Samhain is a time to honor our ancestors. The veil between here and Summerland is at it’s thinnest and we can commune and communicate with our loved ones who have moved on to the next phase of their lives. It has become traditional to have a “dumb” supper. This is a meal that is eaten in silence by candle light. Each food can be as simple or as gourmet as you wish it to be. I like mostly simple made with foods from my garden or local farms. I will add the correspondences before the recipes.
Symbols: Third Harvest, wisdom of the Crone, death of the God, reflection on our place in the Wheel of the Year, reincarnation, the dark mysteries, Rebirth after Death.
Foods: Beef, Pork, Poultry, Colcannon, Bonfire Toffee, anything with Apples, Doughnuts, Roasted Ear Corn, Popcorn, Caramel Corn, Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Bread, Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, King Cake, Pomegranates, Sweet Potatoes, Squash, Beets, Turnips, Nuts, Gingerbread, Cider, Mulled Wines, Mead, Late Autumn Fruits.
Plants & herbs: Angelica, Burdock, Catnip, Pennyroyal, Rosemary, Rue, Sunflower, Sage, Thyme, Wild Ginseng, Tarragon, Mugwort, Calendula, Chrysanthemum, Cosmos and Marigold.
HOT SPICED PUNCH
1 large can of unsweetened pineapple juice
1 quart of cranberry juice co*cktail
1 cup brown sugar
3 – 2″ sticks of cinnamon
1 Tablespoon of whole cloves
Put the cloves in a cloth bag. Boil in 2 cups of water. Let cool. Pour clove water and juices into large container. Mix well. Pour into large kettle and bring to a boil. Serve hot in cups or mugs.
Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
Sea salt
pepper, freshly ground
1 can (1 pound) pumpkin, or 2 cups fresh, peeled, and cubed
2 Yukon Gold (or yellow) potato, peeled and cubed
5 cups Chicken broth( or vegetable)
2-3 tablespoons dry sherry
1/2 cup half-and-half or soy cream (optional)
In a heavy soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the
Onion for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add in the chopped carrots
and celery and stir in the spices. Lower the heat and gently cook for
About 10 minutes, being careful not to overbrown the onions.
Add in the pumpkin, potato, and vegetable broth and stir. Add in the dry
Sherry, stir, and bring to a slow simmer, cooking the soup for about
25-35 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Remove from heat.
Carefully ladle the soup into a blender. Cover and puree the soup until
It is smooth and creamy. Return the puree to the soup pot and adjust the
Seasoning to your taste. Stir in the half-and-half, if desired, and
Blend until smooth. Serve at once in a festive bowls with a basket of
Warm bread or croutons.
Serves 4-6
Wild Thyme Pasta Salad
Ingredients:
1 package spiral pasta
1 jar artichoke hearts
Lightly sautéed (or steamed) mushrooms, onion, broccoli, zucchini, carrots and
peppers(I use frozen broccoli stir fry veggies) cooled
Sliced tomatoes
Wild Thyme dressing( see below) you can use robusto Italian dressing in a pinch
Boil pasta. Let cool then add sliced tomatoes, mushrooms & artichoke hearts.
Mix well & add the seasoning. Let sit in the refrigerator for a few hours, Serve chilled.
Wild Thyme Dressing
1/2 c olive oil
1/8 c vinegar
½ tsp wild thyme
¼ tsp rosemary
¼ minced garlic
1/8 c roasted red pepper
Salt/ pepper to taste
Place in blender and blend until smooth. Place in jar and refrigerate until needed.
Quick and Simple fruit compote
INGREDIENTS:
4 apples, peeled, cored, chopped into chunks
1/2 cup pineapple with juice
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tbs. Brown sugar
DIRECTIONS:
Place the apples in a food processor or blender and process
For 1 minute. If you don’t have either of these appliances,
Then just chop the apples by hand, very small. Place the
Apples, pineapple and juice, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a
Saucepan and stir to combine the ingredients. Cook on medium
Low for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the
Heat and let the sauce cool for 15 minutes. Store the sauce
In a jar in the refrigerator.
Yield: 2 cups of Apple Sauce
Remembrance roast
1 chicken or pork loin roast
1 small Onion, chopped
1 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon Fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 Bay leaf, crushed
1/2 teaspoon Celery seeds
1/2 teaspoon Dry thyme
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
Garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
Fold 2 large sheets of aluminum foil together with a double fold. There should be enough to enclose the roast. Place roast on foil. Sprinkle other ingredients over top. Enclose roast tightly in foil and cook in 300 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes PER pound. Until roast reaches 160 degrees.
Cheesy Rosemary Biscuits
Old fashioned biscuits are a treat at any season.
2 cups unbleached, all purpose flour
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese or cheddar
2 1/2tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, minced
1 stick unsalted butter or margarine, chilled
1/2 cup milk (or more if needed)
2-3 Tbs. dry sherry
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a large bowl combine the flour, cheese, baking powder,
salt, rosemary .
Cut the chilled butter into pieces and mix into the
flour mixture, crumbling the dough.
Add the milk and sherry and quickly ,mix the dough
just until the ingredients are moistened. Lightly
knead the dough inside the bowl a few times to
form a ball, and place on a floured surface. Roll out the dough with
a floured rolling pin ), to about 1/2 inch thick.
Cut out rounds with a cookie cutter or jelly glass
and place them on a baking sheet. Bake them for 10
to 12 minutes, until they are golden brown.
Makes about 15 to 18 biscuits.
Garlic String beans
1-2 pounds fresh string beans
2 cloves garlic
Butter or olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Sautee green beans with garlic in the butter/oil until cooked crisp tender
Pumpkin Bread
2/3 cup Shortening
1 teaspoon Nutmeg
2 2/3 cups Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
4 large Eggs
2 teaspoons Baking soda
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 teaspoon Baking powder
3 1/3 cups Flour
2/3 cup Water
1 can Pumpkin
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
Mix all the above ingredients together, pour into 2 loaf pans. Bake at 350~F for 50 – 60 minutes. You can add dates and nuts if you like.
Quick Apple Spice Cake
This is the fastest quickest cake recipe for those pagans that have not got enough time
to really cook!
You will need the following:
1 spice cake mix
1 small package of vanilla pudding
1 can apple pie filling
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 container of caramel apple dip (optional)
you will also need a microwave safe pan or Bundt type pan.
Mix all of the ingredients together except for the dip, they do not have to be mixed until
the mix is smooth. Pour into your pan and cook on 70% for 16 – 18 minutes or until done
(dry on top and pulling away from the sides). Let it cool slightly and pour the caramel
apple dip over the top and Enjoy!
Until next month
Merry Cooking and Blessed Eating
The Hearthkeeper
PS. If there is anything you would like to see here.. Please email me at [emailprotected]
