Egurdouce of Wool
This recipe was Toad’s winning entry in the culinary competition for Highlands War XIV.
Original Recipe
Take Conynges or Kydde and smyte hem on pecys rawe. and frye hem in white grece. take raysouns of Coraunce and fry hem take oynouns parboile hem and hewe hem small and fry hem. take rede wyne suger with powdour of peper. of gynger of canel. salt. and cast þerto. and lat it seeþ with a gode quantite of white grece an serue it forth. Forme of Cury no. XXI
Ingredients
- 3 to 6 lamb shanks
- 2 oz. butter
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
- ¼ c. yellow raisins (sultanas) and/or currants
- 2-3 onions, parboiled and chopped
- 1½ c. mead
- 1 tbsp honey
- ½ tsp each powdered ginger, and cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp sage
- 2 tbsp breadcrumbs
Method
Melt the butter in a Dutch oven. Brown the lamb shanks, adding fresh ginger, garlic and raisins when the browning is about ¾ done. Add the onions and fry 'til they brown at the edges. Then add all the additional ingredients, save for the bread crumbs. Cover the Dutch oven and simmer for 2 to 3 hours or until lamb shanks are tender, turning occasionally. 15 minutes prior to serving, combine the bread crumbs with some of the liquid from the pot, mixing until smooth. Then add the crumbs to the pot and allow to thicken. Then, serve it forth!
References for Egurdouce: The middle English recipe above is an excerpt from: Forme of Cury by Samuel Peggy 1780 (A Scroll compiled by the cooks of King Richard the II of England, circa 1390) - Project Guttenberg
Cook's Comments
I have modified the traditional recipe; by using whole lamb shanks instead of pieces of lamb. We make our own mead, and I have replaced the red wine and sugar with our own mead and honey. This was a common practice according to 'Forme of Cury'. I have added garlic and sage to the recipe, both were used in many recipes of the time and I have found that the savory flavor brings a nice touch to the lamb that may not be necessary for rabbit or kid.
Egurdounce was common preparation for rabbit, fish, lamb, duck and kid and would be suitable for most any red meat or fish. Cooking times will vary depending the meat selected.
