Blessed Yule! I know it's a little early but that's kind of the point. I want to make sure you all have a recipe ready to go before the holiday begins. In addition to today's recipe you can check out a few previous recipes that also work for Yule's seasonal foods like Apple Cider, and Hot Chocolate.
So first and foremost, for those or you new to the craft: Yule is the Pagan (and Wiccan) holiday that lands on the Winter Solstice. We honour the returning of the light, the triumph of the Oak King and celebrate new beginnings. We are half way through the dark half of the year which began at Mabon, the fall equinox. As an agricultural holiday (which is often where the traditions for these holidays come from) we are starting to see our stocks dwindle and relish in the idea that we will soon be preparing for new crops. That being said we still have reserves mainly in the form of root vegetables and winter squash and anything we preserved as jams or pickles during our harvest. We may have animals to slaughter or hunters out gathering meats so that isn't out of the question either.
So, a Yule spread may not look so different from a Traditional Christmas spread (and we all know why that is...) Roast vegetables and meat, pickled beets and pumpkin pie? Sound familiar?
I've made a stew today that i will freeze to eat on Yule because I have that luxury that our ancestors did not. Keep an eye on my instagram and Facebook page for the rest of my feast come December 21st.
BEEF STEW with SQUASH
Ingredients:
~1 lbs of stewing beef, cubed (I used some strip steak I had in the freezer but that may not be ideal)
1/2 butternut squash, cubed
1-2 medium sized potatoes, cubed , peeled if desired
1 onion (spanish or yellow)
~1cup beef broth
1-2 tbsp flour
2-3 tbsp oil, separated
1/2 tsp cinnaomn
1 tsp sage
1tsp basil
salt and pepper to taste
I pre roasted my squash because it makes it easier to cut but I feel like that was a mistake so decide to do so at your own risk. It will still taste delicious but I think the squash will hold its form if it cooks by boiling in the gravy. So save your hands or save your aesthetic!
Preheat a pan or your pot over medium heat. Mix together your cinnamon, sage and basil. Season your cubed beef with it as well as sprinkle some salt. You can adjust for taste later so dont worry too much about the amouont. 
Start to heat about 1 tbsp of oil in your pan. Put your flour on a plate or bowl ans gently dust each cube of beef in it. Once your beef is dusted we're going to brown it. You don't want to over crowd your pan so if you have to work in small batches that's okay and dont be afraid to add more oil between batches. You want to brown the outsides of the beef without cooking all the way through so cook only until it has colour and then flip browning each piece on all sides. Once it's browned you can set it aside. 
Next were going to do the same thing with the veggies. you should work in small amount for these too. I was tired and lazy and did not do this myself so please do as i say and not as the picture tells you. You're going for the same idea here. Add anther tbsp of oil, cube your veggies, season them with salt and pepper, and cook in small batches just until the start to shit colour. 
Set your veggies aside. Pour just enough broth in the pan to cover the bottom and use it to loosen all the caramelized goodness from the pan with a wooden spoon. Place all of your cooked ingredients in a pot and fill with broth until it reaches 1/2 to 3/4 of the veggies. This is why i said ~a cup because I didn't actually measure my broth.
Bring everything to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally and check the tenderness of your veggies.
The stew is ready when the gravy is thickened and the your vegetables are tender. 
Yuletide and Magic
For Yule I wanted to focus on the home and getting through the winter months. Those was a difficult time for our ancestors in a real survival sense and it continues to be a difficult time for many people now. This year even more so with the way the year 2020 has been going. A lot of places are still in the throws of the pandemic and many are not able to see family this year. All the more reason to focus our energy on warmth and success into the new year.
From each of the ingredients below I called upon uses that go along with both traditional survival as well as mental health survival. From squash I asked for protection and longevity, from cinnamon I called for warmth and happiness, from sage I called for wisdom and the guarding of my home and from basil I called for mood elevation, peace and finance.
In addition to these correspondences this combination holds a lot of Fire and Masculine energy leading to warmth and action. I view this as gearing us up for the next Sabbat in which we begin preparing for a new agricultural year. This leads me to a question for those that have been practicing a while and following the Wheel of the Year... When do you celebrate the New Year? I have spoken to many witches on this thought and it seems that in each practice it's a little different and they have answers ranging from Mabon to Imbolc. I'm curious what you do in your practice!
Butternut Squash (similar uses to pumpkin or any other squash): Masculine. Fire. Sun.
Sex, fertility and male potency (because its...shape) protection, warding, longevity, luck, love
Cinnamon Masculine. Fire. Sun and Mars.
Healing, warm, comfy feeling,success, prosperity, happiness, grants power and speed to intention
Sage Masculine. Air. Jupiter. Zeus, the Virgin Mary.
Longevity, protection, wisdom, good luck, guarding the home, and grounding.
Basil - Masculine. Mars. Fire.
Mood elevation and stress relief. Peace, love and finance. Luck and protection especially in travel (both physical and astral/liminal)
Short and Gritty
Ingredients:
~1 lbs of stewing beef, cubed (I used some strip steak I had in the freezer but that may not be ideal)
1/2 butternut squash, cubed
1-2 medium sized potatoes, cubed , peeled if desired
1 onion (Spanish or yellow)
~1cup beef broth
1-2 tbsp flour
2-3 tbsp oil, separated
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sage
1tsp basil
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. cube everything
2. season your beef with cinnamon, basil, sage and salt
3. brown beef, set aside
4. brown vegetables lightly, set aside
5. deglaze pan with a small amount of broth
6. add all cooked ingredient to a pot along with deglazed juices
7. fill pot with broth up to about half way up the veggies
8. bring to boil, reduce to simmer, stir occasionally until thick gravy and tender veggies.
9. serve
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