Mabon Soup

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I am not a chef by any stretch of the imagination, but I can follow a recipe and if I’m lucky, the food will turn out to be edible. I’ve always admired Kitchen Witches and their magic they create with food and love. Two of my favorite movies that stir my imagination ( I know, bad pun) are “Chocolat” with the delicious Johnny Depp and “Like Water, For Chocolate.” These are two instances where the quality of the movies match the books they were based off of. It doesn’t matter if you cook or not, these movies and books, are so incredibly beautiful! But, when Fall comes around, I turn into a different person. I want warm, nurturing comfort food. And since it’s Mabon time, I thought I’d share one of my very favorite recipes that I always create this time of the year. If I can prepare this and have it turn out right, anyone can. And for those of you who ARE chefs, you’ll add your own twist to this and love it…I hope!

I’ll share with you how I learned about this recipe for the first time. Picture this if you will, my father and step-mother are very proper and “civilized” but definitely a little anal with their need for perfection. Which I have to claim, I am sometimes too…Well, when they threw a party, even I liked to go, even though I had to put up with all the “la-ti-da” business. They’re Halloween parties were famous! They’d have at least a hundred people. And of course, there were always caterers to serve the guests their every whim. The first time I attended one of these shin-digs was when I was in my early twenties. Some people chose to wear a  costume and others’ didn’t need one… Part of why I love Samhain/Halloween IS the dressing up! So, I wanted to make a “good” impression for all their friends. I was a “punk witch.” I had torn black fishnet stockings, a hat that had purple stars, a black lace corset and my skirt was short enough to get some dirty looks from my parents, but, hey it was Halloween! And some of their friends commented on how charming I was to my parents (heh-heh!) sweet revenge!

Anyways, the food was laid out on this table with decorations that would have made Martha Stewart jealous. I am an adventurous eater, but I saw this huge bowl of what looked like, well…brown mush with some sour cream on top…uhhh, not exactly the most appetizing look to it. My stepmother, Linda said, “Wendy, PLEASE try this soup and I know you’ll love it.” Well, to appease her  I took a small spoonful and it was all over for me, I was in lust! Below is the recipe which I crave every Autumn. Her caterers first found the recipe on this site: http://www.epicurious.com/ and then doctored it up with their own flair. As I mentioned above, there are so many ways to add your own signature to this dish. I present you with the recipe for :

Black Bean Pumpkin Soup (which I fondly have dubbed “Mabon Soup) it sounds so much nicer than “Bean and Pumpkin soup”, don’t you agree?)

There’s no Eye of Newt or any other similar ingredients, but pumpkins are very magickal, just ask any Faery Godmother and the soup is incredibly healthy!

Ingredients:

Makes about 9 cups

* three 15 1/2 ounce cans black beans (about 4 1/2 cups), rinsed and drained

* 1 cup drained canned tomatoes, chopped

* 1 1/4 cups chopped onion

* 1/2 cup minced shallot

* 4 garlic cloves minced

* 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons ground cumin

* 1 teaspoon salt

* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

* 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

* 4 cups beef broth

* a 16-ounce can pumpkin pureé (about 1 1/2 cups)

* 1/2 cup dry Sherry

* 1/2 pound cooked ham, cut into 1/8-inch dice

* 3 to 4 tablespoons Sherry vinegar

(I don’t drink alcohol, as I don’t like the taste so I just omit the dry Sherry, although I do like the Sherry vinegar for some reason…) If you’re a vegetarian, you can also get rid of the ham and use a broth that is vegetable stock.

* Garnish: sour cream and coarsely chopped lightly toasted pumpkin seeds

1) In a food processor (I use a blender instead of a food processor and it always turns out perfectly) coarsely pureé beans and tomatoes.

2) In a 6-quart heavy kettle cook onion, shallot, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper in butter over moderate heat, stirring, until onion is softened and beginning to brown.

3) Stir in bean pureé. Stir in broth, pumpkin, and Sherry until combined and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 25 minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

4) Just before serving, add ham and vinegar and  simmer soup, stirring, until heated through. Season soup with salt and pepper.

I always start a meditation and blessing asking my “cooking angels” to help me prepare a meal that is delicious and fulfilling and then as I’m handling each of the ingredients, I evoke the elements and thank them for the gifts they bring.

Are there any recipes you make for Mabon or the beginning of Autumn? And do you have a ritual as you’re cooking? I’d love to hear any of your ideas and recipes!

© 2010, Wendy S.. All rights reserved.

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