Pastilles

So, once again I've been asked to teach a class, this time for the kiddies.  And, as many of the people who have read this blog might have realized, I'm going to shamelessly steal from Townsends yet again (check the video link above, and seriously, check out their channel in general).  Townsends may be focused on colonial-era recipes, but a lot of their stuff goes back towards things that are entirely appropriate for the SCA.

Sugar was used primarily as a medicine in the Greek and Roman eras and no, it does not come solely from the US.  In fact, Marco Polo (not the game) reported that the Chinese were producing vast amounts of unrefined sugar.  Egypt and Venice were creating a more pure substance, but let's be honest, it probably wasn't the pure white stuff we know today.  And, of course, Native Americans in both North and South America were producing sugar from cane for centuries by this time.

Sugar naturally helps stop coughing by dissolving in your mouth, which is part of why cough drops are made the way they're made.

If you're looking at an English persona, sugar was first acknowledged in England in 1100.  By 1400, the nobility had enough of it that it was considered a moderately common, albeit expensive, spice.  In the 1000s, Islamic countries were using sugar as a medicine for a variety of ailments.

Now, it is important that we all realize that this is not actually a medicine.  Sugar isn't good for you, kiddos.  In fact, it's pretty darned bad for you.  So why did people take sugar pills when they felt bad?

Well, there's the easy explanation--they weren't used to sugar.  Sugar tastes good and it made them feel happy, which helped them feel better.  There's also the fact that they often included various oils, herbs, extracts, and other things that might actually have a little bit of medicinal properties.

And that's what we'll be making for this class.  What was viewed as medicine is, to us, going to be candy.

What You're Going to Need

It's important to note here that just about everything here is going to be "a little bit of this."  Basically, make sure you have some extras.

Sugar - Probably a cup, maybe a little more if you want more

Flavorings - This can be pretty much anything you want.  I'm going to use some peppermint extract and maybe some vanilla extract.  If you want lemony candies, use some lemon oil.  Hot fireballs?  Cinnamon oil.

Water - You know where to get this.  You won't need a bunch, but enough to make a paste.

Waxed Paper - This stuff likes to stick to anything, so having something non-sticky to put it on is a good idea.

Eye Dropper - Remember, extracts are STRONG.  You don't want to add more than a few drops to the mixture.

A Note to Parents

Guys, if you're running out to get essential oils (Lemon, Citrus, Cinnamon, etc.), make sure they are food-grade.  A lot of the stuff you can get at, say, Whole Foods or whatever isn't graded for human consumption.  While these aren't actually medicines, we don't want your kids getting sick from them either.

What You Might Want

A little bit of Xanthan Gum - I got it at Foodarama by me, honestly.

If you can't find xanthan gum, you can use cornstarch or really, any other sort of goopy, food-safe stuff.  This isn't necessary, but as the video above shows, it does help.

Oh, and if you have any stamping tools, you can use them to decorate your pastilles.

Directions

1.  Pour the sugar in a bowl.  Hard, I know!

2.  Add a few drops of whatever flavor you want the pastilles (which means little pills) to have.

3.  Start adding a little bit of water at a time until you have a still paste.  What you're looking for is a bit like making a sort of wet sandcastle mixture.  If you're using xanthan gum or another binder, mix it with the water as you're adding it here.

4.  Start making the pills.  How big or how small is really up to you, but too small is a lot of work and too big won't fit in your mouth (and takes longer to dry).

5.  Put the pastilles on the waxed paper somewhere safe from bugs and humidity.

6.  Wait.  Sorry, this takes a while to dry.  In a couple days, they should be good to go.

7.  Eat.  But not all at once!

Pierogi

Please note:  for this, all images are stolen horribly from the Internet.  I haven't made these in a while, but I want to show some things here.

I know I haven't updated this in forever, but my wonderful friends at the Barony of Stargate have asked me to teach a class on Saturday on making pierogi, so hey, I figure this is a good way of having a writeup!

What's a Pierogi, Anyways?

For a start, a grammatical mistake!  Pierogi are the plural form of pierog (I can't do the accents on here, sorry), which is basically just about any form of dumpling.  The word actually translates, more or less, to pie.  Pierogi are very common in Russia, the Ukraine, and Poland, and have a supposed history dating back to the Kievan Rus.  They are commonly filled with all sorts of things, from mushrooms to potatoes and onions to fish and any sort of meat you can think of.  They are typically served with sour cream and/or melted butter and onions, with usually some sort of green garnish.

Pierogi Russkie

The type of pierogi I am making for the class is pierogi Russkie, which is pretty much the most traditional one (I may do some filled with mushrooms as well, but since the class is online, I'm not sure if there is a real point here--not like anyone can taste it).  This is pierogi filled with mashed potatoes, fried onions, and quark cheese.  Now, I can't exactly purchase quark easily and I don't have the time to make it, so we're going to use cream cheese here.

Please note:  for those of you looking into a much more "traditional" recipe, you'll want to use something other than potatoes, which are a New World crop.  However, this works well, especially since I have a lot of leftover mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving.  Waste not, want not.

Pierogi at an Event

The nice thing about pierogi, in my opinion, is that they freeze exceptionally well and are simply prepared by boiling for a while, then frying in some butter and topping them.  This makes them ideal for the sort of event where you can prep a LOT of food for people and then make it relatively quickly, or even to-order.  Boil them in a big pot, take a few out and fry as people come up.  Event fast food, anyone?

Recipe for the Class

Please note:  I will not be making anywhere near this much pierogi, as I am cooking only for myself.  All measurements are for a "full batch," and frankly, you should all be smart enough to know how to adjust recipes for servings.

For the Wrappers:

5 cups flour (AP if you want to be modern, unbleached etc. for more traditional)

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

3 large eggs (if going more historical, try 4 medium eggs--our modern large eggs are pretty big)

1/2 cup softened butter

For the Filling:

4 medium peeled and chopped potatoes

2 medium onions, chopped (reserve some for toppings)

2 tablespoons butter

5 ounces softened cream cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

For the Toppings (for each serving):

1/2 tablespoon butter

1 sprinkle reserved onions

1 sprinkle chopped parsley

1 sprinkle chopped green onion

Directions:

1:  Make the dough.  Combine the salt and pepper, then add everything else and mix as you see fit.  A food processor would be nice here.  Let rest 15-30 minutes.

2:  Fry the non-reserved onions in the butter until they are nicely brown and a little crispy.

3:  Make mashed potatoes.  Seriously.

4:  To the mashed potatoes, add everything else for the filling.  Mix until nicely combined.

5:  Roll out the dough until it is about 1/8" thick and cut into 3" rounds with, well, anything.  You can separate the dough into multiple parts if that makes it easier.

6:  To each round, add 2 tablespoons of filling.  Moisten the edge around the round and press to seal.  You're making dumplings.  If you want to be fancy, you can crimp them.  I'm not super-fancy.

7:  Get a big pot full of boiling water.  Toss in the pierogi and wait until they are floating.  Remove and strain.  You probably want to do these in batches unless you have a REALLY big pot.

8:  Get a serving of 4-6 pierogi ready.  Melt the topping butter in a skillet and add the reserved onions.  Cook them down for a bit (you want them to get like the onions in the filling).  Fry the pierogi on each side for a few minutes until they are nicely browned.  Plate with the butter, onions, and the greenery.

9:  Serve with sour cream, if you want.