Fava fresche con brodo di carne – Fresh Fava Beans with Meat Broth

Fava fresche con brodo di carne – Fresh Fava Beans with Meat Broth (Redon, 1998)

“The Feast in the House of Levi” (detail), Paolo Veronese — used here as period context for a Renaissance table.

Context & Notes

Fava fresche con brodo di carne is a rustic Renaissance preparation: fresh spring fava beans briefly simmered in meat broth, enriched with a little cured pork, and finished with parsley and mint. The technique keeps the beans tender while letting a few split to lightly thicken the broth.

Seasonality & status: Fava beans were among the first fresh foods after Lent and signaled the turn from winter storage fare to spring produce. Courtly kitchens “elevated” this staple through refined broth, measured cooking, and aromatic herbs—much as spices elevate simple noodles in De lasanis.

Broth choice: Chicken broth reads lighter and more restorative for warmer weather; beef broth is heartier and “strengthening.” Either appears in period practice depending on the season and desired effect.

Humoral Notes (with pork nuance)

Fava beans: generally cold & moist.
Pork: fresh pork was classed as cold & moist and heavy; salted/cured pork (pancetta, salt belly) was thought to gain warming/drying qualities from salt and smoke—still rich, but more balancing when used sparingly.
Herbs: parsley and mint are warming/aromatic correctives.
Broth: chicken leans lighter; beef leans more warming/fortifying.

Thus this dish pairs a cold/moist base (beans) with modest warming elements (cured pork, hot broth, herbs) to arrive at a comfortable middle course—similar to how spices balanced the cheese-and-pasta profile in De lasanis.

Side-by-Side: Original (Redon, 1998) & Modern Notes

Original (Redon, 1998)

Ingredients: 2 cups beef or chicken broth (or mix), 4½ lb fresh fava beans, 4 oz salt pork belly or pancetta, 1 Tbsp chopped parsley & mint; salt.

Method: Shell beans; blanch briefly (5 seconds), refresh, peel. Dice pork. Simmer broth, beans, and pork ~10 minutes until beans begin to break. Add herbs; return to a brief boil. Salt to taste and serve.

Modern Adaptation – What’s Different?

• Yield clarity: 4½ lb in-pod ≈ ~1 lb shelled beans.
• Texture cue: “Begin to break” = lightly thickened broth, not mashed.
• Herb timing: Herbs added at the end to keep flavors vivid.
• Pork form matters: Pancetta/salt pork (cured) used in small amount for savor and humoral balance.
• Broth intent: Chicken for lighter tables; beef for heartier service.

Scappi’s Minestra di Piselli & Fave fresche (1570, Libro III, #249)

Per far minestra di Piselli & Fave fresche:

Piglinosi i piselli o baccelli, sgraninosi, & ponganosi in un uaso con oglio d’oliue, sale, & pepe, & faccianosi soffriggere pian piano, aggiungendovi tanta acqua tinta di zafferano, che stiano coperti di due dita, & come saranno poco men che cotti, pestisene una parte nel mortaro, e stemperisi con il medesimo brodo, & mettasi nel uaso con una branchata d’herbuccie battute, e faccianosi levare il bollo, e servanosi caldi.

 Translation (modern English):

“Take peas or broad beans, shell them, and put them in a pot with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Let them sauté gently, adding in enough water, colored with saffron, to cover them by about two fingers. When they are a little less than cooked, pound part of them in a mortar and dilute that with the same broth; return it to the pot with a handful of chopped herbs, bring it all to a boil, and serve it hot.”

🍲 Modern Recipe

Serves: 4 • Active: 20 min • Total: ~30 min

Ingredients

• 2 cups (480 ml) beef or chicken broth (or 50/50 mix)
• 4½ lb (about 2 kg) fresh fava beans in pod (≈ 1 lb / 450 g shelled)
• 4 oz (115 g) salt pork belly or pancetta, finely diced
• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped
• Kosher salt, to taste

Method

1. Prep beans: Shell. Blanch 5 seconds in boiling water, refresh in cold water, slip off the outer skins.
2. Simmer: In a saucepan, combine broth, diced pork, and beans. Bring to a boil, reduce to a lively simmer, and cook about 10 minutes, until beans just begin to soften and a few split to lightly thicken the broth.
3. Finish: Stir in parsley and mint; return to a brief boil (30–60 seconds). Season with salt and serve hot.

🔍 Scappi’s Renaissance Version (1570)

In Opera (Libro III, #249), Scappi prepares fresh peas or broad beans by gently sautéing them in olive oil with salt and pepper, adding saffron-tinted water to cover, then pounding a portion to thicken before finishing with chopped herbs and a brief boil.

“Take peas or broad beans, shell them, and put them in a pot with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Sauté gently, add enough saffron-colored water to cover by two fingers. When just underdone, pound part of them with the same broth, return to the pot with a handful of chopped herbs, bring to a boil, and serve hot.”

Why it matters: Scappi’s technique—partial purée, saffron infusion, hot herb finish—shows the same courtly refinement and humoral balance as our version: a cold/moist base (beans) corrected by warming elements (olive oil/saffron or, in Redon’s adaptation, cured pork and broth).

🌱 Fava Beans in Renaissance Feasts: Beyond the Soup Pot

1. Seasonal & Symbolic Role

• Springtime signal: Fresh favas (fave novelle) were among the first green vegetables of the year after the long winter and Lenten fasting. Their arrival marked renewal, fertility, and abundance — an edible herald of spring.
• Festal symbolism: In Italy, beans had associations with fertility and rebirth. They were often planted around feast days (especially St. Joseph’s Day in March), and dishes of beans could appear at communal meals tied to seasonal celebrations.

2. Culinary Uses in Feasts

• Pottages & broths: Most common at court — boiled with herbs, broth, pork, or oil (as in Redon/Scappi’s versions). They provided a filling, comforting “wet dish” for the second course.
• Purees: Scappi frequently thickened broths or created side dishes by pounding a portion of the beans. This gave variety in texture and aligned with elite tastes for smooth, refined preparations.
• Side accompaniments: Favas could be served with meat, often pork or mutton, as a cheap protein extender and humoral counterbalance.
• Lenten adaptations: Without meat, they might be prepared with oil, saffron, and herbs — still satisfying but acceptable during fast days.

3. Humoral & Medical Considerations

• Humoral qualities: Cold & moist. Physicians warned they were heavy to digest and could cause flatulence if eaten in excess.
• Correctives: Cooking with salt, pork, oil, or warming herbs like mint and parsley was thought to “lighten” them, making them safer for the stomach.
• Dietary prescriptions: Favas were often recommended for the working poor for strength but taken in moderation by elites. In courtly kitchens, refinement (skinning, pounding, spicing) made them suitable for noble digestion.

4. Cultural & Social Dimensions

• Peasant vs. elite divide: Beans were a staple of peasant diets, but when transformed with broth, pork, saffron, or fine herbs, they crossed into noble cuisine. This dual identity made them ideal for “bridging” courses in feasts.
• Religious associations: Favas had an odd role in funerary traditions in some parts of Europe (linked with the dead and All Souls’ Day). In Italy, fava-based sweets (fave dei morti) are still tied to this tradition — showing the bean’s symbolic reach beyond daily food.
• Feast planning logic: For a steward, fava dishes were economical, seasonal, and versatile. They stretched meat supplies, added color and variety to courses, and showed seasonal awareness — all important in demonstrating a host’s refinement.

🍽 Menu Placement (Feast Planning)

• Dish Type: Pottage (a “wet” course served in or with broth)
• Course: Second course (Pottage course). Because beans digest heavy in some frameworks, serve moderate portions or as a remove between roasts.
• Service tips: Offer trenchers or bread to soak up the savory broth.

🥕 Dietary Suggestions

• Gluten-free.
• Pork-free: Swap in smoked turkey or omit meat and add 1–2 Tbsp olive oil for body.
• Vegetarian: Use vegetable broth; finish with a knob of butter or extra-virgin olive oil.

📚 Sources

• Redon, 1998 (adaptation as provided).
• Period dietetic summaries consulted for general fresh vs. cured meat distinctions and bean qualities.

🏷 Labels

• Browse by Dish Type: Pottage
• Browse by Ingredient: Legumes, Pork, Herbs
• Browse by Use: Feast Planning, Period Techniques, Humoral Theory
• Browse by Era: Renaissance, Italian

📖 This recipe is part of the Ceilidh 2001 – Fourteenth-Century Italian Feast .
Explore all dishes from this reconstructed 14th-century Italian banquet.

Cretonnée de Pois (Split Pea Pottage)

“The Feast in the House of Levi” (detail), Paolo Veronese. Used here as period context for a Renaissance pottage.

Cretonnée de Pois (Split Pea Pottage)

Source: Odile Redon, Françoise Sabban & Silvano Serventi, The Medieval Kitchen (1998)

ℹ️ What is a Cretonnée?

A cretonnée is a type of medieval French pottage — basically a thick soup or stew — that usually combined a base of legumes or grains (peas, beans, rice, sometimes bread) with milk and egg yolks to create a rich, creamy texture.

• Name origin: From Old French cretonnée, related to creton (a kind of porridge or mash). It signals a dish that’s been enriched or bound together.
• Core structure: Unlike plain boiled peas or beans, a cretonnée always has that second stage of enrichment — eggs, milk (or almond milk on fast days), and sometimes saffron or spices.
• Variations: Surviving recipes include cretonnée of peas, beans, rice, and even bread. Meat or poultry could be added as garnish, but it wasn’t always necessary.
• Place in the feast: Because it was wet, spoonable, and thickened, it was served as part of the pottage course — after appetizers but before heavier roasts.
• Luxury markers: Saffron, ginger, and almond milk were expensive, so even though peas and beans were humble, the finished dish could be quite elegant.

In short: a cretonnée is a thickened legume (or grain) pottage with milk and eggs, often spiced and colored, that straddles the line between hearty comfort food and refined banquet fare.

🍽 Menu Placement

This dish belongs in the pottage course of a medieval feast:

• Form & texture: A wet, spooned dish thickened with peas and eggs.
• Balance: The warmth of ginger and richness of yolks offered contrast to lighter appetizers and heavier roasts.
• Flexibility: With or without meat, it fit either lean days or richer spreads.

⚖️ Humoral Qualities

Peas were considered cold and dry, best balanced with warming spices and saffron. Eggs and milk added moist warmth, making the dish more nourishing and suitable for colder seasons or balancing excess dryness in the body.

📜 Original Recipe

Middle French:
Cretonnée de pois: Prenez pois, et les lavez bien, et mettez à cuire; et quand ils seront cuits, mettez lait d’amandes, saffran et jaunes d’œufs, et faites cuire ensemble; et y mettez des pièces de char ou de poulaille, se vous voulez.

📜 Original Recipe (translation)

Cretonnée of peas: Take peas and wash them well, then boil them; and when they are almost cooked, add warm milk, egg yolks, and saffron, and let it all thicken together; and you may add pieces of meat if desired.