“A soup like this is not the work of one man. It is the result of a constantly refined tradition. There are nearly a thousand years of history in this soup.”
Willa Cather, ‘Death Comes for the Archbishop’ (1927)
Our friends over at Battle Castle are having a medieval soup challenge! Writer Nicole Tomlinson was inspired to start the challenge after her visit to Malbork Castle and seeing a picture of the Cherry Soup in the book The Cuisine of the Teutonic Grand Masters in Malbork Castle. You can read all about her trip and visit with the head chef on her Battle Castle blog.
Nicole at Malbork Castle enjoying the strawberry pierogies.
The Challenge
It’s simple really. Make three soups like the Teutonic Knights of the medieval era. Take pictures or video, upload and share them with the medieval community. The soups are:
I love soup! And I can’t wait to try the Cherry Soup, which sounds more like a dessert than a soup. How do you get the recipes for these tasty soups? All you have to do is ‘Like’ Battle Castle on Facebook, use #medievalsoup on Twitter or follow or RT Battle Castle on Twitter. It couldn’t be an easier. Well actually it could. I could just give you the recipes right here.
OK, I will give you one. For the other two head over to Facebook or Twitter and connect with the Battle Castle community!
Zupa Gryzbowa – Mushroom Soup
This recipe captures the essence of Chef Galazka’s mushroom soup. Three differet types of flavourful fungus combine with port wine and butter to create a rich, fragrant dish that captivates the pallet.
Ingredients:
- 250g fresh chanterelle mushrooms
- 250g fresh crimini mushrooms
- 500g dried porcini mushrooms
- 1.5L vegetable stock
- 8 sprigs of thyme
- 300g fresh gnocchi
- 60g butter
- 60mL oil
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 250mL port wine
- 15mL truffle oil
- salt
- pepper
- parsley
Makes 6 meal-sized servings or 10 appetizer-sized servings.
Preparation:
Soak porcini mushrooms in water for 1 hour. Clean chanterelle and crimini mushrooms and put into pot with vegetable stock and thyme. Cook until mushrooms lose stiff texture (approx. 10 minutes). Lift mushrooms out of stock with slotted spoon and cut them into sections. Put stock aside. Heat butter and oil in a deep pan, add diced onion and sauté. Drain porcini mushrooms and keep the liquid they were soaking in. Squeeze excess fluid out of the mushrooms and cut them into sections. Mix porcini mushrooms with chanterelle and crimini mushrooms, add to pan with the onion and simmer for 15 minutes. Cut gnocchi up into little pieces and boil in water with a tbsp of salt until pieces rise to the top. Strain out and put into ice water to firm. Add crushed garlic cloves, porcini mushroom liquid, and port wine to pan. Simmer for 5 more minutes. Pull thyme sprigs out of the vegetable stock and add to pan. Simmer until stock is hot, adding salt and pepper to taste. Strain gnocchi pieces immediately before serving, portion into bowls and ladle hot soup over them. Finish with truffle oil and parsley.
Recipe inspired by “The Cuisine of the Teutonic Grand Masters in Malbork Castle” by Bogdan Galazka, Head Chef at the Gothic Cafe, located at the castle. Malbork is one of six castles featured in the Battle Castle action documentary series, airing on History Television in 2012.
Head Chef Bogdan Galazka talking about the golden food of the Grandmasters.
Are you up for the challenge? Then head on over to the Battle Castle Facebook page or the Battle Castle Twitter page and get the other two recipes. You won’t be sorry!
About Battle Castle
Battle Castle brings to life mighty medieval fortifications and the epic sieges they resist: clashes that defy the limits of military technology, turn empires to dust, and transform mortals into legends.
Castles conjure thoughts of romantic tales, but make no mistake, they are built for war.
Dover: Prince Louis’ key to England. Malaga: the Granadans final stronghold. And Crac des Chevaliers: Crown Jewel of Crusader castles. Through dynamic location footage and immersive visual effects, Battle Castle reveals a bloody history of this epic medieval arms race.
As siege weapons and technology become more ruthless, the men who design and built these castles reply … or perish. Follow host Dan Snow as he explores the military engineering behind these medieval megastructures and the legendary battles that became testaments to their might.
Each episode will climax in the ultimate test of the castle’s military engineering – a siege that will change the course of history. Which castles will be conquered and which will prevail? You’ll have to watch to find out.
But the journey doesn’t end there –in fact, it’s just beginning. Battle Castle extends into a multi-platform quest, taking us deep into the secret world of medieval warfare and strategy. Become the ultimate ‘Castle Master’. Stay tuned for more on the Battle Castle experience.
Battle Castle is scheduled to air on History Television in Canada in 2012
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