Samhain is the doorway into winter when we pagans and Wiccans gather to remember our ancestors, to take stock of the old year, and to welcome the new year. On Samhain night, you want to serve a hearty, warm meal with a light and spicy dessert to follow. These recipes can give you a start, and you can adapt them and add to them however you like.

Main Course:

Pigs and apples were both sacred to the ancient Celts, so what better option for a Samhain feast than to combine the two in a pork roast? You need the following ingredients:

* one large pot with a lid
* 1 pork shoulder (Pork Butt) roast,
* 3 tablespoons of olive oil,
* 4 cups of apple juice,
* 1 cup of beef stock,
* 3 red apples cut into slices
* 3 yellow onions thickly sliced.

First, you put your olive oil in your pot, raise the heat to high, and sear your pot roast on all sides to seal in its juices. Turn the heat down to low, and add your beef broth, apple juice, apple slices, and sliced onions. For the next three hours, you simmer the covered pot. Then remove the roast, apples, and onions to a platter and boil down the remaining liquid to a heavy sauce for the roast. Pour over the roast and serve with wild rice or bread. According to new guidelines by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, you can now safely cook your pork roast to be tender, pinker, and juicier than in the past: an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit as measured by a food thermometer is safe, followed by a three-minute rest time.

Dessert:

The herb rosemary is for remembrance, which makes it a fine choice for seasoning on Samhain when the year dies and the dead are near. Think of our ancestors as you create and enjoy this dessert. Remember to leave some on your outside, perhaps under a tree, as an offering to the land spirits. You will need the following ingredients for these spiced cookies:

1 and 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1 cup of soft butter
1 egg
2 teaspoon of vanilla
1 teaspoon of almond extract
2 and 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of cream of tartar
1 and 1/2 tablespoon of finely chopped rosemary

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and mix well the following ingredients in a bowl: your powdered sugar, soft butter, egg, vanilla, almond extract, and finely-chopped rosemary. Take another bowl and sift and mix your dry ingredients into it: your flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Mix your dry ingredients into the bowl with your wet ingredients until you have smooth dough, which you chill for three hours. Roll the dough flat and cut out forms with cookie cutters. Human shapes are good for the ancestors, but you can use anything you like. Keep rolling the dough scraps flat and cutting until you have all the cookie shapes you wish placed on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake the cookies for 5-7 minutes.

At Amazon.com you can find The Wicca Cookbook, Second Edition: Recipes, Ritual, and Lore and Celtic Folklore Cooking.

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