Vintage Shaker Gourmet Holiday

How about something warm & orangish for supper? I posted this a couple years ago but I thought it'd be nice to re-post:

Samhain Sweet Potato Pumpkin Soup
2 sweet potatoes (or yams), peeled or scrubbed, and diced
1 medium onion
1 -2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs butter or olive oil
4 - 6 cups vegetable stock or broth
1/3 cup canned or fresh cooked pumpkin
Freshly grated nutmeg and ginger, to taste
Salt to taste
1/2 cup light cream

Cook potatoes, onion, and garlic in the butter or olive oil for several minutes until slightly golden. Add stock (or broth) to cover vegetables and bring to a boil. Simmer until potatoes are soft, about 25 minutes.

Add pumpkin, nutmeg, ginger, and salt and puree this mixture in batches in a blender or food processor. Add in the cream and return mixture to the saucepan. Heat, thin with more stock/broth if necessary, to make a creamy soup. Serve in small hollowed-out pumpkins (festive!), with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

This recipe comes from one of my favorite books: Celebrating the Great Mother: A Handbook of Earth-Honoring Activities for Parents and Children.


Happy Samhain!
Happy Halloween!

Spicy Autumn Apple Bread
2.5 cups grated (peeled & cored) apple
2 cups raisins
1.5 cups boiling water
3 tablespoons oil
1 cup + 2 tablespoons honey
1.5 tsp. cinnamon
1.5 tsp. allspice
1.5 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
3 cups whole-wheat flour
1.5 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Place apples and raisins in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Pour oil on top and allow to soak for 10 minutes. Add honey, cinnamon, allspice, salt, and cloves and allow to cool. In another bowl, sift together flour and baking soda. Combine with fruit mixture and stir in walnuts. Pour into two greased loaf pans. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for approximately one hour.

This is very good, btw (and from the same book).



(And, yes, that's one of our pumpkins this year...it took quite a while to carve!)