Based on the recipe from the John Edwards translation, with random interjections—photos to follow....

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chickpeas
• 1 cup lentils
• 1/2 cup barley
• 10 cups water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 heads of leeks, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• pinch of aniseed
• pinch of fennel
• 1/2 cup beets, diced
• 4 grape leaves, chopped
• 1/2 cup cabbage leaves, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• pinch of fennel
• pinch of celery seed
• 1/2 teaspoon honey*
• 1/4 cup cabage leaves, chopped
• 1 emergency backup onion, not in original recipe

* Edwards doesn't mention honey beyond the ingredients list, and his translation of Apicius omits it entirely.

Soak barley for 24 hours in water, then rinse. Into a pot, put chickpeas, lentils, and peas. Use half green and half red lentils in misguided attempt to add colour. Put the chickpeas on to cook at least a half hour before the lentils and peas, since they can take much longer to soften, staying crunchy while the lentils have turned to mush. Here is where you are to add the drained barley to the legumes, together with water and olive oil. Frankly, this old soldier recommends leaving out the barley altogether. Pour barley down septic system, watch for interesting results.

Hack living daylights out of cabbage with entirely inadequate dinner knife. Dye hands red while dicing beets, discovering many paper-cut-size gashes in fingertips. Add leeks, coriander, aniseed, fennel, beets, grape leaves, and cabbage leaves to the pot, after getting painful fennel splinter rubbing aniseed and fennel together in hands. Bask in the aroma of the spices while poking self in thumb with safety-pin "sterilised" on electric-coil stovetop.

Cook gently over low heat for at least 3 hours. Do not despair at indeterminate reddish-pinkish-brown colour of stew. One half hour before the soup is cooked, grind together oregano, fennel, and celery seed and add to the soup. As the water begins to cook off, cover the pot partially to keep all the ingredients steamy (but don't allow to boil). Simmer one-half hour and serve with a garnish of raw cabbage leaves.

Serves: 3 entree-size portions.

Assessment: The Romans often enjoyed strong, in-your-face flavours, so don't skimp on the spices; my stew turned out far too mild and could have used more oregano and the emergency backup onion. Although the stew is nicely vegetarian, it may be better suited as a side dish with a chicken entree. On the other hand, this stew has always gone over extraordinarily well with guests, who have been known to ladle out large portions to take home.

I recommend this recipe for all your Roman banquet purposes; it's well suited to cooking in large amounts and stores well. Consider cooking it the day before a party, to let the spices marinate overnight.