Rice Pudding Sausage
Adapted
by Lady Tirza bithe Reaboughes at East Kingdom Fall Crown Tourney held in the
Shire of Montevale
Primary Source: The English Housewife by Gervase Markham, published 1615, 1623, & 1631, CHAPTER II "Of the outward and active knowledge of the housewife; and first of her skill in cookery; as sallats of all sorts, with flesh, fish, sauces, pastry, banqueting stuff, and ordering of great feasts."
¶32 To make the best white puddings.
Steep a good quantity of "fair great" oatmeal grits in milk for 12 hours and drain.
Boil 1 pint of thickest cream and add the drained oatmeal while the cream is still hot. Steep another 12 hours.
Add: at least 8 yolks of eggs
a little pepper
cloves, mace, saffron
currants, dates
sugar
salt
great store of pig or beef suet
Mix and stuff into sausage skin ("farmes"). Cook at gentle boil. Prick skins to prevent bursting as they swell. Serve the day after by reboiling and then browning ("toast them brown before the fire"). Trim the edge of the dish with salt or sugar.
Per footnote. Joseph Cooper (1654) gives these quantities: 3 pints oatmeal, 2 lbs. beef suet minced, 8 - 10 egg yolks with half the number of whites, 1/4 oz. nutmeg, 1/4 oz. sugar, 1 quart cream, a little mace, and salt.
Recipe for 8-9 sausages (enough for 1 feast table):
Take 1 1/2 cups oatmeal.
Steep in 1 1/2 cups milk for at least 12 hours in the refrigerator. Drain.
Boil 1/2 cup whipping cream, add drained oatmeal. Cool on counter for an hour before refrigerating. Let steep for at least another 12 hours.
Add: 2 yolks of egg with 1 white (= 1 whole egg + 1 yolk)
dash of pepper 3/16 tsp.
cloves, mace, saffron (Spanish) 1/4 tsp. each
currants, dates (chopped) 1/2 cup each
sugar heavy 1/2 tsp. used.
Consider using brown sugar Consider 1/2 - 1 Tblsp.
salt 1/4 tsp. Consider 1/2 tsp.
great store of pig or beef suet 1/2 lb. ground pork sausage
Sausage skins Needed 2 natural skins.
Mix and stuff into sausage skin. Cook at gentle boil below simmer for 20 minutes. Prick skins with roasting nail to prevent bursting as they swell. Then, cook another 10 to 15 minutes until no more liquid really leaks. Serve the day after by re-boiling for 15 minutes and then browning. Trim the edge of the dish with salt or sugar.
¶35 Rice puddings.
1/2 lb. rice, steeped in milk for a night. Drain.
Boil 1 quart thickest cream with the rice for a little. Let cool for 1 - 2 hours.
Add: 6 egg yolks
a little pepper
cloves, mace
currants
dates
sugar
salt
Mix and then add a great store of beef suet. Stuff sausage skins. Cook at gentle boil. Prick skins to prevent bursting as they swell. Serve the day after by re-boiling and then browning. Trim the edge of the dish with salt or sugar.
Recipe for approximately 16 sausages (enough for 2 feast tables):
Take 1 cup of rice (7 oz.) and steep in 1 cup milk at least over night. Drain.
Boil 3 1/2 cups of cream (1 1/2 cups whipping cream + 2 cups light cream) in large saucepan. (This may be more liquid than necessary. Try a double batch before doing multiplication for feast order.) Add drained rice and simmer. The rice must soften and expand to full size in order to avoid later bursting the sausage skins. Let cool for 1 - 2 hours.
Add to saucepan: 4 yolks of egg + 1 Tblsp. white
dash of pepper (or leave out)
cloves, mace 1/4 tsp. each
currants, dates (chopped) 1/2 cup each
sugar 1 Tblsp.
salt 1/2 tsp.
Mix, then add a great store of beef suet. 1/2 lb. pork sausage
2 sausage skins
Stuff into softened sausage
skin. Cook at gentle boil below
simmer for 20 minutes. Prick skins
with roasting nail to prevent bursting as they swell. Then, cook another 10 to 15 minutes until no more liquid
really leaks. (Sausages can be made
in advance and frozen.) Serve the
day after by re-boiling for 15 minutes and then browning.
(Sausages can also be reheated in water in an oven if several hours are
available and you are having problems with skins breaking.)
Trim the edge of the dish with salt or sugar.