B is for Basil

I’ve done posts on basil before because it’s such a fantastic herb.  It’s so sweet and fragrant and it just exudes loooooovvvvve.  When I lived in Istanbul, some of the restaurants I visited along the Bosphorus placed pots of basil on the tables for decoration.   The leaves were very small and the shape of the plant was bushier than the basil we typically see here.   I had one, but my brown thumb killed it.  I may be a good cook, but I am a lousy gardener, as I’ve written before.

Basil is ruled by the planet Mars.  It carries the element of fire, and its energies include love, money, and protection.  (Cunningham, 1990).

Once upon a time in Malta, when a household had a young girl of marriageable age, a pot of basil was placed on a windowsill to let potential suitors know ‘here there be baebes’.  Or something like that.

A nice tomato-basil salad or soup are both great love dishes.  Eat pasta with pesto sauce to attract money (with proper visualization and real world steps, too, of course.) For purification and protection, add basil to citrus.   

The following recipe is part of a brunch menu for the winter solstice.  If you have a pot of basil in the kitchen, you have access to this lovely herb all year long.  If you don’t have fresh and do not wish to buy it out of season, I suppose half the amount of dried basil could be substituted, but I’ve not tried it.

I serve this salad with smoky duck and sweet potato hash with eggs, buttermilk biscuits, and spiked coffee.   What better way to warm up after a sunrise solstice ritual, right?

Citrus Fruit Salad with Sweet Basil Dressing

3 oranges, peeled and sectioned

2 mandarins or clementines, peeled and sectioned

1 grapefruit, peeled and sectioned

1 ruby grapefruit, peeled and sectioned

Place citrus fruit sections into a bowl.  Mix gently to combine.  Drizzle with Sweet Basil Dressing. Toss gently.  Chill before serving.

Serves 4

Cunningham, S. (1990). Cunningham's encyclopedia of wicca in the kitchen. (p. 130). Woodbury: Llewellyn

Summer Ingredients - Eggplant

Do you love eggplant, or do you hate it? I love it, personally. The Turks have about a bazillion different ways to prepare eggplant, most of which I love. Today I'm recreating one of my favorites, soslu patlican. Yes, I'm actually in the kitchen and cooking something for once! I have friends coming over to eat Turkish food later.

Let's look at the eggplant, courtesy of Scott Cunningham:

Planet: Jupiter
Element: Earth
Energies: Spirituality, Money

The eggplant is a native of China. The first eggplants were small, egg-shaped and white, hence the name. You can eat cooked eggplant to increase spirituality or for increased money.

If you're one of the people who can't stand eggplant, you can still use the vegetable to increase money. Simply cut an eggplant in half, place a one-dollar bill between the pieces, tie them together, and bury them. Don't dig up anything. Money will come to you.


Soslu Patlican (According to moi)

1 large eggplant, cubed, salted, patted dry
2-3 banana peppers, seeded and sliced into rings
oil for deep frying

For the tomato sauce:
1 1/2 cups tomato puree or sauce
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1-2 teaspoons sugar
salt and pepper to taste
water to thin, if needed

Deep fry the pepper rings and eggplant cubes until the eggplant is brown. Drain on kitchen paper.

Cook the garlic in the olive oil for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato sauce or puree. If using puree, you may need some water to thin, about 1/4 cup. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and simmer the sauce for 5-10 minutes. Pour over the eggplant and peppers. Cool to room temperature or chill in the fridge.


Sources: Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen

Thanksgiving, Part III

I'll try to wrap it up in this post. Maybe one more. We may even get to dishes that were actually served at the first Thanksgiving!

Although not served at the first Thanksgiving, no table would be complete without that big, jiggly blob of canned cranberry sauce. Perhaps you make your own? If so, bless you! It's so much better.

Cranberries are ruled by the planet Mars. Their element is water and their energy is protection.

To prepare your own, add 1 bag cranberries to a sauce pan. Put in 1 cup sugar and 1 cup orange juice. Cook until the berries start to burst. Easy. If that's not easy enough, just open a can and *plop*.

Another food that was not served in the 1620s was mashed potatoes. For years I didn't like mashed potatoes. After having lap band surgery, I find the texture appealing and I now enjoy them.

The potato is an Earth food, carrying energies of protection and compassion.

Sweet Potatoes are ruled by the Moon and Earth and carry the energies of love and sex. Not that anyone is really thinking about sex after a full Thanksgiving dinner although it would be an excellent way to burn off those calories.

Pumpkins are also ruled by the Moon and Earth. Their energies are healing and money. Pumpkin pie flavored with cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg can be used to attract money. You know, for Yule shopping the next day.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving celebration next week. May you be surrounded by loved ones and loving energies, along with prosperity for this new year.

Pecans

Planet: Mercury
Element: Air
Energies: Money, employment

Eat pecans when seeking employment.

Pecans are falling from the trees here in the South. It's time to pick up a sack and start collecting! Imagine a warm, gooey homemade pecan pie devoured at the next new moon. What a delicious way to stir up some money magic! I also added pecans to my Prosperity Shortbread.

Pecan Pie recipe from www.simplyrecipes.com


Ingredients

2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp molasses
2 Tbsp melted butter
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups pecans, coarsely chopped

1 9-inch pie shell, chilled for an hour if freshly made, defrosted for 10 minutes if frozen.
Method

1 Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread pecans along the bottom of the pie shell. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over pecans. The pecans will rise to the surface of the pie.

2 Bake at 375°F for 45-50 minutes until the filling has set. About 20 minutes into the cooking you may want to use a pie crust protector, or tent the edges of the pie crust with aluminum foil to prevent the pie crust edges from burning.

3 Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Serves 8.