ANONYMOUS SOUTHERNER - Book A

"Goat kid pie"

Poni uno capricto tagliato ben minuto et suffrigi forte con lardo et sopra puni quelle carni et summatamente le suffrigi posato. Le bone herbe odorifere in bona quantità et çafarame et pista forte, et formagio frisco con quelle herbe bene trite, et destempera colle ova sì che sia bene mollo, et destempera con quelle dicte carni et mictele in uno vascello sopra la brascia tanto ch'el sia uno poco spisso. Et farrai la pasta nellu texto convenevelemente sottile, et micte de lardo in mezo del testo et del pasta. Poi tolli pepe che baste et la carne colle ove, tucto mixto in su lu testo, et fa un'altra pasta et mictila desopra, et puni la brascia desopra et desocto, et spisso la cerca, et micti de lardo et manduca.

goat kid meat
lard
aromatic herbs
saffron
soft cheese
eggs

Get a goat kid and cut its flesh into very small pieces, brown the lard over a strong flame, and then gently brown the meat in the lard. Chop and thoroughly crush together a generous quantity of aromatic herbs, saffron and soft cheese. Add the right quantity of eggs to form a soft mixture. Mix with the meat and cook everything into a hot pan until it thickens a bit. Make a thin dough in a pie tin greased with lard, line the bottom of the pie tin with the dough, fill with the mixture of meat and egg, and add pepper. Now, cover everything with more dough and bake at the top and bottom (but be sure to check it frequently). Then, add some more lard and serve.

HISTORIC NOTES

Pies were among the most successful dishes in the Middle Ages and could be found in most any cookbook. They were certainly prepared and eaten at all levels of society. Many terms were used to refer to this dish ("pastello", which is another way to say "pasticcio" or casserole; "crust", "cake", "pie"; etc.), but the methods of preparation were very similar. The popularity of these pies was due to a number of factors, including the countless variations that were possible by loading the filling with everything that was in the house or available at the market, and the fact that the dish could be eaten on both meat-eating and meatless days. Also, there were numerous public ovens (whose existence is documented) where a whole pie or just the dough could be directly purchased, or where one could have a home-made pie baked.