Celebrating Beltane: Recipes for the Sabbat

Sun-Dried Tomato Sandwiches
Absolutely delicious for the Beltane Picnic, and they keep well because they're not smeared with mayonnaise.

½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
2 cups of fresh basil leaves, packed into a cup
½ cup fresh parsley leaves, packed into a cup
1/4 cup pine nuts
½ cup Parmasean cheese
Thinly sliced mozzarella cheese
Sun-dried tomatoes
Crusty rolls

Make a fresh pesto sauce by putting your olive oil, garlic, basil, parsley, pine nuts and parmesan cheese into a blender. Blend until all the ingredients are chopped and incorporated.

Slice your crusty rolls in half. Spread some pesto sauce on each side.

Layer some thinly sliced mozzarella on one side. Spread your sun-dried tomatoes, chopped or whole, on top of the mozzarella. Cover with the other half of bread.

Wrap tightly in plastic wrap.

Fresh Herbal Butter
Making your own butter is easy and very tasty. Mix it with some fresh garden or produce store herbs and it makes a wonderful addition to your Beltane table for spreading on bread, topping vegetables or anything else you'd use butter for.

1 pint of whipping cream
Garden herbs (see suggestions below)

Pour the whipping cream into a mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to whip the butter. This will take a few minutes. First it will become whipped cream, then butter cream frosting. Continue whipping it and eventually the fat will begin to clump and separate from the liquid. Keep blending until the fat is in one main large clump, which will stick to your mixer.

Drain off the liquid and reserve it- that's fresh buttermilk. It's a tasty drink, or you can reserve it for baking.

Scrape the butter off of the blender blades. Pour some fresh water into the bowl and slosh the butter around. Pour out the water and discard. Pour some more water into the bowl and slosh it around a bit more. Keep doing this until the liquid runs clear.

Squeeze your butter, either by placing it in a cheese cloth, gathering up the cloth and twisting, or just squeeze it in your hands. Discard all the excess liquid. Getting rid of this liquid will help your butter keep longer.

Place your butter into a bowl. Now it's time to add some herbs. Simply mix them in thoroughly while the butter is still soft. This is entirely up to you, add whatever your favorite are. Some of my favorites are:

Lemon Parsley- add 1 tsp lemon juice and one tablespoon of chopped parsley
Garlic butter- add 1 tbsp of minced garlic
Parsley and Chive butter- add 1 tbsp of chopped parsley and 1 tbsp chopped chivess
Scarsborough Fair Butter- 1 tsp each of chopped parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Pesto Butter- 1 tbsp chopped basil and 1 tsp chopped parsley

After mixing in your herbs, you can place your butter in an air-tight container and store it in the refrigerator. If you like, you can make butter sticks by placing some on a sheet of plastic wrap. Roll it into the wrap tightly to create a tube, then press it down on the counter to flatten each side to make it rectangular. Cut off the uneven ends, and wrap up the butter stick and place it in the fridge to harden.

For Beltane, I like to scoop some on fresh vegetables, like carrots, broccoli and green beans, blanched or steamed until they are crisp-tender. I also like to set out a basket of crescent rolls with butter to spread.

Beltran's Beltane Picnic Potato Salad
My husband's family's recipe, a seasonal favorite that really plays on the salty/sweet flavors to tantalize your taste buds. This is good stuff, and goes great as a side dish with the sandwiches.

4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 apple, cored, peeled and cubed
½ red onion, chopped
½ cup of chopped or cubed ham
½ cup of green olives, chopped or sliced
Mayonnaise
Salt to taste

Place the potatoes into a medium pot and cover with water. Add a small handful of salt. Set them on the stove to boil. Boil them until they are fork tender. Drain them and place them in the fridge to chill.

When potatoes are chilled, mix them with your cubed apple, chopped onion, and green olives. Mix with mayonnaise- use as little or as much as your tastes prefer. Taste it. Salt and pepper to taste if desired. Keep chilled until serving.

Suggestion: Make it vegetarian by eliminating the ham and doubling the olives

Saffron Rice Pudding
This great Middle-Eastern style recipe produces a beautiful, brightly colored pudding, reminiscent of traditional Beltane dairy dishes. Perfect ending to a perfect meal.

½ cup long-grain rice
6 cups of milk
8 tbsps heavy cream
2 tbsp sweet butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
Cinnamon stick
Pinch of saffron
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 cup slivered almonds
Fresh nutmeg
½ cup coconut flakes (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place milk into a large saucepan. Add a pinch of saffron threads, cardamom seeds, and the cinnamon stick. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.

Reduce heat. Add the rice, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the mixture from heat. Stir in the sugar, nuts, and if desired, the coconut.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, cream and butter until incorporated. Mix it into the rice mixture.

Pour the mixture into a heat-proof glass baking dish. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until it sets and becomes light golden brown.

Grate some fresh nutmeg over each serving, garnish with more slivered almonds and a dollop of whipped cream.

Sweet Lemon Balm Iced Tea
Nothing could be a simpler, more delicious beverage for a beautiful Beltane day

2 quarts of Spring Water
1 cup of fresh lemon balm leaves
½ cup of Honey

Mix all ingredients in a large glass or see-through plastic jar. Set the jar in the sun, shaking occasionally. In a few hours, you'll have a delicious tea, that will just get better as the day goes on. Be sure to pour through a strainer.

Learn more about this Sabbat at Wheel of the year: Beltane.