Thrilled to welcome my friend, debut author Abi Elphinstone, to the blog today as part of the Dreamsnatcher blog tour to talk about characters in her brilliant MG adventure The Dreamsnatcher and their favourite recipes!
While Moll is trapped in a
witchdoctor’s lair she tries to convince one of the servant boys there that she
can tell a lot about a person from their handwriting. In her own words: ‘Big
bends in the g, f, j and q mean a person’s greedy; small loops in the a, d, e
and o mean a person’s tight-fisted, those wispy dashes across the t and f there
mean this person’s clever-thinking.’ But Moll’s lies are as thick as they come
when she’s fighting for a plan to escape. It got me thinking though – perhaps
you can tell a little about a person
from the things they do and like. And so, I’ve asked each of my characters what
their favourite gypsy recipe is – then I’ve done a bit of inventing to see what
that might mean about them…
Moll scoffing sausages
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 implies means this character has
a cheeky side and the use of a wild plant like elderflower suggests an
unpredictable nature
GRYFF: Duck from the 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
Traditional Romany pots and pans for
cooking
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…
OAK: Pot of Shackles
Half fill a large cooking pot with water
Add pheasant meat, onions, split peas (soaked overnight) &
lentils (soaked overnight)
Cook until the meat is cooked through
Add chopped swede, carrots, parsnips, turnips and potatoes and
cook
Add stock and stir
Mix flour and fat with a little water and make into dumplings
using floured hands
Float dumplings on top of meal and continue cooking for 15-20
minutes
Character notes: this hearty, filling
meal is for a person who is active throughout the day, and its warming nature
suggests a kindness at this character’s heart. Dumplings imply strength
MOOSHIE: Cake in the Pan
Put 8 tablespoons of self-raising flour into a bowl and add a
big blob of lard
Mix together with your fingertips
Add a load of redcurrants and blackcurrants (picked under a full
moon)
Add a pinch of salt and sugar, and mix well
Whisk up an egg and add, together with water (or milk), and mix
to a stiff dough
Press out on to a floured tray or board into a round shape about
¾ inch thick
Get the swing-pan hot and throw in some lard
When the lard is melted and hot, place the cake in
When golden brown, turn over and cook the other side
Character notes: A baking recipe
implies a kind, warm nature though the use of the swing pan suggests a fiery
temper. Berries picked under a full moon mean this person is a strong believer
in the magical properties of plants
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
A Romany hearth
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…
GOBBLER: Jellied crows’ eyes
After killing 3 crows, cut out their eyes
Sprinkle them with sat then swallow them whole
Character notes: This repulsive
recipe suggests a grotesque and even inhumane character. And the slimy texture
of the eyeballs indicates a disgusting physical quality to the person’s
appearance
THE AUTHOR – ABI ELPHINSTONE: Doci
Baci Balls
Chop up 6 rashers of streaky bacon
Shallow fry the rashers in butter
Twice boil a handful of Dock leaves (lightly salt water, boil
for two minutes in each pan)
Tip rashers into the washed and dried Dock leaves
Sprinkle with vinegar
Wrap Dock leaf edges up to form small parcels
Hold in place with cocktail sticks
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 implies means this character has
a cheeky side and the use of a wild plant like elderflower suggests an
unpredictable nature.
Sound like anyone from THE
DREAMSNATCHER?!
Thanks for a fab post, Abi! Check out Abi's website or follow her on Twitter - and don't miss the wonderful Dreamsnatcher trailer!. Also, if you're a teacher, you may be interested in her resources for teaching The Dreamsnatcher.
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