King St. Louis IX, French Food, & Hospitality

King St. Louis, Feast Day: August 25

St. Louis, king of France from to 1236-1270, was known for his generosity and hospitality. Every day King Louis had 13 special guests from among the poor to eat with him, and a large number of poor were served meals near his palace. During Advent and Lent, all who presented themselves were given a meal, and Louis often served them in person. To remember King St. Louis of France on his feast day let us recall his hospitality with a French dish.   Ratatouille is a hearty French dish and the vegetable ingredients are abundant now in late summer.  It seems a fitting dish to prepare in honor of King St. Louis and experience a little French cuisine.  And in the spirit of King St. Louis, invite some guests to share the meal with you. 

Easy French Ratatouille

Makes 4-6 servings

1 large eggplant
1 medium yellow onions
2 medium bell peppers
3-4 medium zucchini
2 large tomatoes
1 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs thyme
1/8 cup loosely packed basil, sliced into ribbons
Salt and pepper

Peel the eggplant (if desired) and chop into bite-sized cubes. Transfer them to a strainer set over a bowl and toss with a tablespoon of salt. Let the eggplant sit while preparing other  ingredents. Dice the onions and chop the peppers, zucchinis, and tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Mince garlic. Veggies will be cooked in batches. 

Warm a teaspoon of olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and salt to taste. Sauté until the onions have softened and are just beginning to brown, (approx. 10 minutes). Add the peppers and continue cooking until the peppers have softened (approx. 5 minutes). Transfer the onions and peppers to a clean bowl.

Add another teaspoon of oil to the pot and sauté the zucchini with a generous pinch of salt until the zucchini has softened and is beginning to brown (approx. 5 minutes). Transfer the zucchini to the bowl with the onions and peppers.

Rinse the eggplant under running water and squeeze the cubes gently with hands to remove as much moisture as possible. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to pan and sauté the eggplant until it has softened and has begun to turn translucent (approx. 10 minutes). Transfer the eggplant to the bowl with the other vegetables.

During cooking, a brown glaze will build on the bottom of the pan. If it looks like this glaze is starting to blacken, turn down the heat. To dissolve the glaze between batches add 1/4 cup of water or wine into the pan and scraping up the glaze. Pour the deglazing liquid into the bowl with the vegetables.

Finally add 1 teaspoon of olive oil in the pan and sauté the minced garlic until starting to turn golden. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, and sprigs of thyme. As the tomato juice bubbles, scrape up the brown glaze on the bottom of the pan.

Add all of the vegetables back into the pan and stir until everything is evenly mixed. Bring the stew to a simmer, then turn down the heat to low. Stirring occasionally, simmer for at least 20 minutes or up to 90 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Just before taking the ratatouille off the heat, stir in the basil.   Bon appetit!

St. Louis, Pray for us!

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Chicken Tikka Masala for Epiphany

Behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him."  

Matthew 2:1-2

January 6th is the traditional feast of Epiphany! To celebrate I decide to serve an Eastern dinner of Chicken Tikka Masala, Basmati Rice with Fresh Cilantro, and Naan recalling the "wise men from the East!" This was the first time I've made Chicken Tikka Masala and I most definitely will not be waiting another year to make it again. It turned out amazing!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

adapted from thekitchn

Ingredients: 

• 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 2 onions, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced 
• 2-inch piece whole ginger, peeled and grated
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 to 3 tablespoons garam masala
• 4 teaspoons paprika
• 4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 4 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 can coconut cream
• Fresh cilantro, chopped
• Basmati rice, cooked 

Directions: 

Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces and transfer them to a 6-quart slow cooker.

Sauté the onions and garlic in a skillet with a little coconut oil over medium-high until softened, then stir in the tomato paste, grated ginger, paprika, salt, and 2 tablespoons of garam masala until fragrant. 

Transfer to the slow cooker. Stir in the diced tomatoes (with their juices) and mix until the chicken is evenly covered with spices.

Cover the slow cooker and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. 

Fifteen minutes before the end of cooking, stir in the coconut milk. If you prefer a thicker sauce, leave the slow cooker uncovered for the last 15 minutes. 

Taste and add more garam masala or salt if needed. Serve over rice with fresh cilantro sprinkled over the top of each serving. 

Serves 8 to 12

Note: The Chicken Tikka Masala can be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days or frozen for 3 to 4 months.

The beautiful Silent Night Table Runner can be found here. 

Happy Epiphany! 

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A Polish Feast for Saint John Paul II

This post was written by Catholic Cuisine contributor, Charlotte from Waltzing Matilda. 

Today is the feast day of the newly canonized Pope Saint John Paul II and my youngest daughter's baptismal anniversary so we want to celebrate in a big way with a Polish feast. I plan on making Polish Meat and Potatoes for dinner, a combination of cabbage and kielbasa served over garlic mashed potatoes and Piernik for dessert. I will post pictures when I take them later, but for now, here are the recipes to get you started: (Updated… pictures of our feast!)

Polish Meat and Potatoes
1 Tbl. olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
4-5 cups of cabbage leaves, chopped
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional… I leave it out or let people add it to their serving)
1 pkg. kielbasa, cut into rounds
3-4 green onions (opt.)
And supplies to make your usual mashed potatoes...

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add kielbasa slices and cook for about 10-15 minutes. I like to see a little crust show up in the sides of the sausage. Add garlic and cook for just another 30 seconds until the garlic is fragrant, but not burned. Add cabbage and green onions and stir frequently for the next 10 minutes until cooked. We like our cabbage lightly sautéed but if you like yours more well done, cook it longer, just keep stirring so the garlic doesn't  burn. Add pepper (and salt) to taste.

I serve this over regular mashed potatoes seasoned with garlic salt.

For dessert, I am making Piernik (Polish Honey Bread). It's baking in the oven right now and smells amazing! In fact, my 10 year old son just walked into the kitchen saying, "Mmmmmmm…. what is that smell?"

Piernik

1 C. sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves (I substituted nutmeg)
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
4 eggs
1/2 C. milk
1/2 C. vegetable oil
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 C. honey
4 C. all purpose flour
1/2 C. raisins (optional… my kids don't like them)
1/2 C. walnuts (optional… my husband can't eat them so I didn't add them)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a bunt pan. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, spices and eggs. Add in the milk, oil, baking powder and baking soda. In a small pot, heat the honey to boiling and then add to mixture. Mix in the flour and stir until blended well. Fold in the raisins and walnuts if you'd like them. Pour into pan and bake for about an hour until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool on a rack and turn out after 20 minutes. Dust top with powdered sugar.

I only had a little honey so I made a half batch, that's why my bread is shorter.

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Lenten Fish Dinner: Tilapia, Spinach, and Couscous

The following Lenten dinner was submitted by Eliana Murphy. Thank you Eliana!

This healthy dinner works well for any day requiring abstinence from meat, so for those Catholics who observe abstinence on all Fridays of the year, instead of offering a substitute sacrifice, it does not have to be used only during Lent.  It could be served with a green salad, and afterwards, grapes could be served.

Baked Tilapia

2 lbs. of thawed tilapia, basa swai, cod, or other white fish fillets
McCormick California Style Coarse Grind Lemon-Pepper Blend (This type of lemon-pepper does not have artificial coloring and preservatives, unlike other lemon pepper blends.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse fish fillets and arrange in metal or glass rectangular baking dish. Add enough water to lightly cover the bottom of the pan (but not enough to drown the fillets!). Sprinkle with McCormick California Style Coarse Grind Lemon-Pepper Blend. Cover pan with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes.


Fresh Garlic Spinach

1/2 or 1 head of garlic
2 bunches of fresh spinach leaves* (if you are short on time you may use 2 large bags of pre-washed baby spinach)
Olive oil

Peel garlic cloves. Rinse spinach very carefully to remove dirt and gravel if not already pre-rinsed. Use a large covered pot (7-10 qt) to cook this dish because the spinach leaves take up a lot of space until they cook down. Pour enough olive oil into the pot to cover the bottom, and add the garlic cloves. Saute for a few minutes on medium-high, then add the spinach leaves and a tiny amount of water, cover the pot, and cook until the spinach is wet and tender (approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally). If you are cooking a larger amount, you may have to add the spinach in batches and allow it to cook down before adding more.


Vegetable Couscous

5 or more garlic cloves
1 onion
2 zucchini
1/2 cup or 1 cup of sliced carrots (carrot chips, shredded carrots, or sliced baby carrots also work)
Olive oil
2 cups pearl couscous (you can also use regular couscous, but the water proportion and cook time is different from pearl couscous.)
4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste

Peel and slice the garlic and onion. Slice the zuccini (I prefer to slice the zucchini in half lengthwise, then slice horizontally to get smaller pieces) and the carrots. Pour enough olive oil into a 4 1/2 qt pot to cover the bottom. Saute the garlic, onion, carrots, and zuchini for five minutes over medium-high heat. Add the couscous and saute a few minutes more (add more olive oil if necessary to prevent sticking). Add the 4 cups of water, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and cover and simmer until couscous is fluffy and the water is all absorbed, about 15 minutes. If you wish to have a greater proportion of couscous to vegetables, use 2 1/2 cups of couscous and five cups of water. For a quick version, substitute garlic and onion powder to taste for the fresh garlic and onion.

 For the sake of His sorrowful passion, 

have mercy on us and on the whole world.

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A St. Valentine's Day Dinner

The following meal suggestion for a St. Valentine's Day dinner was submitted by Eliana Murphy.  Thank you Eliana! 

I found this recipe for a heart-shaped meatloaf back in the mid-90's and thought it would make a charming St. Valentine's Day meal. Together with the salad and some steamed veggies, it could form a wonderful part of St. Valentine's feast! The pictures are from when I prepared it six years ago for some friends at my grad school apartment.

Strawberry Hearts Salad

In keeping with the heart theme, I would suggest making a strawberry spinach salad with fresh baby spinach leaves and sliced strawberries. Other topping suggestions include gorgonzola, brie, almonds, carmelized pecans or red onion. My family normally just buys a berry dressing at the store, but if you feel like making your own, many cooking sites such as this one offer homemade dressing recipes for strawberry-spinach salad.

A Heart-Shaped St. Valentine's Meatloaf

This meatloaf has a nice Italian flavor to it and is an easy dinner for St. Valentines Day that the kids can help to make! Just make sure those little helpers wash their hands well before and after mixing the meatloaf...  The recipe is adapted from Mom's Magic Meatloaf from the Sunset Magazine Low Cholesterol Cookbook.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fine dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon dry basil
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 4 egg whites
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 2 cans (8 oz. each) tomato sauce
• 2 pounds ground lean top round
• 3 pounds thin-skinned potatoes (each about 3 inches in diameter)
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, cheese, basil, pepper, egg whites, garlic, and 1 cup of the tomato sauce. Add beef and mix lightly. In a rimmed shallow baking pan (about 10 inches in diameter), shape mixture into a 2-inch-thick heart. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven; carefully drain fat from pan, then top loaf with remaining tomato sauce. Bake for 15 more minutes.

While meatloaf is baking, place potatoes in a 3 to 4-quart pan and add water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat; then reduce heat, cover, and boil gently until potatoes are tender when pierced (about 20 minutes). Drain and peel. Mash with a potato masher or electric mixer until smooth; slowly beat in milk. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer meat loaf to serving plate. With a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip, pipe potatoes around meat loaf. (Or simply spoon potatoes around loaf.) Makes 8 servings.

This meatloaf goes well with steamed vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, California blend, frozen artichoke hearts(!), etc.

Heart Shaped Cookies

A nice dessert for this meal would be heart-shaped Linzer cookies!  I made these a couple of years ago but unfortunately cannot find any pictures from that time to share.

Prayer to Saint Valentine

Dear Lord, who art high in the Heavens, giver of Love and Passion, and He who strings the heart’s cords, lead the Lovers this day, February ten plus four. The day during the month of two, when the date is the perfect number of God greater two souls and two hearts. Some Loves are fleeting, but that which is built on you will never fail. So guide the Lovers to know what is to be. Your truths the Lovers’ mouths should speak, for Your truth is that which is honest to the heart. Only this, then, should pass over the red lips of the Lovers. Your art, the Lovers simply a medium. It is only with True Hearts that You can create a Masterpiece, So let the Lovers remember that their Soul’s Desire is the one for which You light their Fire. And let it be You who creates the Art of the Lovers; The art of two into one. Amen.

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Hawaiian Teriyaki Burgers

Tomorrow, along with Kateri Tekakwitha, Mother Marianne Cope will be canonized a saint!  Inspired by Sarah, I've decided to serve a Hawaiian themed dinner in her honor, to go along with St. Kateri's Indian Corn Cookies.  Last March, as part of my daughters State-by-State Study, we made Teriyaki Burgers using a recipe from Bless Us O Lord.   They will be perfect!

"In 1883 Mother Marianne Cope and five other sisters volunteered to travel to Hawaii to work with people afflicted with Hansen's disease. The disease, then known as leprosy, was so feared they were the only religious congregation to respond to a request for help. Mother Marianne wrote "I am not afraid of any disease." To this day none of the sisters has gotten sick."

Mother Marianne Cope 1838-1918 • Memorial Feast: January 23rd

Canonized a Saint October 21, 2012

Hawaiian Teriyaki Burgers

Ingredients:

8 - 1/3 pound frozen hamburger patties

Marinade:
1-3/4 c. water
1 c. soy sauce
1 c. light brown sugar
1/2 t. onion powder (we substituted 1/2 tbs. onion flakes)
1/2 t. garlic powder

8 canned pineapple slices
8 slices cheddar cheese
8 sesame seed hamburger buns
mayonnaise
8 tomato slices
8 iceberg lettuce leaves

Directions:

Begin by preparing the marinade and defrosting the hamburger patties.

Combine all marinade ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, or until sauce thickens. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Place burgers in a baking dish or a large storage container. Baste with marinade; flip and baste the other side (be sure to reserve some marinade for the pineapple slices). Cover container and refrigerate 4-12 hours. Place pineapple slices in a separate container with the remaining marinade, cover and chill.

Preheat grill to medium heat. Cook hamburgers 3 to 5 minutes per side, or to desired doneness. When you flip the burgers, add the pineapple to grill and cook until the grill marks show, turning once. About 1 minute before the burgers are done, place a slice of cheese on top of each patty to melt.

Spread mayonnaise on the top and bottom of each bun.

Place hamburger patty on bottom bun and top with a tomato slice and a grilled pineapple slice on each. Cover with a lettuce leaf and place top bun on sandwich. Enjoy!

Mother Marianne, pray for us! 

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Poulet à Sainte-Ménehould (St. Ménehould Chicken)

This recipe, adapted from Cooking with the Saints, was submitted by Hi Cookery in honor of today's feast of St. Ménehould!

October 14: Feast Day of St. Ménehould (Manechildis)

We have had ham hocks and pig’s feet before. So we would not mind if we prepared pied de cochon as St. Ménehould’s feast day food. But because some ingredients are not readily available at our grocery store, we prepared poulet (chicken) instead. The dish could also be made with eel, salmon, lamb or turkey but trotters are traditional. Pied de cochon is the local specialty in the northeastern French town that bears the saint’s name, Ste-Ménehould. Whatever meat is chosen for their patroness, the preparation for this saint’s day dish is similar: braising then broiling. This is a flavorful feast day food so try it and make it in memory of St. Ménehould.

Recipe

(Adapted from Cooking With the Saints by Ernst Scheugraf)

Ingredients

• 3 pounds chicken (we used thighs), boneless or bone-in
• ½ cup white wine
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, cut into pieces
• 1-2 tablespoons onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon chives, chopped
• ½ teaspoon thyme
• ¼ teaspoon basil
• 1 clove
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 egg yolks, beaten
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• ½ cup butter, melted
• 1-2 tablespoons cream

Directions

In a baking pan with lid, pour the wine. Add the butter, onion, garlic, chives, thyme, basil, clove, salt, pepper and bay leaf and mix well. Place the chicken on top. Cover with the lid and simmer in a preheated oven at 300 degrees F for 45-minutes to an hour until the chicken is cooked through. Baste the chicken with the liquid every 15 minutes. When the chicken is done, remove from the oven and reserve the liquid.

Transfer the chicken to a plate and brush beaten egg yolks all over it. Dredge the chicken in bread crumbs. Place in a baking pan over the melted butter. Broil it until the chicken is browned (or bake the chicken on the top rack at 425 degrees F for 10 minutes), being careful not to burn the bread crumb coating.

While the chicken is broiling/baking, transfer the reserved liquid to a saucepan. Simmer to thicken it slightly. Stir in the cream and mix well. Strain the gravy into a serving boat. Plate the chicken and serve the gravy along side of it. Garnish with fresh parsely leaves, if desired.

Notes

• Not much is known about St. Ménehould except that she was a fifth century nun who, along with her sisters (also saints), are venerated in the Champagne region of France. They were the daughters of Count Sigmar of Perthois. Although they grew up wealthy, they dedicated themselves to serve and live among the poor and sick near the Marne river.
• We halved the original recipe above to feed just the two of us at home. Serve with slices of French bread or baguette, potatoes and a side of salad, if desired.

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Crock Pot Pineapple Curry Chicken

 

For the Feast of  Blessed Mother Teresa on September 5th, we honored her and her work with the poor in India with this curry dish. It is very easy and takes very little time away from your little ones. It's also a great dish to have children help make because it is so simple. On her feast day I usually read Blessed Mother Teresa's speech for Nobel Peace Prize. It is filled with such beautiful words.

"Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do, 

but how much love we put in the action that we do. 

It is to God Almighty - how much we do it does not matter, 

because He is infinite, but how much love we put in that action. 

How much we do to Him in the person that we are serving."

Blessed Mother Teresa

Crock Pot Pineapple Curry Chicken

Ingredients:

4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or as many as your family needs)
2 white or sweet onions, halved and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon of the jarred minced garlic
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Coarse salt
1 package steam bag peas
1 can of pineapple chunks in its own unsweetened juice
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup toasted cashews or peanuts (I actually didn't use these, but I imagine they would be delicious)
large package of yellow saffron rice (prepare as directed on package)
Directions

In a 5-quart slow cooker, toss chicken, onion, pineapples and juice, garlic, ginger, curry powder, coriander, and cumin to coat. Season with 2 teaspoons salt. Cover, cook until chicken is fork-tender, about 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low (do not uncover while cooking).

Microwave steam bag of peas as directed on package.  Stir in coconut milk and peas; cover, cook until heated through, about 20 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a large bowl; shred with fork. Return to pot;  toss with sauce.

Prepare yellow saffron rice per package instructions.

To serve, spoon rice onto serving dish. Spoon chicken and sauce mixture on top of rice. Garnish with 1/2 cup toasted cashews or peanuts if desired.

Blessed Mother Teresa, Pray for Us. 

"There is a terrible hunger for love. 

We all experience that in our lives - the pain, the loneliness. 

We must have the courage to recognize it. 

The poor you may have right in your own family. 

Find them.

Love them." 

Blessed Mother Teresa

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Poulet Roti aux Legumes for a French Saint

To celebrate the Feast of Saint Therese of Lisieux on October 1st, we cooked our easy version of the French classic Poulet Roti aux Legumes (Roast Chicken with Vegetables). Some version of this one pan dish is probably something Saint Therese ate regularly living in France. Traditionally, this dish is cooked with a whole chicken but for our family we find it easier to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Poulet Roti aux Legumes

Ingredients

• 4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
• 5-7 potatoes, cubed or whole small potatoes 
• 2 large sweet yellow or white onions, cut into 1/2-inch wedges 
• 1 bag baby carrots 
• 8 garlic cloves, crushed 
• 1-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 
• few sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary, crumbled 
• fresh or dried thyme to taste 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the vegetables and oil in a roasting pan; season with salt and pepper, rosemary and thyme and toss to coat. Roast until the vegetables are beginning to soften and are heated through, about 30-45 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, rub the chicken breasts with olive oil, rosemary, thyme and some salt and pepper. 
3. Remove the roasting pan from the oven, and place the chicken, skin side up, on top of the vegetables. 
4. Return to the oven; continue roasting until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender, about 35 minutes. 

Saint Therese of Lisieux, Pray for Us!

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San Francisco Pork Chops

The following recipe for San Francisco Pork Chops was submitted by Susan Husband, from Sole Searching, in honor of the upcoming feast of St. Francis of Assisi.  Thank you Susan! 

SAN FRANCISCO PORK CHOPS

6 1" thick pork loin chops (sprinkle both sides with salt, pepper and onion powder)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sherry cooking wine (or you may use red wine or chicken broth)
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water

In a large skillet heat the vegetable oil and brown the seasoned pork loin chops on both sides, and transfer to a slow cooker set on low. Reduce the skillet heat to low, and add the garlic to the pan drippings. Stir for 1 minute or until the garlic is golden. Add soy sauce, wine or broth, brown sugar and red pepper flakes, and continue to stir until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the skillet mixture over the pork, coating well. Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours. (If I'm home, I like to baste the meat a few times during the day to keep the chops moist.)

About 30-45 minutes before you are ready to serve: Remove the chops from the slow cooker and place on a platter, then cover with foil. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water until smooth. At this point, if you like a smooth gravy/sauce, you can strain out the bits of meat in the liquid. Then, add the cornstarch and water mixture gradually to the liquid, stirring well. If you plan to serve the gravy separate, keep foil wrapped meat warm in a low temp oven while the sauce thickens in the crock-pot. Otherwise, place the chops back into the crock-pot and continue to cook for 30-45 minutes until the sauce is thickened. If it is too thick, don't panic! You can thin it down with a bit of chicken broth or water, until the right consistency is reached.

Serve over mashed potatoes with a side of green beans or asparagus. Delish!

Note: A little Catholic Geography over supper - talk about cities in the United States that are named after Saints (San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, San Antonio, St. Paul, St. Louis, etc.). San Francisco is named after St. Francis of Assisi!

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Émincé de Veau St. Moritz (Curried Veal St. Moritz)

This recipe, adapted from Cooking with the Saints, was submitted by Hi Cookery in honor of today's feast of St. Maurice!

September 22: Feast Day of St. Maurice

During a tour of the Cathedral of Sts. Catherine and Maurice in Magdeburg, Germany, Islander and her friends Lisa and John L. noticed a rare dark, stocky statue that stood out from among the other Anglo-Saxon images in the church. It was of St. Maurice himself, a Christian knight from North Africa, and the statue is reputed to be the earliest icon of him in existence (circa 1240 A.D.). According to Wikipedia, “The Cathedral of Magdeburg is the first and oldest standing temple honoring the life of St. Maurice. When the new cathedral was built under Archbishop Albert II of Käfernberg (served 1205-32), the relic said to be the head of Maurice was procured from the Holy Land.”

We are glad that there is a display of cultural diversity in the church! And Islander feels privileged to have been able to see St. Maurice’s unique statue in Magdeburg, Germany.

In observance of his feast day, we cooked Curried Veal St. Moritz. The author of the cookbook from which we adapted the recipe notes that the dish came from a hotel in St. Moritz, Switzerland, a resort town named after the saint. He wrote: “The chef who originated it presented it as an entry in the Culinary Olympics of 1960. This recipe was so special it was awarded a gold medal.”

Recipe

(Adapted from Cooking with the Saints by Ernst Schuegraf)

Ingredients

• 1 ½ pounds veal scallops
• 1 cup onion, finely chopped
• pinch of garlic salt
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 cups chicken stock
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 tablespoons white wine

Directions

Slice the veal thinly and into bite-sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté in two tablespoons of butter until lightly browned on both sides. Transfer to the bottom of a baking dish with a lid. Next, make the sauce. Sauté the onions in two tablespoons of butter and add a pinch of garlic salt. Stir in the curry powder and corn starch and mix until well blended.

Slowly pour in the chicken stock over the onion mix and stir until slightly thickened. Add salt, pepper and wine to the sauce. Pour over the veal in the baking dish. Cover with the lid and bake in a preheated oven at 325 degrees F for about an hour. Remove from the oven. Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice (optional).

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Chicken San Gennaro

This delicious recipe for Chicken San Gennaro was submitted by Hi Cookery in honor of the feast of St. Januarius, which is celebrated on September 19th.  

September 19: Feast Day of St. Januarius (Gennaro in Italian)

We enjoyed meandering around Manhattan’s Mulberry Street, which is the main thoroughfare of “Little Italy.” On the weekends, when the weather was nice, we would take a 45-minute train ride from New Jersey, where we lived, to New York and explore the ethnic sections of the city. Little Italy was just steps away from Chinatown, so we got to tour (and taste) the best of both worlds!

Little Italy hosts an annual Festa di San Gennaro, an 11-day festival coinciding with the feast day of the patron saint of Naples, in September. The big block party features parades and processions, vendor and games booths, entertainment and food! A sausage sandwich with sweet bell peppers and onions is traditionally sold and served at the festival. But a similar version is made with chicken. We tried the latter at home for a tasty and traditional meal marking the Feast Day of St. Januarius.

Recipe

(Adapted from Cooking With the Saints by Ernst Scheugraf)

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts, skinless and thinly sliced
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 cup onions, sliced
• 1 sweet red bell pepper, sliced
• slices of Italian bread, toasted

Directions

Lightly season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet with a little olive oil and saute the garlic over low heat. Turn up the heat and brown the chicken on both sides. Remove from the skillet and keep warm on a lipped plate. In the same skillet, pour in the white wine, scraping the brown bits. Sprinkle the oregano and basil and boil to make a sauce. Pour over the chicken.

In the same skillet, saute the onions until brown and soft, adding a little olive oil as necessary. Remove from the skillet. Saute the pepper until slightly softened but still crisp. On a plate, lay a few slices of toasted Italian bread. Place a chicken breast on top of one slice. Spoon a little sauce over it. Garnish with a side of onions and peppers. Serve as a sandwich.

Notes

• San Gennaro festivals are held where there are large communities of Italian-Americans, such as New York City, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
• The Feast Day of St. Januarius/Gennaro is celebrated in the West on September 19. But in Naples, the patron saint is fested on December 16 (this was the day in 1631 that Mount Vesuvius could have had a volcanic eruption but Italians believe that he interceded and spared the city).

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Kalbscoteletten à la Saint Cloud (Veal Cutlets St. Cloud)

The following recipe was submitted by Highlander and Islander, from HI Cookery, in honor of today's feast of St. Cloud!  Thank you and happy feast of St. Cloud!

Kalbscoteletten à la Saint Cloud 

 (Veal Cutlets St. Cloud)

Adapted from Cooking With the Saints

For the veal cutlets

• 4 veal cutlets, about 5 ounces each
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 bacon strips

Directions

Tenderize the veal cutlets by pounding them thin with a meat hammer. Season with salt and pepper. In a skillet, melt the butter and brown each side of the veal cutlets but do not cook through. Transfer to a baking dish and top with a bacon strip. Make the gravy.

For the gravy

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup chicken stock
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons sherry

Directions

In the same skillet where the veal cutlets were browned, melt the butter. Stir in the flour. Pour in the chicken stock, scraping the brown bits from the sides. Keep stirring until thick. Season with salt and pepper.

Mix in the sherry. Pour the gravy over the veal cutlets. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until the veal cutlets are cooked through yet tender. Serve the veal cutlets immediately with a side of rice or potatoes, spooning the gravy over them.

Notes

• We halved the original recipe to feed just the two of us. But we followed the original measurements of the gravy because we like sauces with our meats.
• The author suggests inserting small pieces of truffle or a flavorful mushroom into the cutlets for a unique taste. However, truffles are expensive and not readily available in most areas like ours.
• St. Cloud is the patron saint of nail makers in France. So our final food photo above features the large nails that Highlander used to build our backyard deck.

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Baked Rockfish for the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter

This morning as I was meditating on the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, this rockfish recipe came to my mind. It seems so appropriate to make fish today and since the name Peter means "rock" it would be the obvious choice for today. :-)

Ingredients:

5 cups fresh spinach

2 (6 ounce) fillets rockfish

10 cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup vegetable broth

2 tablespoons minced fresh dill

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

salt and ground black pepper to taste

2 lemon slices

2 onion slices

1 teaspoon butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

2. Layer the spinach in the bottom of a 2 quart baking dish. Lay the rockfish atop the spinach. Scatter the tomatoes around the fish. Pour the broth into the dish. Season the fillet with the dill, garlic powder, lemon pepper, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Place the lemon, onion, and butter on the rockfish. Cover the entire dish with aluminum foil.

3. Bake in preheated oven until the fish flakes easily, 20 to 25 minutes.

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St. Hubert, Patron of Hunters, November 3rd

This Halloween/All Saints Day I made costumes that would do double duty. Peter Pan became St. Eustace and Robin Hood became St. Hubert. Both saints and have similar legends of converting after seeing a stag with a cross in its antlers while hunting. They are also patrons of hunters and forest rangers. Then a friend of mine from the Netherlands mentioned St. Hubert's feast is November 3rd, and there is a special bread attached to this day. I hadn't heard of this before, so I did a little sleuthing.

St. Hubert of Liege was born in seventh century in Maastricht, Netherlands, grandson of Charibert, King of Toulouse and Eldest son of Bertrand, Duke of Aquitaine. He was a worldly young man, especially loved to hunt. While hunting on Good Friday, he saw the stag with the cross which called him by name to turn to the Lord. He immediately converted to Christianity. After his wife died, he gave up his nobility and became a priest. He was first elected bishop of Maastricht, and later moved to become the first Bishop of Liege, Belgium.

In addition to being the patron of hunters (especially using hounds), he also is invoked against rabies. His feast day marks the formal opening of the hunting season in Europe.

There is a special Mass for St. Hubert, during which in some places the organ music is replaced with hunting horns, and the hounds, horses, and hunters participate, receiving a blessing. In Belgium there is a blessing of a special bread, St. Hubert's Bread, mastellen. Then it's off to a hunt; in France and Belgium, it's usually a stag hunt.

In parts of France and Belgium there has long been a custom of holding stag hunts on Saint Hubert's Day, and the hunters gather before the chase for Mass and the blessing of men and horses and dogs. After the hunt is over, those taking part gather for a bountiful breakfast consisting of fish, meat, salad, cheese, and dessert. Naturally the meat is venison of some sort, and the salad may well be one of dandelion greens (Feast Day Cookbook by Katherine Burton and Helmut Ripperger).

It seems both the Netherlands and Belgium lay claim to this saint, and both countries have a special ring-shaped bread, shaped similarly like a bagel or donut, with the flavor of cinnamon. This is the bread brought to the Mass for a blessing.

There is an old folk rhyme for the blessed bread:

"I came all the way from Saint Hubert's grave,
Without stick, without staff.
Mad dogs, stand still!
This is Saint Hubert's will."

Sadly, I couldn't find a good recipe that I could translate to American standards. I've had bad luck getting reliable conversions, and the translators aren't ideal. I did find one recipe here, but in Euro measurements.

To one kilogram of flour, add half a litre of milk, 75 g of yeast, 5 grams of cinnamon, 300 g of butter, 20 g of salt and 50 g of sugar. Add the butter, the sugar and the cinnamon at the end of mixing when the dough is nearly fully developed. Leave the dough 30 minutes to prove and then divide in pieces of 55 g. Shape the pieces into round balls and leave to rest for about 15 minutes. Make a ring out of the dough pieces similar to bagels or donuts (in some villages the baker really makes a ring or a hole in the middle of the dough piece while in other villages he will rather make a kind of dimple in the middle of the product). So all those who thought that a ring shaped product was typical American, can forget about it. That kind of shape exists in Belgium since the Middle Ages. People used to take the mastellen to the church so the priest bless could them and they were supposed to be a good remedy against rabies. After proofing they are brushed with egg and baked for about 10 to 12 minutes in a rather hot oven (200°C).

I'd love to track down a usable recipe, so if any reader can share, I'd appreciate it!

While I'm not a hunter, nor do I have much game on my table, there are quite a few people who regularly hunt and incorporate game meats for their families. The options for recipes honoring St. Hubert are quite vast and varied:



Cooking With the Saints by Ernst Schuegraf has several game recipes for this saint:

• Salpicon Saint-Hubert (Ragout à la St. Hubert). Good for leftover game meat of any kind


• Côtes de Chevreuil Saint-Hubert (Venison Cutlets in the Style of St. Hubert)


• Potage Saint-Hubert (Soup St. Hubert)


• Hasenrücken St. Hubertus (Saddle of Hare St. Hubert)


• Petites Terrines de Lièvre Saint-Hubert (Terrine of Hare St. Hubert)


• Wildschweingulasch Sankt Hubertus (Goulash of Wild Boar St. Hubert)


• Frischlingskeulen St. Hubertus (Legs of Young Boar St. Hubert)


• Rehkeule St. Hubertus Mit Ingwer (Leg of Venison with Ginger a la St. Hubert)


• Lepre Alla Sant'Uberto (Hare Casserole with Red Wine)


• Jägerbraten Hubertus (Hunter's Roast St. Hubertus)

There is also an Omelette à la Saint-Hubert that includes game meat.

Or you can give up game and meat for this feast and have the St. Hubert Fish Stew from From a Monastery Kitchen by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette.

Since I don't have game, I think I will make the roast in the style of game:

Jägerbraten Hubertus
Marinade
1 onion, chopped coarsely
1 carrot, sliced finely
8 juniper berries, crushed
4 cups dry red wine
5 peppercorns, crushed
1 bay leaf

Meat
1 1/2 pound beef (topside) or similar game meat
salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons butter
3 strips bacon, lean, well-smoked
1/2 cups sour cream
1 Tablespoon red currant jelly
Mix all the ingredients for the marinade together in a large bowl. Put the meat into it and let it marinate for 24 hours in the refrigerator. Turn meat over a few times while marinating.

Remove meat and dry with a paper towel. Save marinade. Season meat with salt and pepper.

In a heavy casserole with a lid melt the butter and brown the meat thoroughly on all sides. Add 1 cup of the marinade, cover the meat with the bacon and braise in the covered casserole in a hot oven 375 degrees F. for 1 1/2 hours to 1 hour, 40 minutes. During this time turn the meat over a few times and pour extra marinade over it.

When the meat is cooked, put the cooking juices through a sieve or puree them and put in a saucepan over low heat. Season sauce with salt and pepper, add the sour cream and currant jelly.

This is best served with braised red cabbage, steamed apples, and dumplings, spatzle or mashed potatoes.

Think of St. Hubert the next time you have anything to do with hunting! Pin It

Tri-color pasta salad for Trinity Sunday

I came up with this recipe on my way to Mass yesterday morning. I was hoping to add three different kinds of cheeses, but I wasn't able to get the ones my kids liked, so I just bought one kind, although I included three of them in my recipe below.

1 box of tomato, carrot and spinach blend pasta
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 pound of Cheddar cheese, cubed
1/2 pound Jack cheese, cubed
1/2 pound Mozzarella cheese, cubed
1 pound of sliced boneless ham, cubed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Salad Supreme seasoning mix
2 tablesspoons olive oil

Boil the pasta, drain it and drizzle it with olive oil. Put it in the refrigerator to cool. Chop the peppers, cube the ham and cheese and add the remaining ingredients to the pasta salad. Enjoy! Pin It

St John Vianney's Feast Day

Here is our feast for the feastday of St John Vianney and the 150th anniversary of his death and entry into Eternal Life.

We kept the table setting austere, with no table cloth, in keeping with the simple and mortified life of the Cure.

The highlight of the meal was the cake which was quite simple, two cakes - a chocolate mud cake and a white chocolate mud cake, both cut in half hortizonally and then layered making sure the white, iced top was the last layer. Last night I had made the silhouette of The Cure as he was on the last leg of his journey to Ars for the first time. He ran into a local boy and he asked for the way...the famous and beautiful quote goes like this:

"Show me the way to Ars and I'll show you the way to Heaven."

That quote makes me teary, it's touching and profound, this was a priest that would be giving his whole being to saving souls, nothing would be held back.

The silhouette I traced from the photo below. If you click on the image to enlarge it and then save it to your computer, you can print it up to full size on paper, cut out and then trace onto heavier cardboard. I'll keep that silhouette image for next year. On the cake is the quote I mentioned above and further below you will see the quote I printed up and laminated to go on the top of the cake.

We had a lovely discussion time when getting ready to cut the cake as I talked about the image, the quote and then I asked the children why had I layered the cake, dark, light, dark, light? Discussion started. I told them how The Cure had grappled and fought with the devil throughout his priestly life, particularly on the evenings before a 'big fish' were to approach the town. {Big fish was the term The Cure used for describing the soon-to-be converted sinner.}

So the cake is a representation of that constant battle with the iced white cake on top, The Cure being victorious!! In fact the devil once said that if there had been four Cure's at that time in history his dominion on earth would have been conquered.

Click on this image to enlarge if you wish to cut and paste as a template.

Our main meal was symbolic as well. We served homemade Chicken Mustard & Vege Pasties, with a cross on top. Pasties being a French cuisine. Making the casserole filling was easy, I used 2 chicken marylands and diced them up, fried them with two small onions and garlic. Then I added finally diced brocoli and yellow squash {could be any vege} and threw in a bottle of Chicken Mustard sauce and thickened it slightly with arrowroot powder.

Then I made the dough by adding 4 cups of plain flour in a bowl, I rubbed 360 grams {12.7 ounces} of softened butter into the flour and added two egg yolks and 6 Tablespoons of lemon juice {I used lime juice as well when I ran out of lemons} I then kneaded it into a dough and separated it into 8 portions {to feed 8} and rolled them out individually, using a regular eating bowl as the template for cutting out my circles, placed a heaping of casserole in the center and folded the dough over and pressed with my thumb, the edges together and cooked them in a medium oven for a good 30 mins.

Then we had 'Devils on Horseback' with two spiced, port soaked prunes wrapped in bacon, this symbolized The Cure's war against the devil constantly. I fried the bacon and wrapped two prunes in each strip, {you can secure them with toothpicks if you like} I popped them in the oven for 10 mins or so.

Then we had a side serving of boiled potatoes, this being the staple and constant diet of The Cure who mortified himself greatly with denying himself pleasurable food. Beans were an added green to the dish and it was topped with some butter and dried herbs. The meal was delicious but looked simple as you would imagine it would have been like in rural France at The Cure's time.

As we enjoyed our meal we discussed these symbolic elements, the little children were particularly enthralled.

Here is a cross section of our yummy cake.

I've added below, Charlotte's lovely Cure of Ars cake, a beautiful job as always. Charlotte had this to say about her creation:

"One was a white chocolate cake and the other a devil's food mocha cake. The layers were stuck together with a chocolate ganache and the whole thing was glazed with a white chocolate ganache."

I thought that was great too, because the whole cake is covered in white - The Cure is victorious! When the cake is cut and served the life long 'battle' between The Saint and Satan can be seen. Lovely Charlotte!

Happy Feast Day!

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