A Mess of Lentil Pottage with Ham - Tuesday March 12th 2013

Today it was snowy, it was cold. It was the middle of March! It should have been sunny and covered in spring flowers...

Oh well. Nothing for it but to go back to middle of winter food.

I felt quite biblical making this pottage.

(Genesis 25:29-34  King James Version (KJV))

²⁹ And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:
³⁰ And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
³¹ And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
³² And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
³³ And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
³⁴ Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

 
Well I have to say I have a lot of sympathy with Esau.  This is so lovely and ribsticking and just so SAVOURY.  So long as you have some kind of stock (I cooked the ham joint in with the pottage), plenty of pulses - this one has red lentils, split broad beans and puy lentils - some root vegetables. any but definitely including carrots, onions and celery,  and any other bits of meat and vegetables you have about, you can make a pottage of pretty much whatever you like.  I cooked this in a pressure cooker, just chopped all the vegetables, added some herbs (dried thyme and marjoram) a little sugar, a couple of cloves and some pepper, covered with water and cooked for 50 minutes.

Either dumplings or fresh bread and butter on the side and anyone would sell their worldly goods for a bowlful.