Imbolc Recipe

For Imbolc and for the kitchen goddess Annapurna.


Traditional foods for Imbolc include lamb, cabbage, raisins, currants, and seeds. These foods represent rebirth and are excellent symbols of rebirth and renewal. These foods remind us of the coming of spring. For Imbolc, many people like to stick to traditional Celtic foods in honor of Brigid, such as lamb stew, colcannon, and Irish soda bread. These are warm, filling foods that provide nourishment during the cold winter months and represent rebirth, promise, and prosperity.

Those of you who know me will know several things about me. First, I am not always conventional, especially in the kitchen. Second, I love spice! As luck would have it, spicy foods are excellent for Imbolc. They represent the heat of the growing sun and infuse foods with protective energy. Garlic and chiles are great to add to dishes for Imbolc, and curries are appropriate.

In honor of the upcoming Sabbat (and to satisfy a wicked craving), I decided to get into my freshly-scrubbed kitchen and whip up a dish that includes garlic, chiles, spices and greens.

Saag (spinach) Aloo (potato)

This dish would also be good for Ostara, as it uses spinach. I also added some peas because I had some in the freezer that I wanted to use. In the spring, you can use fresh spinach and peas, but frozen veggies are perfect acceptable any time.

2-3 medium-sized potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large bag of frozen spinach, thawed (squeeze out as much water as you can)
½ onion, minced
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
½ fresh ginger, grated or finely minced (or use ½ tsp. dry)
1 green chili, minced (or ½ tsp dried chili flake)
1 tsp each ground cumin, coriander and garam masala
½ tsp turmeric (optional)

Process

Boil the potatoes until tender. Drain and add salt and turmeric, if using.

In a skillet heat a couple teaspoons of oil and cook the onions until almost tender. Add the garlic, ginger and chili and cook for 3-4 minutes. Don’t let it brown. Add the spinach and cook until warm. Puree this mixture in a food processor and return to the skillet. Add the spices and potatoes. Add some hot water if the mixture is dry and simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt to taste and serve with Basmati rice.

Now you have a simple, healthy dish that is full of ginger, garlic and chilis, as well as the traditional potatoes. I can’t even begin to tell you how good this is! I’ll try to post a picture once I upload some, but photos just don’t do it justice.