Rapeye

We made this one as a spread for on bread, serving it cold, but in the past have also served it warm as a non-meat stew alternative.

Original:

Harleian MS. 279 – Potage Dyvers: 53

Take half Fygys & halfe Roysonys, and boyle hem in Wyne; Þan bray hem in a morter, and draw wyth the same lycoure Þorw a straynoure so Þikke Þat it be stondynge; Þanne take Roysons of Corauns, Pynys, Clowys, Maces, Sugre of Siprys, and caste Þer-to; Þan putte it on a potte; Þan take Saunderys a fewe, Pepir, Canel, an a litel Safroun; and yif it be nogt stondyng, take [a] lytil flowre of Amidons, an draw it Þorw a streynwoure, an caste Þer-to Salt, & serue forth stondyng.

Redaction:

• 500 gr dried figs
• 650 gr raisins
• 0,5 liter red wine (I used a Shiraz)
• 200 gr pine nuts
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground mace
• 2 tsp ground pepper
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• a few pinches of salt
• (optional) cane sugar
• (optional) saffron
• (optional) sandalwood
• (if needed) a little flour

Put the wine in a pan and let the figs and 500 gr of the raisins simmer on a low heat until the figs are soft. Take out the figs and cut them really small. Put the figs back in with the raisins, put in the remaining raisins, add the pine nuts and the spices, and let it stew on a very low heat for a long time (at least another hour or so). Take care it doesn’t burn.

Check if it’s of the right consistency, if it’s still too moist, add some flour and let that cook out and bind some more.

Add the salt, make sure it’s well incorporated, and let it cool.

Note that the spices are “to taste”, what is in the recipe is about what I used. Start with less, and add more if you think the recipe needs it. Also, if you’re saving it cold, it might be good to have it a little more spicy than when serving it hot. Also, for the version served at the feast, I “blitzed” about half the pine nuts in the food processor, as they looked a bit chunky for a spread.