Crafty Culinary
Desiree Krauss
Review and a Recipe:
A Kitchen Witch’s Cookbook
As a “newbie”
to Wicca, sometimes it’s tough to separate what’s “right” and “wrong” and how to decide on various elements involved with your rituals. It’s great to do some research as you develop that instinct of what feels right within your practises. I’ve been exploring as many books as I can possibly get my hands on, and I have grown to love Patricia Telesco’s books. They are very unpretentious and charming and make it very easy to incorporate your spiritual self into your everyday routine. Among her books are The Victorian Grimoire, Goddess In My Pocket, and Cat Magic.
One of my favourites is A Kitchen Witch’s Cookbook. This is not just a collection of recipes, but a truly charming history of the magical properties of various ingredients, gods and goddesses associated with the
hearth, and feast days from various cultures. The sections are divided into
into appropriate sections like “Visionary Vegetables” and “Temple Tofu” with a little historical information regarding what celebrations this dish would be suitable for and its magical attributes. There’s also a great section called “Quarter Quickies” for budget-priced meals (I recommend the corn chowder for a economical and hearty meal!)
If you are of the pagan persuasion and enjoy cooking, this book would definitely be a fantastic addition to your library. There are recipes here
for both vegetarians and omnivores alike, but as someone who has been
vegetarian for more than half her life, I’ve experimented with converting
some recipes to fit my diet. Ms. Telesco offers Swedish meatballs for spring
and summer festivals, rites of succession, and fire festivals. With spring
coming, I’d like to offer my vegan version.
Ingredients
For the meatballs
1 1/2 cups of seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 cup plain soy milk
1 lb. Gimme Lean Ground Beef Style
1 medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2-3 tablespoons of vegan margarine
For the sauce
2 cups of vegetarian broth
2 tablespoons mushroom gravy
2 teaspoons tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups of Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese
1 clove of garlic
Dash of vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
Dash of soy sauce (optional)
Soak the breadcrumbs in the soy milk before mixing with the Gimme Lean
“meat”. Add the onion, garlic powder, salt, pepper, nutmeg and mustard. Mix
thoroughly. Shape into teaspoon-size “meatballs”. Fry in margarine until
browned on all sides.
Mix the broth, gravy, tomato sauce, Tofutti, garlic, Worcestershire sauce
and soy sauce in a saucepan. Simmer until the sauce thickens (you can add a
little cornstarch or flour if needed). When the sauce is a good consistency,
add the cooked meatballs. Make sure the meatballs are covered and serve.
For a lower-fat alternative, the meatballs could be baked instead of fried. Ms. Telesco explains in this recipe that the meat substitution magically aligns this food with moon magic, luck and psychic insight. Pagan or not, these Swedish meatballs are delicious!
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