Ꞇe paſtronakꝰ +̅skyrwiꞇꞇꝰ + appleꝰ anꝺ ꝑboyle he̅ · make a bato of flo anꝺ ayro · caſt þꝰꞇo ale · safro +̅ ſalꞇ · weꞇe he̅ ī þe baꞇo +̅ fry he̅ in oyle or in grece · ꝺo þer ꞇo almaꝺ mylk anꝺ ſerue hit foꝛꞇh ·

Translation

Fritters of Parsnips, Skirrets and of Apples

Take skirrets and parsnips and apples and parboil them. Make a batter of flour and eggs and add ale, saffron and salt. Dip them in the batter and fry them in oil or in lard. Add to this almond milk and serve it forth.

Modern Redaction

Sium sisarum, commonly known as skirret, is a perennial plant of the family Apiaceae sometimes grown as a root vegetable. The English name skirret is derived from the Middle English 'skirwhit' or 'skirwort', meaning 'white root'. During the middle ages, this, along with parsnips were more commonly grown than carrots (which themselves would have been in a multitude of colours but not orange).

Ingredients:

10 skirrets (or small carrots), peeled
4 parsnips, peeled
2 eating apples, peeled and cored

For the Batter:
150g plain flour
1 large egg
250ml ale

oil or lard for deep frying
200ml thick Almond milk, heated, to serve

Method:

Bring a pan of water to a boil. Add the apples, skirrets and parnsips and parboil for 10 minutes.

Drain the vegetables and fruit then set aside to cool before cutting into bite-sized pieces.

In the meantime, whisk together the flour, eggs and ale to make a smooth batter. Stir in the saffron to flavour then season to taste with salt. Allow to rest for 30 minutes.

Heat oil or lard to a depth of 3cm in a large pan. When the oil is hot, dip the vegetable and apple pieces in the batter then drop into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown and cooked through then remove with a slotted spoon, drain and arrange in a serving dish. Pour over the almond milk and serve.

Find more Medieval recipes as well as more recipes from the Forme of Cury here.