Litha 2022: Summer’s Bounty Caponata

Blessed Litha to you all! Summer Solstice is upon us and all of the preparations we’ve made for it are now coming to fruition. To cap off the savory portion of our feast, we are creating the popular Sicilian dish Caponata. Caponata is a unique and richly flavored dish; combining savory, sweet, bitter, and sour elements perfectly. It is not certain when the dish was first created, however it has been mentioned in texts as early as the 1700’s. It’s name can be loosely translated as “a salad of many various diced things”, which fairly accurately depicts how complex caponata’s flavor profile really is. Below we will take a deeper delve into some of the ingredients and why we are featuring it in our Litha celebration this year.

What are some of the intentions the ingredients embody?

Eggplant: A well known and versatile vegetable, eggplant is the base ingredient in our caponata; providing an earthy and slightly bitter-sweet base for the dish. Eggplant has it’s origins from India and Asia, however is now prolific across the globe. Like peppers, tomatoes, and potatoes, it is a member of the nightshade family. While eggplant has a long history of use culinarily, it is also a popular and effective ingredient in various Ayurvedic medicinal applications. My main associations with eggplant spiritually is for use in promoting good health, which is backed up by it being very low in calories and fat and a source of potassium and fiber. It can also be used when you are looking to do spellwork for drawing in prosperity.

Garlic: When talking about a contender for most used culinary ingredient of mine, garlic has to be at the top of the list. The savory-sweet heat of this member of the allium family accentuates almost any dish imaginable and is used in nearly every world cuisine. There is a suggestion that garlic was cultivated and used in the earliest of human civilizations. Traceable origins point back to its use in medicinal applications as early as 2,700 B.C. in Central Asia, where it grows wild. Garlic has long been used as a daily supplement to help ward illness and boost the immune system, especially during cold and flu seasons. Furthermore, studies are beginning to show that garlic can help lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol levels. Beyond the association to the promotion of good health, perhaps the most common usage for garlic is it’s potency in banishing and protective spellwork. Centuries old lore surrounding garlic being used as a ward against all forms of evil and negative energies is prolific and is still adopted into our spiritual practice today.

Celery: Seen as a rather utilitarian ingredient in the culinary world, celery has rightfully earned its place in the culinary and intentional kitchen. It holds a special distinction of being one of the key components in not one, but two classic cuisine vegetable bases; being featured in both the French “Mirepoix” (celery, onion, and carrot) and the Creole and Cajun “Holy Trinity” (celery, onion, and green bell pepper). Well known for being an extremely low calorie food, it is jam packed with antioxidants, a good source of vitamins A, C, and K as well as folate and potassium. Even though it is viewed as a humble and unassuming ingredient, one of the most classic intentional association with celery is to incite lust or passion! In my personal spell workings, I use it when I am looking to refresh my perspective on a situation.

Raisins: Raisins are another ingredient that tends to cause divide in people, however these dried version of grapes hold a lot of power in flavor, nutrition, and intention. Traditionally, raisins are created through a sun drying process and can be found in many different varieties all over the globe. Their popularity and value was well noted in ancient times as well; in Ancient Rome, they were so highly valued that they were used as payment for taxes and rewards for athletic competition. Raisins are an extremely nutrient dense food, being a good source of iron, boron, potassium, copper, and vitamin B6; they do happen to also be high in sugar so enjoying them sparingly is advisable. When using dried ingredients, I personally believe that the intentions of the origin food are concentrated and amplified once they are dried. Grapes and raisins are an absolutely wonderful addition when performing any spellwork in the realms of romantic love, fertility, abundance, or good luck and are one of my go to ingredients for any celebratory meals.

Honey: The last element we are delving in to is the sweet elixir known as honey. It can be made from the nectar of many varieties of flowers and each one has its own unique hue and flavor. Honey is also one of the most ancient foods on record; being used by numerous civilizations as a sweetener as well as in medicinal applications. Not only was it spoken about in Sumerian and Babylonian writings, archeologists have found still edible honey in tombs of Ancient Egyptian pharaohs and pots of honey cured fruits dating back to 4300 BC. This is made possible because it is one of the few foods on the planet that if well stored has, an infinite shelf life due to it’s incredible antibacterial and antifungal properties. These properties also make honey a wonderful substance to dress wounds and cuts. Honey is equally powerful in the spiritual aspects. It is one of the most traditional offerings to please the gods or elementals. In my personal practice, I leave honeyed wine as an offering to my deity, though it can also be mixed with milk. I use honey in workings where I am looking to “sweeten” a situation or if I am trying to draw more abundance into my life.

How does this dish assist us with our Litha intentions?

This last recipe in our series is all about enjoying the bounty of what we have worked so hard to achieve. Our intention this Litha has always been focused on finding and reawakening our passions. We have done a lot of personal work to clear the way to what sparks our joy and now is the time to start the process of living in that happiness and keeping it close to us. We have taken the time to reflect on what truly makes us feel alive with the renewed clarity and courage after the breakthroughs our last dish helped us achieve (Smokey Sweet Potato and Toasted Onion Hummus). Take this time now to relax and be warmed by the solar and fire energies we have drawn into our lives throughout our entire feast. Sit, eat, and enjoy the fruits of your labor; you’ve earned it!

Thank you so much for following along with us on our Litha series; it has been a wonderful journey for us and we hope for you too! We would love to hear from you how you celebrated and what passions you found within yourself.

Yield: 41x2x3x4x5x

Author: Elizabeth Johnson

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Summer's Bounty Caponata

( 0 reviews )

Richly flavored and bright, this Sicilian vegetable dish is perfect to enjoy when you want to draw in all of the joy of the summertime.

Prep time: 7 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 17 Min

IngredientsUSMetric

• 1 small eggplant, cut into bite size pieces (health, prosperity)
• 1 small red onion, chopped (healing, banishing negativity)
• 1/3 cup green olives, pitted and sliced (abundance, fertility)
• 1/3 cup canned fire roasted diced tomatoes (health, protection)
• 1/3 cup celery, chopped (lust, fresh perspectives)
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste (creativity, health)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped (warding, health)
• 2 Tbsp capers (lust, assertiveness)
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar (celebration, abundance)
• 1 Tbsp honey (sweetening, abundance, purification)
• 2 Tbsp golden raisins (romantic love, fertility, celebration)
• 1 tsp dried rosemary (protection, purification)
• 1 tsp dried thyme (courage, success, clarity)
• 1 tsp dried basil (happiness, harmony)
• 3 Tbsp olive oil (abundance, beauty)
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a large sauté pan, place in olive oil over medium heat. Once heated, add the eggplant, onions, celery, and garlic and pan fry until soft and slightly golden. Remove and set aside.
2. Add the tomato paste and fry quickly. Add in diced tomatoes and mix with the tomato paste until heated through.
3. Add the eggplant mixture back into the pan and cook together with tomato mixture until combined.
4. Add in the vinegar, honey, capers, olives, herbs, raisins, and salt/pepper and stir to combine all of the ingredients.
5. Serve in a bowl or shallow dish and garnish with fresh basil. This can be enjoyed as a side dish, as part of a larger mezze board, or as an interesting pasta or flatbread topping.