Halloween is celebrated on the eve before the All Saints day in Europe to commemorate all saints of the Church who have attained heaven. The festival originated among the Celt, also spelled Kelt which is a community of Indo European tribe spread all across Europe. They are the ancient occupants of Britain and Ireland.
This day which marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dry season ,dark, cold winter, a time of year which was often associated with human death. On November 1st the new year is assumed to start and all saints day is celebrated.
The day before the new year the Celts celebrated the Samhains festival which celebrated the rise of the dead from the earth to visit their homes . On this day Bonfires are lighted to ward off the evil spirit and wear masks and disguises to avoid being recognized by the evil spirits.
Why do we carve pumpkins at Halloween?
There is a story behind the Jack o lantern face which is curved on the pumpkin. In Ireland there was a man named Jack who tricked the devil twice.
The first time he invited the Devil for the drink and convinced him to turn himself into a coin as Jack did not want to pay for the drink. When the Devil turned himself into a coin ,Jack put the coin in his pocket containing a silver cross which trapped the Devil. He later on released the Devil on condition that he wont disturb him and wont claim his soul .
After Jack’s death he was not allowed in heaven by God for his immoral character and Devil did not allow him to hell and his soul was sent to roam the earth with a piece of burning coal to show his way. Jack had put the burning coal on a curved turnip which is a popular Winter vegetable in Ireland. This scary figure is called Jack Ó Lantern .When the natives of Ireland migrated to US, the Jack’s face started to be carved on Pumpkin as pumpkin was the local produce in America.
Halloween celebration
This year we decided to celebrate Halloween in India as it is gaining popularity among people and kids and I have so many International blogger friends from the other parts of the world who are celebrating Halloween. We are at home due to pandemic and my daughter wanted to have a pumpkin pie for dinner. She also ordered a pair of vampire teeth from Amazon to dress up as a vampire. Well we had fun.
Pumpkin pie recipe
I prepared the pumpkin filling inspired from a Indian traditional pumpkin side dish which pairs well with bread and it tasted delicious as a Pie too .There were no leftovers.
Ingredients
Pie crust
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. granulated sugar
- 10 to 12 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 6 tbsp. ice water
Filling
- 200 gm of pumpkin
- 4 to 5 curry leaves
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 medium garlic cloves crushed
- 1 whole dried red chili
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 green chili chopped
- 1/2 cup cream
- 2 tbsp of ghee or oil
- 1 egg
Instructions
Dough
- Mix all the ingredients into a crumbly texture
- Bring all together with hands
- Add ice cold water and form a dough
- Divide the dough into two balls
Blind baking
- Grease the tart mold with butter
- Dust the mold with flour
- roll the dough into a thin round circle
- Layer the mold with the flour disk.
- Place some weight like dried beans on it and blind bake for 20 minutes minutes at 180 degrees
Filling
- Roast the pumpkin in the oven for 30 minutes till mushy
- Heat the oil in a pan
- Add a tempering with mustard seeds ,followed by cumin seeds and curry leaves and red chili
- Add crushed garlic and fry.
- Add the roasted pumpkin mash into this
- Add red chili powder and mix
- Add salt
- Pour cream into the mixture.
- Add chopped green chili
- Puree the mixture in a blender
- let the mixture cool
- Add a beaten egg and mix
Assembling the pie
- Roll the top layer of the pie and cut a Jack o lantern face
- Fill the baked pie crust with the filling
- Cover with the top layer.
- Seal the edges with a fork
- Bake at 180 degrees for 30 minutes.
- Cool ,unmold and serve
Savory pumpkin pie | jack o lantern pumpkin pie recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients
Pie crust
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. granulated sugar
- 10 to 12 tbsp. cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
- 6 tbsp. ice water
Filling
- 200 gm of pumpkin
- 4 to 5 curry leaves
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 medium garlic cloves crushed
- 1 whole dried red chili
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 green chili chopped
- 1/2 cup cream
- 2 tbsp of ghee or oil
- 1 egg
Instructions
Instructions
Dough
-
Mix all the ingredients into a crumbly texture
-
Bring all together with hands
-
Add ice cold water and form a dough
-
Divide the dough into two balls
Blind baking
-
Grease the tart mold with butter
-
Dust the mold with flour
-
roll the dough into a thin round circle
-
Layer the mold with the flour disk.
-
Place some weight like dried beans on it and blind bake for 20 minutes minutes at 180 degrees
Filling
-
Roast the pumpkin in the oven for 30 minutes till mushy
-
Heat the oil in a pan
-
Add a tempering with mustard seeds ,followed by cumin seeds and curry leaves and red chili
-
Add crushed garlic and fry.
-
Add the roasted pumpkin mash into this
-
Add red chili powder and mix
-
Add salt
-
Pour cream into the mixture.
-
Add chopped green chili
-
Puree the mixture in a blender
-
let the mixture cool
-
Add a beaten egg and mix
Assembling the pie
-
Roll the top layer of the pie and cut a Jack o lantern face
-
Fill the baked pie crust with the filling
-
Cover with the top layer.
-
Seal the edges with a fork
-
Bake at 180 degrees for 30 minutes.
-
Cool ,unmold and serve
