Imbolc (Feb 2)
Food and drink: Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, poppyseed cakes, muffins, scones, breads, all dairy products, peppers, onions, garlic, raisins, spiced wines and herbal teas, chives, curries, honey, and lamb
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Angelic Biscuits
1 envelope active dry yeast 1/2 cup warm water (105ºF to 115ºF) 5 cups flour 3 tablespoons sugar 4 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons salt 3/4 cup shortening 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 cups buttermilk Dissolve yeast in warm water. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Cut in shortening until mix resembles coarse meal. Mix baking soda and buttermilk in small bowl. Add mix to other mix and stir. Chill, covered with towel, for 8 hours. Knead 12 times on floured board, roll to 1/2 inch. Cut into 2-inch rounds. Place on greased sheets and let rise in warm spot for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Bake until golden brown (about 15 min). Yield: 24 biscuits |
Bacon and Leeks
1 pound of bacon 3 fresh leeks, chopped 1 medium onion 2 cloves garlic, pressed Salt Pepper Fry the bacon and drain off excess fat. Remove from pan, and then chop into small pieces. Return to pan, and add garlic, leeks and onions. Season with salt and pepper to taste. When onions are opaque, remove from heat and serve scooped onto warm, soft bread. |
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Baked
Potato Soup
2 cups chicken stock 2 cups milk 4 tablespoons butter 1/4 cup flour 3 bay leaves 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 large baking potato, peeled and finely diced 1/2 teaspoon of salt Toppings: 1 cup sour cream 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese 1/2 cup green onions 1/2 cup bacon bits Heat chicken stock and milk in large saucepan over medium-high heat to almost boiling (do not boil as milk will scorch.) Remove from heat and set aside. Reduce heat to low. In a large soup pot, melt butter. Add flour, stirring constantly for 3 minutes to cook flour and make a roux. Gradually add milk mixture to roux, pouring in a slow steady stream while stirring vigorously to blend and eliminate lumps. Add bay leaves, pepper, diced potato, and salt. Continue to simmer over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and soup thickens. Lightly mash potatoes in soup, and stir to blend well. Pour soup into ovenproof soup crocks and top with sour cream, cheddar cheese, green onion, and bacon bits. Bake in the oven to melt cheese. This makes 4 cups and serves 2 to 4 people. |
Blessed Bride's Cake
1 cup sugar 1 cup walnut meats, chopped 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup golden raisins 1 cup flour 4 eggs 1 tsp. baking powder Mix all the ingredients together until they are wet. Do not over mix. Pour into a greased and floured 9"x9"x2" square baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until knife inserted in middle of cake comes out clean. Allow to cool before serving. |
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Boxty Scones
1 cup potatoes, peeled & diced 2 cups self-raising flour pinch of salt & black pepper 2 1/2 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons milk Boil and mash potatoes, allow to cool. Add salt & pepper to flour and mix in butter. Add mashed potatoes and enough milk to make a soft but not too mushy dough. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and roll to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into 3-inch circles using a pastry cutter. Arrange on lightly greased tray. Bake at 400º F for 20-30 minutes. Eat warm, split in half, with butter. Yield: 9-10 scones |
Braided
Bread
3 loaves frozen bread dough, thawed (this is in the frozen foods section at the grocery store) (Or make your own) 1 egg Water Sesame seeds Allow the bread loaves to defrost at room temperature. Before it begins to rise, cut each loaf in half with a large pizza cutter or a knife. Roll each half out until it's about 18" long, and about an inch thick. You'll end up with six of these long strips. Take three of the strips, and braid them together, trying not to stretch them out too much. When you've reached the end of the braid, tuck the ends underneath themselves. Repeat the process with the other three strips, making a second braid. Place the braids either on a baking stone, or on a pan that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. Beat the egg in a small bowl, and add 2 Tbsp. water. Lightly brush the egg and water mixture over the braids, and then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Let them rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until doubled in size. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, or until a light golden brown color. Remove from baking sheet, and allow to cool for 15 minutes or more before serving. |
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Crescent Cakes
11/2 cups flour 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup finely ground almonds 3 drops almond extract 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened 1 tablespoon honey 1 egg yolk In a large mixing bowl, combine the first four ingredients. 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 well-greased cookie sheet and bake in a 350-degree preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes. The recipe yields about one dozen crescent cakes. |
Dublin Sunday Corned Beef and Cabbage
5 pounds Corned beef brisket 1 large Onion stuck with 6 whole cloves 6 Carrots, peeled and sliced 8 Potatoes, peeled and cubed 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme 1 small Bunch Parsley 1 head Cabbage (about 2 lbs) cut in quarters Horseradish Sauce: 1/2 pint Whipping Cream 2 - 3 Tablespoons prepared horseradish Put beef in a large pot and cover with cold water. Add all other ingredients except cabbage and bring to a boil with the lid off the pot. Turn to simmer and cook for 3 hours. Skim fat from top as it rises. Remove the thyme, parsley and onion. Add cabbage. Simmer for 20 minutes until cabbage is cooked. Remove the meat and cut into pieces. Place on center of a large platter. Strain the cabbage and season it heavily with black pepper. Surround the beef with the cabbage, carrots and potatoes. Serve with horseradish sauce. Horseradish Sauce: Whip cream until it stand in peaks. Fold in horseradish. |
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Feather
Cake
(Candied violets work beautifully for garnishes on this cake.) First, rub to a cream 2 tablespoons soft butter and a cup of sugar. Next, add a beaten egg yolk, half a cup of water and whole milk mixed, 1 and 1/2 cups of sifted flour, and a teaspoon each of baking powder and vanilla. Beat an egg white stiff as meringue and fold it gently into the mixed batter. Bake it at a low heat--325 degrees Farenheit--for 25 minutes. Don't jump up and down or jar the cake while it's baking or it'll fall and be full of holes. You can add chocolate glaze and/or candied violets when it comes out of the oven. |
Honey Cake
1 Orange (Juice and Rind) 3 Teaspoons Baking Powder 1 Lemon (Juice and Rind) 1 Cup Granulated Sugar 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon 1/2 Teaspoon Ginger 1/2 Teaspoon Cloves 1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg 1 Cup Black Coffee 1 Cup Brown Sugar 1 Teaspoon Soda 5 Cups Flour 1 Cup Honey 1/2 Cup Oil 4 Eggs Boil coffee, honey, brown sugar, and granulated sugar and then allow to cool. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, oil and lemon juice & rind. In a third container, combine dry ingredients. Add coffee mixture to egg mixture first and then dry ingredient mixture until all are well blended. Pour mixture into a greased/floured 9" x 12" pan and bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F about an hour and 10 minutes. |
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Imbolc Moon Cookies
1 cup (2 sticks/220 grams) butter or margarine, softened 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/3 cups (185 grams) flour 1 1/2 cups (340 grams) ground walnuts 1 teaspoon vanilla or peppermint extract Icing 2 cups (445 grams) sifted confectioner's sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 1/2 tablespoons water Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract until fluffy and light. Mix the lemon peel, salt, flour, and walnuts in a bowl. In increments, add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar. Mix until well blended. Cover and chill thoroughly for at least 2 hours. When the dough is chilled, roll it to a thickness of 1/8 inch (.25 centimeters), and cut with a crescent moon cookie cutter. If you can't find a crescent moon cookie cutter, you can use a circular cookie cutter and cut a curved line in the middle, then roll the excess dough from the cookies and repeat. Place the cookies 1/2 inch (1.25 centimeters) apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. After baking, allow the cookies to stand for 5 minutes. Spread the icing over tops of cookies while they are warm. To make the icing, combine the confectioner's sugar, vanilla, and water, mixing until well blended. Thin the icing with additional drops of water if the glaze is too thick. Makes about 5 dozen cookies |
Imbolc Ritual Cake
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup water 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 tbs. poppyseeds 1 tbs. grated lemon peel 1 tsp. baking soda 2 tbs. lemon juice 1/2 tsp. salt powdered sugar This is all done in one pan, so clean up is a breeze! Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking soda, and salt with a fork in an ungreased 9x9x2 baking pan. Stir in the remaining ingredients, except the powdered sugar. Bake 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, and the top is golden brown. Remove from oven and cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Makes 8 servings |
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Lemon-Poppy Seed Pound Cake
cooking spray 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour 1 cup granulated sugar 1/3 cup butter or stick margarine, softened 2 large egg whites 1 large egg 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons poppy seeds 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/9 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk 2/3 cup powdered sugar 4 teaspoons lemon juice Preheat oven to 350° . Coat an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray; dust with 1 teaspoon flour. Set aside. Beat granulated sugar and butter at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes). Add egg whites and egg, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon rind and vanilla. Lightly spoon 1 2/3 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 1 2/3 cups flour and next 4 ingredients (flour through salt), stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan; bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center conies out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Poke holes in top of cake using a skewer. Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl; brush over warm cake. Cool completely. Yield: 12 servings |
Mulligatawny Soup
3 Tablespoons Butter 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil 1 large Onion, chopped 2 Stalks celery, sliced thinly 3 Carrots, diced 1 1/2 Tablespoons Curry powder 2 Tablespoons All-purpose flour 5 cups Chicken stock 2 Tablespoons Long grain white rice 2 Tomatoes; peeled & chopped 8 ounces Chicken; cooked & diced 1 small Apple; cooked, peeled, cored & diced Salt to taste Fresh celery leaves Heat butter and oil in a saucepan. Add onion, celery and carrots; cook gently 5 minutes. Stir in Curry Powder and flour and cook 1 minute. Stir in stock and bring to a boil; add rice and stir well. Cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, chicken, apple and salt. Cover again and simmer 15 minutes. Garnish with celery leaves and carrot strip, if desired, and serve hot |
Sour Cream and Honey Cake
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup raisins
5 fluid ounces sour cream
3/8 cup honey
Preheat oven to 400º F. Mix flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together. Rub in the butter with your fingertips. Toss in the raisins. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the sour cream and honey. Mix it all up to make dough. Flour a baking sheet and roll the dough out in a rectangle until it is 3/4 of an inch thick. Bake it for 12-15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack, and then cut into squares as desired. NOTE: The non-standard measurement of "5 fluid ounces" of sour cream is a little tough to estimate. If you cannot find a container that measures fluid ounces, just add the honey in the well, mix it up, and then throw in maybe a fourth of a cup of sour cream, mixing until doughy. Add more sour cream until it feels like it can be rolled out without sticking. It won't be much more. When I made this I left out the cinnamon (I'm allergic) and left out the raisins (don't much like them in bread). It came out fine with these variations. Yield: 1 rectangular cake (about 9 x 13); serving size varies.
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup raisins
5 fluid ounces sour cream
3/8 cup honey
Preheat oven to 400º F. Mix flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together. Rub in the butter with your fingertips. Toss in the raisins. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the sour cream and honey. Mix it all up to make dough. Flour a baking sheet and roll the dough out in a rectangle until it is 3/4 of an inch thick. Bake it for 12-15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack, and then cut into squares as desired. NOTE: The non-standard measurement of "5 fluid ounces" of sour cream is a little tough to estimate. If you cannot find a container that measures fluid ounces, just add the honey in the well, mix it up, and then throw in maybe a fourth of a cup of sour cream, mixing until doughy. Add more sour cream until it feels like it can be rolled out without sticking. It won't be much more. When I made this I left out the cinnamon (I'm allergic) and left out the raisins (don't much like them in bread). It came out fine with these variations. Yield: 1 rectangular cake (about 9 x 13); serving size varies.
