Pumpkin
Gypsy Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs peeled pumpkin, cut into chunks
- 4 1/2 cups of strong white bread flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 oz fresh yeast
Instructions:
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add the pumpkin. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. Drain well, reserve the liquid. Sieve the pumpkin into a bowl and beat to a puree. Cool until just warm, and then mix with the flour and salt. Dissolve the yeast in 6 tablespoons of the cooking liquid and leave in a warm place for about 10 minutes until frothy. Pour into the flour mixture and mix well to form a firm dough . If the mixture is too dry add a little more cooking liquid.
Knead well until smooth, place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours. Knock back the dough, knead lightly, and shape into ball. Cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and leave for about 1 hour until well risen.
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Using a sharp knife make a circular incision around the top of the ball about 2 inches from the edge. Place on a baking tray and cook for 45-50 minutes until deep golden and cooked through.
Found at: Journey Folki
Griddle Cakes – Gypsy Style
Ingredients:
- 2 cups self-raising flour
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of ground mixed/pumpkin spices
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons shortening or lard
- 3 tablespoons unrefined light brown muscovado sugar
- 4 tablespoons currants
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- Sugar for sprinkling
Instructions:
Sift the flour, salt, and spices into a mixing bowl and rub in the butter and shortening until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Add the sugar, currants, and lemon peel. Beat the egg and milk together and add to the dry ingredients to form a soft dough. Roll out lightly on a floured surface about 1/4 inch thick and cut into 2 inch rounds. Cook on a hot floured griddle or heavy frying pan until golden on both sides. Sprinkle with sugar and serve hot and fresh.
From: Journey Folki
Vampire Pumpkins
Eat pumpkins quickly, lest they turn into vampires. People aren’t the only beings who can become vampiric. According to Balkan Romani folk traditions, hard-shelled, seedy fruits and vegetables can become vampires too. Although melons and squashes can also be vampiric, pumpkins – maybe because of halloween associations – have garnered the most attention.
The potential vampire is activated when a pumpkin is kept longer than ten days or not consumed before Christmas. Leaving it out all night exposed to a full moon may activate transformation, too. Not every pumpkin is guaranteed to turn into a vampire just as not every corpse is expected to rise. Vampire pumpkins betray themselves by making growling noises or developing red, vaguely blood-like splotches on their shells.
In general, there’s no need to worry about vampire pumpkins very much. As they don’t possess teeth, they can’t cause sudden, immediate harm. They are, however, unhealthy to keep around as they gradually absorb psychic energy from those around them. If a person is debilitated with low energy and a weak aura, such pumpkins can eventually cause damage, although it is a slow process. Vampire pumpkins also attract malevolent spirits.
Plunge vampiric pumpkins (or other suspect produce) into boiling water to kill them. Then break them into pieces and discard. (The traditional weapon for breaking them is a branch or handmade broom, which is then also discarded.)
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