For when you need to finally put the troublesome things in your life to rest with a good meal.
I know. You likely looked at that title and squinted, maybe cocked your head a little. I can guess why: death isn't the most appetizing thing you can think of.
But! When you're making a little something like chicken mushroom risotto, there's an undeniably chthonic factor to it, largely because of the sheer volume of mushrooms, onion, and garlic is going into this bad boy. (That and the fact that the chicken... is a dead animal. I feel like we take that for granted sometimes.) Nonetheless, those baby bella mushrooms are actually quite ripe for death work, and the somewhat baneful, protective elements of onions and garlic only add to it. (And by the way, that fresh chopped parsley you add in afterwards? Yeah. That may have very well been considered a funeral herb in ancient Greece.)
Let's pause for a minute before we continue talking about this, because I can already sense the alarm bells going off in your head—and fair enough! When in hell would you ever want to serve something so death heavy to people? At a funeral? To your enemies? Where is this even remotely helpful? Well, listen. When you think of death, if you're only thinking of someone literally dying, then you've got it all wrong, see?
Death is about more than just an end. Death is about a cycle, the end of one thing and the beginning of new things, just as the things that die decompose and feed the new life that springs about—and such is the idea of the major arcana of tarot that represents Death. Think about your summer garden, and the nutrients that go into those plants. Potassium, nitrogen, carbon—all things that make up life, and that come from bone meal, compost, rotting things, dead things. The same applies to anything else in your life: maybe habits you're looking to break, or relationships that just need to be taken off life support and let go.
Death, you see, is really about change. So let's talk about how we can invoke that change in our meal here.
Magic in Chicken Mushroom Risotto
As I was saying, the baby bella mushroom is one that is heavily dealing in death. It's the final stage of this type of mushroom, full maturity in that deep brown color, and it represents the ending stages of life. Combine that with the traditional chthonic items—onions and garlic, associated with the underworld and deities of death—and the parsley, and you have a group of plant allies that will help you take out whatever you're looking to get rid of in a body bag. But add the hazelnuts, an earthy seed, and you also have the means for fertile new beginnings, too.
This is very much a meal that comes swinging with its energy despite being labeled a death meal—and maybe you didn't expect that, huh? But there's a lot of fire, and then there's a touch of water and air, too, to keep things light and offer the opportunity for reflection. Beyond that, the energy of Mars will help you cut away the things that don't serve you, while the energy of Pluto regenerates it in a new way, the energy of Mercury allowing you to logically think through your next steps, and the energy of Jupiter bringing the luck and finesse you need to start anew.
Chicken Mushroom Risotto
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes
Makes 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
2lbs chicken breast
1 1/2 lbs baby bellas
100g whole hazelnuts
2 onions, diced
4 cloves garlic
5 1/2 cups chicken stock*
1 cup white wine
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 Tbsp fresh parsley
1 Tbsp fresh oregano
1 1/2 Tbsp paprika
2 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp onion powder
3 Tbsp butter
3/4 cup shredded parmesan
Salt & pepper to taste
*You can use 2 cubes of chicken bouillon in 5 1/2 cups of water if you have no chicken stock!
Directions:
Toast your whole hazelnuts in your pot until fragrant, then let them cool and roughly chop them with your herbs for later.
Wash, slice, and cook mushrooms in the same pot, adding salt and pepper to taste. Cook until they reduce.
Slice chicken into 1 inch cubes, then add to mushrooms and cook until about done., then remove from pot and set aside.
Start heating up your stock in a separate pot or microwavable vessel.
Dice onions and fry in a little olive oil until translucent, then add garlic.
Add 2 cups of rice and toast until they start to turn transparent.
Add white wine, then stir and cook until wine cooks out.
Slowly ladel in the stock, stirring the rice continuously, letting each ladel absorb before adding the next.
Add mushrooms and chicken to the pot and keep periodically stirring to keep the rice from sticking, cooking until rice is soft (about 15-20min).
Once done, remove from heat, then stir in butter and grate your cheese into it, combining thoroughly before adding chopped herbs and hazelnuts.
What an absolute powerhouse of a meal. Creamy, hearty, earthy, so delicious. And the hazelnuts break up some of the risotto texture, giving you a bit of crunch and an extra snap of flavor that just ties the whole thing together.
Next time you're in need of burying the old and giving life to the new, remember this here meal, and treat yourself to a cozy dinner at home as you work your magic! ♥
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Sara Raztresen is a Slovene-American writer, screenwriter, and Christian witch. Her fantasy works draw heavily on the wisdom she gathers from her own personal and spiritual experience, and her spiritual practice borrows much of the whimsy and wonder that modern society has relegated to fairy-and-folktale. Her goal is to help people regain their spiritual footing and discover God through a new (yet old) lens of mysticism.
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