Samhain is like homecoming for me. No, I haven’t been away; it just feels cozy and warm and familiar, and I love it, especially the colors up in the high country. It gives me the opportunity to look inward and think about my ancestors, and consider my loved ones. I like seeing the pantry full and the smell of the wood stove burning. And candy. I like candy too.
Oven-Fried Chicken
Meat is often a central dish at end-of-harvest feasting, whether from the forest, field, or barnyard. Irish custom also includes the winged ones, and chicken was commonly served either stewed or fricasseed. This recipe for oven-fried chicken may not be traditional Celtic fare, but it works so well and tastes so good. If you want to use a whole chicken cut up, figure on 2 pieces per person, and feel free to add your favorite herbs and spices to the mix. (I like Cajun.)
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Serves: 6
6 chicken hindquarters, cut up or left whole
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup cornmeal
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Olive oil pan spray
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment, then place a rack on the sheet to raise the meat off the bottom of the pan. (An ovenproof grill pan would work too.) Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
Season chicken generously with salt and pepper. In a sturdy paper bag, mix the flour, cornmeal, and seasonings, then place 2 pieces of chicken at a time in the bag, shake to coat, then place on rack on baking sheet; continue with the rest of the chicken. Lightly spray chicken with olive oil pan spray.
Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes, turn heat down to 350 degrees F, and bake 30 to 45 minutes, or longer, basting occasionally, until golden brown and juices run clear. Serve hot or cold.
Colcannon
Colcannon is an Irish original. So is Halloween. The secular celebration in the United States is often accompanied by candy, but in Ireland colcannon was sometimes used on Halloween as a divination tool. Special charms were hidden in the diners’ bowls and, if you were lucky enough to find the right one (a ring perhaps), it was a portent of marriage.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: about 30 minutes
Serves: 6
2 pounds red boiling potatoes
3 teaspoons salt, divided
4 cups (about 2 bunches) thinly sliced kale (any type), ribs and stems removed
1 large leek, thinly sliced, white and light-green part only
½ cup (1 stick) butter, divided
½ cup whole milk
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Peel potatoes, cut into quarters, then place in a saucepan with enough water to cover and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, turn down to simmer, then cover and cook until fork-tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and return to pan at low heat, cover to keep warm.
While the potatoes cook, cover kale with water in another saucepan, add ½ teaspoon salt, and bring to a boil. Cook about 5 to 10 minutes until tender as desired. Drain well, and leave in colander.
In the same (kale) saucepan over medium heat, sauté leeks with 2 tablespoons butter until soft, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add milk and ½ teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered for about 10 minutes. Mash potatoes in their pan with 4 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and the pepper. With a wooden spoon, vigorously stir the leek-infused milk in with the potatoes until mixed.
Stir the cooked kale into the potato-leek pan and return to low heat for 5 minutes. Place in a serving bowl making a well in the center for the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. You can reduce the amount of butter used in this dish if desired, but all recipes traditionally call for a great big gob of the stuff melting on top. Who are you to argue with tradition?
Irish Whisky Cake with Icing
In keeping with the Irish-Celtic theme of Samhain, this cake is sure to spice up your evening with its spirited flavoring. Instead of the alcohol, you may add a teaspoon of vanilla and replace the whisky with apple juice, and use lemon juice to replace the whisky in the icing.
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes, including simmering raisins
Serves: 8–10
1 cup raisins (or currants)
1½ cups water
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, room temperature
½ cup brown sugar
1 egg
1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup chopped walnuts
¼ cup Irish whisky
For the icing:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup Irish whisky
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 × 13-inch baking dish and set it aside.
Place the raisins and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and let simmer uncovered, for 15 minutes. Drain the raisins, reserving the liquid; let cool.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, blending well. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spice into another bowl, then add to butter mixture. Stir in ¾ cup of the reserved raisin liquid (add water if necessary), the raisins, then the walnuts and the whisky. Pour into prepared pan. Bake until nicely browned and done in the center, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pan before icing.
To make the icing: mix the sugar and whisky in a bowl until smooth. Pour over cooled cake to serve.
Ginger Ciders
While the preparation for this quaff takes longer to describe than to actually accomplish, I will take this opportunity to advise you to choose quality ingredients for this and all your food choices, organic and locally grown whenever possible, especially for your kids. Even some sodas are more “natural” than others. Read the ingredients!
Prep time: 2 minutes
Serves: 2
1 12-ounce bottle apple cider, hard or soft
1 12-ounce bottle ginger ale
Have two tumblers ready and pour half of the cider into each glass, then half the ginger ale in each to top them off. Stir and enjoy.
Notes from Cook to Cook: As you look over the recipes throughout this book, you will see a few packaged items amongst the ingredients for convenience’s sake. I have also developed the recipes such that the greatest number of people can eat them, that is, wheat- and dairy-tolerant, and omnivores.
My kitchen is wheat-free and my husband can’t eat dairy, so I don’t cook with it either. Therefore, I have learned to make certain dishes, such as enchiladas, without cheese—are you kidding me?!? It can be done, my dears, with you asking for seconds. I use nuts and seeds a lot, and almond butter. (I’ve found that baking wheat/gluten-free desserts was fairly easy, but finally baking oat bread, real yeasted bread that didn’t taste like cardboard or dissolve under a tomato, was a blessed event.
Sorghum, brown rice, oat, and almond meal (plus a starch like corn or tapioca) are commonly used instead of wheat flour. You can’t get the same chewy stretch as in a real baguette, but that PBJ on bread that didn’t cost over $7.00 a loaf becomes more real.
If you can’t eat wheat, adjust the recipes using gluten-free flour, add an extra egg in the baked goodies, and no one will know the difference. If you can’t eat cheese, you might be able to use tofu in the cheesecake for instance, or, if you eat it (I do not), you can use fake cheese. If you don’t eat meat, you know what to do.
I apologize to anyone who can’t eat some of these foods; you are not alone. Creativity is the hallmark of the witch, and we can usually figure out a way to work things out for the best.