flipBarley and Broad Bean Pottage with Leeks
Barley and Broad Bean Pottage with Leeks
Why this dish? Agnes lived poorly in Hatfield Peverel, a village in Essex. Pottage from the cauldron was the daily fare of widows and common folk — the dish her pot, listed among her 'typical objects', would have simmered a thousand times.
A thick, comforting stew of pearl barley, broad beans, and leeks, thickened by its own starch and scented with garden herbs. Nourishing and economical, it is the belly of the English home.
Come close, my child, and look at the pot hung over the fire. I throw into the boiling water my barley and my beans, a leek from the plot, a handful of hyssop, and I let it all simmer from morning till night without ever emptying the pot. Poor I am, and of meat I have little, but this pottage keeps the belly warm and chases hunger when the wind blows over Essex. Dip your barley bread in it, go on, and you will be filled at little cost.
- •Hulled barley — two handfuls (base grain for thickening)
- •Dried broad beans (field beans) — a handful, soaked overnight (poor man's protein)
- •Garden leeks — two (main pot-herb)
- •Onion — one (aromatic base)
- •Hyssop, parsley, lovage — a bunch (pot-herbs)
- •Salt — as needed (seasoning)
- •Pork rind or salted bone (if available) — a piece (occasional fat and umami)
Barley and Broad Bean Pottage with Leeks
A thick, comforting stew of pearl barley, broad beans, and leeks, thickened by its own starch and scented with garden herbs. Nourishing and economical, it is the belly of the English home.
Why this dish? Agnes lived poorly in Hatfield Peverel, a village in Essex. Pottage from the cauldron was the daily fare of widows and common folk — the dish her pot, listed among her 'typical objects', would have simmered a thousand times.
Come close, my child, and look at the pot hung over the fire. I throw into the boiling water my barley and my beans, a leek from the plot, a handful of hyssop, and I let it all simmer from morning till night without ever emptying the pot. Poor I am, and of meat I have little, but this pottage keeps the belly warm and chases hunger when the wind blows over Essex. Dip your barley bread in it, go on, and you will be filled at little cost.
Ingredients (period version)
- Hulled barley — two handfuls (base grain for thickening)
- Dried broad beans (field beans) — a handful, soaked overnight (poor man's protein)
- Garden leeks — two (main pot-herb)
- Onion — one (aromatic base)
- Hyssop, parsley, lovage — a bunch (pot-herbs)
- Salt — as needed (seasoning)
- Pork rind or salted bone (if available) — a piece (occasional fat and umami)
Ingredients
- Pearl barley — 150 g (base grain)
- Dried broad beans (soaked overnight) — 100 g (protein)
- Leeks — 2 (white and light green parts) (main vegetable)
- Onion — 1 (aromatic)
- Parsley, lovage (or celery stalk) and a little hyssop or sage — 1 bunch (herbs)
- Pork rind or salted marrow bone (optional) — 1 piece (umami)
- Water — 1.5 L (cooking liquid)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- The night before, soak the broad beans and barley in cold water.
- Drain, place barley, beans, chopped onion (and salted rind if using) in 1.5 L water. Bring to a simmer.
- Simmer covered for 1 hour, until barley and beans are tender and the broth thickens.
- Add sliced leeks and chopped herbs, cook for another 20 min.
- Season with salt, remove rind, roughly mash some beans with a spoon to thicken. Serve very hot with bread for dipping.
How it was made : Pottage was cooked in an iron cauldron hung from a hook over the hearth, rarely emptied: grains and herbs were added daily. The 'pot-herbs' came from the adjacent garden; meat, when there was any, was just a salted bone giving flavour to the common broth.
The contemporary twist : Served in an earthenware bowl with a drizzle of herb oil and toasted rye croutons, the 'widow's pottage of Essex' becomes a very current rustic velouté.
Sources : C. Anne Wilson, Food and Drink in Britain (1973) · Peter Brears, Cooking and Dining in Tudor and Early Stuart England (2015)
Agnes Waterhouse · Charactorium
