The Stewpot Recipe Gallery

Cretonée of New Peas or fava beans.

(Le Menagier de Paris, 1393)

Cook them almost to a puree, then remove from the liquid, and take fresh cow's milk -- but tell her who sells it to you that she will be in trouble if she has added water to it, for very often they dilute their milk thus.  If it is not extremely fresh or has water in it, it will curdle.  And first boil this milk before you put anything in it, for it still could turn: then first grind ginger to give appetite, and saffron for its yellow color: it is said that if you want to make a liaison with egg-yolks poured gently in from above, these yolks will yellow it enough and also make the liaison, but milk curdles quicker with egg-yolks than with a liaison of bread and with saffron to color it, And for this purpose, if you use bread, it should be white unleavened bread, and moisten it in a bowl with milk or meat stock, then grind and put through a sieve; and when your bread is sieved and your spices have not been sieved, put it all to boil with your peas; and when it is all cooked, then add your milk and saffron.  You can make still another liaison, which is with the same peas or beans ground then strained; use whichever you please. As for liaison with egg-yolks, they must be beaten, strained through a sieve, and poured slowly from above into the milk,after it has boiled well and has been drawn to the back of the fire with the new peas or new beans and spices, The surest way is to take a little of the milk, and mix with the eggs in the bowl, and then a little more, and again, until the yolks are well mixed with a spoon and plenty of milk, then put into the pot which is away from the fire, and the soup will not curdle. And if the soup is thick, thin with a little meat stock. This done, you should have quartered chicks, veal, or goose giblets cooked then fried, and in each bowl put two or three morsels and the soup over them.  

Ingredients:

16 oz. split peas
2 quarts water
2 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 pinch saffron threads
1/2 cup bread crumbs
3/4 tsp salt

Preparation Steps

Wash the split peas carefully, and leave to soak in cold water for an hour.  Cook the peas in 2 quarts water until they are very soft and can be crushed easily with light pressure.  Drain off excess water. Bring milk to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring frequently.  Add ginger and saffron.  Mix in the cooked peas, and stir until well blended.  Add bread crumbs and salt, and cook until hot, but do not boil.  Serve it forth.

Yield

6 cups soup

Redaction Notes

In order to keep this as a vegetarian dish, it was cooked without any meat stock, and served without the meat suggested in the recipe.