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Posted by Runa Troy on

Crescent Cakes for Imbolc

They may not necessarily look like the moon, but they sure do taste good.

Coming down off a ritual requires something special. There’s a reason that besides the social aspect of the post-circle or post-ritual “cakes & ale” there is a need to fill back up. Magic is work. These traditional crescent cakes are so delicious, you really won’t care what they look like. Enjoy with some tea or a cup of coffee and your body, mind, and magic will all be restored.

I make these each February in celebration that Spring is on its way. They are a traditional Imbolc treat in our home. This recipe helps to make an Imbolc celebration rich.

If you can’t source ground almonds, it’s easy enough to make them in your food processor.

Ingredients:

11/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup finely ground almonds
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (alternatively 3 drops of almond extract)
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 tablespoon honey
1 egg yolk

Make sure your butter is softened, because otherwise you’ll be mising forever.

Instructions:

Unless you can source almonds already ground, you’ll need to use a food processor. Then in a large mixing bowl, combine the ground almonds with the flour, sugar, and vanilla extract. Add the butter, honey, egg yolk and mix together well. Cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap, and then chill for 11/2 to 2 hours in the refrigerator. When ready, pinch off pieces of the dough (about the size of plums) and shape them into crescents. Place the crescents on a parchment-lined or, alternatively, a well-greased cookie sheet and bake in a 350-degree preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes.

Don’t forget to save one for the good neighbors.

This recipe should make about a dozen cakes.

Posted by Runa Troy on

KimChi

A Witch’s Brew That’s Good For Your Gut

KimChi brewing in Runa’s kitchen at Villa Westwyk

Equipment:

  • Cutting board and knife
  • Large bowl
  • Gloves (optional but highly recommended)
  • Mason Fermenting Kit, or a plate and something to weigh the kimchi down, like another mason jar filled with water
  • Colander
  • Clean 1-quart jar with canning lid or plastic lid
  • Bowl or plate to place under jar during fermentation

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium head napa cabbage (about 2 pounds)
  • 1/4 cup iodine-free sea salt or kosher salt
  • Water, preferably distilled or filtered (this is important!)
  • 1 tablespoon grated garlic (5 to 6 cloves)
  • 1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 2 tablepoons fish sauce or salted shrimp paste, or 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 to 5 tablespoons Korean gochugaru sauce or red pepper flakes (note: the more you add, the spicier it is)
  • 8 ounces Korean radish or daikon radish, peeled and cut into matchsticks
  • 4 medium scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

Instructions:

  1. Cut the cabbage. Cut the cabbage lengthwise through the stem into quarters. Cut the cores from each piece. Cut each quarter crosswise into 2-inch-wide strips. You will likely need more cabbage than you think, so get the biggest head of Napa Cabbage you can find.
  2. Salt the cabbage. Place the cabbage in a large mixing bowl (non metal — plastic or glass is best) and sprinkle with the salt. Using your hands, (you don’t need the gloves yet here) massage the salt into the cabbage until it starts to soften a bit. Add enough water to cover the cabbage. Put a plate on top of the cabbage and weigh it down with something heavy, like a jar or can of beans. Let stand for 1 to 2 hours.
  3. Rinse and drain the cabbage. Rinse the cabbage under cold water 3 times. You know us witches love the number three. Seriously, get as much of the salt out as you can. If you have one of those lovely salad spinners, those work well here, but aren’t necessary. Set aside to drain in a colander for 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, make the spice paste.
  4. Make the spice paste. Rinse and dry the bowl you used for salting. Add the garlic, ginger, sugar, and fish sauce, shrimp paste, or water and stir into a smooth paste. Stir in the gochugaru sauce, using 1 tablespoon for mild and up to 5 tablespoons for spicy (I like about 3.3 tablespoons – there’s that magic number again); set aside until the cabbage is ready.
  5. Combine the vegetables and spice paste. This is where you’ll want those gloves. Gently squeeze any remaining water from the cabbage and add it to the spice paste. Add the radish and scallions. Mix thoroughly. Using your hands, gently work the paste into the vegetables until they are thoroughly coated. 
  6. Pack the kimchi into the jar. Put the kimchi into a 1-quart jar. Press down on the kimchi until the brine (the liquid that comes out) rises to cover the vegetables, leaving at least 1 inch of space at the top. Runa uses a muller to get this done, but you can use a smaller jar filled with water of the back of a large spoon. Seal the jar.
  7. Let it ferment for 1 to 5 days. Place a bowl or plate under the jar to help catch any overflow. Let the jar stand at cool room temperature, out of direct sunlight, for 1 to 5 days. You may see bubbles inside the jar and brine may seep out of the lid. Runa ferments her for the full 5 days because The Viking and she love those probiotics to be very active!
  8. Check it daily and refrigerate when ready. Check the kimchi once a day, opening the jar and pressing down on the vegetables with a clean muller or spoon to keep them submerged under the brine. (This also releases gases produced during fermentation.) Taste a little at this point, too! When the kimchi tastes ripe enough for your liking, transfer the jar to the refrigerator. You may eat it right away, but it’s best after another week or two.

We keep a jar in the fridge all the time; it works as a nice side dish at lunch to get some veggies in and keep that gut healthy.

Posted by Runa Troy on

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Whether you grow your own pumpkins or pick one up at the local farm stand or grocery store, you get two bits of goodness out of it, not only the pulp as in our featured Roasted Pumpkin Soup, but also the seeds.

If you have enough seeds saved for your garden next year, then roast those babies up and have yourself a yummy and healthy treat.

Pumpkin seeds have a good amount of fiber in them, are a great low-carb treat, and pack a protein punch. They also are a good source of Omega-6s and Vitamin K. Careful of how much salt you put on them and you’ve got yourself a guilt-free munchie!

Equipment:

Baking sheet pan

Parchment paper or cooking spray

Oven

Mixing Bowl

Ingredients:

Fresh pumpkin seeds (**)

Oil of choice

Salt

Spices of choice(***)

Instructions:

Heat oven to 300 degrees F. Line your baking sheet pan with parchment paper, otherwise you may want to do a light coating of cooking spray. Put the seeds in a bowl, Add about 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 tsp of salt per 1 cup of seeds. Mix thoroughly. Put the oiled and salted seeds in a single layer on the prepared roasting tray. Make sure they aren’t too crowded. The more space between them the better. Feel free to roast your seeds in batches if you have carved up a larger pumpkin. Roast for about 20 minutes. Keep an eye on them, because they can go from perfect to perfectly burnt quickly. When a light golden brown (a bit darker if you’ve put spice on them), remove from oven. Cool for about 5 to 10 minutes on the pan and then enjoy. Keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days; however, they never last that long in Runa’s house.

(**) You can wash your seeds until they are clean like the above photo, just be sure they aren’t soaking wet when you go to roast them, ensure they are as dry as possible or they won’t roast properly. Otherwise, you can just get the big chunks of pumpkin off and roast them as is. Runa likes to do the later and the bit of pumpkin that remains on the seeds, cooks off in the oven and adds an extra bit of flavor to them.

(***) Runa makes hers with paprika and black pepper; but you can experiment — you could even do a little nutmeg and cinnamon to echo a pumpkin pie. Your call. But salt is a best partner regardless.)

Posted by Runa Troy on

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Runa makes this for the Night of Hecate, but it’s easy to make any time during pumpkin season. Runa grows her own pumpkins, but you can procure any kind of pie pumpkin for this recipe.

Fresh foraged mushrooms are a thing this time of year, too. If Runa has chanterelles or Oyster mushrooms on hand she uses those. But some nice cremini mushrooms work, too.

Runa also brews up her own stock to use in this recipe. But you can use store bought, or simply water.

If you’re lucky enough to have a larder with homemade apple sauce, use that in this as well — but only if it’s an unsweetened variety. Otherwise use a fresh apple.

Runa loves to serve this with a swirl of sour cream accompanied by hunks of farmer’s cheese and sourdough biscuits. But you do you, witch.

The roasted goodness is so nutritious and yummy that you’ll want to make it all through the year! Don’t forget to either save the seeds for planting next year or roast them up as a great autumn treat!

Equipment:

Roasting Sheet Pan

Cauldron

Immersion blender, or heavy-duty blender, or food processor

Ingredients:

1 pie pumpkin (about 4 lbs.), de-seeded and quartered

13 fresh foraged mushrooms of choice or cremini mushrooms (you can use any mushroom of your choice)

6 whole, peeled garlic cloves (up to 13 can be used if you like things more garlicky)

7 mini sweet peppers, topped and de-seeded (leave as whole as possible)

1 large sweet onion, peeled

1 half-pint of unsweetened apple sauce or one large fresh apple, peeled, cored and cut into chunks

3-4 cups of stock of your choice (Runa used vegetable broth) or water

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. salt (with more to taste)

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. paprika (optional)

Sour cream (optional)

Grated Cheese of choice (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray. Put pumpkin quarters, garlic, peppers, onions, and mushrooms on pan and roast for 40 minutes. Let cool until you can touch the pumpkin without burning your hand (about an hour).

Peel the pumpkin and put the roasted pulp into a greased cauldron (cooking spray or a splash of your favorite oil is fine), put all the rest of the roasted veggies in with the pumpkin, add the cut up apple, and about 1 cup of your stock (or water). Immersion blend. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, put all the veggies in a food processor or blender and puree). Add the spices and the rest of the broth and simmer on stove until slightly thickened. Serve with a dollop of cream or shredded cheese and a good hunk of bread.