Sabbats Almanac: Samhain to Mabon - Kristoffer Hughes 2018
Feasts and Treats by Blake Octavian Blair
Imbolc
THE IMBOLG SEASON ALWAYS conjures cozy thoughts and feelings of nesting at home in a time that is the heart of winter, my favorite season. I enjoy the cold weather and the life rituals that come with it. You see, Imbolg conjures visions of all the creature comforts of home such as cozy knit socks, a good book, some craft projects, and of course comfort food! This menu also aims to honor one of the goddesses most commonly celebrated at this sabbat, Brigid. This goddess oversees not only cows and dairy products such as the eggs, cheese, butter, and cream featured in these dishes, but she is also Goddess of the Forge. The deep orange flame color of cheddar cheese hearkens to the color of a warm hearth fire. Be sure to bedeck your feast table accordingly with a cast iron cauldron as a candle holder for a center piece and maybe even a homemade Brigid’s Cross. Enjoy preparing this menu of winter comfort foods!
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Hot, cheesy, golden baked macaroni and cheese is near the top of my list of comfort foods. Really, when examined, it’s a pretty simple entrée but oh so satisfying. It was always a favorite of mine growing up, and when I began college, my aunt gave me her recipe. I adapted it over the years into my own, and now I’m happy to share it with you! For many of us, this sabbat is intimately tied with the honoring of the Goddess Brigid. Among the many things Brigid is associated with, dairy products are one of them, so this dish is a bit of an honoring of Brigid as well. Being that this is a point in the Wheel of the Year that we begin to notice a bit more daylight each day, I rather like that the golden color of this dish pays a bit of homage to that.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Serves: Approx. 6
1 lb elbow macaroni
3 tbsp butter
1¾ cups milk
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 tbsp minced onion
1 tbsp mustard
Salt (to taste)
Black pepper (to taste)
Breadcrumbs (to taste)
Add a few pinches of salt to a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook pasta for approximately 9—12minutes until al dente. Drain. Transfer pasta into a 10 × 10 casserole dish.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium saucepan on medium heat, melt butter.
Once butter is melted, add in the milk, and whisk to combine. When mixture is hot, add the cheese, minced onion, and mustard to the pan. Add salt and pepper to desired taste. Combine thoroughly until cheese is melted. Keep the heat on this gentle setting and whisk frequently to assure the milk doesn’t scald.
Now pour sauce mixture over pasta in the casserole dish.
Sprinkle the top liberally with breadcrumbs.
Add to preheated oven and bake for approximately 45 minutes. Then, broil until the surface is bubbly and has desired amount of color. Serve and enjoy!
Olive Oil Green Beans
I like to cook with fresh produce whenever possible and these green beans are always a pleasing side dish that are fast to cook up in addition to being quite healthy. Cooking fresh vegetables on the stove top in cast iron gives them a nice finish that boiling frozen vegetables just can’t provide. Olive oil is the star secret ingredient here, adding just the right bit of culinary magic to give them a lovely flavor and color while keeping this dish pretty light, thus making them a good compliment to the other heavier dishes in this feast menu. However, you can pair this dish with just about any entrée you could possibly make, and I think it’d go fairly well.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4
3 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp minced garlic
1 lb fresh green beans
½ tsp salt (to taste)
Cracked black pepper (to taste)
Add the olive oil to a large skillet (cast iron preferred but not necessary) on medium high heat. Now add the minced garlic and stir around for ten seconds. Now add the green beans to the skillet. Attempt to arrange in an even single layer if possible. Next, sprinkle with salt (to taste, add more than called for if necessary). Now add cracked black pepper (I use a pepper mill but not necessary). Cover. Cook for 5—6 minutes. Stir well, and recover, cook for another 5 or so minutes. Green beans will be tender and have signs of golden color in places when finished. Serve using tongs and enjoy!
Imbolg Custard
My husband’s maternal grandma was Scottish and his maternal grandfather, Papa, is English. There are some cultural favorites that have sifted down through the generations and become favorite holiday dishes for us as well. This custard is one of them. Like the macaroni and cheese, it is comprised of rather simple ingredients and has really a rather simplistic preparation. However, it has a satisfying richness that is comforting. Also, custard again pays a bit of homage to the dairy products we often associate with the goddess Brigid this time of year. Thusly, to round out the comfort food theme, we finish off this simple menu with a lovely hearty English desert for your Imbolg feast.
Prep and cook time: Approximately 20—30 minutes (not including cooling)
Serves: 4-6 (Depends highly on portions.)
6 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
2 tsp all purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
In a large bowl add the egg yolks, sugar, and all purpose flour. Mix together until well combined and then set aside.
Now, in a double boiler, pour in the milk and cream while whisking constantly. Remove from heat and stop whisking.
Next, begin whisking the egg mixture constantly and slowly, a quarter cup at a time, add the hot milk mixture from the double boiler to the egg mixture. Once you’ve added half of the milk mixture to the egg mixture, add the contents of the egg mixture bowl back into the warm milk in the double boiler. Whisk double boiler contents until it reaches a thick pudding like consistency.
Then add the vanilla extract and whisk just enough to integrate.
Cool in refrigerator. Serve cold. Note: If done properly, a skin will form on the surface of the custard. This is normal and a sign of a custard done well!