The Unofficial Game of Thrones Cookbook: From Direwolf Ale to Auroch Stew - More Than 150 Recipes from Westeros and Beyond (Unofficial Cookbook) (23 page)

Sansa Stark’s Fairytale Trout Baked in Clay

Sansa Stark grew up on fairy tales and songs of heroic knights and handsome, noble princes. When she meets Prince Joffrey, she feels like her daydreams are coming true. Fittingly, she is served a fanciful dish of fish baked in a sealed clay pot — a nonsensical menu item perhaps, but one that may foreshadow a future of captivity, not freedom. This version is a little more practical; baked in bread rather than clay, it doesn’t require the assistance of a prince to enjoy. (
A Game of Thrones
, Chapter 15 — Sansa)

Serves 8

1 10- to 12-inch round loaf of bread (see A Word of Wisdom)

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cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more to taste

4 large vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced

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teaspoon sea salt

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried minced onion

1 teaspoon dried parsley

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teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

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teaspoon dried basil, crushed

Dried red pepper flakes to taste

Granulated sugar to taste

2 cups cottage cheese, drained

1 large egg

3 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Extra-virgin olive oil as needed

12 ounces of cooked trout, flaked, or any canned seafood of your choice, drained

8 ounces fresh button or cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
   
2. Cut the top off of the loaf of bread. Starting about
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   inch from the outer crust, cut a circle around the inside of the loaf, cutting down to about
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   inch from the bottom of the crust; be careful not to pierce it.
   
3. Remove the soft bread from the inside of the loaf, and use a blender or food processor to make 2 to 3 cups of coarse soft bread crumbs. Mix 1 cup of the bread crumbs with the
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   cup of the freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano; set aside.
   
4. In a small bowl, mix together the tomatoes, salt, garlic, dried onion, parsley, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, and sugar.
   
5. In another bowl, mix the cottage cheese with the egg and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese.
   
6. Use a pastry brush to liberally coat the inside and the outside of the bread with extra-virgin olive oil. Place the bread crust-side down on a baking sheet. Sprinkle freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano to taste over the bottom inside of the bread.
   
7. Use a slotted spoon to spoon half of the tomato mixture over the top of the grated cheese; avoid getting too much of the tomato juice in this layer. Spread the cottage cheese mixture over the top of the tomatoes; then spread the trout or seafood over the cottage cheese mixture, and top with the mushrooms. Ladle the remaining tomato mixture and juices over the top of the mushrooms.
   
8. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese over the tomato mixture. Sprinkle the bread-crumb mixture over the mozzarella, carefully pressing the mixture down over the cheese. Add more bread crumbs, if desired. Liberally drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over the top of the bread crumbs.
   
9. Bake for 1 hour, or until the bread crumbs on top are deep brown and the mozzarella cheese underneath is melted and bubbling. Serve immediately.
   

Baratheon Boar Ribs with Apple

A king has the luxury of being able to order what he wishes, and after a vigorous hunt it’s understandable that he would want a fine boar to consume. While he rides alongside the son he can’t quite relate to, King Robert makes sure to demand that such a meal will be ready for him and his knights upon their return. The poor boar, however, is not unlike the rotund king who has seen better days before seeming so tempting of a target for his enemies. (
A Game of Thrones
, Chapter 8 — Bran)

Serves 4

1 fennel bulb, core and brown parts removed, chopped

1 tart apple, peeled, cored, and chopped

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cup white wine

1 tablespoon butter

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teaspoon caraway seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

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cup sour cream (optional)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

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cup finely chopped celery

2 tablespoons minced onion

1 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped

2 teaspoons dried rosemary or 2 tablespoons fresh, chopped

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cup dry bread crumbs or stuffing mix

4 double-thick boar or pork rib chops (7–8 ounces each)

8 wooden toothpicks, soaked in water for
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hour

1. Cook the fennel and apple in the wine, covered, for about 20 minutes. Be sure to keep it wet by adding liquid as needed. Don’t let it dry out.
   
2. When the fennel and apple are very soft, add the butter, caraway seeds, salt and pepper, and sour cream. Stir lightly; then remove from heat. Set aside.
   
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the celery, onion, apple, and rosemary. Cook about 2 minutes; then mix in the bread crumbs or stuffing mix.
   
4. Fill the pockets of the chops with the bread-crumb mixture, securing openings with toothpicks.
   
5. Set the grill to medium and brown chops over direct heat.
   
6. Place on indirect heat, cover, and grill for about 15 minutes per side. Internal temperature should reach 145°F. Spoon some fennel sauce onto each chop before serving.
   

Castle Black Rack of Lamb

Celebrations with comrades-in-arms call for the finest meat. The newest brothers of the black enjoy this delicious meal courtesy of the Lord Commander, and even though Three-Finger Hobb serves up a good trencher of stew, this dish would be a rare treat for the boys. Jon Snow — who seems to have the blood of a carnivorous direwolf running in his veins — would particularly enjoy this treat. (
A Game of Thrones
, Chapter 41 — Jon)

Serves 4

Lamb:

2 racks of lamb, about 8 ribs each, well trimmed

Slice of fresh lemon

Salt and pepper

1 cup soft (homemade) bread crumbs

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cup olive oil or melted butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 scallions (both green and white parts), chopped

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cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped fine

4 fresh sage leaves, shredded, or 1 teaspoon dried sage

Plenty of freshly ground pepper

Mint Sauce:

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cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

2 teaspoons fresh chives, minced

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cup fresh mint leaves, chopped and loosely packed

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cup white (dry) vermouth

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Rub the lamb with the slice of lemon. Sprinkle the lamb with salt and pepper.
   
2. Set gas grill on high. If using coals, mound them on one side of the grill basin so that you will provide both direct and indirect heat.
   
3. Mix together the bread crumbs, oil or butter, garlic, scallions, herbs, and pepper. Depending on the dryness of the crumbs, you may want to add more oil or butter. Set aside.
   
4. Grill the lamb over direct heat, bone-side down, for 5 minutes. Turn and grill, meat-side down, over direct heat for 5 minutes.
   
5. Move the lamb to the indirect heat or reduce the heat of the gas grill. With the lamb meat-side up, press the bread-crumb mixture onto the meat. Cover with the lid and roast at about 400°F for 10 minutes. The lamb should be pink on the inside and the crust delicious and crisp. The internal temperature should reach 145°F.
   
6. To make the mint sauce, heat the butter in a saucepan and add the chives and mint leaves. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.
   
7. Before serving, cut chops apart gently. Serve mint sauce warm in a separate bowl.
   

Littlefinger’s Lamprey Pie

If the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, the way to sway Lord Petyr Baelish may be through Lamprey Pie. The tavern standard is his admitted weakness, and he’s often willing to spend time with even the most dreadful of people to get a taste. But serving the likes of Littlefinger a dish of eel as slippery as he may not produce the intended consequences … (
A Game of Thrones
, Chapter 33 — Eddard)