Leche Lumbard

Leche Lumbard

Lombardy Slices, or Leche Lumbard, is a great dish to serve as a starter or as a final course instead of cheese.

It really looks the part at a medieval banquet. There are several authentic fourteenth and fifteenth century recipes for Leche Lumbard. This is my all time favourite.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of finely minced turkey
• 1 cup of blanched almonds
• 1 large glass of white wine
• 6 large eggs
• half cup of chopped parsley
• 10 to 15 saffron stamens
• Green food colouring
• Red food colouring
• Salt to taste

Method

• Brown the minced meat in a pan, stirring continuously to prevent burning.
• Grind the almonds to a fine paste in a food processor. A pestle and mortar can be used for grinding, but it takes ages.
• As you grind the almonds, add four tablespoons full of water a drip at a time.
• Mix the meat and almonds together in a blender.
• Whizz until the mixture is quite stiff and a regular colour throughout.
• Place the meat and almond mixture, wine and salt in a large pot on a medium heat.
• Bring to the boil then reduce the heat.
• Simmer for about ten minutes, or until the mixture is quite thick.
  

  (Cook's note: stir constantly during this stage)

• Remove the mixture from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
• Divide the mixture into four equal portions.
• Combine one quarter of the mixture with three egg whites in a small saucepan, over a medium heat.
• Stir the mixture constantly until it thickens.
• Spoon the mixture into a very lightly greased mould or small loaf tin.
• Grind the saffron in a pestle and mortar and then stir in a teaspoonful of warm water.
• Take another quarter of the mixture, combining it this time with three egg yolks and the saffron mixture.
• Once again, cook in a pan until the mixture thickens.
• Make this the second layer.
• For the third layer, try subtle green food colouring along with finely chopped parsley and three egg whites.

• For the fourth base layer, use red food colouring and three egg yolks. Top the mixture with sliced tomato.

  (Cook's note: tomato is a valid ingredient from circa sixteenth century)

• Make sure the mixture is well cooked before spooning it into the mould.

• Important: Press all the layers down well with a spatula to ensure they stick together properly.

To serve

Chill the filled mould in a refrigerator until the mixture is firm. Then simply turn it out onto a platter or dish, sprinkle with a little chopped parsley. Serve thick or thin slices of the Leche Lumbard with fresh baked bread rolls and golden butter.

The Original Recipe

Take fayre brawne & wesh it, & seth it tyl euery pece go fro other; than put it in a morter & grind it with almondes; than take whyte wyne or rede & bole it therin. Loke als mych as thu wyll haue whyte, put therto of the whyte of eyren, & yalow take therto yolkys of egges & bete tham wele to gydere, ich be it self. And if thu wylt haue it grene, take it of the spicer, or else take grene whete the gress, or els of barly, & grind it small, & tak therof the juse & put therto & thu wyll make it grene. But loke that isch be sodyn be hymself, & rede in the same wyse safe colour it with sawnders; but fyrst lay the whyte beneth the yalow. Ly it theron & the grene therapon, & when thu wylt dress it thu mast kerve it als long & als small as thu wylt.

Hieatt, Constance B. The Middle English Culinary Recipes in MS Harley 5401