Turnip+Pudding

=Medieval Russia -- Food and Drink= From Yana's Russian Food Page at http://web.archive.org/web/20041118092122/http://braid.freeservers.com/russianfood.html.

Baked Turnip Pudding: An Exercise in Russian Cookery
By Yana Barsova People always ask me for period Russian recipes and menus. While this may seem like a simple question, the reality is that there is just not much out there. We have descriptions of menus and individual dishes, but few details and even fewer actual recipes. In the past, I merely suggested modern Russian recipes that used period ingredients. Well, I have finally attempted a period recipe. This dish was adapted from a recipe found in the Domostroi, a 16th century Russian household book. This particular recipe is found in a section that is likely just outside of SCA-period (and possibly Polish in origin), but it is still a good bet on being a period dish. I made this recipe three times, using slightly different techniques each time (first I followed the recipe exactly, next I used a blender, etc.), and then compared the results to see how using modern techniques stood up to medieval ones. I plan on writing up my experiments in a separate and much longer essay (stay tuned!). This recipe, however, is probably my final version (excluding further attempts using the original Russian wording instad of the English translation). A final note: the term "pudding" refers more to the English-style dessert (such as "plum-pudding"), not the American-type dish. The original Russian term is actually "maziuni", which translates to "a sweetened mass." Take clear, light-colored honey (make sure it has not fermented) and boil it, skimming off any foam. Pour the boiled honey into the turnip puree-as much honey as you have puree. Add nutmeg, cloves, pepper, and saffron in such measure that no one spice dominates, nor is it overspiced. Seal the clay pot with dough and steam it in the oven for two days and two nights. Then it will be good to eat. But if it is too liquid, add more turnip puree. It should be the texture of a lump of caviar. Clean and peel the turnip. Dice it and place into a blender or food processor. Pulse several times, using a spatula to push the turnip away from the sides and down to the blade. Continue processing until the turnip is well pulped, but not quite pureed (alternatively, you could grate the turnip and then mince it into smaller pieces with a knife). Pack the turnip pulp loosely into a measuring cup(s) and note the amount. Place the turnip into a clean dishtowel and twist the towel closed, forming the pulp into a ball. Over a sink, press as much liquid as you can out of the turnip pulp, twisting and rolling the ball along the edge of the sink. The pulp should have the consistency of wet sawdust. Place the pulp back into the blender. Measure out honey in the same amount as the turnip pulp [Option: Heat the honey in the microwave or over a stove, and add the spices to the honey, letting them steep for a few minutes. This may allow the saffron and spices to release more flavor]. Add the honey and spices to the turnip in the blender and pulse until the mixture is pureed. Pour the mixture into a lidded baking dish. Make a thick paste out of flour and water and use it to seal the lid on securely. Place in a 300 degree oven and bake for about 3 hours. Let the pudding cool until you can safely handle the baking dish. Carefully chip the flour paste off from the lid and open up the pot. The pudding should be a dark golden brown and will look like small-size caviar (no, really!) when you stir it up. If it is not very thick, cover it (forget the flour paste) and bake for another hour. Spoon it into a serving dish and serve as a dessert or a sweet condiment with meat. This pudding is very sweet and very strong-tasting (turnip-bitter), so my suggestion is to only allow a small portion to each person, perhaps only a few tablespoons.
 * Original Recipe** (from Pouncy, //Domostroi//, p. 198): Baked Turnip Pudding. Take a turnip in good condition and cut it into thin slices. Thread them on a line so that the slices do not touch one another as they dry, and hang them in the sun or in a warm oven where bread has just baked. They should not be watery; let them dry out well. Mash the dries slices and push the puree through a sieve. Put the turnip puree in a clay pot.
 * Yana's Baked Turnip Pudding**
 * 1 large turnip
 * 1/2 to 1 cup honey
 * 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground
 * 1/2 teaspoon cloves, ground
 * 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
 * big pinch of saffron threads (use what you can afford or leave out entirely)
 * flour and water