In the Celtic calendar, the festival or celebration of Mabon falls on the last day of summer and the first day of Fall, usually September 21 or 22nd. Mabon is traditionally the second biggest harvest festival of the year. Today, Mabon is still celebrated by many and the food is usually associated with game and fowl, apples, squash, grapes and wine. Any good Mabon dinner will have a combination of these ingredients!
The recipes below include easy-to-find ingredients from any good grocer and butcher. From a succulent rabbit pie to an apple dessert that the whole family will enjoy.
Rabbit Pie
Ingredients
- 1 large rabbit, cut up into pieces
- 1 cup of seasoned flour (salt and pepper and a dash of paprika)
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced
- 3 peeled carrots, roughly cut
- 2 ½ cups of beef stock
- 3 oz of mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 3 large slices thick cut brown bread, ripped into large pieces*
- Fresh parsley
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions:
- On a large plate or shallow baking dish, pour the seasoned flour then dredge the rabbit pieces in the flour.
- In a large pan, melt the butter and fry the rabbit joints on both sides until browned. Then add the onions, carrots and add beef stock. Season with salt and pepper then bring the dish to a boil.
- Next, take the pan off the heat and transfer contents into a casserole dish. Cover and cook at 350 degrees for 1 ½ hours.
- After the 90 minutes, remove the casserole from the oven to add the mushrooms.
- Also, place the pieces of brown bread on top of the casserole and cook for another 35 minutes (still at 350 degrees), uncovered.
- Before serving, sprinkle fresh parsley on top. Serve with a small salad or fresh peas and potatoes.
*Alternatively, this pie can be made with a pastry crust instead of bread. Simply use a frozen pastry crust that unrolls (such as Pillsbury's) and brush with egg white before placing over the casserole dish. Watch the fingers as the dish will be hot! Another topping choice that is reminiscent of Shepherd’s Pie, is to use mashed potatoes.
Apples in Red Wine
A typical dessert to serve for Mabon, this dish includes both apples and wine, both traditional foods associated with the festivities.
Ingredients
- 4 large Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- 2 cups of red wine
- 2 whole cloves
- 2/3 cup of brown sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ½ teaspoon of vanilla
- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
In a saucepan, place the cloves, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and wine, bringing to a boil. Add the apple slices and then reduce heat to a simmer for 1 hour. The apples should be nearly translucent when done. After the hour, remove the apples from the pan and place in a separate bowl. To the sauce pan, add the cornstarch. Continue to simmer the sauce until it thickens, about 3 minutes. Pour the sauce over the apples and serve. It is delicious topped with whipped cream or ice cream.
Enjoy!
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