MIchaelMas Treats

An old Irish proverb says:
“On Michaelmas Day the devil puts his foot on blackberries”.

MichaelMas s day to celebrate the fall harvest and St. Michael's battle over evil.

The day is filled with blackberries, cabbage and goose!



Sweet Red Cabbage

2 lbs red cabbage, shredded finely
4 large onions, peeled & finely diced
4 large apples or pears, NOT peeled, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, peeled & finely minced
4 tablespoons soft brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
salt & pepper
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 ounce butter

Directions:

Discard outer leaves of the red cabbage and cut into quarters. Cut out the central woody root and then shred the quarters very finely. Place in a bowl. Cut the apples or pears into quarters, core them & then slice into fine dice and set aside in another bowl, then place the peeled and diced onions into another bowl.

For cooking in the Crockpot - take the inner crock out and start layering the ingredients: red cabbage, salt & pepper; apples or pears, onions & garlic, all the spices & brown sugar; keep layering this way until everything has been used up. Dot the top of the red cabbage with the butter and pour over the red wine vinegar and cook for 6 hours on High in the Crockpot. Turn down to low and simmer for another 1-2 hours.
 


MichaelMas Dumplings

Ingredients:

4 ozs  freshly picked blackberries
1 medium sized  apple
 4 ozs (flour
Pinch salt
1 oz butter or margarine
White granulated sugar
Cold milk
½-pint  water

Directions:

Wash the blackberries and then peel, core and quarter the cooking apple.

Place the flour and the salt in a mixing bowl and with your fingertips; rub the butter or margarine into the flour. Stir in 3 level teaspoons of white sugar and then mix to a soft dough with about 4 tablespoons of cold milk.

Divide the dumpling dough into 4 pieces on a floured board and carefully mold a piece around each quarter of an apple, making sure that the apple is completely covered.

Place berries and remaning sugar in crock pot. Cook on High for 4 hours.  When mixture is very hot drop in dumplings and cook another 4 hours on high,