Let's Go Medieval On Food! by Lady Marie Hélène of the New Forest

Cooking is a great love of mine, as many who know me can attest. I enjoy sharing my love of cooking with the populous, by teaching and cooking. I started cooking in Tear’s Sea Shore (oh, so many years ago), mainly helping in the kitchen; but then, it was still a budding interest. I actively started researching cooking about a decade ago, while I was in Aethelmearc, and the bud went into full bloom. I found it a challenge, even exciting – deciphering the thought processes of the medieval cook and the history of food, also how it was used to assist the physician in maintaining the health of the medieval family.

I would like to share with you a recipe that is one of my favorites and my take on it. The redacted recipe has some things missing, so, I added them in parenthesis.


Sowpys Dorry (from Pleyn Delit, ref. Diversa Servisia*)

2 oz. Ground almonds (½ cup) or more (blanched, but not toasted)
1 bottle (750 ml) dry white wine or ½ wine, ½ water
3-4 large onions minced or thinly sliced
Salt to taste
2-3 Tbsp Oil (not mentioned in the ingredient list, but mentioned in the body)
Toasted bread (rounds, optional) for sops

Parboil the onions in (enough) water (to cover) for 5 minutes; drain, reserving the water. Draw up the almond milk (explanation follows), using the almonds, ½ cup of the reserved cooking water, and ½ cup of the wine. Heat the oil in a large stew pot and stir in the onions; cook over low heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the rest of the wine to the onions, cover the pot and simmer 15 minutes. Add almond milk and cook a few more minutes (5-10 minutes just to “marry” the flavors). Salt to taste. Place a slice of toasted bread in each serving bowl and pour the soup over the toast.


Making almond milk: (my abbreviated version)

Soak the almonds in the hot liquid for about 5 minutes then strain through layers of cheesecloth, muslin, or a fine mesh strainer. You can use the remaining paste in other recipes. Note: the finer the mesh or cheesecloth (or muslin), the less grit in the milk. The longer it drains, be more “milk” is produced. I can get a couple cups out of a ½ cup of ground almonds.

I have a nut-free version I make for some of my friends.

5-6 large onions, thinly sliced
1 bottle white wine
1 qt. Vegetable broth
2-3 Tbsp Olive oil
Salt to taste
1 pint heavy cream
One shot Cream Sherry (opt)
Toasted bread

In a large stew pot, sauté the onions with the oil and a pinch of salt. When the onions are golden, add the wine and ½ the vegetable broth. Simmer for 15-20 minutes on medium heat. Turn the heat down to low. Mix together the cream, broth, and sherry (opt) and slowly mix into the onion mixture. Bring up to medium-low and simmer another 10 minutes. Serve over the toasted bread or float the bread on top.


*Curye on Inglysch : eds. Constance Hieatt and Sharon Butler. The Diversa Servisia is one of several recipe collections in this work.