Hart rows

Origin: English      Period: Medieval

Original Recipe

Hart rows (from A Forme of Cury)

Take þer mawe of þe grete Swyne. and fyfe oþer sex of pigges mawe. fyll hem full of þe self fars. & sowe hem fast, perboile hem. take hem up & make smale prews of gode past and frye hem. take þese prews yfryed & seeþ hem þicke in þe mawes on þe fars made after an urchoun withoute legges. put hem on a spyt & roost hem & colour hem with safroun & messe hem forth.

Translation:

Make slivers of dough in the form of hedgehogs' spines, and fry them lightly in fat or oil. Take the stomachs of six or seven pigs, one larger than the rest. Stuff the stomachs with a mixture of ground pork, eggs, strong spice powder (likely including pepper and cloves), saffron, salt, and currants. Sew the stomachs securely and parboil them. Stick them full of the bits of fried dough so that they look like hedgehogs without legs. Roast on a spit until done, colouring them with saffron in a thin batter. Serve it forth.

Modern Redaction

Ingredients:

1 basic pastry
bacon fat or olive oil
2 pig stomachs, washed and cleaned
500ml milk
1.5kg pork, cut up
10 boiled eggs
2 raw eggs
1 tsp salt
12 threads saffron
200g breadcrumbs
150g currants
4 tsp powdour fort
6 saffron threads
2 egg whites

Method:

Place the pork in a pan and add water to cover. Bring to a boil then simmer for 40 minutes, until the pork is tender. Remove from the pan (reserve the boiling water), allow to cool and then mince finely. Add the pig stomachs to a pan of milk and boil for 20 minutes to tenderize. Set aside to cool in the milk (reserve the milk).

Meanwhile roll the pastry into very thin rounds (thinner than a pencil). Cut these at an angle into 4cm lengths. Heat oil or bacon fat in a frying pan and heat the pastry quills until browned on all sides. Transfer to kitchen paper and allow to drain.

Mince the boiled eggs, mix with the ground pork, saffron, salt, powdour fort, breadcrumbs, currants and the two raw eggs. The mixture should be a little sloppy if it's too dry add some of the reserved cooking liquid. Use this to stuff prepared pig stomachs. Sew up the openings and place in a large pan. Add the remainder of the reserved pork cooking liquid and the milk to the pan. If the liquid does not cover the pig stomachs add a little more water. Bring the mixture to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes. Take the stomachs out and allow to cool.

Once cool enough to handle stick the pastry quills into the stomachs so that they come to resemble hedgehogs. Place these 'hedgehogs' on a greased baking tray and place in an oven pre-heated to 180°C. Bake for 40 minutes then take out of the oven and immediately brush with a mixture of beaten egg whites and the remaining saffron. Place back in the oven for 30 seconds then repeat the process once more. This gives the entire 'hedgehog' a golden glaze.

Serve immediately.

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