Roasted Pig

 The little bit of fiction - still in chapter eight of Kellen's story in Before the Blood, that I squeezed in amongst the work this weekend reminded of Meliss'a exchange with Kellen at the Smythe's dinner party, which reminded me that I hadn't shared any BryonySeries recipes for a while. Here's one for roasted pig straight out of the nineteenth century and served at that infamous dinner party.

Roasted Pig

1 small pig

1 pound cold meat, any kind

¼ pound salt pork

Bread

Sweet herbs

Pepper

Salt

½ tea cup butter

1 egg

1 pint water

Mix of salt and water

Butter, for rubbing

Take a pig that weighs from 7 to 12 pounds, and as much as 5 weeks old. Wash it thoroughly outside and inside. Chop twice as much bread as you have meat, and chop the meat and the salt pork and mix it all together, adding sweet herbs, pepper, salt, butter, and egg. Stuff the pig with it, and sew up tight. Take off the legs at the middle joint. Put it into a dripping pan with crossbars or a grate to hold it up, and with the legs tied, pour in the water, and set it in the oven. As soon as it begins to cook, swab it with salt and water, and then in 15 minutes do it again. If it blisters, it is cooking too fast; swab it and diminish the heat. It must bake, if weighing 12 pounds, 3 hours. When nearly done, rub it with butter. When taken out, set it for 3 minutes in the cold, to make it crisp.

From "Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles From 'Bryony'"

All proceeds benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties at www.bbbswillgrundy.org

Order the cookbook at www.bryonyseries.com/Dalton_s_Dry_Goods.html