Spooktacular Fun!

Basic Party Supplies
Costume Ideas
Creepy Crafts
Customs & Creatures
Dreadful Decorations
Freakish Favors
Ghastly Food/Recipes
Irrisitable Invitations
This Is Halloween
Music For Monsters
Party Theme Ideas
Play Halloween Games

About This Site

Home Page
About/Contact
Halloween Links
Privacy Policy
Site Map
Terms of Use

Haunt Your House!

Haunt Your House
Party Kit
Includes over a dozen items to turn a house into a spooky haunted house of fun. Great for parties! Comes with: (3) Door Decorations, (8) Spooky Eyes, (12) Ghostly Footprints, (1) Spider Web, (3) Inflatable Halloween Heads, (1) Halloween Sound CD, (1) "Popping Pad" Sheet, (3) Hanging Ghosts, PLUS a booklet of spooky haunted house ideas!

My Squidoo Pages

Halloween Treat Recipes
Halloween Superstitions
Halloween Cards

Colcannon: A Favorite Irish Halloween Meal

An old Irish (and Scottish) Halloween tradition is to serve Colcannon (Irish: cál ceannan - meaning white headed cabbage) with prizes of small coins and a ring concealed in it. It is a food made from mashed potatoes, kale or cabbage, butter, salt, and pepper. It can contain other ingredients such as milk, cream, leeks, onions, parsnips, chives, garlic, boiled ham or Irish bacon. The dish is usually served at lunchtime.

Colcannon: Traditional Irish Halloween Meal - Photo: Wikipedia.org

Where Else Is This Dish Found?

There are a lot of similar versions to this unique meal which is served up in different countries. For example, an English dish called Bubble and Squeak is made with the lightly-fried leftover vegetables from a roast dinner. Although the main ingredients are potatoes and cabbage, often other vegetables such carrots, peas, and brussel sprouts may be added as well.

If you travel across the ocean to Atlantic Canada you will find a locally adapted version of Colcannon (especially in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland). In this case, rather than using kale, which creates a green color in the original version, the recipe used in this region consists of potatoes, milk, butter, diced carrots and turnip mashed together. This gives it a distinct orange and white colour. Many Atlantic Canadians also like to add onions, garlic and chopped up bacon for more flavoring. Rather than being served on Halloween, it is instead routinely served during large holiday meals like Christmas, New Years Eve, Robbie Burns night and the Canadian Thanksgiving.

The Dutch also have a comparable dish that is called Stamppot Boerenkool. "Stamppot" basically means "mash pot" and consists of mashing potatoes together with other vegetables. "Boerenkool" (kale) is a form of cabbage. The potatoes and kale are mashed together with milk, butter, salt, and pepper, and are often served or cooked with a large sausage. Pickled pearl onions are usually served as a condiment for the meal.

The Custom of The Ring

When Colcannon is prepared it is customary to hide a golden ring within the mixture. When portions are distributed to each person, the one who finds the ring is certain to be married within a year. If the person is already married, then they are assured that good luck will follow them.

Believe it or not, there is even a rhyming Irish song for this dish!

Did you ever eat Colcannon
When 'twas made with thickened cream
And the greens and scallions blended
Like the picture in a dream?
Did you ever scoop a hole on top
To hold the melting cake
Of clover-flavored butter
That your mother used to make?

Traditional Colcannon Recipe #1

Ingredients

6 large potatoes, peeled and boiled
6 green onions, chopped
1/4 pint of cream or milk
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz boiled green kale, chopped
2 oz butter
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Mash the potatoes and set aside.

2. Mix the chopped onions and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add 1 oz of butter and the kale. Mix.

3. Fold in the mashed potatoes. Beat well until light and fluffy. Serve with the chopped parsley and remaining butter.

Colcannon Recipe #2

Ingredients

1 lb. cabbage or kale
1 lb. potatoes
1 leek, chopped in thin slices
1 cup (225ml) milk or cream
1/2 cup (115g) butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of nutmeg or cloves

Directions

1. Cook cabbage/kale in boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and leave to cool.

2. Boil potatoes until cooked through. Drain and mash together with enough milk to make it a creamy consistency. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Set aside.

3. Coarsely chop the cabbage and set aside.

4. In a large skillet, melt 1/4 cup of the butter over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and cook for 1 to 3 minutes until soft, but not brown. Add in the mashed potatoes and chopped cabbage. Mix thoroughly.

5. Transfer the mashed potato mixture to a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the mixture and put the remaining 1/4 butter into the well to melt. Serve.

Don't forget to stir in some coins and a gold toy ring (wrap them in wax paper first), if you wish to have "fortunes" included.

Also try Barmbrack: Traditional Irish Halloween Cake which is a Halloween fruited bread-type cake served in Ireland.

Return to the top: Colcannon: A Favorite Irish Halloween Meal

Back To: Halloween Food Recipes