Kitchen Witch's World of Magical Food

Pagan Portals: Kitchen Witchcraft

Pagan Portals: Kitchen Witchcraft

• Chopping – this releases frustration and emotions … just be careful.

• Peeling fruit and vegetables – as you take off the skin release old habits and negative energy revealing the fresh, clean surface underneath and a refreshed, revitalised you.

• When you mix or shake any recipe … dance and sing.

• Slow stirring of sauces brings peace and calm.

• Mixing and whisking brings things together; use your visualisation skills.

Apparently on Samhain Celtic warriors held contests to see who could drink the most beer, believing that the course of action would make them immortal … just like any Saturday night down the pub then …

Gingerbread
This is a sticky heady spicy moist cake that keeps for a good while and freezes well. It is nice to have with a cup of coffee or warm with custard.

Ingredients:

225g/8oz butter

225g/8oz light muscovado sugar

225g/8oz gold syrup (or corn syrup)

225g/8oz black treacle

225g/8oz self raising flour

225g/8oz wholemeal self raising flour

4 level teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 large eggs

300ml (½ pint) milk

Method:

Pre-heat your oven to 160F/Gas 3/325C.

Grease a 12 × 9 inch baking or roasting tin and line it with baking parchment.

Put the butter, sugar, golden syrup and treacle into a saucepan and heat gently until the mixture has melted and combined. Stir occasionally and then allow it to cool slightly.

Pop the flours and spices into a large bowl. Beat the eggs and the milk together. Pour the cooled butter and syrup mixture into the flour and add the egg and milk mixture. Beat together until smooth. Pour into the prepared tin.

Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes.

Allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes then turn out onto a wire rack.

Honey Scones
Honey to me is one of the most magical ingredients and can add a huge boost of magical powers … and of course you can’t go wrong with scones especially with jam and cream …

Ingredients:

200g/8oz plain (all-purpose) flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

Pinch of salt

75g/3oz butter, softened

1 tablespoon light soft brown sugar

2 tablespoons honey

2-3 tablespoons milk

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.

Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt and rub in the butter. Add the sugar and mix together. Stir the honey into the milk and mix until it dissolves. Keep back a tablespoon of the milk and honey mix to brush over the top of the scones during baking and tip the rest into the flour mix. Mix to form a soft dough.

Shape the dough into a round and put it on a greased baking sheet, score the top with a knife to divide it into eight wedges.

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and brush the reserved honey and milk mix over the top then pop it back into the oven for a further 5-10 minutes.

Chocolate Truffles
I just had to go with chocolate for the intent of love and these are really easy to make and can be tailored to your own tastes by adding in your own flavourings.
Ingredients for the ganache:
250g/9oz dark chocolate, broken into pieces
20g/½ oz butter, diced
250ml/9 fl oz double (heavy) cream
For the coating:
250g/9oz dark chocolate, broken into pieces
Method:
What you are actually making here is a chocolate ganache, which can also be used to fill tarts and pies.
Heat the cream in a bowl over a pan of simmering water until the cream starts to simmer, keep an eye on it because you don’t want it to boil. It just needs to be warm enough to melt the chocolate. When it starts to bubble around the edges remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate and butter. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the ingredients are all combined.
At this point you can add in any flavouring such as:
3 tablespoons of black coffee
A teaspoon of vanilla extract
3 tablespoons of alcohol such as rum or whiskey
Pour the mixture into a baking tray lined with baking parchment and pop it in the fridge for half an hour to an hour. Keep an eye on it, you want it to set but not rock hard. You need to be able to mould it into shape.
Remove it from the fridge and, using a teaspoon, scoop out balls of the chocolate ganache then roll them in your palms to make perfect ball shapes (OK not really perfect, just roundish is good enough). Pop them on a tray lined with baking parchment and when they are all done put them back in the fridge for a further 15/20 minutes.
To make the coating put the second lot of chocolate pieces into a bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir until melted. You can do this stage in the microwave, but zap it for short bursts and keep checking because it is easy to burn.
Now you need to drop each chocolate ganache ball into the melted chocolate, roll it around then lift it out.
At this point you can keep it simple and set the truffles onto clean baking parchment to set or you can add extra such as crushed nuts, chocolate nibs, coloured sugar, salt flakes, edible flower petals, a dusting of cinnamon or be creative.