Dolores Stewart Riccio

From you have I been absent in the spring…

That’s the first line of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 98. It’s been on my mind all through this spring with thoughts of my dear husband Rick who died in September. (I’ll print the rest of the sonnet below.)

Nevertheless, it’s May, it’s May…
BELTANE! The faeries are coming to a leafy woodland near you.

It’s a magical moment of the year when faeries may appear to ordinary folk. If you sit under a tree on Beltane Eve, you may see the Faery Queen herself or hear her horse’s bells tinkling as she rides through the woods.

Woodruff and Hawthorn are the sacred blossoms of May. The traditional May wine is simply white wine flavored with woodruff that blooms at this time of year. The May bowl combines May wine with strawberry liqueur and strawberry slices. Doesn’t that sound good!

As the wheel of seasons turns to Beltane, think Fire and Water.

Beltane is a Fire Festival. The bonfires of Beltane often were started with a bundle of branches from the nine sacred trees. In olden times, flocks would have been run between two fires to purify them, and young folk would leap over fires for good fortune.

And Beltane is also a time to consecrate the holy element of Water. Wells are blessed on Beltane, and the dawn dew of May Morning brings beauty to the face and health to the body.

As with Samhain (Halloween), its counterpart, Beltane is that other “no time” of the year, meaning time itself is suspended and veils between the seen and unseen worlds are thinnest on May Day. The perfect moment to look into the future or to contact those who have gone before.

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Things will never be the same…

The moon rises haphazardly,
rolls a hoop down the hill of the sky,
stars fall to earth, the crossroads
is littered with lost worlds.
Impossible to see the way ahead.
I am nowhere without my compass.
If this being totally lost continues
I shall have to reinvent you
in some image of mine that is not you
alive as you were in yourself.
Just as we make our gods
immortal as Carrara marble. I think
you were not a god nor wished to be.
Still, I occupy myself with remembering
what is real, what is gone,
what will never change.

© DSR

Sonnet 98 by William Shakespeare

From you have I been absent in the spring,
When proud-pied April, dressed in all his trim,
Hath put a spirit of youth in everything,
That heavy Saturn laughed and leaped with him,
Yet nor the lays of birds, nor the sweet smells
Of different flowers in odor and in hue,
Could make me any summer’s story tell,
Or from their proud lap pluck them where they grew
Nor did I wonder at the lily’s white,
Nor praise the deep vermilion in the rose;
They were but sweet, but figures of delight,
Drawn after you, you pattern all of those.
Yet it seemed winter still, and you away,
As with your shadow I with these did play.

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Pasta Norma
A few years ago, Rick took me to Sicily for my birthday. This dish is a regional favorite that was featured in every restaurant where we dined.

1 large eggplant
Salt
Olive oil
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
½ onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (26-ounce) container Pomi chopped tomatoes or the equivalent of another brand
1 tablespoon basil pesto or ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
¼ to ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese

Cut the ends of the eggplant and peel most of it, leaving a few strips of peel. Dice the eggplant into 1-inch pieces. Put them in a strainer, salt them liberally, and toss them to distribute the salt. Put a plate on top, with a weight, such as a large can of tomatoes.
After an hour, rinse and wring all the moisture you can out of the eggplant, but not to the point where the pieces are turned to mush.
Pour enough oil to cover the bottom of a 12-inch skillet, heat it until very hot, and stir-fry the eggplant until it’s soft and beginning to brown. Remove the eggplant.
In the same pan, using any leftover oil, adding more oil if needed, gently saute the bell pepper, onion, and garlic until just fragrant. Add the tomatoes, pesto or fresh basil, salt to taste, and pepper. Cook uncovered until slightly reduced, about a half hour. Add the cooked eggplant, and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with about 2 tablespoons of the cheese, and pass more at the table.
Use as a sauce for shell macaroni. This recipe enough for 1 pound pasta.