This week we feature not only recipes but how to make a Jack O'Lantern courtesy of Professor Sarah Bellum.

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Ingredients

• 1kg -2lb - of pumpkin flesh (use the pumpkin to make a Jack O'Lantern)
• 2 sticks of celery
• 1 large onion
• 300ml - ½pt - water plus 1 vegetable or chicken stock cube
• 400ml - ¾pt - milk
• Salt & pepper
• Pinch ground cloves (optional)
• Chopped parsley
• 1 tsp butter or margarine
  

Method

• Set the ingredients out on a white tray and collect the equipment.
  
• Cut the pumpkin flesh into small pieces and season with salt and pepper. Put in saucepan.
• Chop up the celery and add to saucepan.
• Dice the onion and add to the saucepan. Cover with the milk and stock, bring to the boil and then simmer for 30 minutes.
• Liquidize the soup, add chopped parsley, ground cloves and a knob of margarine or butter before serving.

Ingredients

• 200g - 8oz - sugar
• 100g - 4oz - margarine
• 1 small egg
• 200g - 8oz - pumpkin (chopped)
• 200g (8oz) flour
• 50g - 2oz - walnuts (chopped)
• 50g - 2oz - raisins
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate soda
• Pinch salt

Method

• Set the ingredients out on a white tray and collect the equipment.
  
• Light the oven to 190C - 375F - Gas Mark 5.
• Mix the margarine and sugar together with a wooden spoon, until creamy.
• Gradually add the beaten egg and mix in the remaining ingredients.
• Put spoonfuls of the mixture on a greased baking tray, leaving space between the biscuits as they spread out.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes and leave on the tray to harden slightly before moving onto a cooling tray.

Pumpkin Seeds

These may be roasted for a delicious nutritious snack. Place on a well oiled baking sheet, sprinkle with a little salt and place in a hot oven set to 200C - 400F - Gas Mark 7 for 10 minutes or until golden brown and crunchy.

Ingredients

• 400g - 15-16oz - pumpkin
• 300g - 12oz - sugar
• 75g - 3oz - vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 140g - 7oz - plain flour
• ½tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp ground cloves.
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• ½ tsp salt
• 25g - 1oz - raisins
• 25g - 1oz - chopped nuts (optional)
• 50ml - 2fl oz water

Method

• Set the ingredients out on a white tray and collect the equipment.
  
• Light the oven to 180C - 350F - Gas Mark 5 and grease a 2lb - 1kg - loaf tin.
• Add the sugar to the oil and mix.
• Add the eggs and the remaining ingredients.
• Place the mixture into the tin and bake for 1 hour.

Lanterns were often placed in the window to frighten away witches.

Ingredients

• 1 pumpkin
• Cocktail sticks
• Cheese
• Pineapple
• Chipolata sausages
• Cocktail onions
• Night lights or tea candles

To make a Jack O’Lantern

• Cut a slice from the stalk end of the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds.
• Then carefully remove the pulp leaving a shell about 1 cm thick. On the side of the shell cut two circles for eyes, a triangle for the nose and a large circle or slit for the mouth.
• Turn the shell upside down on a plate holding a night light and set the Jack O’Lantern in the window so that everyone can see him from outside.

At a Halloween party you could spike savouries like chipolata sausages, bacon rolls, cubes of cheese and chunks of pineapple on cocktail sticks and spear them on the top of the pumpkin to represent hair standing on end.

Here are a couple of savoury snacks which are good for serving at Halloween parties or can be handed out as 'treats'. They use apples and nuts which are in season during October. In the North of England Halloween used to be known as Nutcracker Night.

Ingredients

• 1 apple
• 1 tbsp flour
• 50g - 2oz - sausage meat
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 175g - 6oz - dried breadcrumbs
• Cooking oil

Method.

• Set the ingredients out on a white tray and collect the equipment.
  
• Quarter, core and peel the apple and cut into 12-14 chunks. Toss in the flour and keep on one side.
• Divide the sausage meat into 12-14 portions. Shape each portion around a piece of floured apple, making sure that the apple is completely covered.
• Shape into a ball.
• Dip each ball in beaten eggs and then coat with breadcrumbs.
• Heat a little cooking oil in a frying pan and gently fry the balls for 8-10 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Serve hot or cold.

Ingredients

• 80g - 3oz - packet Cider Apple Stuffing Mix
• 25g - 1oz butter or margarine
• 125ml - 4fl oz - boiling water
• 25g - 1oz - chopped dry roaster peanuts¹
• 255g - 8oz - rashers streaky bacon

Method

• Set the ingredients out on a white tray and collect the equipment.
  
• Light the oven 190C - 375F - Gas Mark 5.
• Place the contents of the packet of stuffing mix in a basin.
• Pour on boiling water and add butter and nuts. Mix well together.
• Cut off any rind from the bacon and stretch slightly but running the blunt edge of the knife along the bacon. Cut the rashers in half.
• Divide the stuffing mix into the same number of portions are there are bacon pieces.
• Wrap each portion in a piece of bacon and place on a baking tray.
• Bake for 45 minutes. Serve hot or cold.

Ingredients

• 8 pork chipolata sausages
• 24 round cocktail biscuits
• 25g - 1oz - soft cream cheese
• 2 tsp spicy brown sauce
• 50g - 2oz - potato crisps (crushed)
• 12 liquorice bootlaces
• Red icing for eyes

Method

• Set the ingredients out on a white tray and collect the equipment.
  
• Set the oven to 220C - 425F - Gas Mark 7.
• Remove the skins from sausages if necessary and cut into 3 pieces.
• Roll into 23 small balls. Brush each with the spicey sauce and toss into the crushed crisps to coat evenly.
• Place on a baking tray and cook 5-6 minutes, until evenly brown.
• Cool then spread the biscuits with cream cheese.
• Cut each bootlace into 16 lengths and arrange 8 lengths as legs on each biscuit.
• Place a crispy sausage body into the centre of each biscuit and press 2 eyes on each.

Ingredients

• 75g - 3oz - plain flour
• 25g - 1oz - castor sugar
• 50g - 2oz - margarine
• 1 tsp grated lemon rind
• 24 currants

Method

• Set the ingredients out on a white tray and collect the equipment.
  
• Set the oven to 180C - 350F - Gas Mark 4
• Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl and add the sugar.
• Rub in the margarine, add the lemon rind and knead to a firm dough.
• Roll out thinly and using cat cutter, cut out 12 shapes. Place on currants for eyes.
• Place on the baking sheet and Bake for 5-8 minutes until pale golden.

Mix equal quantities of apple juice, orange juice and lemonade. Mix well and garnish with slices of orange and apples.

Ingredients

• 100g - 4oz - puff pastry.
• Flour for dusting
• 1 tbsp yeast extract (marmite)
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds (toasted)

Method

• Set the ingredients out on a white tray and collect the equipment.
  
• Set the oven to 220C - 425F - Gas Mark 7-8.
• Lightly flour the surface of a table and roll out the pastry very thinly to a 25 x 20 cm oblong.
• Cut in half lengthways to make 2 long strips (25 x 10cm)
• Make a row of 4cm thin cuts down the long edge of the pastry.
• Warm the yeast extract in the microwave (1-2 minutes on a medium setting) and brush the uncut side of pastry with marmite. Cut the strip into 7 pieces and roll up to make broomstick handles.
• Brush the handles with beaten egg, roll into sesame seeds and arrange on a baking sheet.
• Bake for 5-6 minutes until risen and lightly brown. Cool on a wire rack.

The Recipe Archive

Professor Sarah Bellum

02.11.09 Front Page

28.10.04 Front Page

31.10.02 Front Page

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