Poullaille farcie
(Stuffed Poultry)

Origin: French      Period: Medieval

Original Recipe

Poullaille farcie (from Le Viandier de Taillevent)

POULLAILLE FARCIE. Prenez vos poullez et leur couppez le gavion, puis les eschaudez et plumez, et gardez que la peau soit sainne et entière, et ne la reffaictes point en l'eaue, puis prenez ung tuel de chaume ou autre, et le boutez entre cuir et chair, et l'enflez, puis le fendez entre les espaules et n'y faictes pas trop grant trou, et laissiez tenant à la peau les cuissetes, les ailles et le col atout la teste, et les pietz aussi. Et, pour faire la farce, prenez chair de mouton, de veel, de porc, du brun des poulletz, et hachiez tout ensemble tout cru; puis les broyez en ung mortier, et des oeulfz tous cruz avec de bon frommaige de gain, et de bonne pouldre d'espices, et ung bien pou de saffren, et sallez à point, puis emplez vos poullez, et recousez le trou; et du remenant de vostre farce faictes en pommez comme parciaulx de guede, et mettez cuire en boullion de beuf et en eaue boullant, et du saffran grant foison, et qu'ilz ne boullent mie trop fort qu'ilz ne se despiècent; puis enhastez voz poulletz en une broche de fer bien liées, et les pommes aussi. Et, pour les dorer ou couvrir de vert ou de jaune: pour le jaune, prenez grant foison de moyeulx d'oefz et les batez bien, et ung pou de saffren avec, et mettez la doreure en ung plat ou autre vaissel. Et qui veult doreure verte, si braye la verdure avec les oeufz. Et après ce que vostre poulaille sera cuite et voz pommes, drecieez vostre broche ou vaissel où vostre doreure sera, et gectez tout du long vostre doreure, et remettez au feu affin que vostre doreure se preigne par deux fois ou par trois; et gardez que vostre doreure n'ait grant feu qu'elle ne arde.

Translation:

Poullaille farcie: Stuffed Poultry. Take your hens, cut their necks, scald and pluck them, and be careful that the skin remains undamaged and whole, and do not plump the birds; then take some sort of straw and push it between the skin and the flesh, and blow; then cut the skin between the shoulders, not making too large a hole, and leave the legs with the feet, wings, and neck with the head still attached to the skin.

To make the stuffing, take mutton, veal, pork and the cooked dark meat of chickens, and chop up all of this raw, and grind it in a mortar, together with a great quantity of raw eggs, cooked chestnuts, a good rich cheese, good spice powder and a little saffron, and salt to taste. Then stuff your chickens and sew up the hole again. With any leftover stuffing make hard balls, using a great deal of saffron, the size of packets of woad, and cook them in beef broth and boiling water gently, so they do not fall apart. Then mount your chickens and the balls on very slender iron spits.

To glaze them or cover them with green or yellow: for the yellow, take a great quantity of egg yolks, beat them well with a little saffron, and set this glazing in a dish of some sort; and should you want a green glazing, grind the greenery with the eggs without saffron, and put this through the strainer and apply it; after your poultry and your balls of stuffing are cooked, place your spit in the dish with the glazing mixture two or three times and cast your glazing the full length of the spit, then put it back on the fire so that your glazing will take; and watch that your glazing does not have so hot a fire that it burns.

Modern Redaction

Ingredients:

1 chicken, with the feet and head still attached
450g mixture of mutton, veal, and chicken dark-meat, or a combination or single use of any of these meats, cooked and diced or ground
6 eggs, beaten
100g cooked chestnuts (whole or ground) [or walnuts]
100g mozzarella or brie, diced or shredded
2 tsp gode powdor
½ tsp savory
½ tsp cumin
6 saffron threads
½ tsp salt (or to taste)
2 egg yolks
few drops yellow & green food colouring
unseasoned bread crumbs (optional)

Method:

Combine all ingredients except chicken in a large bowl; mix well. Stuff the chicken with this mixture, reserving the leftover stuffing. With your hands, gently rub olive oil over the entire bird, then lay belly-down on foil on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Cover the delicate areas of the feet, head, and wings with foil to prevent overcooking. Place the bird in an oven pre-heated to 180°C and bake to the point where the skin just begins to turn a golden brown. Try not to overcook as the bird will fall apart if it becomes too tender. Remove from the oven and carefully remove the protective foil.

Immediately brush the entire bird with egg yolk which has been dyed either gold or green, or use a combination of colours in any whimsical manner that you like. Return to the oven for just a few seconds, to set the glaze - be careful not to overheat as it will spoil the colours. Remove from oven, place on a serving platter, and garnish with 'eggs' made from the leftover stuffing, as follows:

To make the 'eggs', take the remainder of the stuffing and mould it into egg-shaped balls. If the mixture is too sloppy add a few more breadcrumbs to make the mixture more malleable. Place the 'eggs' on a well-greased baking tray and bake in an oven pre-heated to 180°C for half an hour, or until done. At this point you might want to brush the eggs with the coloured eggwash so that they match the bird. Simply brush the eggs with the eggwash and return to the oven for about 30 seconds to set the glaze.

When ready place alongside the hen and serve.

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