Witchin’ in the Kitchen at the Bubbling Cauldron

This is by far one of my favorite dishes, one I am forced to limit to serving once a year because I easily make myself sick gorging on these. A store bought or homemade chutney is key, last year we used homemade spiced rhubarb chutney, this year will be homemade apple chutney. This is served in my family either on the Winter Solstice or Mother’s Night, depending on our schedule and the weather. This version is the American quick version, using ready made links. If time permits try using a “homemade” sausage (recipe below)

Sausage Rolls

1 egg, beaten
12-ounce package pork “breakfast” sausage links
1 pkg puff pastry sheets
Chutney of your choice

Unfold the puff pastry sheets (roll out if necessary) and cut into three-inch wide strips. Place a link of sausage on centre of each puff pastry strip, top with a 1/2 TB of chutney. Brush the edges of the strips with beaten egg, then roll up the filled puff pastry into cylinders (the seams should be on the bottom of each cylinder),

Brush the puff pastry cylinders with beaten egg, then cut into one and half inch rolls. Place the rolls seam side down on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake in a 400* oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 F and bake for 15 more minutes, or until the sausage rolls are golden brown. Serve while warm. Makes about 20 sausage rolls.

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note the above recipe’s one beaten egg, in this recipe below half of that beaten egg will be used in this meat mixture as a binder.

1lb bulk pork sausage
one medium onion, finely chopped
1/2c breadcrumbs, plain
1 1/2 Tb parsley, finely chopped
1/2 tsp thyme, dried, crushed
1/4 tsp ground sage
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cloves

Mix the above ingredients together, mixing well. Spoon a bead of this mixture about 3/4 of an inch long in the centre of the pastry section. Proceed the same as above.

6 C cooled mashed potatoes
1 egg
1 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 minced onion
1/4 lb finely cubed pork

Mix first 4 ingredients together. Roll out on a floured board. Cut in cakes 1/2″ thick. Brown meat and onion in hot fat in a skillet. Place mixture on half of the cakes. Cover with other half. Press edges together. Boil 2 quarts salted water and drop in cakes. Boil 10 - 12 minutes.

From the Recipe Book:
Norwegian Recipes

(Cotter’s Kettle)-Norway

1 bouillon cube
3/4 cup boiling water
2 large carrots, sliced
1 large leek, sliced
1 large rutabaga, cubed
3/4 lb. (340 g) medisterpølse or bratwurst
1 TB dry mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Dissolve bouillon in boiling water. Add all vegetables and let simmer for 20 minutes.
Cut sausage into slice and add to vegetables.
Add remaining ingredients and let simmer for 5 minutes.Do not overcook.
Serve with mustard, potatoes, and dark bread.

This is a traditional Cornish recipe. The meat and potato varieties of Cornish pasties are the most well-known, but traditionally all sorts of fillings were put in pasties, including vegetable ones. “Licky” is another word for “leek”.

shortcrust pastry
leeks
butter
salt and pepper

Prepare the leeks by removing the dark green heads, and slicing the remainder, then washing thoroughly in cold water to remove any grit.

Make the pastry and roll it out until it is about a quarter of an inch thick. Cut it into rounds, using a saucer or a small plate as a template.

Use the leeks for filling, placing an appropriate amount of filling on one half of each circle of pastry. Put a knob of butter on top and season with salt and pepper. Dampen the edges of the pastry with water, then fold over the other half of the circle, to form a pasty shape. Press the edges together with the fingers and crimp to seal.

Make 2 or 3 ventilating slits in the top of the pasty, brush with milk or egg if you want a glaze, and bake in a hot oven 450F until the pastry is pale brown, then reduce the heat to medium (350F) for about 40 minutes.

http://www.cs.stir.ac.uk/~scu/Recipes/Savouries/licky.html

This is a really hearty winter dish.

Butter - 15g (½ oz)
Onion - 1 medium, chopped
Carrots - 2 medium, diced
Courgettes - 2 medium, diced
Swede - 175g (6 oz), diced
Mushrooms - 110g (4 oz), halved
Parsnip - 1 medium, diced
Chopped tomatoes with herbs - 1 x 400g (14 oz) can
Vegetable stock - 300 ml (10 fl oz)
Black eyed peas - 1 x 440g (15½ oz) can, drained
Self raising flour - 175g (6 oz)
Garlic salt - ½ tsp
Vegetable suet - 75g (3 oz)
Smoked cheddar cheese - 50g (2 oz), grated
Milk - 100 ml (4 fl oz)

Fry the onion in the butter in a large pan for 3 minutes.

Add the vegetables, stock and the beans. Cook for 10 minutes. Place in an ovenproof dish.

Sift the flour and salt together. Stir in the suet and cheese. Mix to a soft dough with the milk. Divide into 12 pieces and shape into balls.

Add to the casserole, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Serves 4-6

source unknown

(Norwegian Jul Pudding )

2 pints sour cream,
11-12 Tbsp. all-purpose flour to thicken
2-3 cups hot milk
1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
1 tsp. sugar or to taste

melted butter
sugar
ground cinnamon

Place the sour cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly. Turn down heat and allow to barely simmer for 1 hour, uncovered, to reduce slightly. It must not boil. Use a heat diffuser for this process.

Using a flour sifter or strainer, slowly add enough flour to thicken the cream. I use about 11-12 Tbsp. for a very thick pudding. Using a wire whisk, whip in the flour 1 Tbsp. at a time. The cream will thicken and start to pull away from the sides of the pan. If the sour cream is very rich, the butter will now begin to form and rise to the top. Remove this with a spoon and set it aside. Stir in enough hot milk to obtain a porridge-like consistency. Add sugar and salt to taste. Serve in bowls with melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon on top.

Serves 8-10

In her book The Festive Food of Ireland, Darina Allen explains that fraughans, herts or billberries are the names used in different parts of Ireland for wild blueberries which grow on the acid hilltop soil. They were traditionally picked on the first Sunday of August - during Lúgnasa - and eaten mashed with sugar or in pies. If there was an abundance, they would also be made into jams.

Fraughans (blueberries)
Granulated sugar
Whipped cream

1. Crush the berries with a potato masher and sweeten to taste with sugar
2. Fold in an amount of whipped cream that equals about half the volume of the berries
3. Chill and serve with sweet biscuits.

Sweet Biscuits

1 1/2 cups flour
1 stick of butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar

1. Rub the butter into the flour and add the sugar. Gather together and knead lightly.
2. Roll out to a 1/4 inch thickness and cut into rounds with a 2 1/2 cutter.
3. Bake in a 350 degrees F oven until pale brown - about 15 minutes. Remove and cool on a rack. Serve with fruit fools, compotes or ice cream.

http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/2Kitch/rDessert1.html#FraughanFool

Cheryl has me thinking of my favorite recipes. As it is October and nearing Samhuinn stay tuned for more recipes reflecting my ancestry.

Cranachan

4 TB oatmeal
2tsp honey
1 TB Drambuie
1/2 pint heavy cream
1 cup raspberries (or strawberries)

Toast the oatmeal on a sheet of foil under the grill, stir twice so it browns evenly. Let cool completely. Add the honey and liqueur to the cream and whisk until thick. Fold in most of the oatmeal. Spoon into serving dishes and layer with the raspberries. Serve topped with the remaining oatmeal and raspberries.