If it is sunny at Imbolc, the story goes, it is because the Cailleach is gathering extra wood to see her through the rest of the winter. If it rains, she needed no wood and winter will soon be over…
What it means when the day starts out with torrential rain and ends in patchy sunshine, I’m not entirely sure! Forecast for dropping temperatures and possibility of snow aside, I think I shall err on the side of optimism. As ever, with the turning of the seasons, I’m so ready for it to be spring now.
I always think of Imbolc as a time for home, hearth, and candlelight. For many, Imbolc is also a time of renewed dedication, which feels particularly apt this year. Partly, of course, because it sees the official end of January’s dietary madness, and a joyful return to Primal eating!
When I mentioned food “so lovely it makes me want to hug it and cry a bit in gratitude”, this sauce is what I was thinking of. One of those glorious fridge-end triumphs, it couldn’t be simpler to make! I wouldn’t normally add the tomato; they just didn’t look like they were going to survive another week, so I figured I’d chuck them in too…
- 4-6 red, orange, and yellow sweet peppers
- 3 medium vine tomatoes
- 5 fat cloves of garlic
- Extra virgin olive oil
Skin the garlic, remove stalks and seeds from the peppers, and roughly chop everything. If you’re adding tomato, these go in the bottom of an ovenproof dish, followed by the garlic, followed by the peppers, then drizzle a generous quantity of olive oil over the whole thing.
I had the oven set to about 160ºc, and left them in for around 60-90 minutes. Basically, once the peppers are semi-blackened and deliciously squishy, and the garlic is nut brown, it’s done. Run it through a hand blender, and you’re good to go!
I tend to refer to “Primal” instead of “paleo” or “ancestral” because the underlying philosophy resonates so deeply with me. Where the diet made instant rational and instinctual sense to me, the way of life spoke straight to my soul. Everything about it aligns so perfectly with my own core values and beliefs…
Which comes back to the contemplative month. A ramble for another time, if at all. For now, I’m content to light a candle, reclaim my beliefs, and welcome in the light.
Happy Imbolc!
