Peaceful Rest Cottage Pie

Winter is about rest. It’s a time when we need to find the peace within and allow rest to bring us to reflection.

The issue arises when we allow our culture, which prizes productivity, to take over this important time. It forces us to hold on to things that no longer serve us, push ourselves too far through exhaustion, and overall put us in a life we do not wish for.

This is precisely why, when it comes to the winter months, most of my kitchen witchery focuses on ensuring peace and rest within my house.

Hence this recipe for cottage pie.

Ingredients and Their Magickal Properties

As I always mention in my recipe posts, the purpose of what I do as a kitchen witch relies on knowledge and intention. Yes, this recipe will still taste delicious without transforming it into a spell, but if you are a magick practitioner and also wish to utilize this recipe to help transform your mind, body, and spirit, then knowing and activating your ingredients to work with your desired outcome is highly important.

Below is a list of each added ingredient and its special power for this recipe. Please note that this is not every magickal benefit of this plant or herb, just the areas I believe should be focused on for this specific recipe.

Potato

Potatoes have been used in folk magick for centuries. By carving them into poppets, they are perfect for sympathetic magick.

As root vegetables, we can utilize potatoes for our grounding and stability for this recipe, as well as its absorbing abilities to soak up any harmful energy that could be keeping us from the peace we desire.

Powers: grounding, stability, protection, absorbing (soaks up harmful energy)

Carrots

Another root vegetable added to aid in grounding ourselves, we can also use carrot’s magickal properties to help us dispel illusions we have around rest and banish any negativity that could be causing us to feel overwhelmed or anxious.

Powers: grounding, dispels illusions, clarity, banishing.

Celery

Folklore recommends the use of celery to help induce sleep. Of course, this is typically done by utilizing the seed within an herbal satchel to place under the pillow, but that doesn’t mean we can’t utilize its magickal properties of sleep through the stalks themselves.

As a bonus, celery is considered a “visionary herb”, allowing us to open our minds and provide better concentration and communication. And as we all know, the easier it is to have proper communication and focus on the small tasks we need to be productive, it allows us not to waste time and reach a faster, peaceful conclusion that allows us to rest.

Powers: communication, concentration (mental powers), sleep

Paprika

Focusing on a fire element known for boosting energy into a recipe for rest may seem counterintuitive. But I also want to remind you that that energy boost can be used not necessarily to provide you with an increase in energy but also to boost a spell, which is exactly what we do here.

Yes, I think paprika gives this a delicious kick, but that boost of spellwork is deemed almost necessary in today’s society of a constant go-go-go.

The warming properties also provide us with the intention of self-love, helping us put up the necessary boundaries and do the self-care we need to ensure our peace.

Powers: Love, Boosting Spellwork

Parsley

Although the folklore of parsley relies heavily on death, its properties provide the exact opposite intentions than you would imagine.

Not only is parsley a digestive aid, but for this recipe, we can bring out its ability to calm and protect the home and restore a sense of well-being through its purification and protection abilities.

Powers: purification, protection, cleansing, calms and protects the home, restores a sense of well-being, increases vitality

Thyme

Not only a great source of vitamin c, potassium, zinc, iron, and calcium, Thyme is excellent to add for the physical health benefits alone.

But here, we don’t just heal the body but the spirit. The intentional use of the spirit of Thyme for our cottage pie is its healing and purification, helping promote a night of peaceful sleep.

Powers: peaceful sleep, healing, purification

Rosemary

One glance at rosemary’s magickal properties (and herbal medicinal benefits), and it’s easy to see why we would consider throwing it into any recipe. There is little it can’t provide.

Adding rosemary to this recipe provides us protection against nightmares and unrestful sleep, ensuring you get that peaceful rest you deserve.

Powers: love, sleep, protects against nightmares and unrestful sleep

How to turn this recipe into a spell

*When adding your ingredients, remember to focus on the intention of the ingredient while working with it. (I.E., when adding the rosemary, focus on the intention of love, rest, and peace. Not just the idea, but how do they make you feel? How do having these things in your life manifest?

I also recommend using the intentional stirring and speaking method to add to this spell. Simply stir counterclockwise for energies that need to be removed and clockwise for energies that you wish to bring into your house while speaking your incantations (or intention) out loud.

For example, when adding parsley, I would stir counterclockwise three times while speaking to the pot.

Spirit of parsley, bless this dish with cleansing and purifiation of unwanted energies.

Then, I would stir clockwise three times while focusing on activating the properties of the plant I wish to invoke into the house.

Spirit of parsley, bless this dish with protection, calmness, and vitality. So mote it be.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

• 2 lbs ground beef

• 1 yellow onion, chopped

• 2 carrots, chopped

• 3 celery, diced

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 sprigs of rosemary (or 1 tsp dried rosemary)

• 2 sprigs of thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme)

• salt, pepper, paprika, parsley, to taste

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 2 c. beef stock

• 2 tbsp Worcestershire

• 1/2 c. frozen peas

• 2 1/2 lbs potatoes (about 3 large potatoes)

• 7 tbsp butter

• 1 c. half and half, warmed

Directions

1. Heat cast iron (or another oven-proof pan) over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and brown - breaking into pieces while cooking. Once cooked, drain extra fat. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and parsley. Transfer to another plate or bowl to reserve beef.

2. Lower heat to medium and add oil to pan. Once the oil is warmed, add onion and garlic and saute.

3. Once onions are translucent, add carrots and celery. Continue to saute until vegetables are soft. Stir often to ensure garlic and onions do not burn.

4. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and parsley. Add in sprigs of thyme and rosemary.

5. Deglaze the pan by adding a bit of beef stock and scraping the bits from the pan. Cook until beef broth is evaporated.

6. Add tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes before adding flour. Mix flour as evenly as possible. Cook an additional minute.

7. Add beef stock and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil.

8. Return ground beef to the pan and lower the temperature to low. Cover the pan and let simmer for 45 minutes. Suggest beginning mashed potato prep here.

9. Add in frozen peas and cook for an additional 15 minutes until softened.

10. Preheat oven to 375 F and prep mashed potatoes

11. Peel and chop potatoes and place them in a pot of salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes, until potatoes are tender and easily mashed.

12. Drain potatoes and mash (I like to use a handheld mixer for this).

13. Add butter, half and half, salt, and pepper, and mix until combined.

14. Top the finished meat mixture with mashed potatoes, spreading evenly.

15. Place pan in the oven and cook for 30-45 minutes (until potatoes are browned).

16. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving, and enjoy!