MY LORD LUMLEY’S PEASE-PORAGE

Take two quarts of Pease, and put them into an Ordinary quantity of Water, and when they are almost boiled, take out a pint of the Pease whole, and strain all the rest.  A little before you take out the pint of Pease, when they are all boiling together, put in almost an Ounce of Coriander-seed beaten very small, one Onion, some Mint, Parsley, Winter-savoury, Sweet-Marjoram, all minced very small; when you have strained the Pease, put in the whole Pease and the strained again into the pot, and let them boil again, and a little before you take them up, put in half a pound of Sweet-butter.  You must season them in due time, and in the ordinary proportion with Pepper and Salt.

This is a proportion to make about a Gallon of Pease-porage.  The quantities are set down by guess.  The Coriander-seeds are as much as you can conveniently take in the hollow of your hand.  You may put in a great good Onion or two.  A pretty deal of Parsley, and if you will, and the season afford them, you may add what you like of other Porage herbs, such as they use for their Porages in France.  But if you take the savoury herbs dry, you must crumble or beat them to small Powder (as you do the Coriander-seed) and if any part of them be too big to pass through the strainer, after they have given their taste to the quantity, in boiling a sufficient while therein, you put them away with the husks of the Pease.  The Pint of Pease that you reserve whole, is only to show that it is Pease-porage.  They must be of the thickness of ordinary Pease-porage.  For which these proportions will make about a Gallon.

BROTH FOR SICK AND CONVALESCENT PERSONS

Put a Crag-end of a Neck of Mutton, a Knuckle of Veal, and a Pullet into a Pipkin of water, with a spoonful or two of French-barley first scalded in a water or two.  The Pullet is put in after the other meat is well skimmed, and hath boiled an hour.  A good hour after that, put in a large quantity of Sorrel, Lettice, Purslane, Borage and Bugloss, and boil an hour more at least three hours in all.  Before you put in the herbs, season the broth with Salt, a little Pepper and Cloves, strain out the broth and drink it.

But for Potage, put at first a good piece of fleshy young Beef with the rest of the meat.  And put not in your herbs till half an hour before you take off the Pot.  When you use not herbs, but Carrots and Turneps, put in a little Peny-royal and a sprig of Thyme.  Vary in the season with Green-pease, or Cucumber quartered longwise, or Green sower Verjuyce Grapes; always well-seasoned with Pepper and Salt and Cloves.  You pour some of the broth upon the sliced-bread by little and little, stewing it, before you put the Herbs upon the Potage.

The best way of ordering your bread in Potages, is thus.  Take light spungy fine white French-bread, cut only the crusts into tosts.  Tost them exceeding dry before the fire, so that they be yellow.  Then put them hot into a hot dish, and pour upon them some very good strong broth, boiling hot.  Cover this, and let them stew together gently, not boil; and feed it with fresh-broth, still as it needeth; This will make the bread swell much, and become like gelly.