#collops

Location is [removed]

(Also, please take out the location if you’re able, Ty!)

My dear Talviel,

I pray you are keeping well over these last few months, the weather has been dreadfully morose these last few weeks here in Ivarstead. Though that hassle with the barrow has been long resolved (thanks in no doubt to your own efforts- for which we are eternally grateful!), business is painfully slow to return to Ivarstead. My beloved Talvus maintains the view that it would be quicker to render tallow fat from Kwama Cuttle for use as candles than to expect business to pick up again. I am loathe to agree with him, though it saddens me to see our stock of soaps lying undisturbed in bulk. This is not to say that we are not selling any soaps, however! We regularly trade our wares with the locals in Ivarstead for whatever things we cannot afford, and Barknar often trades in the game and pelts for a bar or two of our soaps- he particularly likes the ones that we make with Honey and Lavender, though he says that he has had a lot of close encounters with bears whenever he has used our Juniper Berry Soap. I myself wonder why this is, as I would’ve assumed that the Bears would favour the honey scented soap, though seeing as we get the honey from the Goldenglow Estate, perhaps it says more about the state of the apiaries and the quality of the honey from there, more than it says about the Bears, though I fervently pray you do not let any of what I have written get to Maven Blackbriar. It is bad enough that my Husband Talvus is distrusted whenever he returns to visit his family in the Grey Quarter, I regularly get ‘short shrift’ from Nords, and even the occasional Redguard by dint of having been born an Altmer. We do not desire to draw Maven’s gaze towards us in any way that is not to our benefit.  

 I want to get to the meat of the letter, if you’ll excuse the poor choice of wordplay there, which is my main reason for writing and put thoughts of Maven Blackbriar out of my head. I recall that the last time that you visited our house, you wanted to have the recipe for the Collops that you had. They are quite simple to make and prepare. Though Collops can be made with any meat, the ones that you had were made with beef. These can be any cut of the cow, however I have found that I prefer the flank cut, whereas Talvus likes the sirloin cut. Overall, this can take up to about half an hour to cook, though preparing everything may take longer. These are then prepared by cutting grooves into the meat- both lengthways and longways so that it crosshatches yet does not entirely pierce through the meat. This is to both tenderise the meat, as well as allow the meat more surface area to absorb the flavours of the dredge once it is covered. Once the meat is prepared, you should continue to the dredge, which is prepared in a bowl of four egg yolks, melted butter, some salt, and some nutmeg. I do realise nutmeg may be difficult to acquire at the best of times, though I do like to keep a small stock of nutmeg behind for special occasions, even if I do tend to use it fairly quickly. Once the dredge is mixed together, place the grooved cuts of the meat into the egg mixture. Once these are liberally covered with the mixture, cover them in flour. These are then fried in a pan. I’ve found that they taste better if you fry them with butter instead of oil, however that could be my own personal taste. Don’t let my preferences prevent you from experimenting!

Once the meat is half towards cooked, add gravy and sliced mushrooms, to brown into the pan alongside the frying cuts. The gravy can be made from whatever is left over from a previous meal- as I recall, the Collops that you had were made from soup bones, with carrots, celery, onions, and had parsnip chunks alongside.

A peculiar quirk that I have seen from some Imperials that have devised their own takes on this recipe, is that they add a slice of bitter orange to squeeze onto the collops, however I personally don’t hold much stock in it as I can never find bitter oranges- as the trend for orange farmers tend to focus on sweeter oranges which will sell more lucratively.

I hope this recipe reaches you well, and I have enclosed two bars of the juniper berry soap alongside this letter, though I would suggest you try not to use it in the wilds so that it may save any bears that come sniffing from you.

 Your Dear Friend,

Rondilwe Andrethi

 Postscript - If you could be so kind to tell Rune that the next time he visits, if he could keep the noise down if he insists on drinking late at night with Talvus. It kept me up until the dawn hours, with Talvus drunkenly singing about the crude one about the Telvanni Wizard.

 P.P.S - Talvus here. Tell Rune he still owe me ten septims and a bottle of mazte for betting that I couldn’t forge a letter from the Synod Grand Council for that delve job in Cyrodiil a while back.

P.P.P.S - Ronnie says that Rune also forgot a hot sword that he left here a while back, and that if he doesn’t pick it up by the end of the year she’ll destroy it. She’s probably bluffing, but there’s only so many places we can safely hide such a unique sword, considering we have no talent for blades and though we are retired actors, we can only bluff about it so often to visitors of a curious and learned nature before suspicions are raised.     

MICROSCOPE MONDAY

Four-spotted Collops (Collops quadrimaculatus), Fishers Island NY, August 2016 

Beef Collops | Easy Shrovetide Dish

Beef Collops with Butter-fried Bread Beef Collops – a simple dish but laden with history and tradition linked to Shrovetide viz. the days preceding the Lenten season which begins on Ash Wednesday. This is a dish cooked on Shrove Monday and consists of thinly sliced beef simmered in a beef-stock and wine based sauce, served with fried bread to mop up all the yummy sauce. Before going into the…

27 July 1774

[Six Gentlemen] dined and spent the afternoon with me at New College. I borrowed the Chequer Room of the Bursars for my company to dine in. We were very merry and pushed the bottle on briskly. I gave my Company for dinner, some green Pea Soup, a chine of Mutton, some New College Puddings, a goose, some Peas and a Codlin Tart with Cream. Madeira and Port Wine to drink after and at dinner some Strong Beer, Cyder, Ale and small Beer [...] I gave my company only for supper cold mutton. After supper I gave them to drink some Arrac Punch with Jellies in it and some Port wine.

17 November 1774

...supped on roast hare, veal collops and woodcock, with port wine and punch to drink afterwards.