renaissance recipes can be challenging but fun. Most recipes don't come with any real guidance on quantities of the ingredients, leaving it up to the maker to decide on the balance of flavours they desire. This suits me well, as when I am inventing original recipes that is how I cook, and it takes me quite some concentration to remember to note the measurements I make!

These tasty treats are reminiscent in flavour to a strudel or cheesecake. Because the recipe contains no added sugar, I recommend leaving the mixture in the fridge overnight to allow the sultanas to sweeten it. You do have to be a bit brave to try this recipe, as it contains parmesan cheese which seems an odd ingredient for a dessert, but just place your trust in me, and go for it!

From "The Art of Cookery: the first modern cookbook", translated and annotated by Jeremy Parzen. University of California press.

Take some good Parmesan cheese that has not been overly aged, and a bit of another type of fresh cheese, and grate, adding some egg whites, whole raisins, some cinnamon, ginger and a bit of saffron. Mix all these things, incorporating well, and make sure that this filling is slightly thick. Then take a thin dough, like that used for making lasagne, and wrap the offelle in this dough, making them large, medium sized or small, as you wish, giving them some yellow colouring on top with saffron, or whatever other colour you wish, and cook them in the oven, and be careful that the oven is not too hot, because they should not be overcooked.

250g cottage cheese
3 egg whites
50g grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
10 threads saffron
100g sultanas

1 batch pasta dough.

Mix the ingredients. Cover and keep cool overnight. Cut out rounds of pastry, brush the edges with water. Place a generous teaspoon of the mix in the centre, fold in half and press the edges to seal.

Bake in an oven at 200 degrees until golden. Better served warm, but tasty either way!