Romany Recipes

JEAN HOPE'S JOGRAY (Gypsy stew)

About 1 tablespoon Olive oil

Onions - sliced

Potatoes - thinly sliced

Mixed peppers - about 2 large diced cupfuls

1 large or 2 small Courgettes - sliced

Carrots

Tin of tomatoes (with herbs if preferred)

Garlic - optional

Large tablespoon tomato puree

Use chicken breasts or lamb chops - but if using chops

and they are fatty, reduce amount of olive oil

Don't add salt

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Place in a saucepan, cover with lid. Use discretion with ingredients depending on how many you are serving

Cook on a fairly high temperature until ingredients are bubbling, reduce to a medium heat until potatoes are

cooked, then simmer on low temperature until ready

Stir from time to time to prevent ingredients sticking

to bottom of pan

Serving suggestions:- Serve with grated cheese, fresh

baked rolls or Ciabatta bread and butte

Into the pot went six whole rabbits and plenty of fresh vegetables for a nice Jo Gray

Photo taken by Mary Horner at the Brazil's South East Romany Museum, Marden Kent

POACHER'S STEW from Wildman

½ cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

2 pounds venison, inch pieces

2 tablespoon shortening or lard (not oil)

6 cups hot water

3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed 1inch pieces

1 medium turnip, peeled and cubed 1inch pieces

4 medium carrots, peeled and cubed 1inch pieces

1 bell pepper, ¼ inch strips (optional)

4 stalks of celery, cubed 1inch pieces

½ cup diced sweet onion

1 pound small fresh white button mushrooms cut in half

1 tablespoon salt

2 beef bouillon cubes

1 bay leaf

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Mix flour, salt, & pepper. Coat the meat with flour.

Melt shortening in heavy cast iron Dutch oven pot; brown meat thoroughly. Add water, heat to boiling.

Reduce heat; cover and simmer about 2 hours.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer 30-45 minutes or until vegetables are tender. To thicken stew- (in covered jar-shake 1 cup cold water and ¼ cup flour until well blended). Stirring stew constantly add the water/flour mix. Heat to boiling and boil for 2 mins, continuing to stir constantly. Remove bay leaf before serving

Best if served with fresh rolls or fresh bread.

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OR HOW ABOUT BARBARA's "Joey Grey"

Streaky Bacon

Small amount of fat

Potatoes

Onions

Tomato

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Cut bacon into small 1" strips, remove ring

Peel ionions and cut into rounds

Put small amount of fat into frying pan, add bacon and onions, cook for a few minutes to soften onion

Peel potatoes into thick rounds, place in saucepan, slice tomatoes and add to the saucepan. Cover with water and cook slowly, add bacon and onions and cook until ready

Serve with dry bread

If preferred, use fried breast of lamb or sausages, both fried in frying pan first but not in saucepan

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FROM VANSLOW SMITH

Our diet was plain and simple with meat puddings, plum pudding, Jo-grays (stews), and bacon straight from the hock and such. Bread was often baked either in flat 2lb loaves or a top plus bottom shape and we each had a thick slice of this at meal times”

BOORSRON - FROM VANSLOW SMITH 

It was our practice to catch hedgehogs for eating, of which there was a plentiful supply if you knew where to look. Now I have heard many unfounded stories about the cooking of these boorsron (which is the Romany name for a hedgehog – sometimes also called a hotchi-witchi), and so I consider it time to put the record straight!

We would catch about six, and around our fire at night would draw them, (Romany for preparing meat), and making a wooden skewer, would open up the belly, using the skewer to do this. They would then be singed until their spikes were almost burnt off, then scalded in a bath of boiling water. At that stage they could be skinned, washed in salt water, then impaled on a hazel stick, just like a kebab, and slowly roasted over the embers of the fire. We also prepared moorhens and dabchicks (small black water birds similar to moorhens) in the same way all through the winter months.

If we had pheasants, they were plucked and gutted, washed in salt water and then boiled. Mother had a large pot, and two pheasants boiled in this way were about right. When the pot had stood overnight, a large quantity of yellow fat would be lifted off and then two rabbits also put in the pot. This was then all stewed together with plenty of onions, vegetables, lentils and dumplings!

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