The Crone's Kitchen is a regular feature of The Cottage

Merry Meet. Welcome to the Crone's Kitchen.
This months Kitchen will give you a Beltane Feast as well as Oatmeal Bannocks for your ritual cakes.

Barbecued Pork Spareribs
Preparation: Grill/Direct

3 pounds pork ribs
1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce



Using your discretion and depending upon the size of your charcoal barbecue, light enough coals to heat barbecue (about 10-15). Allow barbecue to heat. Clean ribs, cutting away any unwanted fat and place in barbecue. The goal here is to keep the barbecue about 170-190 degrees for six hours (if you don't have a barbecue with a thermometer get one that is oven safe and place on the grilling surface, preferably on the side). Every two hours, or as needed, light 6-8 coals in a separate container (charcoal chimneys are great for this) and add to the barbecue when they start to turn white on the edges. After five hours, brush liberally with heated barbecue sauce (either store bought or from the recipe above) and continue cooking for another hour.

Classic BBQ Rib Sauce
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic crushed
4 tablespoons minced onion
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon cayenne
fresh ground pepper to taste



Cook minced onion and garlic in olive oil until onions turns opaque. Add remaining ingredients, mix thoroughly and allow to simmer 20 minutes. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Roast Potatoes
Ingredients
2 pounds red potatoes, cut into quarters
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed


Directions
1 Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (250 degrees C).
2 Place potatoes in a large roasting pan and toss with oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary until evenly coated. Spread out potatoes in a single layer.
3 Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve immediately.

Dandelion Salad

1 Dishpan full of young dandelion leaves (spinach may be substituted)
4 Strips of bacon
1/2 c Sugar
2 T Flour
1 ea Egg beaten
1 t Salt
1/2 c Vinegar
1 1/2 c Water
3 ea Eggs, hard boiled, diced
Wash, drain, and cut up tender dandelion leaves.
Brown bacon; remove drippings and crumble
Combine sugar and flour. Add egg, salt, vinegar, and water and mix until smooth.
Pour into bacon drippings and heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens.
Pour warm dressing over dandelion.
add crumbled bacon and hard boild eggs. Toss lightly and serve immediatly.

Strawberry Crisp

1 c Uncooked Oatmeal
1 c All purpose Flour
1 c Brown Sugar
1/4 c Chopped Walnuts
1/2 c Butter or margarine
1/2 c Sugar
3 c Sliced fresh or frozen Strawberry
Mix together oatmeal, flour and brown sugar. Add nuts. Cut in butter or margarine until crumbly. In another bowl, mix strawberries and white sugar together. Grease an 8" square pan. Spread half the crumb mixture on bottom. Cover with strawberries. Spread remaining crumb mixture over top. Bake at 350 deg F oven for 45 minutes. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or topping.

May Wine

( CAUTION:woodruff contains coumarin, a substance similar to coumadin which is prescribed to thin blood for people suffering from clots. Also too much can cause a headache, so it is best to use only enough to flavor the wine. Woodruff can also be used in the same way to flavor milk or apple juice. The traditional May Bowl also has strawberries in it.)

2 quarts white wine OR white grape juice
About 1 cup sweet woodruff leaves, crushed
1 pint strawberries, sliced
½ cup sugar
Juice and grated peel of 1 lime
Sprigs of sweet woodruff or mint or violets for garnish
Soak the crushed sweet woodruff leaves in the wine or juice for a few hours. Strain and add the sugar and lime. Pour over the strawberries in a punch bowl and garnish.

Bannocks

1 cup rolled oats
1 ½ cups white flour
½ cup oat flour
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup oil or soft butter
½ cup warm water
½ tsp cinnamon
Stir together the dry ingredients. Add the butter and stir with a fork. Mix in the warm water, adding more flour if necessary to make a smooth dough. Roll out to ½ inch thickness and cut with a biscuit cutter or the top of a drinking glass. Place on baking sheet and bake in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.