From Forme of Curye 1390
Chyches
Note the placement of the comma–the saffron is whole, not the garlic. This fits in with my thinking that unless otherwise noted, saffron should be ground in medieval recipes, not used whole and steeped as is commonly done today.
Roasted chick peas
Take chick peas and cover them in ashes all night or lay them in hot embers. In the morning wash them in clean water, and do them over the fire with clean water. Seethe them up and do thereto oil, garlic, whole saffron, powder forte and salt. Seethe it and serve it forth.
Recipe
1lb dried chick peas
Olive oil
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
pinch of saffron
1 t. powder forte
1/2 t salt
Roast the chick peas at 400F for 12-15 minutes. Simmer in 8 cups of water and soak to rehydrate.
In a large pan, sweat the garlic in the oil until fragrant. Add chick peas, saffron, spices. Add some water to moisten and heat until the chick peas are hot. Serve hot.
For this redaction, we found the flavor to be lovely, but the texture of the reconstituted chick peas was too hard to be enjoyable to our palates. When I do this again, I’ll used canned chick peas, rinse them well and let them dry a little, roast, then proceed as above. Another option (a slight cheat) might be to rinse the chick peas, skip the roasting, and add a drop or two of liquid smoke for flavor.
Anyone who’s tried this a different way, please let me know in the comments!
