Samhuinn and Irish Colcannon

 

Happy Samhuinn! Happy Halloween!

 

Hallowe’en is one of my favorite holidays. I love the pumpkins, the history, the books (I start getting picture books from the library on October 1) and the sweets. As a kid it was such a treat to dress up, go trick or treating in my neighborhood, stay up past my bedtime, get to be outside - in the dark - and be kinda scared but safely. And get lots of candy! We didn’t get candy often, usually just for Halloween, Valentine’s and Easter. And my mom would store our stash and dole it out sparingly. So our Halloween candy usually lasted into spring.

Now that we are a family dealing with food allergies, Halloween candy is bittersweet. My son gets so excited over his collection, but so little can be safely eaten. One year he was really upfront and informed all the neighbors that he had an allergy and did they have any candy without peanuts or nuts? Some of them were quite accommodating and some were flustered. A few were apologetic, they had nothing else to offer. The next year he tried a different tack. He took whatever candy was offered, and then looked for kids around him who might be willing to swap with him. Many of the kids were accommodating, a couple were not receptive, and one stole the piece of candy he held out and ran off. There were some great social lessons that night, both positive and negative. This year my son accepted what was offered and asked me to swap him out from my safe stash. So I'll be researching candy brands on the internet over the next several days, prolly starting here for nut warnings and then calling manufacturers directly to ask about egg ingredients. (You would be absolutely amazed how many places egg whites turn up, including mixed cocktail drinks, popsicles and some candies, esp. marshmallow based in my experience.) And then I’ll swap out with treats like Surf Sweets gummies or YummyEarth lollipops. The unsafe or high risk candy will likely go to work with my hubby, where he tells me that he'll share it with co-workers. Hmmm...

Rituals have changed so much since I was a kid. My kids still go trick or treating, but our city picks the week-end before Halloween, for 3 hours in the middle of the afternoon. And not every house participates so sometimes there is a block of walking to get to the next house, instead of going door-to-door. Not scary, but still very social. Jack-o’-lanterns have been replaced by orange strung lights or electric decorations. One house this year had a large set up on their front lawn: an inflatable black horse with skeleton driver pulling an eerie wagon – complete with wicked giggling and neighing that had my youngest about leaping out of his skin. Other houses had stationary (quiet) tombstones set up with funny epitaphs.

My neighbors and kids have been very creative with decorations and costume choices. This year a boy wearing an “iPhone” costume got a lot of attention (it was just a sandwich board design, but accurate graphic print). There were several sleek ninjas complete with katanas. A few firefighters. I saw an adorable toddler in a chef’s costume complete with the tall white poofy hat. But the best, hands down costumes were a boy and his dad. They were both wearing dark suit jackets, dark slacks, white shirts & ties. The dad had mirror sunglasses, with a Bluetooth earpiece on. They looked quite distinctive. "Men in Black?" I guessed. Better! The boy was "a future president" and his dad was his Secret Service detail. Awesome.

Amazing bonfire photo from Celtic Mythology FaceBook Page, October 22, 2012

I never knew as a kid that Halloween is one of the oldest holidays and that our modern rituals are based quite closely on ancient practices. And I was delighted, when I started researching, to discover that the Celts played a huge role in how we celebrate Halloween. Basically, Samhuinn (gaelic for summer’s end) is a harvest festival. And more. For the Celts it signified a new year and incorporated the start of the dark days of winter along with an acknowledgement of death. There was a belief that on Samhuinn the doors to the otherworld opened and the spirits of those who had passed could move among the living again in this world, for a night. There were also superstitions around mischievous or malevolent spirits. Bonfires were burned - and still are today - to not only symbolize the sun, but also to purify and strengthen the people. It was an ancient practice for all the townsfolk gathered to light a torch from the central bonfire and carry that flame back to light their homes. The Beltane Fire Society, a Scottish community organisation and charity, puts on the Samhuin Fiore Festival on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh annually on October 31. They celebrate the old traditions in a parade featuring guises and fire, as well as fine arts & entertainment. Boy oh boy do I wish I could see this in person. Scotland is at the top of my vacation fantasies. (For more specific details on the history and traditions behind Halloween, check out this entertaining and informative website  http://www.chalicecentre.net/samhain.htm and don't miss the amazing art work and academic treasures on the Celtic Mythology FaceBook page.) 

Photo credit: Wikipedia; Snap-Apple Night, painted by Irish artist Daniel Maclise in 1833; inspired by a Halloween party he attended in Blarney, Ireland

Colcannon
I’ve chosen to share a dish that is associated with Halloween in Ireland and parts of Scotland. Colcannon is a blend of boiled potatoes and cabbage. Every recipe also includes onions, butter and milk. Then there are a slew of variations done to personal tastes. Some cooks add a parsnip into the mix, some use kale, some use scallions, some use cream, some add bacon, some season with mace or parsley and others with just salt and pepper. I’ve perused many recipes to combine ideas and ingredients into my version.  At the end of my recipe, I have suggestions if you’d prefer vegetarian, vegan or dairy-free options.

My version uses cabbage and I boil with my potatoes. I have tried sautéing the shredded cabbage with the onions, but I wasn’t wild about the still very crunchy texture of the cabbage. It wasn’t bad, but there was a definite difference between the smooth & creamy potatoes and the slightly jarring crunch of the cabbage. I prefer the overall effect to be smooth and creamy. Using kale will provide a stark and lovely color contrast, as kale holds a deep green color even after cooking. However, I’ve also found kale to retain its crunch even after long cooking times, so I’d suggest cutting the kale into small pieces and cooking separately, as it will likely take longer to soften than the potatoes. My version also adds a bit of mace, an unusual spice which is the outer coating of nutmeg, ground-up. I find it a bit exotic and like the taste. Be aware that it is a unique taste and a little goes a long way.

There is a very old Irish tradition to hide coins or trinkets in the mash for divination. The person whose serving includes a ring will marry within the year. The person whose serving contains a coin will find wealth. The girl who finds a thimble will remain a spinster, while the boy who finds a button will remain a bachelor. Another serving tradition is to mound the mash on the plate and make a little hollow in the center, deep enough to hold a generous portion of melted butter. The eater than took little forkfuls from the outer edges and dipped each mouthful. If you’d like to try this style, perhaps cut the butter in the mash? That sounds very rich for my tastes! But anyway you try colcannon, do enjoy. 

photo credit: Wikipedia; not all versions have this high contrast of color, but all are creamy

Cathi’s Version of Colcannon

Ingredients:

5-6 potatoes, depending on size, large dice

1 parsnip, peeled and diced (optional)

1/3 head of small cabbage, shredded (Savoy recommended)

3 strips bacon

½ red onion, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 stick butter

¼ tsp mace (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Up to ½ cup milk (add just enough for smooth consistency)

Fresh or dried parsely

Directions:

1. Fill large pot with water and a pinch of coarse salt. Bring to boiling. Drop in potatoes, parsnips, and cabbage. Cook for ~15-20 minutes, until veggies are fork tender.

2. While veggies cook, heat up a fry pan. Fry bacon to render fat, then remove crispy bacon onto plate lined with paper towels. Chop when cooled enough to handle.

3. Sauté onions in bacon fat (or use 2 Tbsp olive oil) until translucent. Add in garlic and give a stir, then remove from heat.

4. Drain water carefully from pot or use a metal sieve. On top of hot veggies in pot, pop in butter. It should start melting. Now mash until smooth.

5. Season with mace, salt & pepper. Add in just enough milk to get a smooth and thick mash consistency. Cabbage should still be visible and mixed uniformly throughout the pot.

6. Fold bacon mixture into mash.

Serve with a parsley garnish.

FOR VEGETARIAN VERSION: leave out bacon entirely; can use smoked paprika if desired for smoky flavor. Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil.

FOR VEGAN VERSION: leave out bacon entirely; sauté onions & garlic in olive oil; and use vegetable broth or soy/rice milk for liquid.

ALLERGEN INFO: contains dairy (butter, milk)

ALLERGY ACCOMMODATION: To replace butter use a dairy-free solid fat (like margarine). To replace milk use soy or rice milk, or use a bit of broth (vegetable if you’d like vegetarian, chicken if you’d like meat).