|
July 15, 2001 |
Are you cooking with witches?Book review by Sue Sefscik |
Subscribe to our free e-newsletter! |
|
|
Cooking with witches? Two pagan cookbooks came out last year, one Wiccan and the other goddess oriented. Glorifying the bounty of Mother Earth, both books celebrate Her through the natural ritual of preparing and then eating Nature's nourishing gifts. If one's body is strong, then one's mind and spirituality will follow. The Wicca Cookbook: Recipes, Ritual, and Lore is written by Jamie Wood and Tara Seefeldt, and published by Celestial Arts who states: "The Wicca Cookbook is the only one to offer recipes based on the eight nature-based festivals..." It appears to me that Wood and Seefeldt wrote the book because of their love of Wicca and wanting to preserve and possibly expand the culinary treats of that era. Wicca has no guidelines concerning whether one should eat meat or not and so this cookbook includes meat in many of the recipes as well as a recipe for "Medieval Game Bird." The authors define game bird as quail, pheasant or Cornish game hen. Special recipes are included for the Wicca high holidays, Candlemas, Samhain, etc. For Lammas (also known as Lughnasad, Festival of Lugh, August Eve, Festival of Breads or the First Festival of Harvest), which is celebrated on August 1 or 2, the Sun King can be honored with the recipe of herbed flatbread, corn bread or sun bread. The sun bread recipe is "enough for one sun and 8 to 10 "wheat stalks" which are bread sticks. Part of the beauty of the sun bread recipe is in the creating of the bread in the form of the God, the sun and man in celebration of His warmth and "honor His gifts by shaping bread harvested from His light.". In their introduction, the authors state: [Wicca] "is not based on a dogma or a set of beliefs but rather on a practice of aligning oneself with the natural forces of life." These "natural forces" include both Goddess and her male consort. The Introduction includes ceremony to go with the foods. The authors suggest creating a sacred space in one's kitchen and spell casting. A whole chapter is devoted to growing one's own herbs. Fresh herbs are vital while water, highly contaminated during the Middle Ages, was frowned upon; hence the authors include many recipes for alcoholic beverages such as Wiccan Punch. A recipe for absinthe (the alcoholic beverage that was overly consumed by Edgar Allen Poe) would have been appreciated. Some of the recipes start off with a ritual. For example, the recipe for apple scones suggests, "Before you prepare the apple for this dish, why not try divining your romantic future? Peel an apple in one long, unbroken strip, as best as you can. Throw the resulting strip of peel over your shoulder. The first initial of your future spouse can be divined by the formation of the apple peel, using your imagination, of course." Perhaps MY imagination wasn't working on the day I tried this, but I couldn't even begin to see a letter! (And I tried VERY hard to see a "Y" there!!) A couple of the recipes use special ingredients, such as rose water; however, the authors explain how to make one's own (and therefore, it would be VERY fresh). Again, dairy products are used, although I suspect one could substitute with little change in these recipes. How about some violet salad using fresh violet flower pedals? One of my now-favorite recipes is the snowflake cakes. These light and fairly easy cookies keep well in my dry climate, although in a more humid one, an air-tight container would be essential. The authors suggest they will remain fresh for one week, but at my house, they didn't last that long anyway. There is an "appendix" in the back of the book with resources for obtaining many of the ingredients one could not find at your local supermarket. Generally, I found the book informative and amusing; however, too many of the recipes contained meat for my tastes. Others, which I could have tried, used ingredients which are too difficult to find. Recipes from a Vegetarian Goddess by Karri Allrich is a big, generous, colorful cookbook which celebrates the abundance of our planet. Writing, "We all have a trace of the Goddess within us," Allrich explains that the "cookbook project has evolved from my own desire to integrate the various aspects of the Goddess in my own life." This book is divided into similar sections/chapters as the Wicca cookbook, with everything from appetizers to desserts contained therein. All recipes are meatless, although dairy products (cheese particularly) are used. Included amongst the recipes are tidbits of information concerning Goddess within each of us and the role of Goddess in each of those seasons. Many of the recipes use uncomplicated ingredients, such as garlic and lemon while others would not be found in a basic kitchen set up, such as goat cheese. These recipes are varied enough to celebrate Goddess through the changing year while also being healthy and nutritional. The author feels that by "incorporating the rhythm of the seasons into our daily awareness" that will "help us to honor the Goddess and celebrate her many gifts." Each season (and thus each section of recipes particular to that season) starts off with a description of the equinox/solstice. The recipes use the bounties that each season brings; for example, plenty of fresh vegetables in spring and summer. Each season also contains a recipe for an alcoholic beverage or punch. There are desserts of many varieties. Ms. Allrich has also included a page after each season for one's own private notes. Personally, I write on the particular recipe with the date I tried it, changes I made (if any) and/or any "improvements" I feel are necessary for my tastes. Spaghetti for a Rainy Day uses very basic ingredients, spaghetti (I personally prefer the thin), olive oil, garlic cloves and red chili flakes. While the spaghetti is boiling, heat the oil in a large skillet and stir in the garlic, chili, salt and pepper. (Although the recipe calls for "sea salt," I just used regular.) Drain the pasta, reserving some of the water and stir in the oil mixture. The recipe is created for 4 to 5 servings; however, I modified it for just myself. I found this cookbook more useful and satisfying for me; I recently decided to phase out red meat (beef and pork) from my diet. Modifications were not as necessary for me to use the recipes in this book as opposed to the Wiccan one. Both cookbooks' recipes are suited for at least 4 individuals, that number being the "average size" of the "typical" American family today. As a single woman, I find it distressing that I have (so far) been unable to find vegetarian recipes for one or two. Some leftovers can be frozen and then merely reheated for another day; however, many recipes cannot be adjusted and so I have to "pass" on them. What does one do with a "Springtime Quiche" which serves 8? What's nice about both cookbooks is that, unlike the old classics Joy of Cooking or the Betty Crocker Baking Book, here we are reminded where our food comes from, a reminder which fosters an attitude of thanksgiving and the sacred that has got to facillitate digestion. Bon appetit, and blessed be!
Recipes from a Vegetarian Goddess by Karri Allrich, Llewellyn Publications, www.llewellyn.com, $17.95. Order from Powells at Order from Powells!
The Wiccan Cookbook is published by Celestial Arts, www.tenspeed.com, Berkeley, California. Order from Powells! |