Foods for Imbolc
Ranked #18,265 in Food & Cooking, #323,015 overall | Donates to Women's Peace Campaign
Celebrate the Sabbat with Seasonal Foods
Foods which would be appropriate are those foods which would have been stored in the autumn to get you through those lean winter months. Most root vegetables and squashes are included here. Other appropriate foods would include seeds and all dairy products.
Seasonal foods in the UK include beetroot, celeriac, jerusalum artichoke, maincrop potatoes, purple sprouting broccoli, goose, venison, crab, mussels, and scallops.
Follow the links at the end to discover more information about seasonal foods in your area.
Starters for an Imbolc Feast
Start your Imbolc feast with plates of wholegrain seeded bread and freshly made butter. For a nice touch, knead a spoonful or two of honey into the butter. This would go very nicely with a seeded bread.I've never made my own butter, but this recipe looks so easy I'm going to try it myself for our Imbolc celebration.
Sunflower seed wholemeal bread
- Serves: Makes 2 large loaves
- Prep Time: 30 minutes/1.5 hour proofing
- Total Time: 2.5 hours
This simple recipe works well with any type of flour. I suggest a combination of half wholemeal and half white bread flour for the best texture.
Find other bread recipes at BBC GoodFood
Ingredients
- 1 liter water
- 4 tablespoons oil
- palmful salt
- handful sugar
- 1 dried yeast sachet
- wholemeal Bread flour
- large handful shelled sunflower seeds
Instructions
Combine all ingredients except the flour and sunflower seeds in a large bowl.
Add enough flour to absorb the liquid and make a pliable dough.
Knead well, adding more flour as needed.
Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise until doubled in size.
Punch down and knead again while adding the sunflower seeds gradually.
Form into round loaves or rolls as desired.
Cover with a clean towel and leave to rise again until doubled in size.
To make a lighter loaf when using wholemeal flour, you can only let it raise once and add the sunflower seeds while kneaded it the first time through.
Bake at 375F/Gas mark 6-7 until bread is browned and makes a hollow sound when thumped on the bottom. About 30 minutes
Main Courses for Imbolc
Winter meats in season at this time include poultry, pork (including ham and sausages), rabbit, and venison. Shellfish such as crab, mussels, and scallops are also in season.You might enjoy venison casserole or baked chicken with sausages at your Imbolc feast. For a lighter option, you could make crab cakes or seared scallops with leeks and lemon chilli butter
Venison Casserole with Chestnuts
- Serves: 4 - 6
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
This hearty dish can be made the day before and cooked in a very low oven for several hours.
This recipe is from my mother-in-law. When I make it, I like to do it the day before if possible and will allow it to stew at a very low temperature in the oven (gas mark 1/275F) for several hours. I just have to remember to check that the fluid levels don't get too low so that it doesn't dry out.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 Tbsp plain flour
- salt and pepper
- 1 pound venison diced (or substitute 1 pound braising steak diced)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 large onions finely sliced
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 10 fluid ounces ruby port
- 18 fluid ounces beef stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 4 ounces chestnuts
Instructions
Heat oil in a frying pan.
Season flour with salt, pepper and cinnamon. Dust venison pieces with the flour and fry off a few pieces at time until well browned. Transfer to a large casserole dish.
Add the onions and garlic to frying pan and cook for 5 - 10 minutes.
Add remaining flour to the pan and stir, add the port and bring to a boil. Pour over the venison in the casserole, add the beef stock and remaining herbs and sugar.
Place a tight fitting lid on top and cook over a gentle heat for at least 1 hour. Or, place in the oven on a low heat for at least 1 hour.
After this, remove the lid, season to taste, and stir well. Add the chestnuts, replace the lid and cook, gently, for a further hour.
Braising steak can be substituted - just increase the cooking time by 45 minutes.
Baked Chicken with Sausages
- Serves: 4
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
This dish would go very nicely with a bread sauce.
Bread sauce is a traditional English sauce which dates back to the Medieval Age.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- 1 dozen chipolata sausages
- salt
- ground black pepper
- large pinch dried thyme
Instructions
Quarter the chicken or have your butcher do it for you.
Lay the pieces in a deep baking dish, skin side up. Place the sausages between the chicken pieces.
Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle dried thyme over the top.
Place in a moderately hot oven, gas mark 5/375F for about 40 minutes. Check halfway through and if it is getting too brown, cover the chicken with foil.
Find the Right Sausages
Esposito's Finest Quality Sausage - BREAKFAST SAUSAGE (16:1) - (4) 16 Link Packages (Net Wt. 4lbs.)
Amazon Price: $59.99 (as of 05/31/2012)
Side Dishes for an Imbolc Feast
Complement the meal with a selection of steamed and roasted vegetables.
Any roasted root vegetable would be good, especially alongside the venison stew. If you've tried and don't like the taste of turnips (delicious in a stew by the way) I suggest trying it's gentle cousin, the swede or rutabaga. This hearty root vegetable can be roasted, turned into chips, or boiled then mashed. Swede Mash
A rutabaga by any other name
- Serves: 4
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 large swede
- salt
- butter
- milk
Instructions
Peel and cut the swede into 1/2 inch cubes.
Cover with water and add a large pinch of salt.
Boil at a rolling boil for about 15 minutes, until a fork passes easily through a cube.
Drain, add a dollop of butter and a small amount of milk.
Mash.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
(Optional) add a sprinkling of grated nutmeg
Purple Sprouting Broccoli with Chilli and Garlic
Winter Green Veg
- Serves: 4
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
Kale is a member of the cabbage family similar to collard greens and can be cooked up in the same way. I suggest steaming it then tossing it with slivers of sautéed garlic and crispy fried bacon.
Another favourite in our family is purple sprouting broccoli. This gorgeous relative of the standard head of broccoli (calabrese) you're used to seeing can be eaten leaves, stem, and all. I only wish the purple colour in the heads would stick around with cooking.
Ingredients
- 300g purple sprouting broccoli
- 75g smoked streaky bacon
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- thinly sliced
- 1 dried chilli
- chopped finely
Instructions
Blanch 300g of PSB for five minutes in plenty of boiling salted water. While it is cooking fry about 75g of smoked streaky bacon (sliced into lardons) in 3 tablespoons of olive oil until almost brown. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for another 2 minutes. Then add the PSB and braise with the bacon mixture for another 5 minutes.
Season this dish carefully because of the use of salty bacon and chilli.
(Recipe originally found at Riverford Organic)
I Couldn't Do Without My Steamer
Oster 5712 Electronic 2-Tier 6-Quart Food Steamer, White
Amazon Price: $32.00 (as of 05/31/2012)
Desserts for an Imbolc Feast
Finish up the Imbolc feast with one of these milk based puddings. Imbolc translates into either "In the womb" or "Ewe's milk" depending on which source you look at. Either way, this Sabbat refers to the time when sheep are coming close to the lambing season and their udders are filling with milk. We honour this by eating milk-based foods. Bread and Butter Pudding
with custard
- Serves: 4
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
Ingredients
- 60 gm softened butter
- 12 slices firm white bread
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 675 ml milk
- 70 gm sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 medium eggs
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas3. Grease 20cm square glass ovenproof serving dish. Spread butter on bread slices. Arrange 4 slices of bread in dish in one layer, overlapping slightly; sprinkle with 1/4 tsp cinnamon. Repeast, making 2 more layers.
Using a whire whisk or fork, mix the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl until well blended. Pour mixture over bread slices. Let it stand 10 minutes.
Bake 55 - 60 minutes, until knife inserted in center of pudding comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 30 minutes.
Serve warm or refrigerate to serve cold later.
Serve with warm custard.
I Use Bird's Custard Powder
Bird's Custard Powder 300g
Amazon Price: $3.65 (as of 05/31/2012)
Soft Cheese and Biscuits at Imbolc
Skip the cheese section at the grocery store and look for a specialist cheese shop. Barring that, you could try these cheeses from shops at Amazon.
Serve your cheese with a selection of savoury biscuits and lashings of your home made butter.
NanLT donates a percentage of all money earned to
The Women's Peace Campaign helps women find peace within and share it with others.
What Will You Be Serving at Your Imbolc Feast
-
-
MaryAnne
Jan 31, 2012 @ 4:12 pm | delete
- Thank you for this -- I have a friend who is hostessing an Imbolc brunch potluck (before or after the ritual, depending on how hungry everybody is), and I was amazed when I Googled "Imbolc food" to find such a wonderful selection of suggestions. I think I'll try the sunflower seed bread with honey butter. Bright Blessings to you!
-
-
-
orgaard
Jan 30, 2011 @ 2:42 pm | delete
- Another wonderful article NanLt. Imbolc is my favorite sabbat, and I love finding new recipes for each sabbat. I enjoy reading your lenses, so much. You are the go to gal on Squidoo.
-
-
-
jeffrey_sanford
Jan 30, 2011 @ 1:09 pm | delete
- Great article! I don't know what I will be serving for Imbolc but I sure have more ideas now! Well done, keep up the great work. Brightest Blessings...
-Jeffrey
-
-
-
MissMerFaery
Jan 22, 2011 @ 8:48 pm | delete
- Lovely lens and delicious sounding recipes! I am definitely going to try the purple sprouting broccoli with garlic and chilli this year! Blessed
-
-
-
jptanabe
Jan 13, 2011 @ 5:58 pm | delete
- I don't know what I'll have for Imbolc, but I'd sure love to join your feast and enjoy all these lovely British foods! Made me want to visit the UK again soon. Blessed.
-
About the Author
Sabbats
by NanLT
NanLT has been writing at Squidoo since January 2009 and in that time has established herself as an authority on such diverse topics as home cooking and... more »
- 221 featured lenses
- Winner of 24 trophies!
- Top lens » Ben 10: Colouring Pages
Explore related pages
- The Wheel Of The Year The Wheel Of The Year
- The Witch Who Danced With Ghosts The Witch Who Danced With Ghosts
- Gift Ideas for Pagan Friends Gift Ideas for Pagan Friends
- Pagan Sabbats: Beltane Pagan Sabbats: Beltane
- What Do REAL Witches Do at Halloween? Samhain Ritual & Custom What Do REAL Witches Do at Halloween? Samhain Ritual & Custom
- Pagan Sabbats: Litha Pagan Sabbats: Litha
More About Imbolc
The Sabbats
Sabbats: A Witch's Approach to Living the Old Ways (Llewellyn's World Religion and Magick)
Amazon Price: $7.45 (as of 05/31/2012)
