Olmec Obituary
Page 23
½ cup fresh coriander leaves, very finely sliced
5 stalks green shallots, very finely sliced
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 large carrot, finely grated
white pepper
100 g buckwheat flour (organic, ‘fancy’ or ‘white’)
3 large eggs
For the soup
100 g packet 100% buckwheat soba noodles
3 bunches bok choy, sliced and thoroughly washed
12 dried black Chinese mushrooms, rehydrated and sliced
sesame oil
fresh coriander, or fresh chilli, or both
Method
Step One: the Chicken Stock
1. Add all ingredients to a large, heavy-based saucepan and cover with filtered water.
2. Simmer all ingredients for 2 hours, topping up with water if needed to keep the chicken covered.
3. Allow to cool. Remove chicken and/or chicken bones. Strain liquid and set aside.
*If you used a whole chicken, use the flesh for a second dish, such as cut white chicken with soy and chilli dipping sauces, Kung Pao chicken or chicken fried rice.
Step Two: Prawn and Pork Egg Dumplings
1. Combine all ingredients except the eggs and buckwheat flour. Mix by hand until smooth-ish. Don’t use a food processor as the prawn flavour and texture will be lost.
2. Slowly add the buckwheat flour in small amounts. Mix until the mixture holds together well in your hand and forms small balls when you roll it. You want just enough buckwheat flour to do this, and no more, otherwise the mixture can become gluey.
3. Halve the mixture and put half aside. This will be used to make the pork balls.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth.
5. On a heated flat non-stick griddle or pan, spoon 1 tablespoon of egg onto the surface, keeping it contained as much as possible in a round shape.
6. Place 1 teaspoon of pork and prawn mixture onto one half of the little round omelette as soon as it starts to cook. Flip the other side over the top to create a semi-circular dumpling, similar to a pasta dumpling such as tortellini.
7. Continue to cook for 1 minute, then carefully flip over to cook on the other side for a further minute. Continue to create these little filled half-moon mini-omelettes until you’ve used all the pork and prawn mixture. Some experimentation may be required to get your technique and quantities just right.
Step Three: Prawn and Pork Balls
1. Carefully roll the reserved prawn and pork mixture into approximately 12 balls – a very heaped teaspoon’s worth each. Set aside.
Step Four: Assemble the Soup
1. Cook the buckwheat noodles (or other noodles of your choice) to al dente, drain and set aside.
2. Reheat the chicken stock to just simmering. Gently lower prawn and pork balls into stock. Hold for few moments as they seal, then let them simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the balls from the stock.
3. Add bok choy and sliced black mushrooms to the stock and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Place the noodles in the bottom of large, deep bowls.
5. Distribute the bok choy and mushrooms among the bowls.
6. Add 3 drops sesame oil to each bowl, then carefully ladle stock over the noodles and vegetables until they are just covered.
7. Carefully place the prawn and pork balls and the dumplings on top of the noodles and vegetables, then ladle more stock into the bowl until it is comfortably full – not so much that it will spill, but enough to feel indulgent.
8. Sprinkle with a small pinch of fresh finely chopped coriander, or chilli, or both.
9. Settle into your favourite spot and sip some comfort back into your weary soul.
Soupe au poulet et nouilles (French Country Chicken Noodle Soup) by Mme Madeleine Evans
I have great hopes that one day my only grandson, Mathieu, will walk in my footsteps and become a great (and tidy) cook. For this, he will need to master many classic recipes, including this essential preparation. When I was a child I took this whenever I was ill, and felt much better. So today I am certain to make this for my grandchildren whenever they are unwell.
All ingredients must be organic and local, or fresh from the garden.
This recipe should be made over two days. If you take less time, the stock will not have such good flavour.
Serves roughly eight, depending on appetites.
Ingredients
For the broth
2.5 kg chicken thighs (with skin on, bones in)
4 L filtered water
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
For the rest of the soup
2 medium onions, finely diced
2 carrots, finely sliced
½ a bunch of celery, finely sliced
1 teaspoon salt (add more to taste at the end if required)
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper (add more to taste at the end if required)
½ cup peas (fresh or frozen)
200 g dried or 800 g fresh of your favourite pasta, broken or cut into 2 cm long pieces
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
Method
Day One: the Broth
1. Place the chicken thighs in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Skim the broth as it boils.
2. Add the onions, carrots, celery, thyme, peppercorns, bay leaf and salt. Simmer uncovered over a low heat for 2 hours.
3. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken thighs from the pan and place in a bowl. Cover the chicken and refrigerate.
4. In a colander lined with cheesecloth (muslin) and placed over a large bowl, strain the broth and press the vegetables to extract all the liquid. Discard the vegetables.
5. Refrigerate the stock for at least 12 hours or until the fat solidifies on the surface.
Day Two: The Rest of the Soup
1. In a large saucepan bring the broth from the previous day to a boil. Add onions, carrots, celery, salt and pepper. Simmer gently for 20 to 25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
2. In a separate saucepan, boil the noodles until they are just al dente. Remove from the heat and drain, then return to saucepan and cover to keep moist.
3. Carefully remove any solidified fat from the refrigerated, cooked chicken and put to one side. This is schmaltz – you can use it for cooking other things as you would any other animal fat.
4. Debone the chicken and cut it into small pieces.
5. Add the chicken and peas to the simmering soup.
6. After two minutes add the noodles and parsley. Mix carefully.
7. Ladle into waiting bowls and serve to waiting people.
Glossary of technical terms
Definitions for some terms used in the novel
allele a gene that is found in one of two or more different forms in the same position in a chromosome, and so produces a particular characteristic that can be different for different people, such as eye colour
ante-mortem before death; bone damage in ante-mortem injuries shows evidence of healing
archaeology the study of the buildings, graves, tools and other objects that belonged to people who lived in the past, in order to learn about their culture and society
biological anthropology also known as physical anthropology, is a scientific discipline in which research is concerned with the biological and behavioural variation of human beings, other non-human primates, and extinct hominin ancestors of the human species
congenital a congenital disease or condition exists at or from birth
cranial of the skull
cryptography the practice of creating and understanding codes that keep information secret
dentition the number, type and arrangement of teeth in a person or animal
epigraphology the archaeologic
al study of inscriptions
foramen a natural passage in the body, especially through a bone
gene a unit of heredity that is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to determine some characteristic of the offspring
mandible in a person or animal, the lower jaw bone
maxilla the upper jaw bone that supports the upper teeth and forms part of the eye sockets and nasal cavity
neonate a medical word for a baby who is less than four weeks old
palaeogenetics the study of the past through the examination of preserved genetic material from the remains of ancient organisms
palaeopathology the branch of science concerned with the pathological conditions found in ancient human and animal remains
pelvic girdle (in vertebrates) the enclosing structure formed by the bony pelvis, providing attachment for the hind limbs or pelvic fins
peri-mortem at or near the time of death; in peri-mortem injuries, bone damage occurring at or near the time of death, without any evidence of healing
perinatal relating to the time, usually a number of weeks, immediately before and after birth
philology the branch of knowledge that deals with the structure, historical development and relationships of a language or languages; in North America, literary or classical scholarship
post-cranial of or relating to the part of the body below the head
pseudoscience a collection of beliefs or practices mistakenly regarded as being based on scientific method
sexual dimorphism of an animal, a distinct difference between the sexes in size or appearance, in addition to the sexual organs themselves
species a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding
Lexicon of foreign language phrases
Translations of foreign language terms used in the novel
Arabic
ful medames a spiced Egyptian breakfast dish of cooked and mashed broad beans (fava beans)
Shukran Thank you
Chinese
Bùxiè No, thank you
Fēng xiàng zhuàn biànshí, you rén zhú qiáng, you rén zào fēngchē When one door closes, another opens
jiǎozi dumplings
nàinài grandmother, specifically father’s mother
Nǐ hǎo Hello (informal)
Nín hǎo Hello (formal)
xiǎo little (also used as a familiar diminutive)
Yīlìshābái Elizabeth
French
grandmère grandmother
la sainte trinité de polar the holy trinity of crime fiction
ma chérie my dear
ma pauvre petite my poor little one
merveilleuses marvellous
mon chouchou my cabbage (a familiar term of endearment)
mon petit chou my little cabbage
petit en case a little in case (usually a small stash of dried fruit and nuts)
polar crime fiction
Spanish
Hola Hello
tenaz tenacious
Welsh
bach little (also used as a familiar diminutive)
bara brith a bread made with tea and currants or raisins
Bore da Good morning
cariad darling
cawl mamgu grandmother’s soup
Da iawn Very good
Diolch Thank you
Ffwrdd a ni! Let’s go!
Hwyaden Hallt Cymreig Welsh salted duck
Paned o de? Cup of tea?
Sut da chi? How are you? (formal)
taid grandfather
Y Barri Barry (a town in Glamorgan)
Recommended additional reading
Beahrs, A 2010, Twain’s Feast: Searching for America’s Lost Foods, Penguin Group, New York
Clark, J E and Pye, M E (eds) 2006, Olmec Art and Archaeology in Mesoamerica, Yale University Press, London
Dodson, A and Ikram, S 2008, The Tomb in Ancient Egypt: Royal and Private Sepulchres from the Early Dynastic Period to the Romans, Thames & Hudson, London
Pool, C 2007, Olmec Archaeology and Early Mesoamerica, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Tate, C E 2012, Reconsidering Olmec Visual Culture: The Unborn, Women, and Creation, University of Texas Press, Austin
Walsh, J E 1997, Unravelling Piltdown: The Science Fraud of the Century and Its Solution, Random House, New York
Yates, A 2007, Welsh Heritage Food and Cooking, Lorenz Books, London
Author’s note, a.k.a. L.J.’s ramblings
Well, that’s the first outing for Dr Pimms. I hope you enjoyed it.
What’s Real and What’s Not
To the best of my ability, the references to Olmec archaeology and archaeological techniques, and explanations of basic philology and librarianship, are correct. Juluwik is not a real site; however, my description of the Tok’s city is based on the real San Lorenzo site in Mexico.
Descriptions of parts of the Mahony Griffin Library were inspired by the current single building of the National Library of Australia. I’ve added the second building originally envisioned by the National Library of Australia’s architect, Walter Bunning.
Rhys Jones, Legendary Australian Archaeologist
I was fortunate enough to know Rhys Jones, albeit not well. He was a legend by the time I arrived at uni. Typically Welsh, he was short – particularly in the legs – with a rounded belly. He reminded me strongly of my own Taid.
Rhys seemed to square up to life, take it by the collar, and shake it until all the good bits fell out. He quite happily challenged dogma and orthodoxy, and revisited the facts – letting politics and ‘the establishment’ go hang. Those closer to him would know if he also suffered hiraeth, felt particularly keenly by some of us so far from the hills of home. I suspect he did.
Many books from his personal collection do indeed sit on the shelves of one of my beloved Welsh compatriots in Canberra. Any aspiring archaeologists out there would certainly benefit from studying Rhys’ career and works.
Acknowledgements
I created the world of Dr Pimms, Intermillennial Sleuth by mixing one part autobiography, one part lamentation and one part personal salvation with a hefty dose of fixation. It’s true. While some might have mistaken me for a ‘disciplined writer’, I was actually a person obsessed.
And so I would like to acknowledge my enablers and supporters, those who helped turn my preoccupation with writing into a published book on shelves across the nation.
Randy Ingermanson for his snowflake method and taking the time to answer my emails so quickly. Best writing coach ever.
Matthew Ruffin for endlessly encouraging me. Hayley Lewis and Andrew Lee for their generous technical support. Rohan Gifford and Tonia Bergmanis for much-needed feedback. And Ian, Sonya, Cynthia, Priscilla, Joe, Jason, Tanya and Ash for cheering me on.
A special thank you to everyone who supported the publication of the first edition of Olmec Obituary on Kickstarter. You made all the difference.
Angela Meyer, commissioning editor extraordinaire, for spotting my book on Kickstarter. I was so exhausted the day I received her email asking to see the manuscript that it seemed like a dream – that turned into a wonderful reality.
And everyone in the Echo team for helping prepare both me and Olmec for wider public consumption. Susan Paterson for making the editing process so easy. Josh Durham and Shaun Jury for designing a whole new look for the book, inside and out. Kirstin Corcoran for marketing and PR.
Thank you.
Coming soon
Dr Pimms, Intermillennial Sleuth
Book Two: Mayan Mendacity
1. Disarticulated remains, temporally displaced
2. Two Tik’al Queens, recorded
3. One concealed sibling, enraged
4. Canine consumption
About the series
Dr Pimms, Intermillennial Sleuth is a series of A-B mysteries (archaeo-biblio mysteries).
Ar·chae·o·bib·li·o·mys·tery [ahr
-kay-oh-bib-lee-oh-mis-ter-ee] {a-b-mystery} – noun.
A puzzling crime or event that requires the application of both archaeological and philological principles for its explanation.
Can involve historic or prehistoric societies, their culture, writing and communication systems, artefacts or skeletal remains.
About the author
Like many bookworms, the best parts of my childhood were spent in the story worlds created by others. A bad day saw me escape under the covers, with a torch and an orange, to faraway lands where mysteries were solved, hard work was rewarded and bad guys got their comeuppance. As an adult I decided to create another place for us all to run away to.
They say you should write what you know. As I’m a trained archaeologist, a qualified librarian and I have a PhD in palaeogenetics, I thought: archaeological mystery series, with a librarian protagonist – naturally!
So if you like the idea of curling up in an armchair, tea in hand, fireplace crackling, and immersing yourself in a world of archaeological wonders, forensic science and really good food, then this might be just for you.
Welcome to the world of Dr Pimms, Intermillennial Sleuth. Really cold cases.
L.J.M. Owen
Echo Publishing
12 Northumberland Street, South Melbourne
Victoria 3205 Australia
www.echopublishing.com.au
Part of the Bonnier Publishing Group
www.bonnierpublishing.com
Copyright © L.J.M. Owen 2015
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Previously published as a limited ‘Kickstarter supporter edition’ by L.J.M. Owen in 2015. This edition first published by Echo Publishing in 2015.
This ebook edition published 2015
Edited by Susan Paterson
Cover design by Josh Durham, Design by Committee