Fall Soup for the Kitchen Witch

When I first became interested in kitchen witchery, the first book I turned to (on recommendation from a fellow kitchen witch) was Witch in the Kitchen by Cait Johnson.

This wonderful book contains many delicious recipes, and one of those is a recipe for Cailleach Soup. The Cailleach is a Celtic crone goddess of Scotland, a dark nature goddess of death and rebirth who is associated with Samhain and the winter that follows.

This recipe is particularly good for late fall, as it represents to the kitchen witch a nourishing soup to strengthen you in the coming winter months. Stirring this soup allows you to focus on gathering your own wisdom, strength and conviction.

The original version of this recipe appears in the book Witch in the Kitchen: Magical Cooking for All Seasons by Cait Johnson. This is my own version, whereby I have added onion to the mix for extra flavour!

Kale and Leek Soup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
3 leeks (white parts only), thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
8 cups vegetable broth (I make up this Vegetable Broth recipe or similar and freeze until needed)
2 cups kale, chopped

1. Heat the butter in a large soup or casserole pot. Add the leeks, onion and garlic and saute until golden.

2. Add the vegetable broth and bring to the boil.

3. Simmer and cover until the leeks are tender (around 15 minutes) before adding the kale.

4. Stir and simmer until the kale is tender, and serve with fresh bread.

Cait Johnson advises the kitchen witch to serve the soup in a dark bowl - I see this as representing the finding of nourishment in the coming darkness. She also suggests decorating the soup with an autumn leaf, to feed the soul with the beauty of its shape and colour.

Remember to visualise and focus while stirring the soup! And when sauteing the leeks, see the white disks as symbols of the moon in your Samhain cauldron!

Here in England, seasonal autumn fare includes:

Aubergines * Leeks * Celery * Mushrooms * Borlotti beans * Potatoes * Bulb fennel * Chillies * Peppers * Pumpkins * Squashes * Sweetcorn * Chard * Kale

Here is a selection of delicious fall soup recipes incorporating seasonal fall ingredients. Check back soon as I will be adding more as time goes by.

Although kitchen witchery is more than just magical cooking (see below for more info), a large part of the kitchen witch's life, is, naturally, spent in the kitchen. Cooking to the kitchen witch is more than putting together a meal - it can be the basis of a spell or ritual, it can symbolize a wish or desire, it can be a health tonic, or even an offering to the goddess. Even the most simple of family meals can become something sacred and special if cooked with love, intent and blessings.

Autumn is a wonderful time for us kitchen witches, because it is the season of harvest, the larder is stocked full of bounty from the garden or allotment, and some of the most delicious ingredients are coming into season - squashes, pumpkins, root vegetables... although the air is getting colder, it is time to start making nourishing, warming foods such as the fall soups in this lens. And, of course, it is the season of both the Autumn Equinox, and Samhain (the true Halloween!), which, for many pagans, is the New Year.

Autumn, or Fall, is, therefore, a time of harvest and thankfulness, a time of contemplation, a time of warmth and companionship, and a time of nourishing the soul in preparation for the winter.

It is also a time of great beauty, Nature is arguably at her finest, with glorious golden displays in the treetops, and food becomes the perfect decoration for table, altar and the home in general.

In addition to thanking Mother Nature for a good harvest, many witches will be reflecting inwards, perhaps using divination tools such as runes, cards or pendulums. At this time we take stock, and celebrate the strengths that bless our lives, from family to inner wisdom.

And best of all, magic and mystery are afoot. Fires are starting to burn, and the supernatural gets that little bit closer as the veil between worlds is at its thinnest come Samhain eve...

It's great to be a kitchen witch at this time of year. But anyone can enjoy the simple rituals that we observe.

So... why not contemplate your blessings as you stir your fall soup, bless it with nourishment and wisdom for the coming year, and then curl up, warm and cosy, with a steaming bowl of homemade hearty goodness, as you gaze out at Mother Nature's autumn splendor?