Hail To the Chef
Magickal Recipes of Ron Miller
reprinted from the Compost NewsLetter
[These recipes appeared in the Compost NewsLetter during 1990-92, while Ron was the executive chef of the Ristorante Donatello in San Francisco. All Magickal interpretations and comments are by Valerie Walker.]
"What does cooking have to do with the Craft?" you may ask. Plenty. "As above, so below" is an ancient principle which is the basis of all Magickal acts and arts. Spells can be edible, and meals can be made with Magickal intent, using the ancient system of correspondences to tie in your ingredients with your purpose. The following recipes, while not originally intended as spells, can certainly be used this way if constructed in the right frame of mind. The ingredients' symbolic meanings are at the end of most of the recipes. And the effects on those to whom the meals are served can be amazing...vw]
The Recipes:
Garganelli con ragu di fagiano
Pasta tubes with pheasant ragu
Lo Scrino di Pero e Castagne
Pastry "jewel box" with pear and chestnut cream
Gnocchi alla romana con funghi e carciofi
Semolina gnocchi with mushrooms and artichokes
Rombo al forno con patate al rosmarino
Halibut filet encrusted with potatoes and rosemary
Fricassea d'Astasco con Finocchio
Lobster fricassee with fennel
Pasta alla Puttanesca
"Whores' Pasta"
Warm Goat Cheese rolled in Pistachios with Fennel and Blood Oranges
Chilled Cucumber and Dill Soup with Beet Mousseline
Oven Roasted Salmon coated with Pumpkinseeds on Sauteed Apples, and Calvados Butter Sauce
The Yule Feast:
Baby Beet and String Bean Salad with a Balsamid Vinaigrette
Quadrucci with Parsley in Lobster Broth
Loin of Lamb Stuffed with Caponata in Black Olive Sauce
Chocolate Caramel Pine Nut Tureen with a Bitter Chocolate Sauce
(recipe by Marianne Young, former pastry chef, Ristorante Donatello)
Braised Seabass with Tomatoes and Artichokes
Monkfish with Dried Tomatoes and Hazelnuts
Quail Egg Ravioli with Wild Game Sauce
Walnut Drop Cookies
Black and White Pinwheel Pasta with Smoked Chicken
Lasagne al ragu d'anatra (Lasagne with duck ragu)
Tagliolini with Prawns, Scallops, and Mussels
in a light Lemon Sauce
Civet de Biche
Sauce Grand Venuere
Selvagina Sauce
Cumberland Sauce
The Chef