Mabon Recipes

  

Index

  

  • Apple Butter
  • Beef & Barley Vegetable Soup
  • Blackberry Wine
  • Cock-a-leekie Soup
  • Dandelion Wine
  • Garlic-Roasted Potatoes & Greens
  • Honey Whole Wheat Bread
  • Irish Herbed Scones
  • Old-Fashioned Ginger Beer
  • Pecan Pie
  • Roast Fillet of Beef
  • Aunt Marie's [Vegetarian] Cassoulet
  • Wheat Sheaf Bread, from The Book of Breads, by Judith & Evan Jones c.1982 Harper & Row
  • Apple-Port-Cheese Pie

      


       APPLE BUTTER (LOTWAERICK)

       4 quarts Apple
    2 quarts Water
    1 1/2 quarts Cider
    1 1/2 pounds Sugar
    1 teaspoon Cinnamon
    1 teaspoon Allspice
    1 teaspoon Cloves

       Wash and slice the apples into small bits. Cover with the water and boil until soft. Press through a sieve to remove skins and seeds. Bring cider to a boil and then add apple pulp and sugar and cook until it thickens, constantly stirring to prevent scorching. Add spices and cook until it is thick enough for spreading. Pour into sterilized jars and seal.

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       BLACKBERRY WINE

       3 pounds of blackberries
    3 pounds of sugar
    1 gallon of boiling water

       Wash berries, put in large bowl and pour over them the boiling water. Stir well, then cover the bowl and leave for ten days. Strain liquid through muslin, add the three pounds of sugar and stir well. Cover the bowl and leave for three days, but stir daily. Put into bottles and cork, loosely at first. The wine will be ready to drink in six months.

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       BEEF & BARLEY VEGETABLE SOUP

       3 pounds Soup Meat
    2 Tablespoons Fat
    2 quarts Water
    1 1/2 Tablespoons Salt
    1/4 Tablespoon Pepper
    2 Tablespoons Minced Parsley
    1/2 cup Barley
    1 cup Carrots, cubed
    1/4 cup Onion, chopped
    1/2 cup Celery, chopped
    2 cups Canned Tomatoes, drained
    1 cup Peas

    Brown meat with bones in hot fat. Place meat, soup bone, water, seasonings and parsley in a soup kettle. Cover tightly and simmer 1 hour. Add barley and simmer another hour. Cool and skim off excess fat. Remove soup bone. Add carrots, onion, celery and tomatoes. Simmer 45 minutes. Add fresh peas and continue cooking 15 minutes. If leftover soup becomes to thick, dilute with beef broth. Can be doubled or tripled and freezes well.

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       COCK-A-LEEKIE SOUP

       3 1/2 pounds Frying Chicken, cut into 8 pieces
    1 pound Beef Shanks, cut into 1" pieces
    6 cups Chicken broth
    3 slices Thick cut Bacon
    1 Tablespoon Dried leaf Thyme
    1 Bay leaf
    3/4 cup Pearl Barley
    1 1/2 cups Chopped Leek, white only
    Salt and Pepper to taste
    2 Tablespoons Chopped parsley

       Put the chicken, beef, stock, bacon, thyme, and bay leaf in a large, heavy pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Meanwhile boil barley in 1 1/2 cups water for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Remove chicken for pot. When cool enough to handle, debone and set aside. Add leeks and barley to the pot, and simmer 15 minutes. Remove beef shanks and debone. Chop meat coarsely, and return to the pot, along with the chicken. Simmer covered, for 5 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with parsley.

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       DANDELION WINE

       2 quarts dandelion flowers
    3 pounds sugar
    1 ounce yeast
    1 lemon
    1 orange
    1 gallon boiling water

       Pick the dandelions on a sunny day. Pick just the heads until you have two quart jugs full. Wash flowers and put into a large bowl. Slice orange, lemon thinly and add to the flowerheads. Pour boiling water on top of them, stir well. Cover bowl, leave for ten days, no more. Strain liquid into another bowl, stir in the 3 pounds sugar. Spread the yeast on a piece of toast, and float on top. Cover the bowl and leave for another 3 days. Remove the toast, strain again, and bottle. Cork loosely at first. The wine will be ready to drink in 3 months.

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       GARLIC - ROASTED POTATOES & GREENS

       2 pounds Red-Skinned Potatoes, sliced
    6 large Cloves Garlic, sliced lengthwise
    1/3 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
    3 Tablespoons Wine Vinegar
    Salt
    Pepper
    4 cups Watercress Sprigs, rinsed
    2 Tablespoons Chives, chopped

    Mix potatoes, garlic and oil in a 10 x 15" rimmed pan. Bake at 450 degrees until well browned, about 1 1/4 hours. Turn vegetables with a wide spatula every 10-15 minutes. Pour vinegar into pan, scraping with spatula to release browned bits and to mix with potatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour potatoes into a wide, shallow bowl. Chop half the watercress and mix with potatoes. Tuck remaining watercress around potatoes and sprinkle with chives.

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       OLD-FASHIONED GINGER BEER

       For The Starter:
    1/2 Ounce Yeast
    2 Teaspoons Sugar

    To Feed The "Plant":
    7 Teaspoons Ground Ginger
    7 Teaspoons Sugar

       To Flavour:
    1 1/2 Pounds Sugar
    Juice Of 2 Lemons

       Mix starter ingredients with 3/4 pint of warm water in a glass jar. Stir, cover and leave in a warm place for 24 hours. This is your starter "plant". Feed the "plant" with 1 teaspoon each of ground ginger and sugar each day. After 7 days strain through a fine sieve. Dissolve the sugar in 2 pints of water. Add the lemon juice and the liquid from the "plant". Dilute with 5 pints of water, mix well and store in corked bottles for at least 7 days. Use strong bottles as pressure may build up which will cause thin bottles to explode. For the same reason use corked bottles rather than those with a more secure closure that will not 'give' under pressure.
    The amount of sugar in the final stage can be varied according to taste.

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       PECAN PIE

       1-1/4 Cups Pecan Pieces
    2 Eggs, Slightly Beaten
    1 Cup Light Karo Syrup
    1/4 Cup Sugar
    2 Tablespoons Flour
    1/4 Teaspoon Salt
    1 Teaspoon Vanilla.

       Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

       Spread pecans in an unbaked 9-inch pie shell. Mix remaining ingredients together and pour over pecans. Bake slowly at 375 degrees until done, approximately 1 hour. Hint: Cover the edges of the pie crust with foil about halfway through baking to prevent crust from getting too brown before the pie is done.

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       ROAST FILLET OF BEEF 1 Fillet of beef (5-6 lb) trimmed
    5 Garlic cloves, slivered
    1 teaspoon Salt
    1 teaspoon Freshly ground pepper
    Tabasco sauce
    1 cup Soy sauce
    1/2 cup Olive oil
    1 cup Port wine
    2 teaspoons Thyme
    1 bunch Watercress

       To prepare the fillet, make slits in it and put slivers of garlic in the slits. Rub well with salt, pepper and Tabasco. Combine the soy sauce, olive oil, port and herbs and place the fillet in this marinade in a baking dish for at least 1/2 hour unrefrigerated, or an hour or more in the refrigerator. Turn several times while it is marinating. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place the fillet on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast for 30-35 minutes, basting occasionally with the marinade. A meat thermometer should register 120~ for very rare, 125~ for rare, 130~ for medium-rare. After it is removed from the oven, the internal temperature will rise as much as another 10~. Allow the fillet to rest, covered with foil, up to 30 minutes. If it needs to sit longer, you might try a catering trick: Wrap the fillet, just out of the oven, in plastic wrap.
    Unwrap just before slicing. Cut into slices and place on a warm platter; garnish with sprigs of watercress.

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       IRISH HERB SCONES

       1/2 pound Mealy potatoes
    4 Tablespoons Flour
    1/4 teaspoon Salt
    4 Tablespoons Oil
    2 Tablespoons Chopped parsley
    1/2 teaspoon Dried dill
    1/4 teaspoon Savory
    1/4 teaspoon Marjoram
    1/4 teaspoon Powdered sage
    Oil for frying

       Boil or bake the potatoes, then pass through a foodmill. Mix the flour, salt, oil & herbs with the potatoes. On a floured board, roll this dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Cut into triangles 3 or 4 inches wide. Fry in very hot oil on both sides until light golden.

       Source: Vera Gewanter, "A Passion for Vegetables"

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       HONEY WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

       9 cups whole-wheat flour
    4 teaspoons salt
    2 pkg. active dry yeast
    1 1/2 cups milk
    1 1/2 cups water
    6 tablespoons butter
    1/2 cup honey

       Sift together 3 cups flour, salt, and yeast. Combine milk, water, butter, and honey in a saucepan and heat over low heat until liquids are warm (butter need not melt completely). Gradually add to dry ingredients and beat 2 minutes. Add remaining flour a cup full at a time until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and allow to rest 10 minutes. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in large greased bowl and turn to grease all sides of dough. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about one hour. Punch dough down and turn out onto lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half and shape each half into a loaf. Place into greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise in warm place until double in bulk, about one hour. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on racks.

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       Aunt Marie's [Veggietarian] Cassoulet

       1 cup dried white navy beans

       Clean, rinse, cover with 1" water & soak overnight. Drain & add water to cover. Add: 2 bay leaves
    Sprig of thyme or pinch of dried thyme
    Ditto rosemary

       Boil; turn heat to low & cook approx. 1-hour, till soft. Broth: 2 tsp. sesame oil
    1/2# seitan cut in 1" chunks
    1/2# tempeh cut in 1" chunks
    fry 1-min. each; remove.
    I saucepan, add:
    2-cups water
    1 Tbsp. prepared mustard
    1-2 Tbsp. light miso
    1/2 tsp. sage
    1/2 tsp. basil
    1/2 tsp. marjoram
    1/2 tsp. thyme
    1/2 tsp. rosemary
    1/2 tsp. pepper
    return tempey & seitan; cover & simmer 15 minutes.

    Veggies: in 1 Tbsp. olive oil, saute 5-min. stirring occasionally: 2 carrots, diced 1 onion, diced 2-3 cloves garlic 1 diced parsnip 1 sm. rutabaga, diced pinch of salt

    Drain beans (remember the beans?) saving liquid. Preheat oven to 325-F. In heavy pot or cassarole, combine all but reserved liquid. Cover & bake 1-hour [or lower heat & bake during Circle]. Stir; check for moisture; add liquid if necessary. garnish with parsley. Eat!

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       Wheat Sheaf Bread

       2 Tbsp. active dry yeast
    2-cups warm water
    4 Tbsp. butter
    2 Tbsp. honey
    2 Tbsp. molasses
    2 tsps. coarse [kosher] salt or 1 tsp. table salt
    2 shredded wheat biscuits
    1/4 c. toasted wheat germ
    2-1/2 cups. whole wheat flour
    2-3 cups white flour, pref. unbleached

       Glaze: 1 egg beaten with 1 tsp. water

       Dissolve yeast in lg. bowl with 1/4 cup of warm water. Break up putter & stir into the remaining warm water until dissolved. Mix in the honey, molasses, & salt, & stir into the yeast. Crush the shredded wheat biscuits and add to the bowl, stirring along with the wheat germ, ww flour and about 2 cups white flour. Turn out dough & let rest while you clean the bowl.
    Now start kneading, adding more white flour as necessary, for about 10-minutes, until you have a smooth, elastic & relatively non-sticky dough. Grease the bowl & return the dough to it. Cover & let rise until doubled in bulk.
    Turn the dough out onto a large working surface sprinkled with flour. Divide the dough into 15 pieces and roll each one out to a length of about 16" [I shape all but one sorta like asparagus, a bit bulbous at one end]. The other one, cut in half, twist the two strands together & set aside. Now place 4 [asparagus-shaped] ropes close together in the center of a well-greased baking sheet. Pile other ropes on top and around to form a bunch at the bottom and bend the tops out at varying angles like a sheaf of wheat. Place the twisted strand in the middle and tuck the ends under. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise again for about 40-minutes.
    Now, snip the ends of the bent [bulbous] portion of the "stalks" with scissors to make them look like wheat. Paint the entire surface with the egg glaze and bake in a preheated 350-F oven for 25-minutes. If the ends of the stalks seem to be browning too much, cover them with foil. Remove from the baking sheet, using [2 or more] spatuals, while still warm.
    Divide the dough in half or less & it makes up into lovely little miniature sheaves, that just fit nicely on a bread board; perfect for a house-warming gift, too....

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       Apple-Port-Cheese Pie

       The Crust: Cut together 1/2 c. cold butter and 1 c. unbleached flour until it looks like coarse corn meal. Mix in 1/4 c. finely-ground almonds. Sprinkle in 3-4 tblsp cold! water, mixong quickly to form a firm cohesive ball of dough. Roll it out for a 9-inch pie pan, making a Nice Edge. Weight it down by lining it with foil and a handful or two of dry beans while you bake it at 375 for 15 minutes. then remove the foil and beans and bake another 15 min. Let it cool.

       The Apples and Port: Combine 1 1/2 c. port wine, 3 large sliced cooking apples (peeled if you must)& 1 stick cinnamon in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, turn down heat, cover, and let simmer 10 minutes, or until the apples are *just* tender. Remove from the heat, and discard the cinnamon. Strain the apples, saving the liquid. To that liquid add 1/3 c. light honey, 1/2 tsp grated lemon rind, and a dash of salt. Mix well, set it aside.

       The Cheese Filling: Combine 4 oz. softened cream cheese, 1/4 tsp. vanilla, 1/4 tsp almond extract, 1/4 c. of teh apple liquid, 1 tblsp honey, and 3 tblsp plain yogurt, and beat well. Spread it evenly onto the now-cooled (ideally) pie crust. (Actually, this is as the recipe gives it. But I really like the cream cheese filling, so sometimes I make a double or 1 1/2 times batch.) Arrange the apple slices on top in an attractive pattern.

       The Glaze: It's not one of those plastic-tasting ones, so unwrinkle your nose. Put 3 tblsp cornstarch in a small sauce pan and *gradually* whisk in the rest of the apple liquid. Keep whisking, and cook over medium heat until it's glossy (about 5-8 minutes). Without waiting for it to cool, pour it over the top of the apples. It should just cover all the apples. Chill until cold and set. Delicious, I promise.

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