Recipes for Mabon 🥧🍂🍄‍🟫

Mabon is a celebration deeply connected to the harvest, abundance, the fruits of the earth, and gratitude. We celebrate it at the autumn equinox, and personally, I like to keep celebrating it until Samhain. The fruits have reached their peak by late summer and early autumn, which is why it's the perfect time to make the most of what nature offers us during this season.

But before diving in, I'd like to clarify a few things

⚠️ These recipes are suggestions and seasonal ideas for the coming season—they are not medicinal and don't override your doctor's advice. If you have allergies or suspect you may have any food allergies or intolerances, please consult your doctor first⚠️

This article is simply meant to help you connect with Mabon, autumn, or give you ideas if you want to return to traditional cooking during this time of year, learn about the benefits of certain ingredients, or host friends at home. It's not meant to replace any medication you may need 🍎 🍯

🎃 Pumpkin, Carrot & Spice Soup. Serves 4:

Pumpkin is practically an emblem of autumn—it's a super easy, quick, and practical way to get a good dose of vitamins, energy, and vegetables. It's perfect for the change of season and very comforting. Plus, you can add chicken or turkey to make it heartier.

You'll need:

700 g cleaned pumpkin

• 3 carrots
• 1 medium onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 750 ml approx. vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon (just a touch, so it doesn't overpower)
• Salt to taste
• Optional: a small piece of fresh ginger

1. First, wash all the vegetables, peel them, and cut them into slices. Be very careful because pumpkin tends to be quite hard.
2. In a pot, add oil and sauté the onion over medium heat for 5 minutes until translucent or nearly translucent. Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon, and stir for 20-30 seconds.

At this point, the spices will release all their aroma.

1. Add the pumpkin and carrot, and stir clockwise.
2. After this, add the stock until it covers the vegetables, bring to a boil, and after a few minutes at boiling point, reduce the heat.
3. Cook for 20-25 minutes, until you see the pumpkin and carrot are completely tender. Once the vegetables are ready, blend the entire mixture, adding more stock if the soup is too thick, or if you prefer, you can add a bit of cream or milk for more body and sweetness.

Finally, taste and adjust the salt and remaining spices. After that, just enjoy.

🍞 Autumn Bread with Rosemary, Garlic & Seeds. Medium loaf:

This bread has beautiful symbolism because it starts with something as basic as wheat—a seed that comes from the harvest—and transforms it into food to share. You can prepare the dough while thinking about three things you've "harvested" this year: something you've learned, something you've achieved, and something you're grateful for. Then share the bread at the table.

• 500 g bread flour
• 325 ml warm water
• 7 g dry baker's yeast
• 10 g salt
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small garlic clove, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped—or ½ teaspoon if dried—
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
• 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)

1. Put the flour in a bowl and add the yeast. Gradually add the water while mixing. When the dough starts to form, add the salt and oil.

2. Knead for about 8-10 minutes, until you get an elastic, slightly sticky dough. Don't worry if it seems hard to handle at first.

3. Work in the garlic, rosemary, and seeds. Knead for another couple of minutes to distribute them well.

4. Form a ball, cover the bowl with a cloth, and let it rest in a warm place for 1-1½ hours, until it roughly doubles in size.

5. Take out the dough, gently deflate it, and shape it into a round. Place it on parchment paper and let it rest for another 30-45 minutes.

6. With a sharp knife, make a cross or several shallow cuts on top. This is optional—you can do it or leave it as is.

7. Preheat the oven to 230°C, with top and bottom heat.

Put in the loaf and bake:

• 15 minutes at 230°C
• then lower to 200°C and bake for another 20-25 minutes.

8. Let it cool.

Super important: wait at least 30 minutes before cutting it. The crumb finishes setting during that time.

Note: you could also buy ready-made dough from your trusted bakery and skip some steps—that would be equally valid 😄

🎃🥧 Pumpkin, Walnut & Spice Cake. 8-10 slices:

For this recipe, you'll need a round pan (20-22 cm) or a loaf pan, but any pan you have at home will work. First, preheat the oven to 180°C, top and bottom heat

• 300 g cleaned pumpkin
• 3 eggs
• 120 g brown sugar
• 100 ml mild olive oil or sunflower oil
• 200 g wheat flour
• 10 g baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 pinch of salt
• 70 g chopped walnuts
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Prepare the pumpkin. Carefully cut the pumpkin into pieces and cook until tender. You can roast it at 190°C for about 25-30 minutes, which is my favorite method because it comes out more concentrated and sweet. Let it cool and blend until you get a purée. You need 300 g of purée.

2. Beat the eggs and sugar. Put the eggs and sugar in a bowl and beat for about 2-3 minutes, until the mixture is lighter and airier.

3. Add the wet ingredients. Add the oil, vanilla, and pumpkin purée. Mix until smooth.

4. Prepare the dry ingredients. In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.

Add them gradually to the previous mixture and stir just until combined. Don't overmix.

5. Add the walnuts. Fold in the chopped walnuts and mix gently. My grandmother used to make it with roasted chestnuts, which is another pretty good option.

6. Into the oven. Pour the batter into a greased pan or one lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 180°C for about 40-50 minutes.

Insert a toothpick in the center: if it comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs, it's ready.

7. Cool. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

You can finish it very simply: sprinkle a bit of cinnamon on top and place some whole walnuts in the center. You can also add some toasted pumpkin seeds on top before baking.

🍄 Mushroom, Rosemary & Parmesan Risotto. 2-3 servings.

Mushrooms beautifully represent the damp, changing autumn landscape, while the rice and vegetables recall Mabon's central idea: transforming the fruits of the earth into food and celebrating the abundance of the harvest.

• 200 g arborio or carnaroli rice, or whatever your supermarket recommends
• 250 g mixed mushrooms—button, shiitake, portobello, porcini… careful with mushrooms, always buy them from your trusted supermarket. Don't forage wild mushrooms unless you're an expert, as you could face serious health risks ⚠️
• ½ onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 750 ml approx. vegetable stock, hot
• 80 ml white wine—optional; the wine is harmless at this stage as it will evaporate during cooking
• 30 g butter
• 40-50 g grated Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• Black pepper
• Salt

1. Prepare the mushrooms. Clean and cut them into pieces. Heat a pan with a bit of oil and sauté over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes, until golden. Add a pinch of salt, pepper, and the rosemary. Set aside.

2. Heat the stock. Put the vegetable stock in a saucepan and keep it warm, but it doesn't need to boil.

3. Sauté the base. In a wide pot, add the oil and half the butter. Add the very finely chopped onion and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

4. Toast the rice. Add the unwashed rice and stir for 1-2 minutes. The grains should become slightly translucent on the outside.

5. Add the wine. If using white wine, add it now and stir until it's almost completely evaporated.

6. Start the risotto. Add a ladleful of hot stock and stir gently. When the rice has absorbed almost all the liquid, add another ladleful.

Continue like this for about 18-20 minutes, adding stock gradually and stirring frequently.

7. Add the mushrooms. When the rice has about 5 minutes left, add the mushrooms you set aside. Save some to place on top when serving.

8. The important part: mantecatura. 🧈

When the rice is creamy but still slightly al dente, turn off the heat. Add the remaining 15 g of butter and the Parmesan.

Stir vigorously for a few seconds to create that characteristic creamy risotto texture. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

Serve the risotto immediately and place some golden mushrooms on top, a bit of Parmesan, and a few rosemary leaves.

And last but not least, my go-to recipe for when I'm having a rough day—whether I'm feeling down, cold, or my soul needs something warming

🍲 Comforting Vegetable & Chicken Broth

You can omit the chicken if you follow a vegan or vegetarian diet 🌱

• 1 whole onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 leek
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 garlic clove
• Extra virgin olive oil, just a drizzle
• 1 whole chicken leg (thigh and drumstick), though you can use two small breasts or one large one
• Turmeric, pepper, salt, ginger, cumin, or bay leaf (or other spices to taste)

1. First, wash and peel all the vegetables, chop them, and place them on a baking sheet. Add the chicken and a good drizzle of olive oil. Toss and add spices to taste
2. Once the spices have coated the vegetables and chicken, put the tray in the oven for about 20 minutes at 180 degrees. The vegetables or chicken don't need to be fully cooked. We're just giving them an initial heat treatment.
3. After this, remove the tray and add everything to a large pot with plenty of water. Set it over high heat and bring to a boil for at least 45 minutes, adding water when necessary, but try not to do this too many times as the broth will lose flavor.
4. When the broth has developed color and body, remove the chicken and as many vegetables as you can.
5. Shred the chicken and add it back to the broth. With the leftover vegetables, you can do two things: remove them, blend them, and use them in another recipe as a soup or sauce, or blend them and add them to the broth for more body.
6. You can also boil a couple of eggs and add them to the soup, chopped.

I usually use the broth and add some type of pasta like noodles, the egg, and some diced ham, but that's optional. This is a recipe I start making once summer is over and the heat gives us a break. It's a very comforting way to cook and helps me sleep well that same night.

I hope you enjoyed this! Other recipes you can make are apple pie, chestnut soups, chicken with fine herbs served with pasta and mushrooms, or creamy macaroni with chicken, cream, and mushrooms.

If you know any special recipes for this time of year, leave them in the comments and I'd love to hear from you.

I hope you enjoy it, and remember: whoever cooks with joy cooks with abundance. 🕯️ 🍂 🎃