Romany Gypsy Recipes
(and what they say about 'The Dreamsnatcher' trilogy characters)
GRYFF:
Duck from the, um, river…
Lie hidden in an alder branch overhanging the river
Wait, crouch low and size up prey, hopefully a duck
Leap from the branches, splay claws then
dig fangs into duck’s neck
Drag prey to the banks and consume it
Character Notes: the way the wildcat waits silently for its prey indicates a stealthy, secretive nature and its violent attack suggests a wild personality
SIDDY:
Joey Grey soup
Add oil or lard to the pot and melt
Add six sausages and cook until brown
Remove the sausages and chop them up into chunks
Place the sausages back into the pot with six rashers
of chopped bacon
Cook until brown
Add 3 chopped onions and 1 garlic clove
Once brown add water and 4 potatoes
Cook potatoes until soft
Add 4 large tomatoes and stock then cook
until tomatoes soften
Serve with bread and butter
Character Notes: six sausages imply the person may be slightly greedy but the tradition at the heart of this Romany soup dictates a loyal character
ALFIE:
Poacher’s Stew
Mix ½ a cup of flour with 1 teaspoon of salt
and ¼ teaspoon of pepper
Coat 2lbs of venison in the flour
Melt butter or lard in a heavy cast iron Dutch oven pot
Brown the meat then add 6 cups of water and
heat until boiling
Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2 hours
Stir in 3 potatoes, 1 turnip, 4 carrots, 1 bell pepper,
4 stalks of celery, 1 onion, 1lb white button mushrooms
(all of the above should be peeled and cubed)
Add 1 bay leaf
Simmer for 30-45 minutes until vegetables are tender
Heat to boiling and boil for 2 minutes, stirring continuously
Best served with fresh bread
Character Notes: the name of the recipe shows this person is tough and can survive in the wild, but the fact that the venison is poached might mean this character is
keeping a secret…
MOLL:
Elderflower in Batter
Make a batter with flour and milk,
some sugar and a beaten egg
Take an elderflower head (cut short at the stalk)
Dip it into the batter and shallow-fry in butter
Character Notes: short recipes mean a person is impatient and probably headstrong – they don’t like cooking but the eating is all good. The shallow-fry in butter means this character has a cheeky side and the use of a wild plant like elderflower suggests an unpredictable nature
CINDERELLA BULL:
Bacon-or-Rasher Pudding
Put 8 tablespoons of self-raising flour into a bowl
Add 4 tablespoons of shredded suet (raw beef or mutton – the hard fat found around the lions and kidneys – if you have Atora beef suet that will do)
Mix ingredients together
Pour in some cold water and mix to a stiff dough, Flour a big tray or board and roll out to about, 16 inches x 11 inches
Place a few rashers of bacon, sliced onions and tomatoes on top, Sprinkle with dried mixed herbs, salt and pepper
Roll up (like a Swiss roll),Wet edges to stick together
Flour a muslin cloth (or cotton tea cloth) and
roll pudding in it loosely, Tie end with string, wrap loosely and tie other end, Place in big pot of boiling water and let it
bubble gently for 2 hours
Best served with boiled spuds and cabbage
Character Notes: The slightly strange, contradictory nature of the title of this recipe suggests a person with a mystical mind. The dried mixed herbs imply a close connection with natural spirits and the precise nature of the recipe indicates this person adopts rituals when carrying out activities
HARD-TIMES BOB:
Hotchi Witchi
Encase a hedgehog in clay and bake on a campfire
until the clay is glowing red
Break open the clay and you will find the spines
of the animal stuck to the inside
Roast the meat over the fire on a spit
Keep turning until the meat is cooked through
Serve with spuds or raspberry jam
Character Notes: though not to everyone’s taste, this recipe shows the person has a cheeky sense of humour, verging on the absurd. The spuds show a fondness for tradition but the raspberry jam indicates the underlying randomness at the heart of this person
SKULL:
Stewed Rat
Skin and gut the rat then split it lengthwise
Fry in butter until brown
Cover with water then add tomatoes, peppers and salt
Simmer the rat until tender and serve with rice
Character Notes: The rat is an unlucky symbol for gypsies and so surrounding this person is a sense of darkness. The violent language used in the recipe implies a sinister side to this character. Watch out…
