Potage Feneboiles | White Bean Soup
This white bean soup ‘Potage Feneboiles’ comes from the medieval manuscript ‘The Forme of Cury’ written in 1390 A.D.
THE FORME OF CURY
Potage Feneboiles : Tak wite benes and seth hem in water and bray the benys in a morter al to nozt and lat them sethe in almande mylk and do ther’in wyn and hony and seth reysons in wyn and do ther’to and after dresse yt forth.
White Bean Soup Recipe
Recipe Ingredients:
- 170g dried white beans
- 300ml almond milk (see below)
- 15oml white wine
- 4 tbs honey
- 30g raisins (plumped in 2 tbsp white wine)
Almond Milk
- 300ml milk
- 100ml single (light) cream
- 60g ground almonds
- 1/4 tsp bitter almond essence
- 2 tbsp orgeat syrup
Recipe Method:
Making the almond milk: simmer all the ingredients together in a saucepan for 15 minutes on a low heat. Allow to cool, strain through a fine meshed sieve (pushing all the milk out with the back of a spoon). Store in a sealed jar for use.
Soak the beans in water for 1 hour, drain thoroughly and put them in a saucepan – cover them in water (a few centimetres above) and add a teaspoon of salt. Simmer the beans on a gentle heat until they are tender (this can be up to an hour). After becoming tender drain them, reserving the cooking water in a jug. Mash the drained beans with the back of a fork in a bowl.
Put the mashed drained beans back into the saucepan add the almond milk, wine and honey and simmer for 10 minutes. When simmering add in 2 tablespoons of the salted water you reserved, and the plumped up raisins. Simmer for another ten minutes until warmed through and serve. Serve with some Manchet Bread.