The Unofficial Game of Thrones Cookbook: From Direwolf Ale to Auroch Stew - More Than 150 Recipes from Westeros and Beyond (Unofficial Cookbook) (9 page)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

  1. In a mixing bowl, combine the jack cheese and cream cheese with a wooden spoon until well blended.
  2. Add the onion to the cheeses and stir it in gently. Stir in the cumin and season with salt to taste.
  3. Spoon filling into each pepper, dividing it equally among the peppers, and place the stuffed peppers in a casserole dish. Refrigerate it at this point if serving later.
  4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bring the stuffed peppers to room temperature if they have been refrigerated.
  5. Drizzle the peppers with the olive oil. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until cheese is melted and edges of peppers are beginning to brown. Serve warm.

A Word of Wisdom

Switch up the flavors in this recipe for a variety of delicious dishes. Add bacon and cilantro to this recipe for an extra savory twist. For a sweeter plate, substitute crabmeat, parsley, and goat cheese in roasted piquillo peppers for the onions, cumin, and jack cheese.

The Cheesemonger’s Candied Onions

Magister Illyrio serves his clever and resourceful allies the highest Pentoshi cuisine. Candied onions work wonderfully alone as an appetizer or as a side to a larger feast. And despite such a simple recipe, this dish is sweet enough to keep the rotund cheesemonger stately and stout. (
A Dance with Dragons
, Chapter 1 — Tyrion)

Serves up to 40

1 bag (2 cups) peeled pearl onions

2 teaspoons sugar or brown sugar

1

4
teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter or olive oil

1 cup cold water

  1. In a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, combine onions, sugar, salt, and butter with 1 cup cold water; bring to a simmer.
  2. Cook gently until all water is absorbed and onions are coated in a light glaze, about 5 minutes.
  3. Reduce heat to low. Cook slowly until glaze browns and onions attain golden-brown appearance, about 5 minutes more.
  4. Alternative Method:
    Once liquid is reduced to a glaze, put the entire pan in a preheated 350°F oven, and roast until browned.

A Word of Wisdom

Frozen and peeled pearl onions make this recipe very easy to make, but the sweetness and crunch of fresh ones elevates the dish in grand Pentoshi style. Use the freshest ingredients you can find — when you have the time and patience to peel for 20 minutes or so — for the best dish in the city.

Pentoshi Stinky Cheese Plate

Any friend of his friend across the narrow sea is a friend of Illyrio Mopatis of Pentos. This is very fortunate for a certain Lannister who found himself in grave circumstances and in need of some hospitality — and a prodigious amount of wine. A perfect accompaniment to a good cask of strongwine, this plate of cheese simply reeks of hospitality. (
A Dance with Dragons
, Chapter 1 — Tyrion)

Serves 4

4 ounces Brie de Meaux cheese

4 ounces Roquefort blue cheese

1 French Butter pear

Handful of raspberries

1

4
cup toasted hazelnuts

1

4
cup toasted almonds

12 Picholine olives

1

4
cup Niçoise olives

1 baguette French bread

  1. Place the whole pieces of cheese on a platter.
  2. Slice the pear and arrange it with the raspberries, nuts, and olives on the platter.
  3. Slice the baguette and serve it with the cheese plate. Provide a cheese knife and serving fork.

A Word of Wisdom

Creamy Brie de Meaux has a stronger, more fermented smell than its less-specific cousins, but is known as the “King of Cheeses.” Salty, crumbly Roquefort is an equally popular blue cheese made of sheep’s milk with patches of aromatic green mold throughout.

Balerion Fish Roe Dip

On the stormy narrow sea, Daenerys cannot help but admire the life that dwells in the ocean waters. While the Dothraki may call it the poison water, Dany loves watching the dolphins and many forms of marine life. The sailors, the sea life, and freshly prepared Balerion Fish Roe Dip remind her of a time when she had wanted to be a sailor rather than a member of royalty. (
A Storm of Swords
, Chapter 8 — Daenerys)

Makes 2 cups

5 slices white bread, crusts removed

1

2
yellow onion

2 lemons

4 ounces tarama (cured carp or cod roe)

1 cup olive oil

1 cup mashed potatoes

  1. Cut the bread and onion into chunks. Juice the lemons and discard the rinds.
  2. Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Serve on warm
    Soft Flatbread from Across the Narrow Sea
    .

A Word of Wisdom

If you can’t find tarama or aren’t sure what it will taste like, try crabmeat or tuna in its place to make a familiar-tasting seafood spread before you attempt the real thing.

Volantene Honey Sausages

South of the river Volaenia lies the eastern free city of Volantis. Known for food, illicit pleasures, and slave trade, it is in this city that Tyrion Lannister finds himself the unlikely breakfast companion of a certain knight. But rather than sulk, the Lannister Lord knows to take enjoyment where he can, and this most gratifying honey sausage offers at least some relief from the pressures and fears he otherwise feels. (
A Dance with Dragons
, Chapter 27 — Tyrion)

Serves 10

8 thickly cut slices salami or bologna

16 slices
Winterfell Black Bread

8 ounces mustard pickles

4 teaspoons honey Dijon mustard

  1. Heat the grill to hot.
  2. Place the sausage slices on the hot grill and turn after 1 minute.
  3. Toast the bread on the side of the grill until lightly crisped on both sides. Cut the toasted bread slices into halves and place on a serving platter.
  4. Remove the sausage slices from the grill and cut into quarters. Arrange the slices of sausage on the pieces of toast. Garnish with mustard pickles and honey Dijon.

A Word of Wisdom

Sausage dishes like this one are a particular favorite for bars and inns. The salt and savory flavors keep drinkers thirsty — making this easy dish literally worth its salt!

Bolton Wedding Cod Cakes

Any time two great Westerosian houses are united, feasts are elaborate, and the Lord of White Harbor would not allow a wedding to happen without serving the finest food and drink. The feast — these cod cakes included — was so disarmingly delicious that no one noticed the proverbial elephant in the room … except Reek (which rhymes with leek). (
A Dance with Dragons
, Chapter 37 — The Prince of Winterfell)

Serves 6

1 pound cod

2 leeks

1 red pepper

2 egg whites

Pinch of kosher salt

Fresh-cracked black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

  1. Finely shred the raw fish with a fork. Dice the leeks and red pepper. Combine all the ingredients except the oil in a medium-size bowl; mix well. Form the mixture into small oval patties.
  2. Heat the oil in a medium-size sauté pan. Place the cakes in the pan and loosely cover with the lid. Sauté the cakes for 4 to 6 minutes on each side. Drain on a rack covered with paper towels; serve immediately.

A Word of Wisdom

If you don’t have cod on hand, feel free to substitute a similar whitefish like haddock, halibut, pollock, or sole.

The Hedge Knight’s Salt Beef Salami

A century before Ned Stark serves as the Hand of the King, the squire called Dunk finds his life changed. As he makes his way to Ashford, he ponders his station in life, camping rather than staying in a grand hall, eating salt beef rather than capons and suckling pigs. It’s no wonder that wandering knights and travelers kept salt beef as a staple: made correctly, salami can keep for years at room temperature! Since this is not a long-curing variety, this homemade version should be kept in the refrigerator. (
The Hedge Knight
)

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