Kitchen Witchery Recipes
Cacao Drink
- In a wide based pan heat 24 raw cacao beans (available in Latin-American shops) on low for 5 minutes - stir constantly
- Remove and cool beans, then grind to a fine powder
- Boil 3 1/2 cups of water, add the powder and continue to boil for another 5 minutes
- Remove from heat and let cool - add a sweetener to taste. Avoid artificial sweeteners as the health benefits of the Cacao are reduced by the negative affects of Aspartame and other artificial sweeteners.
I found this recipe at Planet Botanic.
Chocolate Mud Cake
- & 1/2 cups strong black coffee
- 250 gm (or 9 oz) butter
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 250 gm (or 9 oz) dark cooking chocolate, roughly chopped - use Australian or British Cadbury's, or a good Belgian. American chocolate isn't rich enough in flavour
- 2 eggs
- 1 & 1/2 cups plain flour
- 1/4 cup self raising flour
- 1/4 cup drinking Cocoa - not drinking Chocolate. The taste of the Cocoa is crucial
- Preheat over to 150 degrees C (or 300 degrees F)
- Place the coffee, butter, brown sugar and chocolate in a saucepan. Stir over low heat until it has dissolved and melted into a smooth liquid
- Pour into a mixing bowl and let cool
- Beat in the eggs, sift the dry ingredients and add. Mix the batter thoroughly
- Pour batter into a greased and lined 20 round pan and bake for 1 to 1 & 1/4 hours. Test with a skewer for internal cookedness
- Cool in the pan. Dust with icing sugar or cover with fresh whipped cream and sprinkled cocoa powder to decorate. Place nicely shaped leaves atop the cake in a pattern and then sift the sugar over the top. Remove the leaves.
- If inclined, melt more dark chocolate and let cool on a sheet of wax paper. Shave the resultant slab and sprinkle the shavings over the cake
Best eaten with fresh whipped cream, or heated with a scoop of plain vanilla icecream. Use fresh chopped mint leaves scattered over the slice and a handful of sliced strawberries to alleviate a touch of the overwhelming richness. A strong latte or expresso really sets this cake off well.
Chocolate Truffles
- 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate
- 1 & 1/4 cups heavy cream
- Optional - 1 teaspoon cognac, rum, liqueur of your choice
- 1/4 cup unsweetened Cocoa
- Process chocolate until fine in texture. Leave in processor
- Heat cream to the boiling point and then pour over the chocolate while the processor is still operating. Add the liqueur and blend until smooth
- Chill until firm but not solid, then scoop out tablespoon-sized portions onto a baking sheet and chill until firm
- Lay out two sheets of wax paper. Sprinkle some Cocoa powder onto one of them and dust hands with more powder. Roll the scooped portions into rough balls and then roll over the powdered paper. Place on the reserved sheet of wax paper and chill until ready to eat it!
This recipe makes about 60 truffles and its from the February-March issue of The Wine News magazine.
Cream Cheese Poundcake
- 3 sticks butter
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 3 cups sugar
- 6 eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla essence
- 3 cups flour
- Mix butter with cream cheese for 4 minutes, until silky. Add sugar.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add salt and vanilla. Add flour.
- Pour into a greased bundt pan, or a loaf pan. Bake for 1hr, at 350 degrees. Check center with knife, it should come out clean.
- Top with fresh fruit and whipped cream if desired.
Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
- 3 1/2 c. flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 1/2tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 c. sugar
- 1/3 c. poppy seeds
- 3-4 6 oz cartons lemon yogurt (it depends on the humidity, start with 3.)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 c. butter or margarine, melted
- Mix first five ingredients in a large bowl, make a well in the center. In a smaller bowl mix the last three ingredients. Add wet ingredients to the dry, mix until just moistened. If it seems too dry, add the extra carton of yogurt. You may add lemon zest if you like.
- Bake at 400F for 17-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 10 minutes in pans, turn out onto wire rack. Poke holes in muffin tops with a fork, drizzle topping over muffins.
Glaze Topping:
- 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
- 1/4 c. lemon juice
Yield: 12 jumbo or 24 normal size muffins.
Note: Also makes 2 loaves of bread if baked in loaf pans at 350 for 45-50 min.
Silverbeet, Mushroom and Capsicum Frittata
- 1 lb silverbeet trimmed and coarsely chopped (also known as chard)
- 1 tblsp low-fat dairy-free spread
- 1 medium brown onion chopped finely
- 2 cloves garlic crushed (or more!)
- 1 medium red capsicum chopped finely (also known as bell pepper)
- 2 trimmed sticks celery chopped finely
- 3.5 oz button mushrooms thinly sliced
- 2 large carrots grated coarsely
- 1/4 cup polenta
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
- 3 eggs lightly beaten
- 3 egg whites lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup no-fat milk
- Preheat oven to moderate and line an 8x12 cake pan with baking paper.
- Boil, steam or microwave silverbeat and drain on absorbant paper. Melt non-dairy spread in a large deep frying pan and cook onion and garlic until softened. Add capsicum, celery and mushrooms and stir and cook until just soft. Remove from heat and stir in silverbeet, carrot, polenta and basil. Cool 5 minutes.
- Add eggs, whites and milk and stir to combine, then spread mixture into cake pan and bake uncovered for 35 minutes until lightly browned and firm.
- Serve with a fresh salad
Sima
- 1/4 teaspoon yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water (105-115 degrees F)
- 1 1/2-2 C. fresh blackberries, cut in half (healing, money, protection)
- 1 large lemon
- 2 medium oranges
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 6 quarts (24 cups) boiling water
- 1 cup raisins
- Dissolve yeast in warm water. Peel fruit, set aside rind. Remove as much of white membrane as possible from fruit. Place sliced fruit, fruit peels, white sugar, and brown sugar into large heat-resistant container.
- Add boiling water. Cool to lukewarm. Stir in yeast mix. Cover loosely and let sit overnight at room temperature to begin fermenting.
- Strain and discard fruit and peels. Place 3 or 4 raisins in each storage bottle. Pour in liquid. Cap tight and leave at room temperature until raisins float. Then keep cold.
Tabouli
- 3/4 cup dried cracked wheat (bourghul)
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 tomatoes
- 1/2 cup finely chopped mint
- 1 1/2 cups chopped parsley
- 3 level tablespoons lemon juice (or more - to taste after combining all ingredients)
- 1 level tablespoon chopped garlic (or more - to taste after combining all ingredients)
- large pinch of salt
- pepper to taste
- In a medium mixing bowl soak the wheat in the water for an hour, stirring occasionally, then drain well and return to the mixing bowl.
- Slice tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds - discard. Dice tomato flesh and add to bowl, along with parsley, mint, lemon juice, garlic, onion, pepper and salt and mix well.
- Refrigerate.
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