Welcome to Pyanopsia and the Festival of Bean-Stewing
Since we last saw each other it has truly become fall. Leaves crunch underfoot. Chilly mornings and evenings. Darkness. Pumpkins everywhere. And it’s time for Pyanopsia.
What’s your favorite season of the year?
Fall is also the rich setting for my novel, Tales of the Mistress. Amidst the harvests and fires and magic of autumn, Epi makes her journey of discovery across the lands of the Mediterranean in the 16th Century.
If you love adventures of enlightenment, join the search for the illusive and mysterious bread of dreams, but you’ll first need to find the Mistresses who keep the secrets.
A review from Amazon.
“This is the story of a young girl disguised as a boy baker in an agrarian kingdom where nothing is as straightforward as it seems. Betrayal, subterfuge, and fantasy, this story has it all.”
If you have read Tales, I thank you from the bottom, and the top, of my heart!
Can I encourage you to leave a rating or a review on Amazon?
Yes, I want to leave a review!
This is a tremendous help so that other readers can find the story!
But back to fall. The other day we took a walk in the country and watched as yellow leaves flew off the branches. Across a field we saw a buck walking along the edge of the forest. The sun was bright and the silence was beautiful, I was transported back to the time many years ago, when I walked into Epi’s story and had to set it down.
In the last few weeks I also had the delight of traveling to Spain, a land where I have gone previously to pilgrimage and journey. Because it was fall, the din of tourists in Barcelona was more like those leaves rushing away, and left us able to hear some secrets about Spanish cuisine.
Iberian Ham.
Pate Negra.
Padron Peppers.
Mushrooms.
Manchego.
Razor Clams.
Octopus.
Sepia or Cuttlefish.
Calamari. Squid.
Fresh anchovies.
Sardines.
Cigalles. Small langoustine with delicious and delicate roe attached to its tail.
Any of these on your list of favorites?
But as yummy as all that was, it wasn’t a hill of beans.
I mean it was!
The real bounty of fall took place in a tiny village near Girona, named Celra. Our hosts were Danish and Catalonian. After we arrived they ask us if we would like to join them for coffee. We answered yes, and after taking our bags upstairs we went nextdoor for what we thought would be a quick espresso. We learned about botifarra negra and botifarra bianco and botifarra dulce. If you’ve never had a sweet dried cured sausage for breakfast, keep it in mind next time you serve coffee to friends. Alongside the charcuterie was bowls of olives, platters with soft and hard sheep cheeses, rimmed with slices of Catalonian tomato bread called, pan e tomaquet.
And of course, espresso.
That morning we learned we were in the presence of a true Catalonian. Even better, the real stunner of this breakfast, which in Catalonian is called ezmorzar, was an omelet our hosts made with their own eggs and a white Catalonian bean called Alubia. The interior of the omelet was soft and creamy, but there was no cheese involved. It was the texture of the beans and the quality of their eggs!
What a timely and fortuitous event. Did our hosts know about the Attic calendar and Pyanopsia and the festivities involving bean-stewing? They had to. But wait, not so fast, what’s the Attic calendar?
(Here they are looking for the calendar.)
And other than the fact that Pyanopsia follows Boedromia what did it mean? :)
The Attic calendar was the ancient Greek calendar of festivals and celebrations that were part of the initiation rites of the Eleusinan Mysteries. The Boedromia was a lesser Greek festival dedicated to the god, Apollo, and took place in the month of Boedromiōn, which was mid-September to mid-October.
“The festival of Pyanopsia (or Pyanepsia) was held in Athens in honor of Apollo, god of light, healing and music, also in the month of Pyanepsiōn, (November) which was actually named after the festival. Pyanopsia means “bean-stewing”, in reference to the sacred offering of a rich pulse stew to the temple of Apollo, to honor the autumn harvest. People also thanked the god with the offering of the eiresione, a branch of olive or laurel, bound with purple or white wool, and adorned with fresh fruit and small pastries made with honey, oil and wine.“
So, here is my offering. A recipe to delight everyone on the eve of Pyanopsia. Let me know if you make it!
Braised White Beans with Sage and Roasted Turnips
serves 6
if there isn’t time to do the overnight soak of the beans, do the quick soak instead. cover the beans with an ample amount of cold water and bring to a boil. boil for one minute, then remove from the heat, cover, and let sit for one hour. at that time, drain the beans, store in a large bowl and continue with the recipe.
I like the idea of serving the beans, garnished with the roasted turnips and parmesan, already plated in the kitchen and brought to the table.
1 cup dried cannelini or alubia beans, soaked overnight in water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped finely
6 garlic cloves, smashed, salted and minced
4 tablespoons fresh chopped sage
6 or so stems of fresh thyme
6-8 cups vegetable stock
garnish:
2 smallish white or purple turnips, julienned
parchment paper
olive oil and salt
1/2 cup coarsely grated parmesan cheese
Prepare the braised beans
In a large heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat, add the olive oil. when hot, sauté the onion with the herbs until translucent, about 5 minutes. add garlic and saute another couple of minutes. then add the drained, soaked beans and the stock. begin with three cups and add more as necessary. bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat for an hour to an hour and a half or till tender. if braising the beans the day ahead, remove to a round earthenware casserole and store covered in the refrigerator overnight. reheat in a 250 degree oven for an hour and a half prior to dinner.
Preheat oven to 400. prepare a baking sheet with the parchment paper. prepare the turnips according to directions and drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. bake until golden brown,