Fig and Date Fritters
1 cup figs
1 cup dates
1/2 cup currants
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 tsp. oil
1/8 tsp. each cloves, mace, pepper, and saffron
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying
1. Halve the figs and put them in a bowl. Put the bowl in the freezer for fifteen minutes.
2. In a food processor, combine cold figs and two teaspoons of oil, cloves and mace, and purée them.
3. Cut the dates into four or five. In a bowl, combine dates, ground figs, pine nuts, and remaining spices. Mix thoroughly.
4. Roll out the pastry dough and cut into circle about four inches across. Mold the fig and date paste into walnut sized lumps and wrap them in the pastry circles, crimping the edges together. Trim off any excess pastry dough.
5. In a deep fryer or large, heavy skillet, heat the oil and deep fry the rischews until they are golden brown. Drain the oil off, and serve.
Makes about a dozen.
NOTES ON THE RECIPE:
These fritters might be described as deep-fried Fig Newtons. Today, similar fritters are called rissoles. The instruction to fold hym as Ruschewys is a perfect example of how these recipe collections were not for novices; one needed to know what ryschewys looked like before one could fold them.
Source for Recipe Presented
From Harleian MS 279 - Redaction by Rudd Rayfield
Ryschewys Close and Fryez - Harleian MS 279
Take Fygys, & grynd hem smal in a mortere with a lytil Oyle, & grynd with hym clowys & Maces; & (th)an take it vppe in-to a vesselle, & cast (th)er-to Pynez, Saundrys, & Roysonys of Coraunce, & mencyd Datys, Pouder Pepir, Canel, Salt, Safroun; (th)an take fyne past of flowre an water, Sugre, Safroun, & Salt, & make fayre cakys (th)er-of; (th)an rolle (th)in stuf in (th)in hond, & couche it in (th)e cakys, & kyt it, & folde hym as Ruschewys, & frye hem vppe in Oyle; and serue forth hote.
