Hello, writers,
Today is Imbolc, and I’m celebrating the kickass badass Goddess/Saint Brigid.
When I wrote “Brigid” I wanted a kind of wild, Rites-of-Spring-esque feel to it. I loved the idea of a goddess attended to only by female priests. Devotees who kept her fire burning in Kildare for thousands of years.
I’ll be posting about Brigid all month, but for today, I want to share a recipe for a modern take on an Imbolc meal.
Farro with Smoked Cheddar and Roasted Beets
Food traditionally served at St. Brigid’s feast was the stuff left over from the previous harvest—root vegetables, dried fruit, grain. The protein source was dairy from the ruminants, usually sheep’s milk. Colors associated with Brigid are red and spring green, so I’ve used beets (root veg), though you could just as easily use dried cranberries. Farro is a nice hearty grain, full of protein. It does contain some gluten, so substitute brown rice if you want gluten-free. Also, chicken is very much NOT Imbolc, but if you want some animal protein, leftover chicken bits work well in this dish. I cooked this meal in the slow cooker, but hey, if you have a cauldron, that’s way more Imbolc-y.
Ingredients
2 cups farro or brown rice
4 oz smoked cheddar or Gouda cheese (or any cheese you want—something hard. Although, once I made this with Brie! It was great, but very gooey).
4 cups chicken broth
2 roasted beets, skinned
1 large or two medium onions
1 tsp salt
1 tsps pepper
2 tsp Worstershire sauce
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried or fresh rosemary
Optional: dried cranberries, cooked chicken, mushrooms, carrot, celery.
Directions
Put all the ingredients except the beets and the cheese into the slow cooker and set to high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
Preheat the oven to 375.
Wash the beets and cut off their ends
Wrap beets in aluminum foil. Roast for 2 hours till slightly soft.
Let cool for 10 minutes, then rub off their skins, cube and add to slow cooker.
When the broth has soaked into the grain, cube the smoked cheese and stir it in.
Serve pretty much whenever. It’s great the next day, too.
Tom’s Critique of This Meal
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