Foods of October: Sweet Potatoes

As sweet potatoes were discussed in an earlier post (from Mabon), I thought I'd just make with the recipe. This recipe originally started out as a carrot soup, and you could include some chopped, peeled carrots in this soup as well. Just make sure you increase the broth by about another cup or so.

Curried Sweet Potato Soup


2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
4-5 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 14-oz can coconut milk
1 ½ teaspoons garam masala
1 medium onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
1 chili, chopped, optional
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons oil

Heat the oil in a soup pot and cook the onion until soft, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and chili and cook for 3-4 more minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and the broth and bring to a boil. Drop the heat and simmer until sweet potatoes are very tender, 20-25 minutes.

When the sweet potatoes are cooked, puree the soup either in a blender or with a hand blender. Puree until completely smooth. Pour in the coconut milk, garam masala, and salt and pepper. Reheat the soup on medium-low heat, making sure it doesn’t boil again.

Garnish with some chopped fresh cilantro, if desired.

Foods of October: Parsnips

Parsnips are related to carrots. They have a much stronger flavor, and roasting really mellows them out nicely. Because they are related to carrots, I would say they are also ruled by Mars. Their element is fire and sex is the energy.

Glazed Carrots and Parsnips

2 lbs each carrots and parsnips, peeled and sliced into ½” rounds
5 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter,melted
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
I teaspoon fresh thyme, optional

Place a sheet of foil on a baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Toss the carrots and parsnips with the oil. Season with salt and pepper and pour onto the baking sheet.

Roast, stirring once or twice, until tender, 35-40 minutes. Mix together the melted butter, honey, thyme (if using) and balsamic vinegar. Pour over the vegetables and stick the pan back into the oven for another 5 minutes.

Foods of October: Cabbage

Cabbage is another food of October, and a relative of the Brussels sprout. Cabbages are ruled by the moon. Their element is water, and their energies are protection and money. The many green leaves remind one of currency, and thus make an excellent visualization tool if you’re trying to attract more money. As you consume the leaves, you can visualize taking more wealth into your life, into your bank account, etc.

Information courtesy of Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen


Lion’s Head Casserole

This is my version of a Chinese dish. Pork and cabbage together make a powerful prosperity dish. Eat this on New Year’s Day, the Chinese New Year, or any time you want to attract more money into your life.

1 lb ground pork
2 tablespoons grated ginger
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch green onions, finely sliced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 head Napa cabbage, cored
2 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon corn starch
Black pepper to taste

Mix together the pork, green onions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, and pepper flakes. Form into golf ball-sized meatballs.

Take the cored cabbage and gently lower it into a pot of boiling water. Leave for 3-5 minutes to soften the leaves. Remove with tongs and place into a bowl of cold (ice) water. Remove the tough stem from the leaves and pat the leaves dry.

Take a leaf of cabbage and wrap it around a meatball. Repeat until you have wrapped all the meatballs.

Heat the oven to 350 F. Lightly oil a 9 x 13 baking dish. Place any remaining cabbage leaves on the bottom of the baking dish. Place the wrapped meatballs on top.

Mix together the other 2 T of soy sauce, corn starch and pepper with the chicken broth and pour mixture over the casserole.

Cover with foil. Bake until meatballs are done and cabbage is tender, about 45-50 minutes.

Foods of October: Brussels Sprouts

I love Brussels sprouts. They are one of my favorite vegetables. Fall is also a time for chestnuts, so why not combine the two into one scrumptious side dish? The cream makes it extra-rich but is completely optional. Feel free to toss in a sprig of thyme, stripped and chopped, to bring love, psychic awareness, and purification to your Samhain table.

Brussels Sprouts

Planet: Moon
Element: Water
Energies: Protection

Add Brussels sprouts to protective diets. Cooking them with garlic and chili will up the protective energies of the dish, if the intent is there.

Source: Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen

Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts

2 shallots, finely chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
6-8 slices bacon, cut into 1” pieces
1 ½ lbs Brussels sprouts, washed, trimmed, cut in half
1 lb peeled roasted chestnuts
Salt and white pepper to taste
½ cup water, broth, or white wine and broth
¼ cup cream, optional

Cook sprouts in a pot of boiling water until barely tender, 4-5 minutes. Drain and shock the sprouts by putting them into a bowl of ice water. This will stop the cooking process and keep the color bright. Drain and pat dry.

In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove and drain, reserving the drippings. Cook the shallots and garlic in the bacon drippings until barely soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the drained sprouts and chestnuts to the skillet and sauté another 5 minutes, until sprouts are brown. Pour in the broth and simmer until sprouts have finished cooking and liquid has evaporated, 3-5 minutes. Add the cream, if using, and cook until cream is slightly thickened. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Toss with bacon and serve.

If you don’t eat bacon, you can leave it out and just cook the shallots and garlic in 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil. Use olive oil and vegetable broth and leave out the bacon for a vegetarian-friendly side dish.

Foods of October: Apples

Apples are in season in October. Glorious, round, red or green crunchy apples. What is more autumn than that? Autumn is the season of crisp air, colorful falling leaves, mugs of cider, football (if you’re into that sort of thing), and apple picking.

The apple is a fruit of love. It is ruled by the planet Venus and its element is water. Its energies include love, health, and peace.

Apple seeds play a part in Halloween divination. A young lady would take three apple seeds, name them each for a suitor, and stick them either to her forehead or cheeks. The last one to fall off was her true love.

Another apple divination is to throw the peel (whole) over your left shoulder. It should fall in the shape of the initial of the person you're to marry. I don't know which initial.

For love, bake an apple pie with cinnamon and cloves, or simply carve a heart into an apple and eat it with intent.

Applesauce Loaf Cake

• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
• 1 egg
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 cup raisins (optional)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)


Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a large loaf pan (or 2 smaller ones) with nonstick cooking spray.

In one bowl, mix together the butter and sugar. Add the applesauce, vanilla, sour cream, and egg. Mix to combine. Sift together the dry ingredients and stir into the wet ingredients 1/3 at a time. Fold in the raisins and nuts, if using.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Foods of October: Pork

In an earlier post, I gave some information about the pig and its meat. I associate the meat with Earth and prosperity. For a long time, only the rich had meat on any sort of regular basis. Pork is lovely served fresh at Mabon and Samhain, and preserved (ham, prosciutto, etc.) at Yule.

The following recipe uses salty smoked bacon. It also features onions for protection, sugar for love, and maple syrup for money attraction. (Cunningham, 1990). I also used a bit of smoked sea salt for extra saltiness and smokiness. This is optional, but if you can get it, do try it. It’s amazing. I ordered mine from www.spicesinc.com. Look for Pacific Smoked Sea Salt.

Bacon Jam (Adapted from www.marthastewart.com)

This recipe uses a slow cooker. If you do not have one, you can simply cook it on low on the stove. Just keep an eye on it and make sure the sugars do not burn.

This bacon jam would be awesome spread on some Brie, wrapped in puff pastry, and baked until the cheese is oozing.

Ingredients:
1 lb bacon, cut into 1” pieces
2 medium red onions, diced
3 garlic cloves, smashed
½ c apple cider vinegar
¾ c dark brown sugar
¼ cup pure maple syrup
¾ cup coffee
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
Smoked sea salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

In a large skillet, fry the bacon in batches until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Pour out and reserve all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat.

Cook the onions and garlic on medium heat until soft, about 10 minutes.
Mix together the brown sugar and the liquids. Pour into the pan with the onions, scraping up all the brown bits on the bottom.

Pour into your slow cooker and add the bacon. Cook on high, uncovered for 3 ½ - 4 hours. Season with paprika, salt and pepper. Store in sterilized jars in the refrigerator.

I got maybe 2 ½ - 3 cups from this recipe. It did not cook down that much in the slow cooker, so I left some of the liquid behind.

This could possibly be canned with a pressure canner, but since I don’t have one, I’m not going to mess with it.



It may look revolting, but it tastes like caramelized onions with some bacony bits for texture.

Foods of October: Hazelnuts

Hazelnuts
Planet: Sun
Element: Air
Energies: wisdom, conscious mind, fertility

Another name for Halloween is “Nutcrack Night”. Hazelnuts played an important part in divination on this night. Hazel trees are thought to be guardians against lightning. Hazelnuts are thought to bestow wisdom on those eat consume them. They stimulate the conscious mind. Eat hazelnuts before taking an exam or brainstorming for your next project. A symbol of fertility, hazelnuts were once placed into small bags and given to brides on their wedding days.

Source: Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen

Hazelnut Baklava

1 16-oz. package phyllo pastry, thawed, sheets cut in half
1 stick of butter, melted
1 lb. hazelnuts, coarsely ground (don’t grind too finely or you’ll end up with paste)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons sugar

For the syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
½ cup honey
Zest of 1 lemon


Butter a 9 x 13 pan and preheat the oven to 350.

Unroll the phyllo dough and cover with a damp towel.

Grind the hazelnuts with the sugar and pour into a bowl. Mix with the cinnamon.

Place 1-2 sheets of phyllo into the pan. Brush with butter. Repeat until you have 9 sheets.

Sprinkle with 1/3 of the nut mixture. Layer on more phyllo, brush with butter, and repeat. You should have three layers of hazelnuts in between layers of pastry.
Brush the top layer with butter, cut into triangles, and place in the oven. Bake until crispy, about 50 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the syrup by boiling the water, sugar , honey, and lemon zest together. Simmer about 15 minutes, until thickened. Cool slightly.
When the baklava comes out of the oven, pour over the syrup.

Cool completely before serving. Store uncovered so it doesn't get soggy.