Kitchen Alchemy with Sis Shortrib
Children, roll up your sleeves. We are raising food preparation to an art form. We are using food as our medicine. We are taking a teeny, tiny foray into Alchemy, the ancient art of using plants to create medicine. Our Pot o' Gold holds a symphony of notes carefully blended to bring health and harmony to those who partake. So, let's assemble our orchestra.
You'll need a pie punkin, organically grown as all the ingredients MUST be, else you are defeating the purpose and wasting your time. It can be a large or small punkin, depending on how many folks you want to feed.
1. Cut a circle out of the top and trim off the strings, then take out the seeds and strings from the inside and feed 'em to the chickens. Waste not, want not.
2. Use a knife and a spoon to scrape out as much of the punkin flesh as you can without cutting clear through. We don't want our pot to spring a leak. While you're scraping, you can ponder how punkins are ruled by the moon, as are squash, cucumbers and most melons. Moon plants are cooling, nourishing and moisturizing. Think of the dew drops falling at night with the moon shining on them.
"Penetrating into the earth, I sustain all creatures by my strength,
By becoming the moon full of juices, I nourish all plants."
[Bhagavad Gita, 15:13]
Set the punkin, its top and the flesh aside. For the rest of the symphony, gather the following:
Sun: A few fresh or dried calendula blossoms. If you don't have 'em, use chamomile, or better yet, both. A little fresh ginger root, grated or sliced thin.
Mercury: 2 or three stalks celery, chopped; 1 carrot; a few sprigs of fresh parsley and about 2 or 3 teaspoons toasted caraway seed. Get the freshest smelling caraway you can find and toast it over medium heat in a frying pan, stirring all the while till a wonderful roasted smell hits your nose. Remove to a dish, let cool, then grind in a nut and seed grinder. A coffee grinder works good. If you don't have one, get one. O' course the Alchemists of old would've used their mortar and pestle, and if you have one and have a mind to, use it. Most of us has gotten lazy.
Venus: 1/2 apple, peeled and sliced; a handful of fresh or a Tbs. dried rose petals. Do NOT use roses from a florist! They are highly toxic. Make sure your roses are untreated in any way and try to get the kind that smell good. 4 or 5 dried hibiscus flowers. Buy them at a health food store.
Mars: 1 or 2 onions, chopped; 1 clove garlic, diced; 1 chili pepper. It don't have to be a real hot chili. We ain't aiming to scorch ourselves, just add a little warmth.
Jupiter: A little freshly grated nutmeg.
Saturn: 1 large mullein leaf, or if you can't find one, use 6 pansy flowers, or a little plantain herb from your yard. Everybody's got plantain growing nearby, learn it and use it! If you can't find that either, then the caraway seed will have to do, as it's ruled by Saturn as well as Mercury.
Now then, put a pan of water on the stove, about enough to fill 3/4 of your punkin. Turn on the heat. While it's heating, put your calendula and chamomile in a bit of old dish cloth or muslin and tie it up with dental floss. And while you're at it, think about how old that water is in your pan; 4.6 billion years, so they say. Think how many places it's been - racing down rivers, sailing in oceans, risin' up into the clouds and fallin' to earth again, millions of times, all over the globe. It's been dew and mist, snowflakes and ice, steam rising from hot springs, in wells and fountains and in the leaves of plants and some places we d'ruther not think about. And now, to your good fortune, it has landed in your cooking pan. Oh wonderful water! Be thankful for it, 'cause many folks on the planet don't have clean water to drink.
When the water's boiling, toss your bag of herbs into it, along with the ginger. Hallelujah! We have just added the gold to our pot, as the sun rules these herbs, and its metal is gold. Think of golden sunlight, Leo the lion, the heart beating in the center of your chest and the sun being the center of the solar system. All our sun plants are warming, yet anti-inflammatory as well. That's the power and beauty of the sun. Take the pan off the heat, put on the lid and let it steep.
Get out your frying pan and put a couple tablespoons olive oil in it. Turn on the heat. Drop in the chopped celery, carrot and parsley. We are adding Mercury and toning our nervous system, enlivening our minds and bringing clarity to our thoughts.
Stir the pan and add the hibiscus. It is the flute in our orchestra, light and lively, with a sprightly, citrus flavor. Next add the sliced apple and rose petals. These are Venusian plants. Venus harmonizes all the notes into a pleasant melody. And we all know the rose is the flower of love. Inhale the scent as it hits your nose and feel your heart expand.
Stir some more, then put in the onion, garlic and chili pepper. Huzzah huzzah, now the cymbals is clashing, for we have just added Martian fire to invigorate ourselves. We want courage and strength, we want vitality, and Mars has those things a'plenty.
Next comes the grated nutmeg, ruled by Jupiter. He's a jolly fellow, expanding our outlook and raising our spirits. Jupiter loves good food and drink, and by adding nutmeg we boost our appetite, our mood, and some say the libido as well, so breathe deep.
Last we come to Saturn, who rules the skeleton. Mullein and plantain help strengthen the bones, but if you don't have them, don't fret. The caraway will do, as it is ruled by Saturn as well as Mercury. Caraway adds the bass note to our symphony; a deep, mysterious spice, with wonderful digestive properties.
Stir it all good, and let it cook a bit. Now fish out the sack of calendula and chamomile from the pan of water, squeeze out the goodness and discard. Put your vegetables in the pan, heat it to the boil, then simmer a good while till its soft and well done. Puree it all in a food processor or blender, till its smooth, add some salt and pepper to taste, and, if you want it richer, a pat of butter or a little cream. Then, children, pour it into your punkin and serve your Pot o' Gold. Blessings on the meal.
When the water's boiling, toss your bag of herbs into it, along with the ginger. Hallelujah! We have just added the gold to our pot, as the sun rules these herbs, and its metal is gold. Think of golden sunlight, Leo the lion, the heart beating in the center of your chest and the sun being the center of the solar system. All our sun plants are warming, yet anti-inflammatory as well. That's the power and beauty of the sun. Take the pan off the heat, put on the lid and let it steep.
Get out your frying pan and put a couple tablespoons olive oil in it. Turn on the heat. Drop in the chopped celery, carrot and parsley. We are adding Mercury and toning our nervous system, enlivening our minds and bringing clarity to our thoughts.
Stir the pan and add the hibiscus. It is the flute in our orchestra, light and lively, with a sprightly, citrus flavor. Next add the sliced apple and rose petals. These are Venusian plants. Venus harmonizes all the notes into a pleasant melody. And we all know the rose is the flower of love. Inhale the scent as it hits your nose and feel your heart expand.
Stir some more, then put in the onion, garlic and chili pepper. Huzzah huzzah, now the cymbals is clashing, for we have just added Martian fire to invigorate ourselves. We want courage and strength, we want vitality, and Mars has those things a'plenty.
Next comes the grated nutmeg, ruled by Jupiter. He's a jolly fellow, expanding our outlook and raising our spirits. Jupiter loves good food and drink, and by adding nutmeg we boost our appetite, our mood, and some say the libido as well, so breathe deep.
Last we come to Saturn, who rules the skeleton. Mullein and plantain help strengthen the bones, but if you don't have them, don't fret. The caraway will do, as it is ruled by Saturn as well as Mercury. Caraway adds the bass note to our symphony; a deep, mysterious spice, with wonderful digestive properties.
Stir it all good, and let it cook a bit. Now fish out the sack of calendula and chamomile from the pan of water, squeeze out the goodness and discard. Put your vegetables in the pan, heat it to the boil, then simmer a good while till its soft and well done. Puree it all in a food processor or blender, till its smooth, add some salt and pepper to taste, and, if you want it richer, a pat of butter or a little cream. Then, children, pour it into your punkin and serve your Pot o' Gold. Blessings on the meal.
No comments:
Post a Comment