HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

“There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls.” - George Carlin

Halloween, celebrated today on the 31st of October, is often thought of as an American tradition, but it’s actually an ancient Celtic pagan celebration, called Samhain. This festival originated as a pagan ritual among the Celts in Ireland and Britain, who regarded 31st of October as the last day of summer, November being associated with the death and slaughter of animals that provided meat for winter. In the old Norse religion, sacrifices were made to the elves, and food was blessed and stored for winter. Establishment of the Christian religion syncretised some of the pagan tradition with the new religion’s heortology. The term Halloween comes from “All-hallow-even” or “All Hallows' Eve”: The evening before All Hallows' Day, or All Saints' Day on November 1st. Irish and Scottish immigrants carried Halloween festivities to America in the 19th century. As Halloween was all but forgotten in Europe, it developed into a very popular and widely celebrated festival in the USA, where it was adapted somewhat.

Traditionally Halloween was thought to be a day (and especially night!) on which boundaries between the dead and the living become blurred, and the world of magic and supernatural touches the ordinary world. As part of the tradition, the lighting of fires and discharge of fireworks were used to ward off evil spirits. Fire was regarded as a “living” thing and a great purifier with which ghoulies and ghosties could be exorcised.

In parts of Latin America (e.g. Mexico) and Asia (e.g. The Philippines) the Halloween traditions coincide with local “day of the dead” festivities. The festival was reintroduced worldwide in the 1980s, primarily due to the influence of American pop culture and the all-pervasive power of Hollywood. In the US, children dress up as ghosts, ghouls, witches, goblins and zombies on Halloween night and go from door to door crying 'trick or treat', collecting bags of sweets, fruits and nuts. One of the recurring Halloween motifs is the grinning carved pumpkins, lit with a candle from within and known as “jack-o'-lanterns”. In the US, these were symbolic of harvest festivities that pre-date Halloween, as were carved turnips and swedes in Ireland and Scotland, and carved beetroot in England.

Flesh from large carved pumpkins is not always eaten as it can be very insipid and watery, but smaller, sweeter varieties are used in cooking. Pumpkin of course, is particularly good for making soup, bread or pie and roasted pumpkin seeds are delicious. In Ireland, Halloween was in the past a day of fast when no meat was eaten. Dishes based on potatoes were eaten, such as colcannon (mash with milk or cream, kale, and leeks or spring onions), champ (mash with milk and onions or chives) and boxty pancakes - fried potato cakes that are sometimes served savoury, sometimes sprinkled with sugar. Other dishes include potato farls baked on a griddle; apple and potato “fadge” (= upside-down cake made by layering apples and potatoes inside pastry) and barm brack, a spiced bread made with dried fruit.

In England there was a tradition of eating “soul cakes” (which are flat round or oval cakes flavoured with saffron, mixed spices, and currants) as well as apple tarts. Many of these Irish and English dishes contained coins, rings and other items with symbolic meanings. They were left out for wandering spirits and fairies overnight. Toffee apples (called candy apples in the US) are enormously popular children's treats at this time of year. Variations include apples coated with caramel or chocolate. Roasted or barbecued corn-on-the-cob and popcorn are also eaten. In the US, candy corn (sweetcorn-shaped sweets made from honey, sugar fondant and corn syrup) is consumed in large quantities. Novelty confectionery, decorated in festive shapes and designs such as skulls and worms, is also popular with children.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, parties featuring “scary” foods coloured black, purple or red, have been a hit with the young and the young at heart. Dishes are often given names like “witches cauldron” (red pepper and tomato soup), and “fried imps’ brain” (walnut halves sautéed in paprika). Sandwiches are cut into spooky shapes like witches' hats and eyeballs, and drinks may contain “squashed bugs” (flattened raisins or grapes).

Here is a Halloween children's party menu: Hot blood soup (tomato and chilli soup)
OK, go easy on the chilli, or try the next soup for the faint-hearted:
Lantern soup (pumpkin and haricot bean soup)
Served in a hollowed out pumpkin
Pumpkin cauldron (chicken and pumpkin stew)
Served in a hollowed out pumpkin
Spooky spuds and scary toppings
Cut the sliced potatoes with cutters in the shape of skulls, witches’ hats, etc
Devilish red cabbage
Shredded finely to resemble bloody tendrils
Marshmallow brownies
Well, use your imagination…
Toffee apple ice scream
For which, here is the recipe:

TOFFEE APPLE ICE CREAM
Ingredients
290ml (/½ pint) full cream milk
300ml (10 fl oz) double cream
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
6 medium free range egg yolks
175g (6 oz) caster sugar
450g (1 lb) dessert apples, peeled cored and chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground cinnamon and cloves (or mixed spice)
75g (3 oz) soft caramel toffees, cut into pieces
Chopped walnuts, cinnamon sticks and brown sugar to garnish

Method
1. Put the milk, cream and vanilla pod in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and leave the flavours to infuse for 15 minutes.
2. Strain and discard the vanilla pod and seeds.
3. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Then whisk in the vanilla cream and pour the mixture into a clean saucepan.
4. Cook over a very low heat, stirring all the time, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon.
5. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
6. Place the prepared apples in a saucepan with the lemon juice and cook over a low heat until soft. Mash and leave to cool. Stir in the spices.
7. Stir the toffee pieces and apples into the custard and pour into a shallow polythene container. Freeze for 30 minutes, then beat with a fork. Repeat this process then freeze until hard. (Alternatively use an ice cream making machine, following the manufacturer's instructions).
8. Take out of the freezer for 30 minutes before serving. Scoop into sundae dishes and decorate with crushed nuts, cinnamon sticks and brown sugar.

Happy Halloween!