Halloween and All Hallows

Here you are the text you read last Tuesday and the pumkin pie recipe too. Have a nice All Hallows bank holiday!

October 31st is a very important date for young people in Britain and America. It’s Hallowe’en! This word means ‘All Hallows’ Eve’, the night before ‘All Hallows’.
Hallowe’en is a pagan festival. It came from the Celts, when they invaded the British Isles and Northern France. In the ancient pagan calendar, October 31st was the last day of the year. At night, Celts built bonfires and dressed up in the scary Celtic costumes. They lit lanterns they placed outside their houses to frighten away devil and death.

When the Irish emigrated to the U.S.A. in the 18th and 19th centuries, they brought this tradition with them. Hallowe’en became one of the most important festivals in the U.S.A. Lanterns came to be pumpkins with candles inside and called ‘Jack o’Lanterns’.

Today Halloween is a time for fun. People wear masks, dress up as ghosts. Witches, monsters, etc. and organize parties. They also play games. Children go from house to house saying: ‘trick or treat?’ waiting for people to give them sweets and money.


PUMPKIN PIE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

- 700 g. pumkin
- 1 apple
- 1 orange
- 80 g. raisins
- 40 g. butter
- 1/2 cup condensed milk
- 3 eggs
- 1 spoon flour
- 1 spoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 level spoon salt
- 1 spoon cinnamon
- 2 spoons water
- 1 puff pastry

METHOD

--> preheat oven to 210º.
--> you may bake the puff pastry a little bit before you pour the pumpkin pie mixture into it to make sure it bakes well.
--> Prick the base of the pastry with a fork.

1. Prepare an orange juice and grate orange peel. Keep the grated orange peel for later.
2. Boil rasins in water for 30 seconds. Drain raisins and put them into the orange juice.

3. Dice the pumpkin and the apple. Melt butter in a pan. When melted, add pumpkin dices and cook over a low heat. A bit later add the apple dices and cook together with the pumpkin dices until they get very soft.

4. Mix the pumpkin and the apple with sugar, salt, flour and cinnamon with a mixer.
5. Add the eggs and mix well.
6. Add condensed milk, water, vanilla and grated orange peel. Mix well again.
7. Add raisins.

8. Pour the pumpkin pie mixture into the puff pastry.

9. Bake for 15 minutes at 210º.
10. Then bake for 35 min. at 150º until the pie is set.

ENJOY YOUR PIE!