St Isidore the Farmer & Gazpacho

May 15—The Feast of St. Isidore the Farmer

Born in the 11th century, St. Isidore grew up in the countryside of Spain, just outside Madrid. When he was still very young, he went to work on the farm of a local landowner.  Isidore spent his days behind the plow in prayer, offering up his work for those who needed someone to pray for them, especially the poor. Through his work, he met and married the now Blessed Maria Torribia. St. Isidore would draw the ire of his fellow farmhands as he was frequently late to work after spending extra time praying in the churches of Madrid after Mass. St. Isidore died on May 15, 1130. He was canonized in 1622 with Saints Francis Xavier, Philip Neri, Theresa of Avila, and Ignatius of Loyal. A group lovingly referred to in Spain as “The Five Saints.” St. Isidore is the patron saint of farmers, rural communities, and the City of Madrid.

Recipe: Roasted Red Pepper Gazpacho

Gazpacho is a classic Spanish cold soup perfect for the early spring and summer. Served chilled along with grilled bread. It is a great first course or lunch dish after a long day of work.

 Ingredient List

3 Red Bell Peppers (2 roughly chopped, 1 diced)

1 12 oz Jar Roasted Red Peppers

4 Peeled Cucumbers (3 roughly chopped, 1 diced)

10 Medium Sized Tomatoes

1 Large Clove Garlic

2 Cups Cold Water

¼ Cup Sherry Vinegar

1/3 Cup Plain Bread Crumbs or Stale Bread

Instructions

Place all ingredients (except diced pepper and cucumber) in a blender and blend until smooth.  Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer, removing any seeds.  Chill for 3-5 hours prior to serving.  Serve topped with the diced bell pepper and cucumber and a healthy drizzle of quality olive oil!

St. Drogo & Coffee Rubbed Duck

April 16 – Feast of St. Drogo

We highlight St. Drogo, patron saint of coffee, whose feast day is celebrated on April 16. This Flemish saint lived in the early 12th century, and very little is known about his life. He was born to nobility, and his father died before he was born. At twenty, he sold all his belongings and hired himself out as a shepherd. After his life as a shepherd, he sold his few possessions and spent the rest of his life making pilgrimages to holy sites around modern-day Europe. As his body broke down, he built himself a hermitage alongside a local church. He lived out his life in prayer there until he died at 81. There is no real explanation as to why St. Drogo has been named the patron saint of coffee. Coffee did not enter the region of the world where he lived until over 400 years later!

Ingredients

4 – 6oz duck breasts

1 Tablespoon ground coffee

1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 Tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Zest of 1 Lemon

Instructions

Combine all the spices together in a bowl and set aside. With a sharp knife, score the duck's skin by cutting at a diagonal, but make sure not to cut too deeply. You only want to cut through the skin, not into the meat. Coat the meat side of the duck breast with the spice mixture. Place a medium pan over medium heat and add 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, place the duck skin-side down in the pan. Let cook for about 6-7 minutes, until it has a deep brown color. Remove the duck from the pan and drain the oil. Return the pan to the stove and heat over low heat, and place the duck back in the pan skin side down for six more minutes to render out as much fat as possible. The skin should be very crispy. Raise the heat to medium, turn the breast over, and cook for 2-3 minutes until browned. At this point, you can set the duck aside and let it rest or place it in a 350-degree oven for 3-4 minutes more if you want it more done and then rest for 5 minutes. While the duck is resting, zest lemon. Once rested, thinly slice the breast and sprinkle with lemon zest before serving. Serve and enjoy!!

St. Turibius of Mogrovejo & Arroz con Camarones

March 23 - St. Turibius of Mogrovejo

A lot of people already have their St. Patrick’s Day and St. Joseph’s Day meals planned, so for the Month of March, we move to the “New World” and the Archdiocese of Lima, Peru. St. Turibius of Mogrovejo, was born in 1538 to Spanish nobility, studied las at the University of Salamanca and while he was still a layman, was chosen by King Philip II to be consecrated as missionary archbishop for the Spanish colony of Peru. Though he protested at first, he eventually complied, was consecrated bishop, and left for Lima a the age of 43. His now mountainous diocese provided challenging travel as he made his way to observe the worst effects of colonialism.  He offered prayer and penance for those in his new territory and immersed himself in the local culture while being a true herald of the Gospel to the indigenous Peruvians. He dedicated the remainder of his life to them and their conversion. St. Turibius is the patron saint of native peoples’ rights and Latin American bishops.

Arroz con Camarones – Peruvian Rice with Shrimp

Ingredients

Ø  2 lbs raw shrimp shells on, deveined

Ø  2 tsp cumin

Ø  4 garlic cloves crushed

Ø  4 garlic cloves minced

Ø  2 tbs neutral oil

Ø  2 cups uncooked rice

Ø  3 tbs butter

Ø  1 cup peas

Ø  1 red onion diced

Ø  1 bell pepper diced

Ø  2 tomatoes peeled and seeded, diced

Ø  3 tbs parsley finely chopped, plus more to garnish

Ø  1 tsp ground achiote or annatto

Ø  ½ cup of white wine

Ø  Salt and pepper

Step 1 - Marinate the shrimp with salt, pepper, 1 tsp of cumin, and crushed garlic. Step 2 - Bring water to boil in a large pot, add the shrimp, and boil for about 2 minutes. Step 3- Remove the shrimp from the water and reserve 2 ½ cups of the water they cooked in to prepare the rice. Step 4- Remove the shells and tails from the shrimp; Chop about half of the shrimp in half and leave the other half whole. Step 5- Heat the oil in a large saucepan or pot, add the minced garlic, cook for about 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Step 6- Add the rice to the garlic and oil, mix well until the rice is coated with oil. Step 7 - Add the 2 ½ cups of water that was used to boil the shrimp. Bring to boil and reduce heat to low. Step 8- In the meantime, melt the butter over medium heat in a large sauté pan; add the onions, peppers, tomatoes, parsley, ground achiote, salt, pepper, and the remaining 1 tsp of cumin. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Step 9 - Add the white wine to the vegetable mix and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, until the onions and peppers are tender. Step 10 - Mix in the sautéed vegetables and chopped shrimp with the rice, which should still be cooking, and cook on low heat until the rice is tender. Step 11 - Add the remaining shrimp and peas during the last minutes and mix well. Top with parsley and serve

St. Brigid of Ireland-Macaroni and Cheese

February 1 – St. Brigid of Ireland

St. Brigid was born around the year 450, to a father who was a pagan chieftain and a Christian mother who was a slave. She too was born into slavery but gave even the little that she had to the poor. Traditions suggest that St. Brigid and her mother were forced by slavery to work the dairy farm. St. Brigid would gather what she could from the farm and distribute it to the poor. This enraged her father, who eventually set her free. In her newfound freedom, she entered the convent of St. Macaille. At the time there was no organized monastic life for women in Ireland. This inspired St. Brigid to establish many convents throughout Ireland. She is the first woman to establish organized religious communities for women in Ireland. As part of these religious community’s daily labor was required, often including dairy farming, with the milk and dairy products given to  the poor. Her generosity, charity, and working in dairy farms led to her being named the patron saint of dairy farmers and cheesemakers!  In honor of St. Brigid and to celebrate her feast day, what better way than with some down-home macaroni and cheese, following St. Brigid’s generosity with dairy products!

Macaroni and Cheese-Ingredients

1lb Macaroni

1 tablespoon canola oil

4 cloves of garlic, minced

4 tbsp unsalted butter (Irish if you have it!)

4 tbsp all-purpose flower

4 ½ cups whole milk

3 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar

1 ½ cups smoked gouda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 ½ tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp paprika

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Step 1 – Preheat oven to 375°F Step 2 – Bring large pot of heavily salted water to boil, once boiling cook pasta until it is slightly UNDERCOOKED, drain pasta and set aside. Step 3- While pasta is boiling, in large nonstick skillet, heat canola oil at medium heat, add garlic and cook lightly.  Step 4 – Melt butter in the same skillet, then add flour, cook while whisking until a paste forms. Slowly add the milk while whisking continuously until it is all  incorporated. Add salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, and paprika. Cook until thick and smooth, about 10 minutes. You want to make sure the raw flour is cooked out. Step 5 – Add the cheddar in small amounts stirring in until melted, then do the same with the gouda. Stir until completely melted, then add in the macaroni. Step 6- Scrape into baking dish,  sprinkle with Parmesan and bake until golden brown, 15-20 minutes. Step 7- Serve, enjoy and celebrate St Brigid!

St. Anthony & Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

As we enter this new year it is time to change things up a  bit. One of the great treasures of the Catholic Church is the feast days of saints that we celebrate throughout the year. They open up to us up the rich tradition of the Church as we turn to her saints as a sign of hope of eternal life in heaven and for their intercession. We should celebrate these feast days with prayers and a meal. With that in mind each month I will provide a recipe based on the feast day of the saint we celebrate that month.

January 17

St. Anthony the Great

A 4th-century hermit is called the founder of Christian monasticism. Through his time as a hermit, he was greatly tormented, especially by the devil who had taken the form of a pig. Never relenting St. Anthony stayed with his great devotion to prayer and penance. The fact that the devil took the form of a pig to torment him led St. Anthony to be named the patron saint of bacon and butchers! The Church often has a sense of humor in naming patron saints! Here is a recipe to help celebrate this great saint!

Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients

10 slices of bacon

1 Lb. pork tenderloin

Salt and Pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp honey

 

Cooking Instructions

Preheat Oven 400 °F. Layout bacon on a cutting board so that the strips slightly overlap on the long side. Tuck the thin end of the pork tenderloin under so that both ends are roughly the same thickness, then season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in an oven-proof skillet on high heat. Then sear the pork until all sides are browned (don’t cook it through as it will be going in the oven). Turn off heat and allow to cool until the pork can be handled. Wrap pork in bacon. Place the pork tenderloin across the bacon (so it goes over every strip). Slide a long knife under the bacon and pork and lift to get started rolling it. Transfer the roll to the previous skillet, with the seam side down. Drizzle with honey and brush to coat. Bake for 20 minutes (time may vary based on oven, looking for an internal temperature of 150°F). At 15 minute mark baste with the juices from the pan. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes, baste once more. Slice and Serve! Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin can be served with just about any sides you like!