Medieval White Beans and Bacon
“Then came lamprey pie, honeyed ham, buttered carrots, white beans and bacon, and roast swan stuffed with mushrooms and oysters.” (A Clash of Kings)
Modern White Beans and Bacon
Our thoughts:
Both of these recipes are absolutely wonderful. The medieval recipe really soaks up the bacon taste in the beans. Roughly chopped lardons paired with the buttery beans make for a lovely mouthful. The onions offer a bit of caramelized sweetness at the end of every bite.
The modern recipe is incredible. Curly endive is reminiscent of the broccoli rabe when wilted, balanced out phenomenally by the sweetness of the bacon and onions. We could eat this as a meal in itself! These dishes take about 10 minutes to make, and can easily be scaled up for more people.
Beans are indeed the magical fruit.
Original Recipe:
189. Benes yfryed. Take benes and seeþ hem almost til þey bersten. Take and wryng out þe water clene. Do þerto oynouns ysode and ymynced, and garlec þerwith; frye hem in oile oþer in grece, & do þereto powdour douce, & serue it forth.
-Curye on Inglish: English Culinary Manuscripts of the Fourteenth-Century (Including the Forme of Cury)
Our changes: The Westerosi menu calls for white beans and bacon, so we replaced the butter in the medieval recipe with bacon and bacon fat. We’ve also chosen not to boil the onions, but saute them till tender to preserve their flavor.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups white beans, canned or fully cooked (about 1 can)
- 4 pieces of bacon, roughly chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- pepper and poudre douce to taste
Fry bacon in a saucepan until mostly cooked to taste. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, and saute the onions and garlic till the onions are translucent and tender. Add beans and bacon to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until beans are hot. Add pepper or powder douce to taste and serve warm.
Modern White Beans and Bacon
Ingredients:
- 4 pieces bacon, roughly chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 head curly endive, leaves rinsed and torn
- 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 cups white beans
Cook bacon over medium to high heat in a large saucepan until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and set on paper towel to drain. Add onion to drippings, and saute till tender. Add half the endive leaves and cover pot, cooking till endive is wilted. Add remaining endive and garlic, cover and cooked till endive is wilted. Add beans and bacon, cooking until the beans are heated through, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper and serve.