12th Century Byzantine Chicken - Version 1 do not publish
An Emperor would serve this unique Greek-style chicken in 12th century Byzantium to Eleanor of Aquitaine, King Louis and the French court. On October 3, 1147 they arrived at the Greatest City in the World, half-way on their pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Twelve cities the size of Paris or London could fit within the outer walls of Byzantium. Eleanor's chef Tova, scribed this recipe originally for 40 chickens and two gallons of twelve types of Mediterranean olives. A great deal of math was done to yield a dish for four. Cooks back home, take heed of her majesty's chef kind advice: black pepper is an exotic delight, but because of its expense and rarity in the import market, make use of Herbes d' Aquitaine, a pungent near-pepper-like blend. This domestic mix helps us curb our dependence of foreign pepper. Take note: Herbes d'Aquitaine, like garlic, can be purchased at Queenhythe on the Thames. It is first choice of better manciples.
Yield 4 servings
Ingredients
host:
1 large chicken, about 4 pounds, quartered and jointed
resurrection mix:
1/4 cup Spanish green olives, brined, pitted
1/4 cup small Picholine green olives, brined, pitted
1/4 cup small Nicoise black olives, brined, pits in for vanity
1/4 cup Castelvetrano or other large Sicilian green olives, brined, pits in for necessity
1/4 cup large Calabrese or green olives, well-brined, pits in for flavor
1/4 cup olive oil
8 fresh bay leaves (or half the number properly dried and aged for 2 moons)
1 dried bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon black seeds crushed from dried green cardamom pods
mass concoction:
1/4 head garlic, peeled and pureed
2 tablespoons oregano
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt (like Baleine Sel De Mar or other Bretagne salt)
2 teaspoons just ground black pepper (if you don't have the silver - twice as much Herbes d'Aquitaine. If you have gold - half should be Grains of Paradise)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar (Benon recommended by Q.E.)
1/2 cup pitted prunes
1/4 cup capers with juice
for the fires:
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup white wine
benediction:
2 tablespoons parsley, cross-chopped finely
| 1 | Begin this at the end of the day, well before you have to light candles. In a small crockery, begin the resurrection of the olives by rinsing them quickly of their brine, except the Calbrese. Put the rinsed olives in a bowl. Pour in olive oil. Stir in circle twelve times calling out the names of the olives of the Mediterranean. |
|
| 2 | Separate the black seeds from inside the green cardamom shell, and place them at the bottom of a stone crushing bowl. Lay the old bay leaf on top. With stone pestle, crush the black seeds into whiteness, making sure the bay leaf blankets them. Pulverize, infusing the dead spirt of bay with the sweet spirit of seed. When the bay leaf is a skeleton you are done. Pour this essence, bay and all, into olive crockery and stir twelve times. |
|
| 3 | Resurrect the olives. Add to bowl fresh bay leaves without stems - cut some in long slices, some quartered, the smallest whole. Stir twelve times. Taste one olive. If it does not taste like it has been brought back to life, keep stirring twelve more times until it does. Now add the Calbrese olives. (If the master allows, make twice the olive mix so you can properly taste them with your brethren, master included, to make sure a proper olive resurrection has taken place - always stirring twelve times and saying a beatitude between reconstitutions). |
|
| 4 | In a large crockery combine jointed chicken, garlic, oregano, pepper, salt, red wine vinegar, prunes, capers, and the aforementioned crockery of the now resurrected olive oil-bay melange. Stir the pot, coating the fowl generously. |
|
| 5 | Cover the concoction and keep cool overnight. |
|
| 6 | Next day, heat oven near bread baking temperature (350°F.) |
|
| 7 | Space out chicken in a shallow pan for baking. Pour the remaining marinade evenly over the chicken. |
|
| 8 | Drizzle on honey and white wine. |
|
| 9 | Bake 50 minutes, basting with pan juices every ten minutes. |
|
| 10 | Pour off the pan juices in a sauce boat. |
|
| 11 | Serve with parsley on top. |
|
| 12 | No recipe is Byzantine without at least twelve steps and even more work. Serve with a decanter of pomegranate molasses syrup, a dish of wild Hindia mint-nutmeg seasoning, a glass of apricot honey-jam, and bowl of cherry cinnamon sauce. |
|
| | |
|
notes
Note: This is a political chicken. The olives are a means to talk about the mediterranean. Trident forks can be used to confuse barbarians. Spices+: Pomegranate / Cinnamon / Paprika / lemon juice sesame seed / almonds-pistachio / rosemary+thyme /Cherry+cinnamon+honey or better pomegranite / sumak
Baharat Seasoning:
1 1/2 tablespoons dried mint
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
preparation
Using pestle or blunt end of wooden spoon, mash all ingredients and 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper in mortar or small bowl 2 to 3 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill
