Penne Pasta "Quills" for the Evangelists

There are hundreds of kinds of Italian pastas, and each one has its own special name.  Each pasta name actually means something which can be really fun and symbolic for making a connection for a creative dish or celebration.

Penne pasta is a tubular shaped pasta with slanted ends. The name means “quills” or “feathers” and is so named because of this shape. We associate quills with feather pens and writing. Many saints who were writers, doctors, evangelists are depicted holding a quill.

Because of its shape, penne complement virtually every sauce and are exceptional when paired with a chunky sauce. Penne pairs nicely with chunky meat, chunky vegetable, cream, or oil based sauces. It is also a good shape to use for baked dishes.

Red is the vestment color used liturgically for the feast of martyrs and also for the evangelists. St. Mark, whose feast is today was both. Making a dish using the "quill" shaped pasta in a creamy sauce with sun-dried tomatoes will include the symbols both of him as a writer of the Gospel represented by the quill shape and as a martyr/evangelist with the red.   While I chose a sun-dried tomato and cream basse option, any of the marinara sauces would be equally fitting for an evangelist. 

Evangelist Feast Days

St. Mark - April 25

St. Luke - October 18

St. Matthew - September 21

St. John - December 27

Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Penne

2 C. dried penne or mini penne pasta
1 T. olive oil
1/2 C. sun-dried tomatoes (chopped)
1/2 C. cream
1/4 C. freshly grated parmesan
1/2 t. garlic powder

Boil pasta. While waiting for pasta to cook, saute sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil for a few minutes. Add cream and mix. Add parmesan and garlic powder. Mix. Drain pasta and pour sauce over warm pasta. Serves 4.


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Apple Slices with Cinnamon - Fall Harvest Treat for Feast Days

Autumn and apples - it is the consummate harvest food. So many delicious varieties. Because apples are harvested in the late summer and fall months and they keep well into the winter, they were a common feast day food inclusion for a number of fall saints. We see apples at Michaelmas (September 29), Martinmas (November 11), and also for this week's feast of St. Charles Borromeo (November 4 on the General Roman Calendar and November 5 on Traditional Calendar). St. Charles is the patron of apple orchards so has a special connection for anything apple in feast day celebrations.  Another saint associated with apples is St. Dorothea (Dorothy) of Caesarea (February 6). She is usually depicted holding a basket of apples and roses for a pious legend associated with her martyrdom and the conversion of one of her persecutors.  And in Eastern rite churches (like Ukrainian Catholic) the Feast of the Transfiguration (August 6, August 19 for Orthodox) is traditionally called Apple Spas. Apples are blessed on that day.  The apple is also symbolic of Christ, the new Adam. When Christ is depicted holding an apple it symbolizes the fruit of salvation (as contrasted with the apple in Adam's hand, meaning sin). 

Simplicity is always helpful to me in feast day ideas and this apple treat is a very easy and healthy snack option. It consists of freshly cut apple slices, sprinkled with cinnamon.  It is delicious and it tastes like a treat but is so easy to make.  I find I prefer a crisp and sweet apple for this treat (Gala, Fuji, Cameo, Honeycrisp, Braeburn). Use as many or as few apples as you need. Since they will be sliced you will only want to make what will be eaten in a fairly short time so they don't brown. 

Core and slice (thinly) the apples. Place in bowl. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon. Mix apples to coat evenly. Add more cinnamon if needed to taste. Serve.  


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Cardinal Sundaes

painting by Francesco Caccianiga

The memorial of St. Charles Borromeo is a very special one at our house. My husband and two oldest sons are alumni of our all-boys Catholic prep school named after St. Charles, and my youngest son is a student now. We always attend the feast day Mass celebrated by our bishop and it is a wonderful event which we look forward to annually. Saint Charles is the patron of seminarians, so remember to pray to him for your favorite seminarians, and even your own young men for which you might be praying for a vocation.

Tonight we celebrated the feast with a special ending to dinner. A simple dish, but one to remember for its connection to this great saint. It would, of course, be great for any of our great saints, who happened to be cardinals.

Cardinal Sundaes

serves 6-8

2 cups frozen red berries -- a mix or just one (I used 1 cup raspberries and 1 cup strawberries)

1/2 cup sugar

1 T. cornstarch

1/2 cup water

2 quarts strawberry ice cream

In a small saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch. Add water slowly to incorporate. Place saucepan over medium heat and stir until mixture bubbles and sugar completely melts. Mixture should thicken slightly. Meanwhile, microwave berries for about 2 minutes until they soften up (alternately you could let them sit at room temp until soft). 

When sugar has melted add berries and cook until berries are cooked and mixture is thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and pour mixture into a blender or food processor (alternately you could leave mixture chunky). Process briefly just until mixture is smooth. You can strain mixture at this point to remove seeds, but we don't mind them.

Let mixture cool to room temp. (As an alternative to making the sauce, you could use a strawberry or raspberry jam, heating it until it is saucy.)

Place a few tablespoons of sauce in a pretty bowl or dish. Place a large scoop of strawberry ice cream on top and spoon another tablespoon of sauce on top. Serve immediately.

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Italian Fare for Feast of Mother Cabrini

One the aspects of celebrating the liturgical year that we really enjoy is having an opportunity to experience some cultural variety by incorporating ethnic foods into a meal. St. Frances Xavier Cabrini's feast day is celebrated in the US on November 13. Though she ministered in the United State as a missionary sister to the Italian immigrants, St. Frances Cabrini, was born in Lombardy Italy. So her roots are in Italy where she was born, particularly the town of Sant'Angelo Lodigiano in Lombardy.

This northern area of Italy is known for rustic cuisine characterized by less use of olive oil, pasta and tomato sauce and more use of butter, rice, corn (for polenta) and cheeses for cream sauces. For Mother Cabrini's feast day we are going to be trying a little regional fare.

Asparagi al forno
1 lb. asparagus
Salt and pepper
3 T. butter
1/2 C. freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Clean asparagus, trimming off the woody ends if necessary. Place in a pan of lightly salted boiling water. Cook for 8 minutes over a medium heat. Drain and place the asparagus in a buttered baking dish. Add pinch of salt and black pepper. Drizzle melted butter over the top and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake in preheated oven (350 degrees) for 6-7 minutes, until golden.

Polenta
2 C. medium grind polenta/cornmeal
6 C. water (or light chicken stock)
salt

This dish is mainly associated with northern Italy and is a beloved element of the now celebrated “cucina povera” - meaning the “humble food” of Italian cuisine. Bring salted water to boil in large pot. Add cornmeal by sprinkling it by hand over water in pot. Stir constantly with whisk. Reduce heat. Continue stirring with wooden spoon. Cook for 40-45 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent lumps. Serve hot with ladle or turn onto wooden board and cool. Then cut into slices or squares and serve. Can be made in varying amounts, just keep the ratio of 1 part polenta to 3 parts water. Can be served plain with butter or topped with any pasta/tomato sauce, mushrooms, etc.

Chicken Breasts Lombardi
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, quartered
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6-8 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
3/4 C Marsala wine (substitute 1/4 grape juice, 1 t. brandy for each 1/4 C. Marsala)
3/4 C.chicken stock
1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Flatten chicken breasts to 1/8-inch thickness. Dredge pieces lightly in flour. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large skillet. Place several pieces of chicken in the pan, careflul not to crowd. Cook approximately 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown. When browned, place chicken in a lightly greased 13 x 9 inch pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Repeat browning with remaining chicken, adding butter each time. Reserve drippings. Saute mushrooms in the same pan with 2 additional tablespoons butter. Stir wine and chicken stock into the pan, scraping to deglaze the pan, and cook for about 10 minutes until sauce is reduced by 1/3. Spoon sauce over chicken. Combine cheeses and sprinkle over chicken. Bake for 10 -15 minutes. Pin It