flipFava Bean and Leek Pottage for Lean Days
Fava Bean and Leek Pottage for Lean Days
Why this dish? Church rule imposed many days of fasting and abstinence on a high prelate. Far from banquets, Adalbéron's daily fare relied on these thick vegetable pottages from the monastic garden, eaten with dark bread.
A comforting porridge of shelled fava beans and leeks melted in a vegetable broth, flavored with garden herbs and thickened with bread. The humble dish for days when meat is avoided.
On the days the Church commands lean, my table renounces all flesh, and it does me good for soul and body alike. I am served this pottage of fava beans and leeks, cooked long over the fire until it thickens; I dip my bread and give thanks. Remember, reader friend, that fasting is not scarcity but measure: a bishop who governs himself governs the men of the kingdom better.
- •Dried shelled fava beans — two handfuls (nourishing base)
- •Leeks — one bunch (melting vegetable)
- •Onion — one (aromatic)
- •Vegetable broth (lean day) — to cover (cooking liquid)
- •Parsley and sage — one bouquet (herbs)
- •Stale dark bread — a few slices (thickener)
- •Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Fava Bean and Leek Pottage for Lean Days
A comforting porridge of shelled fava beans and leeks melted in a vegetable broth, flavored with garden herbs and thickened with bread. The humble dish for days when meat is avoided.
Why this dish? Church rule imposed many days of fasting and abstinence on a high prelate. Far from banquets, Adalbéron's daily fare relied on these thick vegetable pottages from the monastic garden, eaten with dark bread.
On the days the Church commands lean, my table renounces all flesh, and it does me good for soul and body alike. I am served this pottage of fava beans and leeks, cooked long over the fire until it thickens; I dip my bread and give thanks. Remember, reader friend, that fasting is not scarcity but measure: a bishop who governs himself governs the men of the kingdom better.
Ingredients (period version)
- Dried shelled fava beans — two handfuls (nourishing base)
- Leeks — one bunch (melting vegetable)
- Onion — one (aromatic)
- Vegetable broth (lean day) — to cover (cooking liquid)
- Parsley and sage — one bouquet (herbs)
- Stale dark bread — a few slices (thickener)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Dried split fava beans — 250 g (soaked overnight) (base)
- Leeks — 3, sliced (vegetable)
- Onion — 1, chopped (aromatic)
- Vegetable broth — 1.2 L (cooking)
- Parsley + sage — 1 small bouquet (herbs)
- Stale country bread — 2 slices (thickener)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
- Oil drizzle (or butter, fat day) — 1 tbsp (sweat vegetables)
Method
- Soak the fava beans overnight, then drain.
- Gently sweat onion and leeks in a little fat until softened.
- Add the beans and broth, bring to a simmer and cook covered for 45 min to 1 hour, until the beans fall apart.
- Crumble the stale bread into the pottage to thicken and stir.
- Add chopped parsley and sage at the end of cooking, season with salt, and roughly mash with a spoon.
- Serve hot with dark bread.
How it was made : In ecclesiastical households, the garden provided fava beans, peas, leeks, and cabbages; everything was cooked in one pot, in an earthenware or cast-iron cauldron. Thickening with stale bread avoided waste, a monastic virtue.
The contemporary twist : A drizzle of hazelnut oil and a few garlic-rubbed croutons at serving elevate this austere pottage without betraying its spirit.
Adalberon of Reims · Charactorium
