Traveler's Fare

Food sets the tone for any event. Hungry people get grumpy, while well-fed people can enjoy the multitude of available activities provided by the event staff. Feast is the center-point of the event, from the kitchen staff’s point of view, and the other meals take a back-burner (so to speak). However, with a bit of clever planning, the smaller meals can be just as enjoyable an experience as feast, and set the stage nicely for the rest of the event. To this end, I will be writing a small series of articles including tips and tricks for making the non-feast meals at events an enjoyable experience. For this month, we’ll start at the beginning of the event - Traveler’s fare. 

A long time ago in a land far, far, away, my Lord and I attended SCA events approximately once every 3 weeks between April and October. These were camping events, where we camped with a household, and I ran the group kitchen. We learned fairly early in the process the importance of  food on Friday night, commonly known as Traveler’s Fare in Drachenwald. The basic requirements for Traveler’s Fare were that it be available for both early and late travelers, hot, filling, and plentiful. In Drachenwald, and especially in ID, we have the wonderful opportunity to host events in manor houses and castles, where setting camp is not necessary. However, travel is often still a trial, and filling bellies with something warm and tasty will still ease tempers after the rigors of the road. 

Traveler’s fare does not have to be difficult to make. In fact, it should be fairly easy; preferably something that can be set on the stove as soon as the kitchen staff arrives at the site and generally forgotten about (with the exception of a bit of stirring on occasion) until it is time to serve. It should be easily kept warm and/or reheated for those who arrive late. I have found that a hearty stew generally fits this bill. 

Don’t worry if you don’t have an actual recipe for stew. All you really need is the general concept of how to make a stew, and you’ll be able to throw one together easily. A good stew is simple, but does take time. Generally you won’t have enough time on the event site to properly stew your meat, however it can be done ahead of time.

To make a good stew, first pick your meat. Red meats generally make the richest, heartiest stews. Generally, beef tends to be a reasonably priced option. Cut your meat into cubes. Pre-cut stew meat is generally cut in 1-2 inch cubes, however if you’re cutting your own you can make your meat stretch farther by cutting it into smaller pieces. Toss your meat in some flour, salt, and pepper (other seasonings can be added if you wish as well), then quickly brown the meat in hot oil. Once the meat is brown, cover with liquid, turn the heat down and simmer until the meat is soft, preferably a few hours. You can use water as your liquid, but using a bit of wine or stock will give a richer flavor. 

Next you need some vegetables. A variety of root vegetables will fill out the flavor of your stew nicely. I like to use parsnips, turnips, swedes, and a bit of carrot. Cut your vegetables into cubes similar to the size you cut your meat. Again, smaller pieces will stretch farther and they will also cook faster. Add your vegetables to the stewed meat and, again, cover with fluid. Simmer until the vegetables are soft.

At this point, you can thicken the liquid a bit, if you’d like, by mixing a bit of flour with cold water and stirring the mixture into the boiling stew. Stir well, and keep an eye on it, as it can thicken quickly and you don’t want your broth/gravy turning to paste. Your stew is now ready to serve with some nice hearty bread.

Now that you have the basics, there are a few other things you can do with your stews. Onions and mushrooms can be added either with the meat or with the vegetables, depending on what you want them to be. Adding mushrooms with the meat will make your stock a bit richer, and will make it appear that there is more meat in your stew (as the mushrooms will mimic the texture of meat to a certain extent.) Adding the onions with the meat will have the onion act as a seasoning, where adding them with the vegetables will leave them a bit firmer instead. Adding a bone to the stew while it’s simmering will give a richer flavor, and you can also play with mixing types of meat in your stew. (I made an especially flavorful stew using beef but adding drippings from roasted lamb, the bone from the lamb roast, and a ham hock).

Just one more quick note about traveler’s fare - make sure you have something for everyone. Some religious practices don’t allow for the consumption of meat on Fridays, and you will often have vegetarians attending events as well. Offering a vegetable soup or stew will ensure that no one has to go hungry. (Read future articles for a vegetable stew recipe which can be reincarnated into a different soup for Saturday lunch.)