St. Brigid’s Day and Candlemas
February 1st and 2nd
Get the plough out and maybe write a poem about sheep.
The History
Candlemas is the Christian festival commemorating the Purification of the Blessed Virgin and the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. The name “Candlemas” is derived from the procession of candles, inspired by the words found in the Bible “a light to lighten the Gentiles.”
This date is significant because it falls right in the middle of the winter solstice and the spring equinox. All celebrations surrounding these two seasonal events involved farming and ploughing the fields. The cattle and sheep would be brought out of the winter pastures so that crops could be planted.
Get in My Belly!
The day before Candlemas, February 1, is known as St. Brigid’s Day, and it marks the beginning of spring. St. Brigid, the patron saint of poetry and wisdom, was associated with all regeneration and nature’s bounty. The eternal flame for Brigid was lit in her honor at the St. Brigid’s Cathedral in Kildare. In the thirteenth century, nuns took over the flame, forbidding any men to enter the premises until an angry bishop came along and had it extinguished for the first time in a thousand years. We’re guessing that he wasn’t invited to the feast. In Ireland, this day is also referred to as Imbolc, which translates to “in the belly,” a reference to pregnant, lactating sheep, that were symbols of the first hints of spring.
SAVE YOURSELVES! Celebrate Candlemas with a St. Brigid’s cross. These crosses were woven on the day of the feast and set over doorways and windows as a symbol of protection.
Because Candlemas and St. Brigid’s Feast or Imbolc are celebrations of the milk that began to flow forth from the sheep in the wake of spring, dairy is the star ingredient. Cheeses, milk, butter, cream, and yogurt could all be incorporated into your meal, be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Bread Winner
Braided bread is found in many forms and in many cultures. They are readily available at almost any supermarket or bakery and are the perfect accompaniment for whatever you serve at your Candlemas feast. The braid symbolizes Brigid in her aspect as the bride, which is representative of her fertility and position as a hearth goddess. Make sure you quote us on that when you bring it out to the table.
So Corny
Another notable food for this celebration is corn. In the Middle Ages, a loaf of bread and an ear of corn were left outdoors on the night of February 1st as offerings to the saint.
We’ve combined all three ingredients—milk, bread, and corn—into a delicious bread pudding.
With cheese, corn, and all the things necessary to celebrate Candlemas!
Ingredients
1 French baguette, about a pound
1 Tbsp each of fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme, finely chopped
1½ tsp salt
1½ tsp black pepper
2 large garlic cloves, minced
½ stick unsalted butter, melted
Olive oil
1 large red onion, diced
1 fennel bulb
4 cups diced mushrooms (we used baby bellas)
1 cup steamed, plain corn
3½ cups heavy cream
7 large eggs
1 tsp ground coriander
½ cup chopped, fresh parsley
1 lb white cheddar cheese; ¾ cut into small cubes and ¼ grated
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut the ends off of the bread, and discard or eat.
Cut the loaf into bite-size pieces. In a large bowl, mix the bread, rosemary, sage, thyme, ½ teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of pepper, garlic, and melted butter.
Spread the bread mixture onto a baking pan and toast until golden and mildly crunchy. This takes about 20 minutes, but you should keep an eye on it to make sure that the bread chunks do not burn (it smells far too good for that to happen, anyway). Place the bread back in the bowl.
Add a few tablespoons of olive oil into a large skillet and add your onion and fennel over medium heat. As they start to soften, add the mushrooms and corn. Sauté until the vegetables are soft. You may need to turn the heat up a bit to cook off the juices at the bottom of the pan. Place the cooked vegetables into the same bowl as the bread.
In a separate bowl, whisk the cream, eggs, coriander, remaining portions of the salt and pepper, and parsley. Mix the wet mixture into the bread, add the cubed cheese and vegetables, and stir. We recommend that you let this sit for a half hour or more in the refrigerator. You can do this the day before if you wish, but it is not necessary. The longer you wait, the more goodness gets soaked into the delicious bread cubes.
Now that you are ready, preheat the oven to 350°F. We used four individual loaf pans that were 5¾ x 3 inches; however, you can choose to do everything in a large pan. Butter the pan(s); we also lined our buttered pans with parchment paper for ease of removal.
It is always recommended to place your pan(s) on a cookie sheet to catch any drips. The cooking time will vary depending on your pan; we cooked them for 45 minutes.
Once you see that the food has set and the top is beginning to brown, remove the bread pudding from the oven. Generously cover the top of the pudding with grated cheese.
Place the pan back into the oven to melt the cheese on top. Once the cheese has melted, remove from the oven and let cool for 10–15 minutes.
