I ate some coconut cake, sat back in my chair and inhaled deeply. Everyone was talking softly, eating, drinking, and enjoying the cool breeze. The sun would not set for ages yet, and it was glorious not to have to hurry, or stress, or fret. Though I did want to talk to Dion Monk and ask him about Vienna in 1945. If what Jon had suggested were true, he must be in his nineties at least!
Suddenly the man himself caught my eye, and waved me over. I brought a small stool to sit with him and Mrs Dawson. ‘Tell me about your baked ham,’ I begged. ‘It is superb.’
‘Pernam ubi eam cum Caricis plurimus elixaveris,’ he quoted. ‘It is from an Ancient Roman cookbook by a fellow called Apicius. Figs, honey and bay leaves lend it their particular charm.’
‘Splendid,’ I said. ‘And …’
He lifted an interrogative eyebrow.
‘What I really wanted to ask you,’ I confessed, ‘is if you have finished your translation.’
He inclined his head with grace and gravitas.
‘Indeed I have. And the Gospel of St Joseph of Arimathea has lived up to its billing. This will indeed set tongues wagging when it is published.’
‘You haven’t found the Holy Grail, have you?’
‘No, my dear. Though I have never understood why people seem to think it’s a cup.’
‘Isn’t it?’
‘Well, no. Wikipedia seems to think it comes from the Latin gradalis, and of course the medieval French leapt to the conclusion that it was a cup. I think it far more likely that it comes from graduale, meaning a ladder.’
‘Like Jacob’s Ladder?’ I had not realised Daniel was with us, but he was kneeling at the Professor’s feet. As indeed did we all.
‘Well, yes. A stairway to heaven, if you like. But it would relate to Christ’s crucifixion because it would have been the ladder from which the Deposition from the Cross was effected. However, St Joseph has remarkably little to say about that. What happened afterwards is a lot more intriguing; because, as we have long suspected, Jesus appears to have indeed married Mary Magdalene – though she is simply called Mary – and they went … well, now. Would you care to hazard a guess?’
I couldn’t. Though Mrs Dawson clearly knew, because she was grinning from ear to perfectly formed ear.
‘England,’ he resumed, in quiet triumph. ‘It is a singular fact that the Glastonbury Thorn Tree really is a Syrian thorn, and it was supposedly grown from the staff of St Joseph, where he planted it in what became the monastery grounds. The idea that Jesus visited England has long been a staple of the British Israelites. They went rather too far in suggesting that the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel had also gone to England, but nevertheless we have substantial evidence for the first time that the story really is true. Now do you see why our zealous young friend Jordan King was so anxious to impound my copy of the scroll?’
I shook my head. ‘Sorry, not really. And how would he have known what was in the scroll? But you’re going to tell me, aren’t you?’
Mrs Dawson clasped his hand in hers and smiled. ‘Oh, I think the Catholics have known about this scroll for some time. In its essentials. Word gets around in Vatican City. But they didn’t want this to get out.’
‘Why not?’ I asked, still not getting the point.
‘Because, my dear, this means that the Church of England really is the one true church after all. I have always thought so.’
I gaped, and looked at Daniel. He nodded slowly. ‘That does make sense. Rome may have had St Peter and St Paul. But if England has Jesus Himself …’
I saw Kate and Marie were next to me, still hand in hand.
‘Have you given him his present yet?’ Kate wanted to know.
‘I was saving it up for after dinner. But now seems as good a time as any. Daniel?’
Instantly he was at my side. I reached into my pocket and handed over the gift-wrapped USB. ‘Any particular occasion, ketschele?’ he asked, when he had unwrapped the parcel and was admiring the song list.
‘Hanukkah?’
He kissed me. ‘That was last month. But never mind. Gifts are always sweetly welcome.’ He turned to the girls. ‘Your work?’
‘Yes.’ Marie’s face dimpled prettily. ‘Our shop is just down Calico Alley.’
‘Thank you both. And you also, Corinna. I cannot thank you enough, for everything.’ He kissed me again. And why not?
But now it was time for my dessert to be unveiled. I opened a cardboard box and gestured in triumph. Daniel looked, cut himself a slice and ate it.
‘What do you think?’
‘Delicious! It tastes like soda bread, but with raisins. What’s it called?’
I waited until I had Alasdair’s attention as well, then I announced, to general smiles: ‘It’s called Spotted Dog.’
RECIPES
Spotted Dog
750 g (1 lb 10 oz /5 cups) plain flour
330 g (11¾ oz /1½ cups) caster sugar
3 tablespoons baking powder
2 eggs
500 ml (17 fl oz /2 cups) milk
300 g (10½ oz /2 cups) raisins
Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Grease a 30-cm (12-in) cast-iron skillet. Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar and baking powder. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the milk. Stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture until it is moist. It must not be runny. Fold in the raisins. Spread the batter onto the skillet and bake for 1 hour or until the bread has risen and is golden brown on top.
Roman Baked Ham
1.4 kg (3 lb 2 oz) ham on the bone
250 g (9 oz) chopped dried figs
3 bay leaves
100 ml (3½ fl oz) honey
500 g (1 lb 2 oz /3⅓ cups) plain flour
125 ml (4 fl oz / ½ cup) olive oil
Bring the ham, figs and bay leaves to boil in a large pot of water, then simmer for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Wait until the ham is cold, then use your fingers to remove the skin. Use a knife to make crisscross incisions in the fat and fill the incisions with honey. Make a paste with the flour and oil, and cover the ham with it, making sure it gets into the incisions you’ve made. This paste will ensure the ham stays moist and flavoured. Bake the ham until the paste becomes a golden-brown crust.
Apricot Chicken Wings
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
225 g (8 oz / ⅔ cup) apricot jam
125 ml (4½ oz / ½ cup) orange juice
1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) chicken wings
4 potatoes cut into wedges
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and line two trays with baking paper. In a bowl, stir together the garlic, ginger, jam and most of the juice, reserving 1 tablespoon of juice. Toss the chicken wings in the sauce until they are thoroughly coated, then place them in a single layer on one of the trays. In a bowl, combine the potato, the remainder of the juice, the sesame seeds and the vegetable oil. Spread the potatoes in a single layer on the other tray. Put both trays in the oven for 20 minutes, turning the chicken pieces and potato occasionally to brown them evenly. Serve the chicken and potatoes with a salad of your choosing.
Coconut Cake
90 g (3 oz /1 cup) desiccated coconut
150 g (5½ oz /1 cup) self-raising flour
165 g (5¾ oz / ¾ cup) caster sugar
185 ml (6 fl oz / ¾ cup) milk
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a medium-sized cake tin. In a bowl, thoroughly beat the ingredients together. Pour into the tin and bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Onion Pan Bread
2 large onions, cut into slices 5 mm (¼ in) thick
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
300 g (10½ oz /2 cups) plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 eg
g
250 ml (9 fl oz /1 cup) milk
60 ml (2 fl oz / ¼ cup) vegetable oil
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Sauté the onion slices in 2 tablespoons of the butter for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use the remaining butter to grease a round 22-cm (8½-in) baking dish, pie plate or oven-proof skillet. Sprinkle evenly with the brown sugar then spread the onion slices over the top. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, caster sugar and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg, milk and oil. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix well. Evenly spread the batter over the onions and bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Beef Salad with Mint
1 piece (250 g / 9 oz or so) tenderloin, sirloin or filet mignon
1 small red onion, peeled and sliced
1 small cucumber, peeled and sliced
3 g (1 / 10 oz / ¼ cup) fresh mint (or basil or parsley), minced
4 cups lettuce or other greens, chopped
4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon fish sauce or soy sauce
pinch cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon caster sugar
Cook beef for 10 minutes in a frying pan or wok, or on a grill. When the beef is cool, slice it into thin strips, reserving the juice. Toss together the onion, cucumber, mint and greens. For the dressing, combine the lime juice, fish or soy sauce, cayenne pepper and sugar, then add it to the salad, reserving 1 tablespoon. Add the remaining dressing to the meat juice, then drizzle it over the beef and serve.
Soft Fruit Sorbet
2 cups of any soft, ripe fruit, washed, pitted and dried
220 g (7¾ oz /1 cup) fine sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Puree the fruit in a blender with most of the sugar and some of the lemon juice. Adjust the ingredients to taste. Refrigerate until semi-frozen, then churn by hand with a mixing stick. Keep stirring until the consistency is smooth and even. We live in stirring times.
For more of Corinna’s recipes,
please visit the Earthly Delights website,
www.earthlydelights.net.au
If you would like to contact me,
I may be found at [email protected]
BIBLIOGRAPHY
WAR
Anderson, Ben, No Worse Enemy: The inside story of the chaotic struggle for Afghanistan, Oneworld, Oxford, 2011
Kipling, Rudyard, Barrack-Room Ballads, Methuen, London, 1896
McNab, Andy, Bravo Two Zero, Corgi, London, 1993
O’Brian, Patrick, Master and Commander, Harper-Collins, London, 1970
Scarborough, Elizabeth Ann, The Healer’s War: A fantasy novel of Vietnam, Bantam-Spectra, New York, 1988
Swofford, A., Jarhead, Scribner, Sydney, 2003
RELIGION
Baigent, M. & Leigh, R., The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception, Cape, London, 1991
Haag, Michael, The Quest for Mary Magdalene, Profile Books, London, 2017
Ravenscroft, Trevor, The Spear of Destiny, Spearman, London, 1973
Shanks, Hershel, The Mystery and Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Random House, New York, 1998
Wilson, Ian, The Turin Shroud: The illustrated evidence, Penguin, London, 1978
Wilson, Ian, The Blood and The Shroud: New evidence that the world’s most sacred relic is real, Orion, London, 1998
ANIMALS
Greagg, David, Dougal’s Diary, Clan Destine Press, Melbourne, 2010
Petraitis, Vikki, The Dog Squad, Penguin, Melbourne, 2015
CUISINE
Flower, B. & Rosenbaum, E., The Roman Cookery Book: A critical translation of The Art of Cooking by Apicius for use in the study and the kitchen, Harrap, London, 1958
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