Three medieval meatless soups,
drawn from “Fabulous Feasts,” by Madeleine Cosman
Ms. Cosman’s book has recipe measurements and additional instructions, here edited out for brevity.
1. Sorrelye: sorrel soup with figs and dates
Simmer 1 lb of chopped sorrel with dates and figs in salt water. Beat 2 eggs, add gradually to soup to thicken; add sugar. Saute thin-sliced turnips in white wine, use turnip strips to garnish soup at table.
The next two soups I’m including because they don’t overtly have meat, but they do ask for meat broth. For pure fasting, they would need to be made only in vegetable broth, water, or almond milk (which medieval cooks used as milk substitute).
2. Cobages: almond and cabbage soup
In beef broth, simmer shredded cabbage and chopped almonds with honey, salt and fresh basil. Add 2 cups of fresh peas in the last ten minutes. Garnish individual portions with grated red candied anise or licorice.
3. Rota: barley fruit soup
In chicken broth, simmer barley, thin-sliced tart apples, minced dried apricots, ginger and salt, with a pinch of pepper. In the last ten minutes of simmering, add a cup of fresh peas. Optional: thicken soup with flour and butter.