Holiday cooking

Because Samhain's coming up, I thought it'd be a good idea to start a pagan holiday cooking thread. Any favorite recipes for the holidays?

I always do caramel apples around this time of year, and of course pumpkin pie (the real kind, not the canned kind), but this year, I'm going to try something different.

I got this recipe off the net (can't remember the wesbite ) and it looks mighty tasty! Here it is:

8-oz. package baby carrots

1/4 C. unsweetened, apple juice or cider

1/4 t. dried red pepper seeds

1 T. dark brown sugar

1/2 t. ground ginger

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

1/2 t. ground clove

1/2 t. nutmeg

1/2 t. ground allspice

1 T. spiced rum, optional

In small saucepan, mix carrots, apple juice or cider, pepper seeds, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg (preferably freshly ground), allspice and, if using, rum. Coat carrots thoroughly.

Bring mixture to low boil over medium heat, stirring often. As mixture thickens, begin to stir constantly, taking care not to allow liquid to scorch. Carrots should be crispy tender and sauce mixture should be thick coating.

Makes 4 servings.

Carole said:

I love glazed carrots! I think this looks yummy too!

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I actually am very picky about carrots, but this recipes looks pretty tasty. Also, have you ever tried Gajar ka Halva? It's a Krsna recipe, and it is absolutely the best thing I've ever had in my whole life- I nearly cried when I first tried it. If you haven't tried it, you HAVE GOT TO PROMISE ME that you will! You've GOTTTTT TOOOO!

StephanieFox said:

Colcannon! This is a traditional Irish potato dish with variations around the British Isles. Basically you cook potatoes and mash them, mix them with a lot of caramelized onions, cooked (boiled or steamed) kale and butter, then put them in a buttered casserole dish and bake for about 1/2 to 3/4 hour. Serve with lots of butter. This is YUMMY!

At Samhain, some people hide little trinkets in the potatoes as a way of divination. Each little trinket has a meaning.

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Oh my, that does sound good (I'm a sucker for potatoes). And I really like the trinket idea!

Carole said:

Oh wow. I just looked up the recipe. Carrot Pudding? I have never heard of such a thing, but it sounds awesome! But what is the ingredient Gee?

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Gee/ghee is clarified butter. You can either use normal butter as a substitute, or you can make your own. Just melt butter in a pan, let it boil/simmer until the fats seperate, then strain out the solids and use what's left (you can save the solids and use them for something else at a later time, if you want).

Halva's the shit!

Carole said:

Frybread. num num num! I have only had it once, at a Native American wedding held at a Pow Wow, and it was AMAZING! Who knew bread could be so yummy?

I have something I cook all season. It doesn't really qualify for a special Yule dish, but it warms the bones on a day like today, which never left the thirties. I have to say that I make the best beef stew I have ever eaten. I made a crockpot full today. I use sparerib meat instead of stew meat because it's so much more tender, and I also put in chunks of onion, carrots and whole red potatoes with the skin on. For spices, I use ginger, nutmeg, one whole clove (the spice, clove), one or two cloves of garlic, a bay leaf, a couple tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, a couple tablespoons of dark molasses, and salt & pepper. Let it cook all day in the crock pot, and you'll be dying for dinner by the time its done! We had it tonight with asiago cheese bread. My doggie, Sinner, also got some on her dog food.

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I don't like beef or eat it often, but I'm going to have to try this recipe. I love stew in the winter, mmmm

StephanieFox said:

In the Twin Cities, we have a tradition. We are obliged to eat some sort of pancake the 13th night after Yule, or Mother Berkta the Winter Witch will come while you are asleep, cut open your stomach and fill it with straw. We have had long discussions about exactly what qualifies as a pancake. It's symbolic of the sun, flat and round, but after that....

We all agree that latkas, flapjacks and lefsa qualify, but the rest is up to discussion. Some say a tortilla is a pancake, since it is flat and round, but other s think that it's just a form of bread. What about various Indian (subcontinental) pancakes? What about American Indian frybread? The argument rages.

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Perhaps crepes would qualify? Or mush (cornmeal pancakes), I don't know if this is the frybread you're referring to or not.

Carole said:

Here's a link to a website that has the history of frybread and a recipe.

If you've never had it before, you really ought to try it.

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It looks familiar, but I don't recall ever eating it. I gotta give it a try! Thanks for the recipe