In Favor of Imbolc

 Let me start by saying that I do not dislike Yule. It’s really not very stressful for me. I have very few people to shop for, and our holiday dinner here will be for the two of us. I’m actually looking forward to the long weekend over which I will observe Yule this year. 

No, I’m not trying to say anything negative about Yule.The solstice time is warm, bright, and cheerful. Yule is very, very necessary for a lot of reasons. First and foremost, it celebrates the birth of the sun/god, the slow return of light and warmth.The winter solstice is the longest night; therefore the extra brightness reminds us of the light half of the year. In addition, in my wheel of the year, the new year is Yule (I’ve written about my reasons for this). By Imbolc, though, the goddess has also recovered much of her strength. 

Depending on your hemisphere and region, this time of year can be cold, gray, and wet or snowy. I, however, live in a place that isn’t usually that cold in December. Snow, when it happens, is more of a January-February thing. This past February was unprecedented and horrific, as many of you may know, but it’s typically just dark, cold, and depressing. 

The post-Yule period feels like a huge letdown after such a big buildup. The calendar rolls over and January is gray and slushy. It drags on. February may be the shortest month, but it has a way of feeling like the longest. February, rather than making us anticipate March and Ostara, heralding spring, we instead feel as though winter will never end.

It’s at this time we most need the reminder that the sun is growing stronger day by day. The days themselves are lengthening a little at a time. Imbolc, also known as Candelmas, is also about flame because of its connection to Brigid. Imbolc is also related to the pregnant ewes and the milk their bodies were starting to make. I guess you could also look at a cozy, glowing celebration as a way of cheering up a new or soon-to-be mother, in a way. 

Light lots of candles. Build a fire if possible. Decorate with dried orange slices and red chilies. Eat spicy food and traditional (and cooling) dairy dishes. Have a warm drink. Put some brandy in it. Get warm. Bask in the light. If there is snow outside, bring in a bowl of it and cheer as it melts. Help usher winter back to its slumber for a few months. Acknowledge the Cailleach and thank her for her gifts of winter solitude, silence, and rest. Remind Persephone it’s nearly time to return to her mother. Dance in a spiral to honor the sun and know that the earth will spring to life again soon. Carry an ember (figuratively) with you. Ostara will be there soon. 

C is for Cauldron

The cauldron is much more than a simple pot used for cooking over a fire. The cauldron is a symbol of Cerridwen.  In Welsh mythology, Cerridwen is the keeper of the cauldron of inspiration and transformation.

  The leprechaun’s pot of gold is a cauldron full of coins.  The cauldron has appeared in mythology and literature throughout the ages.  Who can think of Shakespeare and not picture the three witches making their diabolical potions while chanting about newt eyes and bat wings?   

 It is not only a cooking vessel, but also a symbol of the divine feminine.   I see the cauldron as a symbol of the womb, a place of amazing growth and transformation, the place from which all life springs forth.  As a cooking vessel, I see the cauldron as a place of amazing transformation as well.   

As in the womb, a few basic elements combine to create something completely new and different.

Years and years ago, I bought a little cast iron “cauldron” on eBay.  It has been used for spirit flames, for burning the old year’s problems at Samhain, and for making black salt.   These days, I use a Dutch oven for some things, but my big soup pot is my modern cauldron.   Even a slow cooker can be used for a modern cauldron (since it seems to take nearly a year and a day for some things to cook!).

In the fall and winter, I enjoy making soups and stews and other comforting things that bring nourishment and warmth.   Humming as I work, stirring deosil for positivity, I happily putter around the kitchen around my modern-day witches’ cauldron, making culinary magic happen.  As I do so, I am reminded of the sacredness of food and flame.  I think of warmer days when the earth gives up her bounty to sustain us through the darker part of the year.

A cauldron (or a pot) is an essential tool for me.  Give me a pot (cauldron), wooden spoon (wand), and a good knife (athame, anyone?), and I’m quite happy.   Cooking is the most basic form of magic for me, having been doing it since I was quite young.   I recognize the individual gifts and elements each ingredient contributes to the final project, and above all, I honor the cauldron’s sacred power of transformation.   Much like Cerridwen’s cauldron, mine is also full of inspiration.

For this blog post, I will share two recipes.  One is for a soup cooked on top of the stove, and the other is for a dish that is cooked in the crock pot.

Curried Peanut Soup

I like making this for Imbolc because the spiciness and earthiness remind me that Mother Earth is awakening slowly in the northern hemisphere.  The warmth cuts through the winter’s brutal cold, and the lovely color reminds me of the sun and the first golden flowers of spring.

1 medium onion, chopped

5 or 6 cloves garlic, chopped

1 inch ginger, peeled and chopped

1-2 chilies, seeded or not, chopped

2 small sweet potatoes (about 2 cups), peeled and cubed

1/3 cup natural peanut butter

1 ½ cups coconut milk, light or regular

2-3 tablespoons coconut oil

2 tablespoons each ground cumin and hot Madras curry powder

8 cups chicken broth

In your soup pot/cauldron, heat the oil over medium heat.

Add the onions, ginger, and chilies.  Cook for 5 minutes before adding the garlic.  Cook 2-3 minutes longer.

Add the sweet potatoes, cumin, and curry powder.  Stir to coat everything with the spices.

Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and allow the soup to simmer until the sweet potatoes are tender (15 minutes).

Add the peanut butter and stir well. 

Ladle the chunky parts of the soup into a blender. Add the coconut milk and puree until smooth.

Return the mixture to the pot.  Heat gently. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Slow Cooker Baked Beans

This recipe makes a pot full of sticky sweet, rich and satisfying baked beans.

½ bacon, cut into 1” pieces

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 ½ cups navy beans, cleaned and sorted

¼ cup dark brown sugar

¼ cup tomato paste

¼ cup molasses

½ cup apple juice or cider

2 teaspoons each ras el hanout and smoked paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

Water to cover the beans

If you are cooking beans in a crock pot/slow cooker as in this recipe, you don’t necessarily have to soak them.  

Put the chopped onion in the crock pot first.  Then, add the bacon and the beans.

Dollop in the tomato paste and brown sugar. Pour over the molasses.

Add the liquid and stir to combine.   Cook on low for 8 hours or high for about 5-6 hours, until beans are tender.

Season with salt, pepper, ras el hanout, and smoked paprika before serving. 

Imbolc Celebration Menu

One of the ways in which I used to celebrate Imbolc/Candlemas was to inscribe a wish for the coming year onto a candle and leave the candle to burn. We would stay up all night with the candles to make sure there were no fires.

However you decide to mark the occasion, may you have a warm, nourishing meal on your table. Here is a homey winter meal (that's a little bit Slavic!) and a deliciously different appetizer. Hold on to your socks, as this post is recipe heavy!


Imbolc Celebration Menu

Baked Brie with Bacon Jam
Stuffed Cabbage
Balsamic Beets
Poppy Seed Noodles
Rye Bread with Caraway Seeds
Stuffed Figs in Wine


Bacon Jam
1.5 pounds applewood smoked bacon, cut into ½” pieces
2 medium red onions, finely diced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup apple cider vinegar
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
¾ cup strong brewed coffee
1-2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground ancho chile powder
Smoked salt to taste (or just use regular salt and ¼ tsp liquid smoke)

In a large pot, cook the bacon until bacon is slightly browned and fat is rendered. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Pour off all but about 3 tablespoons of the fat.
Cook the onions in the bacon fat until onions are translucent, 7-8 minutes. Do not brown.
Add the vinegar and coffee. Scrape the bottom of the pot to remove any stuck bits. Stir in the brown sugar.
Add bacon back to the pot.
Simmer, uncovered, until the liquid is thick and syrupy, about an hour. Watch it and stir occasionally to make sure it doesn’t stick. When most of the liquid is evaporated and the sauce is thick, it is done. Stir in the paprika, ancho chile powder, and smoked salt.
Allow jam to cool. Store in jars in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Baked Brie with Bacon Jam

½ package puff pastry, thawed
1 wheel of brie
¼ cup bacon jam

Preheat oven to 425 F.
Take a sheet of puff pastry. Roll slightly on a lightly floured surface.
Place the wheel of brie (rind and all) on the sheet of pastry. Top with bacon jam.
Fold the puff pastry over the top of the cheese.
Bake 20-25 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

Stuffed Cabbage

8 cabbage leaves, lightly blanched in boiling water for 2-3 minutes
1 pound ground beef
1 cup uncooked white rice
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons oil
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup tomato sauce
½ cup white wine
½ cup beef broth

In a mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, onion, egg, parsley and rice. Use your hands to thoroughly mix the ingredients together.
Divide the meat mixture into 8 portions and form into thick oval shapes.
Take one cabbage leaf and fill it with 1/8 of the meat mixture. Roll it burrito-style to form a package. Secure with toothpicks if needed. Repeat.
In a large skillet with a lid, heat the oil on medium heat. Cook the garlic for about 5 minutes, until softened. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and beef broth.
Add the tomato sauce.
Place the cabbage parcels seam-side down in the skillet. Bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 40 minutes, basting often with the sauce.


Balsamic Beets

8 small beets (about 2 pounds)
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Trim the beets and place in a large pot. Cover with water. Boil until tender. Drain and allow beets to cool.
Remove the skins and trim the ends of the beets. Slice into rounds or wedges.
In a sauce pan, simmer the balsamic vinegar for 5-7 minutes, until thick. Add the beets and stir to coat.
Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Poppy Seed Noodles

1 1-pound bag wide egg noodles
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon butter
4 tablespoons poppy seeds
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the noodle in salted boiling water until al dente.
In another pot, heat the oil on medium. Cook the shallot for 5-7 minutes until softened but not browned.
Add the poppy seeds.
Add the drained egg noodles and butter. Toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper and serve.


Rye Bread with Caraway Seeds

2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
2 cups warm water (110 degrees to 115 degrees), divided
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon caraway seed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 cups rye flour
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Add brown sugar, caraway, oil, salt and remaining water; mix well. Stir in rye flour and 1 cup all-purpose flour; beat until smooth. Add enough remaining all-purpose flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down; divide in half. Shape each half into a ball; place in two greased 8-in. round cake pans. Flatten balls to a 6-in. diameter. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.


Stuffed Figs in Wine

10 dried Mission figs
¼ cup soft goat cheese
2 tablespoons crumbled gorgonzola
2 tablespoons honey
¼ cup red wine or port
¼ cup balsamic vinegar

Heat the oven to 325 F.
Slice the figs most of the way through, but do not cut them completely in half.
Mix together the cheeses and honey.
Stuff each fig half with a scant teaspoon of filling.
Place in a baking dish.
Mix together the wine and vinegar. Pour over the figs.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the liquid has reduced and formed a bubbly, thick sauce. Figs should be softened.

I know this recipe is already on my other blog, but I wanted to show pictures of the making of the cheese ball. It's just a simple little appetizer to serve on Imbolc. Serve it with some sesame seed or poppy seed crackers, which are also appropriate for that Sabbat.

Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
4-6 oz. goat cheese (chevre), softened
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup dried Mission figs, chopped fine

My pictures are *always* out of order because I'm a techno-moron.

Obviously you blend the softened cheeses together first. You really have to give the chevre a good mashing because it's creamy yet crumbly. The cream cheese is the binder.

Add the chopped dates, fresh thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for an hour.

In the meanwhile, toast some pecans either on the stove top or in the oven. Put them in the food processor. You'll need about 1/4 - 1/3 cup of crushed pecans. Place them in a bowl and roll the cheese ball around to evenly coat it. Wrap it up and put it back in the fridge until it's time to serve.

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.

Winter's Bounty

In the Northern Hemisphere, winter is upon us. Many places are still enjoying mild or warm temperatures, while others are experiencing cold, rain or even snow. Long gone are the fresh, fragrant herbs of summer, the plump juicy fruits and crisp colorful vegetables. What’s a person to do? Surely we can’t be expected to sit in our homes eating uninspiring, lifeless junk food!

Fortunately we have the gift of agriculture to help sustain us, unlike our earlier ancestors, who had to live on preserved foods throughout the long winter months. We know have access to a huge variety of produce all year round. What could be wrong with this? Well, one issue is the fact that certain things just aren’t in season this time of year. Using hothouses to forcibly grow out-of-season produce wields tasteless, inferior products that are nowhere near as lovely or tasty as the fresh, seasonal foods.

Yes, we can go to the freezer section of the grocery store and buy lovely frozen spinach, raspberries, tender peas, and even asparagus. These fruits and veggies were picked at their peak and frozen to preserve their flavor and vitamins. Canned produce is okay too, but the quality isn’t quite as good as frozen. The taste, too can be a bit off-putting. I’ve found that beets, corn and beans are the only veggies that taste okay out of a can. Everything else, to me, tastes like, well, the can.

Happily we can still find fresh fruits and vegetables growing even in winter. Some things may still need to be shipped from one part of the country to the next, or from another country, but at least these things are being harvested while they are in season, as opposed to being grown in a greenhouse somewhere.

What can we eat at Yule? What about at Imbolc? Yule is right around the corner and some of you may already be planning your winter solstice meals. At Yule we celebrate the sun’s returning, This is the longest night of the year, and in some places it is very cold, so we need hearty, satisfying food to give us energy and to ground us after a ritual.

Let us first take a look at what the season offers us in the way of fruits and vegetables. Then we can begin discussing properties of those foods, and ways to prepare them.

Some of the vegetables available in winter include Brussels sprouts, leeks, cabbages, parsnips, sprouting broccoli, and kale. These vegetables pack a nutritional punch, contribute their green hues to the season, and are all protective foods! How nice that so many protective foods are available to us during this dark half of the year. We can begin adding these foods to our diet to fill ourselves and our homes with protective energy.

We also have turnips, rutabagas (I’ve never eaten one of these. Has anyone?), bok choy, artichokes, celery root, sweet potatoes, and chestnuts. Artichokes are also protective. Chestnuts and sweet potatoes are love foods.

Fruits of the season include citrus fruits such as clementines, oranges, blood oranges and grapefruits, as well as kumquats, pears, persimmons (another food I’ve never tried but have seen at the markets here in Istanbul), kiwi, bananas, red grapes, pomegranates, and cranberries.

Citrus fruits are good for purification. Many of the fruits available in the winter are a deep red or orange, the color of the sun we are welcome into our lives again. These fruits make lovely decorations for the altar or the table, as well as a tasty addition to your Sabbat feast.

As you can see, we do not have to have a boring diet in the winter. Even though our bodies crave heavier comfort foods such as thick stews and holiday sweets, we can still incorporate fresh produce as well. The next few posts will discuss ways of using some of winter’s bounty for food, magic, and decoration. We will also continue exploring dark goddesses. Keep reading!

Leftover Magic

Thanksgiving leftovers? Never fear, the kitchen witch is here! I wasn’t able to enjoy the traditional Thanksgiving feast this year, but I am still here with ways for you to use up some of the leftover food you may have, and stir up some witchin’ in the kitchen to boot.

The following soup is just the thing to lift you out of the post-Thanksgiving slump. In fact, it’s good for helping lift you out of the winter doldrums, so it’s a good one to hang on to until spring. Plus, being a spicy soup, it’s good not only for warming and protection, but you can also serve it at Imbolc.

Curried Pumpkin Soup

First, let’s talk about that pumpkin. As we have discussed before, this is an excellent symbol of the harvest. Its round shape represents fertility and abundance. The seeds are also symbols of fertility and can be toasted and eaten, or dried and marked with runes for divination. If you like to do things the slower way, maybe you’ve purchased a pumpkin and roasted it yourself. If so, good for you. Roasting the pumpkin intensifies the flavor and brings out a lovely sweetness. If you’re short on time, however, canned or raw pumpkin will work just as well. This recipe is partially about the spice.

Ingredients:
2 medium onions, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ tablespoons fresh ginger, finely minced or grated
1 hot red chili, minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 ½ cups pumpkin (used canned or roasted, whichever you have)
3 cups water
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock or broth
1 14-oz can coconut milk
3 tablespoons butter or oil
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, melt butter and cook onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, chili, and spices. Stir to coat everything with the spice mixture and cook 2 more minutes.

Add the pumpkin, water and broth and simmer, covered for about 30 minutes. Add the coconut milk and continue simmering for another 5-10 minutes. Puree the soup in batches in your blender or use a stick immersion blender to blend until smooth and creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot. Soup can be thinned with a little extra water or stock if it’s too thick for your liking.

Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro leaves if desired.

Not in the mood for soup? You can also turn this into a satisfying, chunky curry to serve over rice. Use cubes of roasted pumpkin instead of canned, and omit the water and stock, keeping the coconut milk.