From Ancient Cookery [Arundel 334]
Sourced from http://books.google.com/books?id=ycw-AAAAcAA
Blaunche Porre
Take the qwyte of lekes and parboyle hom, and hew hom small, and take onyons and mynse hom therewith, and do hom in a pot, and put thereto gode broth, broth, and let hit boyle, and do therto smale briddes, and scth hom therewyth, and colour hit wyth saffron, and do therto pouder marchantf, and serve hit forthe.
Leek soup
Take the white of leeks and parboil them, and cut them small, and take onions and mince them therewith and do them in a pot and put thereto good broth, and let it boil and do thereto small birds and seethe them therewith and color with saffron and do thereto powder marchant and serve it forth.
Recipe
1 lb. (450g) sliced leeks (about 4 cups) (rinse of any sand or dirt)
1/2 large onion, minced
3 c. vegetable broth (I used 3 c water, and three vegetable bouillon cubes)
6 strands saffron
1 tsp. powder fine
Simmer leeks and onions in the vegetable broth for about 10 minutes (until nearly tender). Add the spices and simmer until flavors are blended. Serve forth.
Notes: I found many variations on this idea of leeks and onions simmered as a pottage. Most contained almond milk and/or bread. This original recipe calls for poultry, but I omitted those for a vegan option. The recipe calls for saffron to color the leeks; what I added didn’t suffice to overcome the powder fine spices.
I could not find a description of the spices in “pouder marchantf” so I opted for the powder fine I had on hand, thinking it would work well with the leeks.
I personally use a lot of my leeks, not just the whites. When simmered like this, any toughness in the greener portions melts away. (This may also have contributed to the lack of saffron effect.)
15th century spoon by Billy and Charlie’s finest quality Pewter Goods
Trencher by Anne Dunne, Blackwater Turners
