Summer or Whit Embertide

We've talked before about Ember Days with some interesting recipes and history. Summer or Whit Embertide is upon us. This year, the Summer Embertide is observed on June 3, 5, and 6.

Summer or Whit Embertide (follows Whitsunday, or the Feast of the Pentecost):

The Summer Embertide is observed in June or July depending on when Pentecost falls that year.

"Gratitude, not penance, is the dominant Ember spirit of the Summer Embertide. Even fasting can be an act of thanksgiving!"Pius Parsch, Year of Grace, Volume 3, Ember Wednesday

Seasonal significance: It is a time of thanksgiving for the grain harvest since this was typically the end of the wheat harvest in Mediterranean countries.
Liturgical significance: Summer or Whit Embertide falls within the Octave of Pentecost. It is fitting then that this Embertide, though still a mini-Lenten time of fasting, is characterized by its spirit of thanksgiving and joy at the descent of the Holy Spirit.

Ember Wednesday is a day of partial abstinence (only one meal of meat should be offered on this day). The day is dedicated to Mary, Our Blessed Mother and is a day of interior recollection.
Ember Friday is a day of complete abstinence (no meat is offered today). The day is dedicated to penance.

"For the Lord looks with pleasure upon those who humble themselves, even as He regarded the lowliness of His handmaid."Pius Parsch, Year of Grace, Volume 3, Ember Friday

Ember Saturday is another day of partial abstinence. The day is one of great thanksgiving - thanksgiving for the seasonal harvest of wheat, thanksgiving for the spiritual harvest after the abundant graces given throughout the Easter season, and thanksgiving for the harvest of vocations and those men preparing for ordination in the service of Holy Mother Church.

Menu ideas for the Summer Ember Days could reflect the seasonal offerings for your area for the summer months. I was inspired by Mary's Confirmation Party Foods post, so I'm adding my offerings for the Summer Ember Days to include some seasonal produce that continue to focus on Pentecost as we find the Summer Ember Days nestled in the Octave of Pentecost.

Pentecost Parfait
Layer granola, vanilla yogurt and sliced strawberries in a dish. The red slices of strawberries can be arranged in the parfait to resemble the tongues of fire/descent of the Holy Spirit. This cool and light dish makes a wonderful breakfast or afternoon snack. I thought it would be symbolic to arrange thirteen strawberry tongues of fire - one for each of the apostles, as well as one for Our Lady, also present at Pentecost.


Gifts of the Holy Spirit Pasta Salad
Choose a favorite pasta. We prefer Rotini because the spiral shape is great for holding the dressing. You could also choose a whole wheat pasta to reflect the thanksgiving of this Ember season for the harvest of wheat. Cook your pasta to desired done-ness. Rinse the pasta with cold water to cool it and then allow it to drain for a couple of minutes - a drier pasta will hold the dressing better.

Add in 7 items to round out your pasta salad (7 to represent the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit). If you're having trouble finding seven things on this list that your family likes, you could certainly count the pasta, the olives in the olive oil dressing as well as the grape forming the basis of the red wine vinegar (also in the dressing) - so that leaves you with four things to add to your pasta salad. Some of our favorite additions are:

:: black beans
:: frozen sweet green peas
:: sweet corn kernels (frozen or sliced off a fresh ear)
:: broccoli florets
:: sweet green bell peppers
:: sweet red bell peppers
:: onions
:: garlic
:: cherry tomatoes
:: basil

Make a simple dressing using a packet of dry Italian dressing seasoning mix, 1/4 cup of a good red wine vinegar, and 3/4 of a cup of extra virgin olive oil. Pour these over the top of the pasta salad, mix thoroughly, refrigerate for a couple of hours and enjoy. By no means are you limited by the suggestions above! Brainstorm some favorite seasonal produce and add them in. This dish is a wonderful summer meal, and the addition of black beans gives it a heartiness with a bit of protein!

Fresh Summer Tomato Sandwich
Use a very good bread for this - again, a whole grain bread would be most appropriate for the seasonal focus. Layer the following together to form a sandwich:

:: 2 slices of hearty whole wheat bread
:: Tomato slices
:: Fresh mozzarella (it's so worth it to buy a good mozzarella for this sandwich)
:: Fresh greens - basil leaves, arugula, salad greens or alfalfa sprouts all make excellent sandwiches or you could use sliced avocado
:: Mayonnaise or plain yogurt to spread on the slices of bread.
:: Salt and Pepper to taste


God bless you during the Summer Embertide!

"We are temples of the Spirit of Christ! Week in, week out it will be a mutual task for the Holy Ghost and ourselves to adorn this temple more perfectly. Deeply grateful we say farewell to the Easter season - many indeed were the blessings we received."Pius Parsch, Year of Grace, Volume 3, Ember Saturday

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Meatless Lasagna and Shrimp Creole

It seems I spend more time looking through cookbooks during Lent than the rest of the year. My behavior could be hunger-driven, since I'm denying myself in eating, I'm making up the denial in other senses. But I think the actual reason isn't gluttony, but more of a practical nature. Because of our family's resolve to be more frugal, to eat out less, and to have more meatless meals during Lent, it requires some planning on my part. With my own personal resolution to have a meal plan and make the presentation of my meals as a loving act, not just duty-driven, I need to "hit the books" for more creative and tasty ideas.

One of the latest cookbooks I use for my inspiration is Cooking Up a Storm: Recipes Lost and Found from The Times-Picayune of New Orleans by Marcelle Bienvenu and Judy Walker. After Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, so many lost their collection of recipes. This is a project of trying to rebuild the collections. There are some wonderful recipes, and here are two that will be wonderful for those meatless, penitential days (including the Ember Days of Lent, which is this Wednesday, Friday, Saturday).

The following recipe can be made ahead and just save the baking time (1 1/2 hours) for later. A recipe fit to serve to guests on Friday.

Meatless Lasagna

Makes 6 to 8 servings

2 (15 ounce) containers low-fat or nonfat ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons crushed garlic (from jar)
1 pound part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated
4 3/4 cups prepared pasta sauce, without cream or cheese (Classico was recommended, but homemade is also acceptable)
12 lasagna noodles, uncooked
3 medium zucchini, sliced (lengthwise) 1/4 inch thick
1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, egg, spices, and garlic, and stir in about one-fourth of the mozzarella cheese.

Spread one-third of the pasta sauce evenly over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Layer with 4 noodles, half of the ricotta mixture, half of the zucchini, and one-third of the remaining mozzarella. Repeat the layers. Top with the last 4 noodles, the remaining sauce, and the remaining mozzarella. (The recipe may be prepared up to this point and refrigerated for several hours or overnight.)

When ready to bake, pour the water around the edges of the lasagna and cover the pan with foil. Bake for 1 1/2 hours.

This next recipe originally came from a column by Marcelle Bienvenu in the Times-Picayune, January 1997:

Shrimp Creole, or Shrimp a la Creole, was for years a mainstay on most restauant menus in New Orleans. It was often served in homes on Fridays during the Lenten season, in keeping with the Catholic rules of fast and abstinence....I embarked on a week-long research project.... This is the result. It's quite simple and quick to prepare. You can make it your own by adding personal touches, so use it as a basic recipe.

With the Shrimp Creole I serve a green salad and either Southern biscuits, cornbread, or French rolls. For allergy reasons I skip the roux step (we can't have flour) and add corn starch (or Filé powder, also called gumbo filé) at later stage before serving if the sauce needs to be a bit thickened.

Shrimp Creole

Makes 4 to 6 servings

4 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped green bell peppers
3/4 cup chopped celery
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes or chopped canned tomatoes with juice
1 cup shrimp or chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
Hot cooked rice for serving

Melt the butter in a medium heavy pot over medium heat and add the flour Cook, stirring, to make a blond roux, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft and lightly browned, about 6 minutes.

Add the bay leaves, tomatoes, shrimp stock, salt, and cayenne. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the shrimp and cook until they turn pink, 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves and add the parsley. Serve over rice.

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Meatless Meal from Grace Before Meals

Imagine my surprise when I looked over yesterday's front page of The Washington Post and saw this photograph and article: A Maestro of the Soul Kitchen: Md. Priest's Culinary Art Adds Zest to Ministry. Well, you might not understand my surprise, so I'll explain that I had Father Leo E. Patalinghug's book, Grace Before Meals: Recipes for Family Life sitting in front of me this week, as I was planning my meatless meals for Lent. I was actually considering sharing a recipe from his book for Catholic Cuisine.

So the article (which is wonderful, by the way) really has motivated me to post my recommendation for his book. His site provides a more thorough description of Father's work and writings.

Father tries to "preach the importance of the dinner table in family life. The family that cooks and eats together stays together, he says." His book tries to focus on conversations around the family meal, with many themes around the Liturgical Year. His section on Lenten Sacrifice I really enjoyed, particularly:

The tradition of abstaining from meat products during Lent reminds us of the staple of food in Jesus' time: fish. In fact, the Greek phrase "Jesus Christ is Lord" creates the acronym "FISH" in that language. Eating fish is a reminder of Jesus!

He then goes on to explain about sacrifice, and how our Friday meals should be both frugal and sacrificial. "God will give you creative ideas for making this sacrifice a truly special time of worship in word and deed."

I also enjoyed this text box: "Meals on Lenten Fridays should be more than cheese pizzas. They should be about creating flavors from simple ingredients."

I won't share the recipes from the book, but this recent post from his blog would be a marvellously simple Friday meal, with FISH included. And our family could easily substitute with rice spaghetti to make this allergy safe for us.

Spaghetti al Vongole (Spaghetti and Clams)
1/2 pound spaghetti or linguine
16 ounce can clams (or 1 1/2 -2 pounds of fresh baby clams, washed and cleaned)
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely minced
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup chicken broth (or vegetable)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons black pepper

Instructions:
Boil water in pot and cook pasta until al dente. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter together over high heat. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and 1 tablespoon of parsley and saute. If using a can, add the clams and half the juice from the can. If using fresh clams make sure they are wash and soaked in cold water so that there is no sand. Add the fresh clams and stir together. Add the white wine, broth, and salt and pepper. Cover the pan and cook until the clams begin to open up. When pasta is cooked, drain water (leave about 2 tablespoons of starchy pasta water for later). Add pasta to the pan and mix together. Add the starchy water, the rest of the butter, and salt and pepper. Top off with fresh parsley.

Find out more at his website: Grace Before Meals. Pin It

Interesting Ember Day Food

In researching the Ember days it was intriguing to find some interesting food connections and old recipes.

Tempura
Fr. Weiser indicates that in the earliest liturgical books the Ember Days are simply called “the fast of the first, fourth, seventh and tenth month” (that is, March, June, September, December following the ancient practice of starting the year in March) . During the sixth century the Latin term Quatuor Tempora (Four Times or Seasons) was introduced, and has remained as the official ecclesiastical name for the Embertides. From the Latin word most European nations coined their popular terms. The Portuguese referred to these days simply as temporas.

Since Quatuor Tempora days were days of fast and abstinence from meat, the Portuguese missionaries and sailors would be practicing that tradition. It is generally regarded that the Portuguese missionaries (sailors and traders are sometimes mentioned) introduced the practice of deep frying battered fish and vegetables to the Japanese about 400 years ago. Though the Japanese rulers banned Christianity and the Portuguese were expelled (effectively closing Japan to the outside world until the 1850s) tempura had become embedded in Japanese popular cooking.

Tempura Batter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2/3 cup ice water
Oil for deep frying
Your choice of dippers; shrimp, scallops, and vegetables are good.

Sift together the dry ingredients. Beat egg slightly and mix with the water. Add the dry ingredients. Stir only until mixed; mixture will be slightly lumpy. Dip shrimp or vegetables into the batter and deep fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.



Uncooked Foods
The northern Slavs of the Latin Rite call the Embertides Suche dni (”Dry days”) from the ancient custom of eating uncooked food during fasts. A culinary option on these days could be to eat only "dry" or raw foods - like fruits, salads, fresh vegetables or foods that had been pre-prepared like breads and grain dishes. Dairy and egg goods were permitted on fast days days out of Lent at this time so cheeses or hardboard eggs would reflect menu options to consider as well.


Tart in Ymbre Day (From A Continual Feast)
The old English spelling was Ymbre Day

This tart, clearly a forerunner of our quiche, is delicious and perhaps rather more in the spirit of abstinence than the preceding dish. The recipe is adapted from a fourteenth-century cookbook called Forme of Cury, or way of cookery.

Preheat the oven to 350.

2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons fresh breadcrumbs
4 eggs, lightly beaten
pinch of saffron
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon sugar
pinch each of: mace (or nutmeg), allspice, cinnamon
3 tablespoons dried currants
1 nine inch pie crust, partially pre-baked

Melt the butter in the skillet and cook the onion until soft and transparent. Combine the crumbs in a bowl with the eggs, saffron, salt, sugar, spices, and currants. Add the onion and butter, and stir until the mixture is well blended. Pour into the pie crust and bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown; a knife inserted in the center should come out clean. As the Forme of Cury invites: "Serve it forth." Yields about 6 servings

Here is a similar online version -Tart in Ymbre Day (From Boke of Gode Cookery Recipes) Pin It

Ember Days and Autumnal Fasting

The post that follows was written by Jennifer at Wildflowers and Marbles and submitted to Catholic Cuisine for publication. Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing your plans for this week's Embertide and giving readers a glimpse into your efforts to weave these days so meaningfully into your hearth and home.

The autumnal Ember days are September 24, 26, 28 - that is Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. They are days of abstinence and fasting. Specifically...

**Ember Wednesday is a day of partial abstinence and fast - one full meal which may contain meat with the two other meals of the day small and together not equaling one full meal.

**Ember Friday is a day of full abstinence and fast - one full meal with the other two meals of the day small and together not equaling one full meal. No meat offered on this day.

**Ember Saturday is a day of partial abstinence and fast again.

For more reading on Ember days check here at my blog, or check out the many very helpful sources found on Family in Feast and Feria.

My children enjoy participating in these penitential times. While I certainly do not require them to participate in a fast, I like to offer foods that allow for the entire family to offer penitential acts of fasting and abstinence while providing for the high calorie, high energy needs of the children.

In as much as I considered carefully the spiritual focus of our days during the Embertide, and the seasonal preparations to be made in and around the home, I also considered the meals to be offered. I am coming to appreciate more and more the central role that my offerings in the kitchen - the heart of the home - impact our focus and recollection for the liturgical year. Meals are a time of re-connection for the family - when we come together again after our individual efforts throughout the day. They are a source of nourishment and of connection with the day. It makes sense then to connect them to the liturgical rhythm, to connect them to the rhythm of days set for us by Holy Mother Church.

I consider the tone of the days when I consider the menu - for Embertide, the tone is penitential, but also one of thanksgiving for the harvest, one of thanksgiving for the seasonal bounties gifted us by God. I took this into consideration when planning the meals. I wanted my menu to reflect a simple sparseness that allowed the family (including the younger children) to still feel like they were included in the family fast and abstinence while still offering enough calories and heartiness for them to function. This week's menu was really a labor of love. I focused on simplicity of ingredients, and nothing that spoke of richness while keeping in mind the seasonal bounties.

These are our family plans for observing the upcoming autumnal Ember Days:
My offerings for Wednesday:

**Breakfast - oatmeal blueberry muffins, water (orange juice for little people)
**Lunch - turkey slices rolled in whole wheat tortillas with cheese, water
**Dinner - Vegetable and Bean Soup, sliced whole wheat bread, water
+ Thanks offered for the harvest of oats, wheat, blueberries

My offerings for Friday:

**Breakfast - Skillet toast (buttered whole wheat bread toasted on cast iron skillet) with cheddar cheese (sort of like an open faced grilled cheese sandwich), water (orange juice for littles)
**Lunch - Baked sweet potatoes with butter and cinnamon, water
**Dinner - Meatless spinach pie/quiche, wheat bread, water
+ Thanks offered for the harvest of wheat and vegetables and for the humble chicken

My offerings for Saturday:

**Breakfast - English muffin with fried egg and slice of cheese, water, (orange juice for littles)
**Lunch - Small cup of leftover veggie and bean soup, water
**Dinner - *Considering that we are allowed to eat meat for one meal on this day, and considering this is the night of our bonfire I am opting for roasted hot dogs, pickles and chips tonight.
+ Thanks offered for the past season's harvest as well as asking God to bless and abudantly provide for a rich harvest of grapes for the vintage (Autumn is the traditional season to ask God's blessing for the vintage and the grape).

Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

2 cups oats
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup white flour
1 cup wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter - melted or extremely soft
2 cups fresh blueberries
In medium bowl combine oats, milk, and lemon juice - let stand while you prepare the other ingredients.

In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, soda, and brown sugar. Add eggs and butter to the oat and sour milk mixture, mix well. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, mix carefully just until combined. Gently fold in blueberries.

Fill greased muffin tins 3/4 full and bake at 400 degrees for 15 -20 minutes.

These are delicious anytime of the day and because of the whole grains are quite filling. Eat them warm!!!

Mom's Vegetable Bean Soup

1 medium onion chopped
2 - 3 cloves garlic minced
butter or olive oil for sauteeing onion and garlic
1 box of chicken stock
3 -4 good size carrots cut up and cooked to soft
1 bag of frozen sweet corn
1 can of beans (pinto or white beans will do)
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 package of frozen chopped spinach - thawed
basil - to taste
1 cup macaroni noodles

Saute onions in butter or olive oil. Add garlic. To a large stock pot add all other ingredients except for spinach. Cook for about 20 minutes then add spinach, turn off heat. Let sit about 10 minutes. You may have to add some water to suit your family's preference for soupiness - chunky or soupy :).

This can be prepared in the morning and allowed to simmer during the day - but expect to add more water as the macaroni absorb a lot of the liquid if allowed to sit all day. It's a very forgiving recipe - if all your liquid disappears, just add more water or stock to your taste. This recipe was written for the cold weather months so it assumes many vegetables have been canned or set aside. Because so many of the vegetables used in this recipe are readily available at Farmer's Markets or from your own garden - choose fresh as much as possible!!!

Spinach Pie

2 boxes of Pillsbury frozen pie shells (in the refrig section)
2 pkgs. frozen spinach - thawed and squeezed to remove excess water
1 lg container ricotta cheese
2 cups fresh grated parmesan
1 large onion - chopped and sauteed in olive oil
3 eggs

You'll need 2 9inch pie dishes. Press a pie shell into the bottom and sides of each pie dish.

Mix spinach, ricotta, onion, eggs, and cheeses in large bowl. Divide in half and split between the two pie dishes. Cover with remaining two pie shells. Trim edges and slit top for venting. Brush with egg if desired. Bake at 400 for 45 minutes.

We love embellishing the top pastry shells of these pies with decorative vents that bespeak the feast or feria we are embracing - so for this evening we might use a small paring knife to etch the initials of our Lord into the pie shell, or if we're ambitious a group of grapes. If nothing else, we etch the Cross into the shell of the pie. Pin It

Ember Days

This week on Wednesday (September 24), Friday (September 26), and Saturday (September 27) we observe the Ember Days of Autumn - referred to as the Michaelmas Embertide. The Embertide are days of fasting to sanctify the season. Jennifer at Wildflowers and Marbles has written a very thorough post which details the history and meaning behind Ember Days in the Catholic Church. It includes quite a compilation of resources to check out as well. One specific resource I found fascinating is the chapter on Ember Days and Rogation Days from Fr. F. X. Weiser's Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs which Jenn has graciously made available on line at Feast and Feria. In addition to that chapter there are many other Ember Day resources there.

A Continual Feast provides a brief explanation of Ember Days:

Ember Days occur in the Catholic tradition four times a year, at the beginning of each of the four seasons of the year. (The word "Ember" apparently derives from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning "circuit".) They are the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday following the Feast of St. Lucy (for winter); following the first Sunday of Lent (for spring); following Pentecost (for summer); and following the Feast of the Holy Cross (for fall).

These three days are set apart for some degree of fasting or abstinence from meat, and for prayer, to sanctify each of the seasons. Ember days have been observed since ancient times; we know they were already customary of the time of St. Augustine (AD 354-430), and it is said that they go back to the time of the Apostles. They may well in fact derive from the Jewish tradition, in which there were four yearly fast periods.

With the revision of the liturgical calendar in 1969, the Vatican left the celebration of Ember Days up to the discretion of each national conference of bishops. They're commonly celebrated in Europe, particularly in rural areas. In the United States, the bishops' conference has decided not to celebrate them, but individual Catholics can and many still do, because it's a nice way to focus our minds on the changing of the liturgical seasons and the seasons of the year.

Because the observance of the Ember Days is not as universal as it once was, we wanted to take some time this week to share ideas for these seasonal days of our liturgical year and help you become more familiar with incorporating them into your home. Watch for additional Ember Day posts this week which will look at food customs, the fasting and abstinence guidelines, and some sample menus.

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