Halloween history:
Fall has always been a special time of year. It is a time to give thanks. The crops are in. There is enough food for all. But hundreds of years ago fall was also a time to feel afraid. People felt the sun grow weaker. They watched the days grow shorter. They saw plants dying. Long ago that frightened people. They thought evil powers were pushing the sun away. The Celts were people who lived over 2,000 years ago. Most of them lived in Great Britain and Ireland. The Celts had many gods. One was named Samhain. He was the god of death. His special night was October 31. That was the Celts’ New Year’s Eve. The Celts believed Samhain came to earth that night. He let the dead come back too. The Celts made large fires. They burned animals as gifts for Samhain. Some of them wore costumes made from animals’ heads and furs. Samhain’s night was a frightening time. It marked the beginning of winter. It became the beginning of our Halloween. In the year 43, the Romans conquered the Celts. The Romans also had many gods. One was named Pomona. She was the goddess of fruit. Her festival was in the fall. It came right after Samhain’s night. But Pomona’s festival was a happy time. It was a time to give thanks to all the gods. Apples were important to Pomona. So Romans gave apples to their gods of rain and fire. They wanted to thank them for not harming the crops. The Romans ruled the Celts for about 400 years. During that time Pomona’s and Samhain’s festivals got mixed up. They became one festival. And today apples are still an important part of Halloween. In the 1800s, many people moved to the USA. Some came from Great Britain and Ireland. That was where the Celts had lived. They brought their holidays with them. One of those holidays was Halloween.











Halloween traditions:

No Irish Halloween was complete without a huge serving of caulcannon, a dish still eaten in Ireland today. Made of mashed potatoes, parsnips, and onions, and sometimes with a tiny object inside, it was a way of telling fortunes. A coin in a portion of caulcannon meant wealth. A ring stood for marriage, a doll for children, and a thimble for spinsterhood. In southern England, a special kind of nut bread was made. It was eaten on All Souls day. When you eat the bread your supposed to say a prayer for a loved one recently departed. In New England it is very common a tradition to slaughter and roast your first Turkey on Halloween. Some of the older folks who still traditionally cook this Turkey dinner call Halloween Snap apple Night or Nutcrack night. My friends grandmother from Sicily made one dish every Halloween. It was red cabbage and fennel; whether this is a traditional Halloween dish in Italy I am not sure.


Caulcannon


1 1/4 lbs kale, washed with stems removed (can also use cabbage)
2 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/4 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
1 cup leeks, cleaned chopped (white part only)
1 cup milk
1 pinch mace, ground salt & pepper
1/2 cup butter, melted.

In a large pot, simmer the kale along with oil and 2 cups water for 10 minutes. Drain kale and let cool a bit before chopping it finely, then set aside and cover to keep it warm. In a small pot, bring potatoes and water to a boil and simmer until tender. In another small pot, simmer leeks in milk for 10 minutes, then turn off heat and cover to keep warm. Drain the potatoes and puree them into the large pot. Add leeks with the milk, and cooked kale. Beat with a spoon or whisk until fluffy, then season with mace, salt and pepper. Top with melted butter and garnish with parsley if desired. Yields 6 servings.

Cabbage With Fennel


4 medium fennel bulbs with leafy tops ( 2 pounds)
3/4 cup apple juice or apple cider
1/4 cup cider vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon instant chicken bouillon granules
2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 10-ounce packages shredded red cabbage (about 8 cups total)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed

Remove upper stalks from fennel, including feathery leaves; reserve leaves and discard stalks. Discard any wilted outer layers on fennel bulbs; cut off a thin slice from base of each bulb. Quarter each fennel bulb lengthwise. Chop enough of the reserved fennel leaves to make 2 teaspoons; set aside along with a few sprigs of the feathery leaves. In a small bowl, combine apple juice and vinegar. In a large saucepan, combine fennel wedges, 1/2 cup of the apple juice mixture, the garlic, and bouillon granules. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 14 to 16 minutes or until the fennel is tender. Meanwhile, pour 1 tablespoon of the oil into a large skillet or wok. Preheat over medium-high heat. Add 1 package of the cabbage; stir-fry for 3 to 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Transfer cooked cabbage to a bowl; cover and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining oil and the remaining package of cabbage. Reduce heat to medium-low; return all of the cabbage to skillet. Combine the remaining apple juice mixture and the brown sugar; stir into cabbage. Add fennel seed. Cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through. Transfer cabbage mixture to a serving platter. Using a slotted spoon, remove fennel wedges from the liquid; discard liquid. Place fennel on top of cabbage mixture.

Maple Turkey with a apples


1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 12- to 14-pound turkey, thawed if frozen, neck and giblets reserved for stock
4 large sage sprigs
4 large thyme sprigs
5 Rome apples, quartered
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup dry red wine
3 cups turkey stock or chicken broth
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour.

Stir together maple syrup and vinegar in a small bowl and reserve. Preheat oven to 425 degree F. Rinse turkey inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. Season inside and out with salt and pepper to taste. Loosely fill neck and body cavities with herbs and some of the apples. Fold neck skin under turkey and secure with toothpicks. Tuck wings under and tie legs together with kitchen string. Put turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a large flameproof roasting pan. Add 1 cup water to pan. Roast turkey in middle of oven for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degree F and pour butter over turkey. Continue to roast, basting occasionally, for 2 more hours adding additional water (1/2 cup at a time) if pan is dry. Brush turkey with all of maple glaze and place remaining quartered apples around turkey in roasting pan, flesh side down. Cook apples until tender but not falling apart, about 30 minutes. If apples are done before turkey, transfer apples with a slotted spoon to a bowl and keep warm, covered. If skin of turkey is browning too much, tent breast loosely with foil. Total roasting time should be 3 to 3-1/2 hours, depending on size of bird. Start testing for doneness at 2-1/2 hours until an instant-read thermometer inserted at least 2 inches into inner thigh (be careful not to touch bone) reaches 180 degree F. Transfer turkey to a platter, reserving roasting pan and remove toothpicks. Let turkey stand, covered loosely with foil, for 30 minutes. Remove apples and herbs from turkey cavities and discard. Transfer 1/4 cup of fat with some juices from pan to a cup, reserving roasting pan, and whisk with flour. Straddle roasting pan over 2 burners, then add wine to deglaze pan and boil over moderately high heat, scraping up brown bits until wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add turkey stock and briskly whisk in flour mixture until combined well. Simmer gravy, whisking occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 7 minutes. Pour gravy through a sieve set over a medium saucepan, discarding solids, and keep gravy warm, covered. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Nut Bread


2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 beaten egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup cooking oil
3/4 cup chopped almonds, pecans, or walnuts, toasted

Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of an 8x4x2-inch loaf pan; set aside. In a large bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside. In a medium bowl combine the egg, milk, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in nuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake in a 350 degree F oven 50 to 55 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing. Makes 1 loaf





Spiced Cider


6 cups apple cider or apple juice
3 cinnamon sticks
30 whole cloves
8 slices crystallized ginger, each about 1 inch in diameter
3/4 cup apple brandy

In a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the cider, cinnamon sticks, cloves and crystallized ginger. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover partially and simmer gently for 30 minutes to blend the flavors. Ladle the cider into warmed mugs or cups, adding some of the spices to each serving. Stir 2 Tbs. Calvados into each mug and serve immediately. Serves 6.




Hot Buttered Rum


3 Tbs. firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
3/4 cup rum
2 cups boiling water
4 cinnamon sticks

In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, butter, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. Distribute evenly among 4 warmed mugs. Add 3 Tbs. rum to each mug, then fill with the boiling water, stirring well. Garnish with cinnamon sticks. Serves 4.

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