TO BOILE A CAPON WITH ORENGES AND LEMMONS

The Good Huswife's Handmaide For the Kitchen, 1594

Take Orenges or Lemmons pilled, and cutte them the long way, and if you can keepe your cloves whole and put them into your best broth of Mutton or Capon with prunes and currants and three or fowre dates, and when these have beene well sodden put whole pepper, great mace, a good peece of suger, and some rose water, and either white or claret Wine, and let all these seeth together a while, & so serve it upon soppes with your capon.

The Modern Version:

2 1/2 lbs chicken or capon, cut into serving pieces

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp butter

1 1/2 cup chicken stock

1 tsp rosewater (available from Middle Eastern groceries, or by mail order from cooking supply outlets such as Williams Sonoma;1-800-541-2233)

1 cup white wine

2 oranges, peeled and cut into eighths

2 lemons, peeled and cut into eighths

4 prunes, coarsely chopped

4 dates, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup currants

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp whole peppercorns

1/2 tsp whole cloves

1/2 tsp mace

In a large dutch oven, heat the oil and butter together until hot. Season the chicken or capon pieces with salt and pepper and place in pan. Brown well on all sides. Add the chicken stock, rosewater, and wine and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the fruit, salt, and mace. Place the peppercorns in a cheesecloth bag and add to the stock (the cheesecloth isn't strictly neccessary, but biting unsuspectedly into a peppercorn or clove can be an unsettling experience). Continue to simmer for another 15 minutes, or until the chicken is tender. Remove the cheesecloth bag containing the peppercorns and cloves. Serve in a large bowl with strips of fried bread.

Back to Recipies List Back to Bill & Ken's Home Page