Category Archives: Saints

Novena for September

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St. Vincent de Paul

1581 – 1660

Feast Day: September 27

Patron of: Abandoned Children

Keywords: charity, orphans, nurses, slaves, convicts, prisoners

Quote: “Go to the poor. You will find God.”

Symbols: cross, sheltering children

Born into a peasant family in Gascony, France, Vincent de Paul was an exceptional student.  Assigned by his order to attend to the spiritual needs of French royals, Vincent’s life as a priest would present him with vast contrasts. While on a journey he was unexpectedly taken prisoner by Turkish pirates and sold into slavery. When he converted one of his slave owners, he was released, and on his return to France, founded numerous charitable organizations dedicated to the needs of prisoners, orphans, and the poor. These organizations were the first of their kind and still thrive today. Because he improved the lives of so many of them, he is especially called on to protect children who have been abandoned by their families.

Vincent de Paul was ordained a priest at the age of nineteen. Staying in Toulouse, he made a voyage to Marseille to claim an inheritance. Upon his return by sea, he was kidnapped by pirates and taken to Tunis. After being enslaved by three different owners, he returned to France in 1607 upon his last owner’s conversion. As a parish priest in Paris, he came in contact with some of the wealthiest and most influential families in France. In 17th century Europe, the poor, the orphaned and the abandoned were all considered of the same invisible class as convicts. Seeing the face of God in these forgotten people, he used his numerous connections with the upper classes to help tend to their needs.  Vincent de Paul introduced a much needed concept of Christian compassion to society by forming the Daughters of Charity. This organization gave pious wealthy women a way of serving the poor. Financial donations poured in, and Vincent started “Servants of the Poor” and “Ladies of the Poor”, each charity devoted to either the sick, the orphaned, or the imprisoned.

Within a few years Vincent’s charities were started in other countries, Italy, Poland, Ireland, Scotland, the Hebrides, and Madagascar each had a mission. He never forgot or gave up on the lot of prisoners, and sent missionaries to ransom and spiritually tend those in Tunis and Algeria. He also dedicated much time and money to alleviating the suffering of convicts in France.

Living during a time of religious wars, Vincent encouraged peace between Protestants and Catholics. Offering refuge to exiled Catholics from England and Ireland, he also ordered his missionaries in the French countryside to respect and help out any needy Protestants. Though he was frequently welcomed by the King and Queen of France, his first devotion was to the poor and he used his royal audiences to obtain state funds for his many missions and hospitals. Vincent de Paul worked tirelessly until his death and it is said that he did more than any other person to relieve the burden of the poor in the seventeenth century.

Image:

Sheltering child – one most in need of protection

Black cassock for simplicity

Crucifix – the face of God is in the poor

NOVENA PRAYER

God you were patient with St. Vincent de Paul as you moved him from

self-centeredness to be centered on you. Help me through his intercession

to grant me this petition and to know that you will grant what I desire in

your own time (your intention here) .  I thank you God for everything and I

will imitate St. Vincent de Paul in growing in holiness through prayer,

participation in the sacraments and service to my neighbor especially the

poor.

Amen.

(Excerpted from the soon to be released ‘Novena App’ by Barbara Calamari and Sandra Di Pasqua).

Dining With the Saints in Honor of Our Lady of Cobre

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Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre

Our Lady of Charity is the patroness of Cuba, her Basilica is situated in the village of El Cobre, near Santiago del Cuba. She may not be as well known in American culture as Our Lady of Guadalupe, but her feast day on September 8th is celebrated where ever Cuban refugees have resettled. You can now find her image in churches around the world. She is a powerful force in Cuban culture, one that has not been eroded by Castro’s long regime.

Her story, I discovered, actually has somewhat of a culinary background. Around 1600, three boys were sent to gather salt needed to preserve the meat of the town’s slaughter house, which supplied food for the workers of the Spanish copper mines near Santiago, Cuba. On their way back from this labor, their frail boat was almost destroyed by a terrible storm. The boys feared for theirs lives. But then suddenly the waters became calm and they saw, in the distance, a white bundle floating on a piece of wood. It soon became apparent that it was a small statue of the Mother Mary holding the infant Jesus in her left arm and a gold cross in her right. Inscribed on the wooden boards below her were the words, “You soy la Virgen de la Caridad” (I am the Virgin of Charity).

So it seems only natural, given the initial reason for the boys’ journey, to celebrate Our Lady of Charity’s feast day with one of Cuba’s most famous and beloved beef dishes, Ropa Vieja. Here’s an easy and very traditional recipe. The meat needs to cook for several hours, but you can, after assembling everything, just put it in the oven and leave it unattended. After some lengthy cooking, the aroma of this stew, with its flavorings of roasted chilies, cumin, garlic, and sherry, will amaze you. Serve it with rice and fried sweet plantains and you’ll have a beautiful Cuban meal in honor of ‘La Caridad’.

 

Ropa Vieja

 

Olive oil

Salt

2 pounds flank steak, cut into 2 pieces

1 medium onion, chopped

1 Poblano chili, roasted, peeled, and cut into strips

1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, and cut into strips

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 cup dry sherry

1 cup light beef broth

1 small can of chopped tomatoes, with juice

2 bay leaves, fresh if possible

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

A handful of cilantro, lightly chopped

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

 

In a large casserole fitted with a lid, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Salt the flank steak well on both sides and then brown it in the oil, turning it once. Now add the onion, the Poblano and bell pepper strips, and the garlic, and sauté for a few minutes. Add the sherry and let it boil away. Add the beef broth and the tomatoes, the bay leaves, cumin, and lime juice. Bring to a boil.

Cover the casserole and transfer it to the oven. Let it slow simmer for at least 3 hours (longer is even better). The meat should be very tender and falling apart. Now, using two forks, shred the meat into very thin strips. Add the cilantro and a drizzle of fresh olive oil, mixing it into the sauce. Taste to see if it needs a little more salt.

Erica De Mane is a writer and chef, check out her column at EricaDeMane.com).

 

Novena for August

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Saint Philomena

 

291 – 304

Feast Day: August 11

Patron of: the Poor

 

Keywords: the poor, children, babies, priests, lost causes, youth

Symbols: palms, arrows, anchor, crown

 

Quote:  “For the love of God!  It might well be that her name is not Philomena, but this Saint has performed many miracles and it is not the name that did them.”   Padre Pio

 

Never official canonized, and listed in the local Calendar of Saints for only 130 years before being removed, Saint Philomena enjoys a unique and fervid following among common people, popes and saints. Her remains discovered seventeen centuries after her death, Saint Philomena is known as one of the great Wonder Workers of the nineteenth century and is the only person declared a saint based solely on their intercessionary powers. Recognized for her miraculous influence by six popes and ten different saints who have claimed personal experiences through her intervention, she is called upon when things look most hopeless. Discovered by a priest who hailed from a poverty-stricken parish near Naples, she is said to be particularly in tune with the needs of the poor.

 

In 1802, the bones of a girl between the ages of 13 and 15 were discovered in the Catacombs of Priscilia in Rome, Italy. Three tiles closing off her space hollowed into the rock read, “Peace be with thee, Philomena”. Entombed with the girl was a vial thought to contain blood as well as drawings of a palm, two anchors and three arrows. Because these images were well known symbols used by early Christians to convey martyrdom, it was established that the girl was one of the many virgin martyrs in the early, underground church. In 1805 a young priest from the diocese of Nola (a district near Naples) requested the Vatican to allow him to obtain a relic for the new altar in the Church of Our Lady of Grace in Mugnano. Because he felt a spiritual affinity when he was near her remains, he was allowed to take the relics of the recently discovered virgin martyr back with him. Before her remains were translated to the church, they were put on display in Naples. Almost immediately, there were reports of miraculous healing. When her relics arrived in Mugnano on August 11, 1805, a cult rapidly grew, attributing many miracles to the intercession of the little martyr.

 

In 1833 a Neapolitan nun, Sister Maria Luisa de Gesu, claimed to have a vision of Philomena who relayed her life story. According to her vision, Philomena was the daughter of the king of Corfu in Greece. When the Emperor Diocletian of Rome threatened her father’s kingdom with war, he traveled to Rome with his family in order to obtain peace. There Philomena discovered Christianity and vowed her virginity to Christ. When the Emperor saw how beautiful she was, he asked to marry her. When the young girl refused him, she was tortured and then drowned with an anchor tied around her neck. When two angels raised her up out of the sea, she was shot with arrows. After this failed to kill her, she was decapitated. According to the nun’s vision, Philomena declared that August 11th, the day her relics were installed in Mugnano, was also the anniversary of her death.

 

In 1835, when Pauline Jaricot, the well-known and respected French reformer was gravely ill with heart disease, she made a pilgrimage to Mugnano and was completely cured by Philomena. News of this event spread throughout France and Spain and Philomena attracted such notable devotees as Saint Anthony Mary Claret from Spain and Saint John Vianney of France who built his own shrine to the little martyr. Several popes, while still cardinals paid visits to Philomena’s shrine. Pope Pius IX credits her with curing him of epilepsy. Saints such as Francis Xavier Cabrini, Padre Pio and Father Damian are numbered among her devotees. When the Calendar of Saints was reassessed to only list saints who had historical proof of their existence, Philomena lost her place. Her cult is still very strong and pilgrims from around the world visit her shrine in Mugnano.

 

Symbols:

Crown – of royal birth

Anchor – early Christian symbol of being ‘anchored by Christ’

Palms – martyrdom

Arrows – method of martyrdom

 

NOVENA PRAYER TO SAINT PHILOMENA

 

O Faithful Virgin and glorious martyr, St. Philomena, who works so many miracles on behalf of the poor and sorrowing, have pity on me. Thou knowest the multitude and diversity of my needs. Behold me at thy feet, full of misery, but full of hope. I entreat thy charity, O great Saint! Graciously hear me and obtain from God a favorable answer to the request which I now humbly lay before thee.. (mention your intention).

I am firmly convinced that through thy merits, through the scorn, the sufferings and the death thou didst endure, united to the merits of the Passion and death of Jesus, thy Spouse, I shall obtain what I ask of thee, and in the joy of my heart I will bless God, who is admirable in His Saints. Amen.

 

End with:

Saint Philomena, powerful with God, pray for us!
Saint Philomena, powerful with God, hear our prayers!

 

(Redacted from the soon to be released “Novena” app by Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPasqua.)

Novena for July

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Saint Ann and Saint Joachim

First Century B.C.

Feast Day: July 26

Patron of : Grandparents

Keywords: child rearing, childless people, fathers, family crisis, infertility, mothers, pregnancy

Quote: “O blessed couple, all the world is indebted to you, for it is by your means that it can offer to its Creator the most excellent gift possible, her who is worthy to be Mother of His only Son.”   -St. JohnDamascene

Symbols: two white doves, meeting at the golden gate, teaching the Virgin Mary

Grandparents are the foundation of a family and we invoke Saints Joachim and Ann for strength in every sort of family crisis. As  parents of the Virgin Mary and the grandparents of Jesus Christ, they offer a vast array of earthly experiences relatable to every human being. Infertility, late parenthood, an unmarried pregnant daughter, a grandson who was imprisoned and executed, are all parts of their life together which they accepted with grace and dignity.

Joachim and Ann are  important as moral examples  rather than truthful historical figures. According to legend, Joachim and Ann were married twenty years and still had not conceived a child. Living inNazareththey were upstanding citizens, always tithing one third of their income to the temple. After many years, their barrenness was considered a form of divine judgment and eventually their contribution to the temple was refused and they were ostracized by their community. In shame, Joachim went off to live with his shepherds. There he was visited by an angel who told him, that Ann was pregnant with a child named Mary who was to be dedicated to the Lord. He was to return home and find his wife, who would be waiting at the golden gate, the entrance to the city. Doing as he was told, his joyful reunion with Ann at the golden gate has become a famous image in art history.

Mary was raised according to the instructions of the angel, she was consecrated to the Lord at infancy and sent off to live in the temple, away from the world, at the age of three. Accepting this great sacrifice of giving up what is most cherished to God, Joachim and Ann acted out an almost impossible act of faith. Though Saint Annwas younger and lived much longer than her husband, she and Joachim are inseparable in sharing the important patronage of grandparents.

Explanation:

A rare image of Joachim as an older father, instructing the Virgin Mary to listen to God.

God is directly speaking to this Father and daughter.

Lily: the purity of Mary.

Novena to Saints Joachim and Ann

Saints Joachim and Ann, grandparents of Jesus and parents of Mary, we seek your intercession. We beg you to direct all our actions to the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls. Strengthen us when we are tempted, console us during our trials, help us when we are in need, be with us in life and in death.

O divine savior, we thank you for having chosen saint Joachim and Ann to be the parents of our Blessed Mother Mary and so to be your beloved grandparents. We place ourselves under their patronage this day. We recommend to them our families, our children, and our grandchildren. Keep them from all spiritual and physical harm. Grant that they may ever grow in greater love of God and others.

Saints Joachim and Ann, we have many great needs. We beg you to intercede for us before the throne of your divine grandson. All of us here have our special intentions, our own special needs, and we pray that through your intercession our prayers may be granted. Amen.

(Mention your request here)

(Excerpted from the new NOVENA APP by Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPasqua, available soon).

Dining With the Saints in Honor of Saint Rosalia

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The Feast Day of Santa Rosalia

 

Santa Rosalia is the patron Saint of Palermo, Sicily and her feast day on July 15th, known for centuries as Il Festino, was once on of the most elaborate events in all of Europe, stretching out sometimes to eight days of grand Baroque celebration with gloriously decorated guilt chariots, fireworks, and a passeggiata of nobility that made the throngs of spectators crazy with excitement. There was no better place to witness this extravaganza than in Palermo itself.

Il Festino, although not as lavish as it once was, is still quite the occasion, lasting two full days, beginning on July13th. The centerpiece of the feast of Santa Rosalia has always been a huge, ornate chariot shaped like a ship and decorated with golden seashells.  A modern and scaled down model of the original chariot, first unveiled in 1701, is still  pulled down Palermo’s main streets by six horses and filled with a forty piece orchestra dressed in pink and purple velvet, all in honor of the Saint the Sicilians have nicknamed La Santuzza, the little saint, the women who in 1624 appeared to a hunter in a vision, after not being seen since 1159, to save Palermo from a devastating plague.

Sicily’s unusual assortment of street food is what occupies the spectators while they wait for the golden chariot of Santa Rosalia to pass by and then the grand finale fireworks show. Small painted carts, some drawn by donkeys, are loaded with roasted fava beans and chick peas, carob pods, salty lupini beans, roasted hazelnuts, fried rice balls known as arancine, anchovies, octopus, and babbaluci, tiny garlic and parsley flavored snails that everyone digs out of their shells with toothpicks.

Sicily’s famous ice cream and sorbetti is also very  much a presence at this feast, offered in traditional flavors such as lemon, jasmine, cinnamon, mandarin, orange flower water, watermelon and cantaloupe. You can also sample Palermo’s famous gelo di melone, a classic cold watermelon gelatin decorated with chocolate, pistachios, almond paste, and candied fruits, a perfect example of the Sicilian’s love of elaborate sweets. I was once served this in a restaurant and it came presented in a pastry shell and decorated with fresh jasmine flowers. Watermelon sorbetto, also flavored with cinnamon, chocolate, and pistachios, and sometimes jasmine water, is a lot easier to make than the gelatin version. Here’s my version. It’s exotic and amazingly refreshing, the perfect way to celebrate the feast of Santa Rosalia, and to help you get through a hot July day. Choose a dark pink, locally grown watermelon for best flavor and color.

Watermelon Sorbetto with Bittersweet Chocolate

(This recipe is from my book The Flavors of Southern Italy, published by John Wiley & Sons)

2/3 cup sugar

½ cup water

1 5 pound piece of ripe watermelon, peeled and cut into chunks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

The grated zest from 1 small lemon

1 egg white, whisked until foamy

A handful of unsalted, shelled pistachios

½ cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Fresh mint sprigs for garnish

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and the water. Bring it to a boil and let it bubble for about 2 minutes, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Let this cool completely.

Add the watermelon chunks to a food processor a handful at a time, pulsing them to a fairly smooth puree (don’t worry about the seeds). Strain the juice through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl (help it along by whisking it). Continue until you’ve used up all the watermelon. You should have about 4 ½ cups of juice. Add the sugar syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, lemon zest, and egg white, mixing everything well. Chill the watermelon mixture for several hours, or until very cold.

Now pour it into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer’s instructions until halfway frozen. Add the pistachios and the chocolate and continue freezing until firm. Garnish each serving with a few mint sprigs (or fresh jasmine flowers if you happen to have any).

 

Dining with the Saints is a monthly feature written by the chef and food writer Erica De Mane. Check out her blog at http://www.ericademane.com

Novena for June

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Saint Aloysius Gonzaga

1568–1591

Feast Day: June 21

Patron: AIDS sufferers, AIDS caregivers

Keywords: teenagers, lust, AIDS, pulmonary disease, youth

Quote: “It is better to be a child of God then king of the whole world.”

Symbols: lily, cross, skull, rosary

A duke from the legendary Gonzaga family of Mantua, Aloysius Gonzaga was born to inherit great wealth and to rule alongside the best families of Europe. While still a teenager he defied his powerful father, renouncing his birth rite in order to become a Jesuit novice. Weak in physical health but living a strong interior life, he knew he would not live long. He happily accepted his destiny and put himself into the hands of the Virgin Mary. Despite his fragile constitution, he insisted on caring for plague victims during a particularly virulent outbreak quickly decimating the city of Rome. He fell ill and lingered for months fully knowing his fate. Because his life was cut short at such an early age, and because he understood both the caregiver and patient side of serious illness, he is invoked by those with AIDS as well as those who tend sufferers of that disease. His novena is written by himself, commending his future to the Virgin Mary who he had a strong devotion to.

Though his father wanted him to be a great soldier, Aloysius Gonzaga was always a pious youth. He obediently served as a page in the Florentine court of Lorenzo de Medici and in the more auspicious Spanish noble court. Still, political ambition held no interest for him and he was appalled by the corruption and licentious behavior of the nobility. While in Spain he read a book about Jesuit missionaries in India and decided to join them for foreign missionary work. His father did everything in his power to prevent his son from giving up all his earthly privileges. When it appeared that Aloysius could not be persuaded away from the religious life, his family implored him to at least accept a higher office in the Italian church. Instead, he insisted on his birth rite being transferred to his younger brother and entered the Jesuit house of Sant’ Andrea in Rome as a lowly novice.

The Jesuits found Aloysius too extreme in his devotions and force him to eat better, mix with his fellows more and to distract himself with physical recreation. As the plague swept Rome in 1591, the Jesuits opened their own hospital, forbidding Aloysius from working there due to his fragile physical disposition. As many of his brethren were felled by the illness, Aloysius threw himself into the role of caregiver with all his capabilities. No chore was considered too humble for him to do. He himself fell in March of that year and was given the last rites. He surprised everyone by recovering from that bout. Three months later, he was bedridden with a low grade fever. Though his condition seemed routine, he announced his impending death. Once again he was given the last rites and died during the prayers for the departing.

Because of Aloysius Gonzaga’s personal inner strength at such a young age, he is called upon by teenagers at times of peer pressure. Since he knew exactly wanted to be as a teenager, he is also called upon by the young to help recognize an occupation or state of life.

Symbols:

Lily: purity

Rosary: devotion to Mary

Cross: contemplation

Skull: a contemplative life

Invoked: for help in choosing a state of life; against lust

 

Prayer Commending Oneself to Mary by Saint Aloysius Gonzaga

O holy Mary, my Mistress, into thy blessed trust and special blessing, into the bosom of thy tender mercy, this day, every day of my life and at the hour of my death, I commend my soul and body; to thee I entrust all my hopes and consolations, all my trials and miseries, my life and the end of my life, that through thy most holy intercession and thy merits, all my actions may be ordered and disposed according to thy will and that of thy divine Son. Amen.

(redacted from the upcoming Novena app by Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPasqua)

Novena for April

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Novena Prayer to Saint Bernadette

Feast Day: April 16

Patron of: Illness, Sick People, Shepherds, Shepherdesses, People ridiculed for piety; Lourdes, France

Dear Saint Bernadette,

Chosen by Almighty God as a channel of His Graces and Blessings, and through your humble obedience to the requests of Our Blessed Mother, Mary, you gained for us the miraculous waters of spiritual and physical healing.

We implore you to listen to our pleading prayers that we may be healed of our Spiritual and physical imperfections.
Place our petitions in the Hands of our Holy Mother, Mary, so that she may place them at the feet of her beloved Son, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that he may look on us with mercy and compassion: (Make Petition)

Help, O Dear Saint Bernadette to follow your example, so that irrespective of our own pain and suffering we may always be mindful of the needs of others, especially those whose sufferings are greater than ours.
As we await the Mercy of God, remind us to offer up our pain and suffering for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins and blasphemies of mankind.

Pray for Saint Bernadette, that like you, we may always be obedient to the will of Our Heavenly Father, and that through our prayers and humility we may bring consolation to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary that have been so grievously wounded by our sins.
Holy Saint Bernadette of Lourdes, Pray for us.

Amen

Dining With the Saints

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Saint Joseph’s Day

March 19th is Saint Joseph’s feast day. This is a huge holiday for Italians and for Italian-Americans. At one time it was actually an Italian national holiday. As a kid our next door neighbor always made the traditional Neapolitan St. Joseph day fritters called Zeppole di San Guiseppe. They were the most delicious sweet I could imagine and I waited for them every year. She’d hoist a big pot of oil up onto her outdoor barbeque and drop in balls of sweetened dough, cooking them until they were golden and puffy. Then she injected them inside, using a small turkey baster type thing, with a lemon custard. And just to make them richer, each one was topped with a dollop of sweetened ricotta and a cherry. There are many variations on this pastry through the South. In Sicily they’re called sfinci and are usually filled with a cannoli-like filling.

Considering that Saint Joseph’s day falls during Lent, a period of liturgical fasting that coincides with the fasting imposed by nature, this extremely decadent pastry always seemed to me a bit inappropriate for the occasion. That’s Southern Italy for you.

But before anyone gets to bite into one of these treats, everyone sits down to a bowl of bean soup. In Sicily Maccu di San Guiseppe, a soup made from dried favas, chick peas, and chestnuts is one of the bean dishes served, and many families cook up large pots of pasta e fagioli, serving it to anyone who happens to drop by. Here’s my version of an old pasta e fagioli recipe from around Naples. It’s made with a home-made, eggless pasta called lagane and chick peas flavored with hot chilis, parsley and garlic. It’s a beautiful way to celebrate the Feast of Saint Joseph.

Lagane e Ceci

(Serves 4)

For the lagane:

1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup warm water
2 cups fine durum wheat flour

For the sauce:

1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in cool water to cover
1 bay leaf, fresh if possible
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
1 small onion, cut into small dice
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 small, fresh red peperoncino pepper, minced
A sprig of rosemary, the leaves chopped
A splash of dry white wine
A handful of flat-leaf parsley, the leaves lightly chopped
A chunk of firm Caciocavallo cheese (optional)

To cook the chickpeas:

Drain the chickpeas and place them in a large pot. Cover them with cool water by at least 2 inches. Add the bay leaf and turn the heat to high. When the water comes to a boil, lower the heat and let them simmer gently, partially covered, until tender, about 1 1/2 hours, but it really depends on how hard your chic peas are. Some can take longer, so start testing them after about 1 1/2 hours. Add more warm water if needed to keep the chickpeas covered. When they’re tender, season them with salt and a generous drizzle of olive oil, and turn off the heat.

To make the pasta:

Pour the water and the salt into the bowl of a food processor and give it a few pulses. Start adding the flour a little at a time, giving it a few pulses each time to work it in. When the flour is incorporated and everything has formed a slightly sticky ball, dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface (if the dough seems too dry, drizzle in a tiny bit more warm water and pulse a few more times). Knead until the dough is smooth and shiny, about 8 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set it aside to rest for about 1/2 hour.

Cut the dough into 4 parts. Flour the first piece of dough lightly and run it through a hand-cranked pasta machine several times at each setting until you get to the third-to-last setting. The lagane should be a little thicker than standard fettuccine. Do this with each piece of dough. Lay all the pasta sheets out on a floured surface and let them sit to firm up for about 5 minutes. Now cut the sheets into approximately 1/4-inch-wide strips. Cut the strips into 2-inch lengths. Sprinkle the lagane with a little flour and lay them out so that the pieces don’t touch.

To make the sauce:

Drain the chickpeas, saving all their cooking liquid.

Set up a large pot of pasta cooking water and bring it to a boil. Add a generous amount of salt.

In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, and sauté until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the peperoncino, rosemary, and the garlic, and sauté a minute longer, just to release their fragrances. Add about half of the chickpeas, and sauté them in the oil for about 3 or 4 minutes, letting them turn a little golden. Season with salt. Add the splash of white wine, and let it boil way. Add 1/2 cup of the chickpea cooking water, and let the sauce simmer. You’ll have some chickpeas left over to use for a salad or a side dish (it seems to me if I’m going to take the time to cook dried chickpeas, I might as well make a good amount and use them for different dishes).

Drop the lagane into the water and cook until al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain well and add them to the skillet. Toss everything together briefly in the skillet, adding a generous drizzle of fresh olive oil and the parsley. Add more salt if needed. You can also add a little extra ceci cooking liquid if it seems dry (the consistency shouldn’t be too soupy, but a little moisture is the traditional texture). Transfer to a warmed serving bowl, and serve with grated Caciocavallo if desired. Often in Southern Italy dishes that contain hot chilies are serves without cheese, but this is not a hard rule, so just follow your taste. I like my lagane e ceci with a little cheese.

(Dining With the Saints is written by chef and writer Erica De Mane. Check out her blog: EricaDeMane.com)

Aside

Prayer for Toothache to Saint Apollonia

Feast Day: February 9

Patron of: Dentists, Tooth Ache

0 Glorious Apollonia, patron saint of dentistry and refuge to all those suffering from diseases of the teeth, I consecrate myself to thee, beseeching thee to number me among thy clients. Assist me by your intercession with God in my daily work and intercede with Him to obtain for me a happy death. Pray that my heart like thine may be inflamed with the love of Jesus and Mary, through Christ our Lord. Amen. 0 My God, bring me safe through temptation and strengthen me as thou didst our own patron Apollonia, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Image: Andy Warhol

Dining With the Saint in Honor of Saint Martin of Tours

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The Feast of St. Martin of Tours, or Martin le Misercordieux, is a time for celebration in many parts of the Catholic world. The feast, celebrated on November 11th, not only coincides with the end of All Soul’s but with the Fall harvest, a time when autumn wheat seeding is completed, when the new wine is just ready to drink, and with the beginning of winter preparations, which include putting up the last of the warm weather vegetables and butchering and preserving of animals. This is a celebration of the earth’s bounty, much like Thanksgiving is in the United States. Goose is part of the traditional St. Martin’s Day festival in many countries since the goose is a symbol of St. Martin himself. Legend has it that as he was hiding from the people who wanted to make him bishop, a honking goose gave away his hiding spot.

Goose used to be a standard Thanksgiving or Christmas offering in many American homes, but cooking a whole goose can be tricky and the amount of fat thrown off I think has put off some of today’s more health conscious cooks. I’ve learned that cooking a goose breast instead of dealing with the whole goose is a fast and leaner way to prepare this delicious meat, and a boneless breast is very easy to slice and serve. My butcher sells boned goose breasts around the holidays. If your local butcher doesn’t generally carry this cut, he might be able to special order one for you.

Stuffed Goose Breast with Calvados and Apples

(serves four as a main course)

1 whole goose breast, boned, with skin

6 large fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves chopped

12 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves chopped

Extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup dry white wine

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 large shallots, diced

4 tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored and cut into small cubes

2 big splashes of Calvados (apple brandy)

½ cup dry bread crumbs, not too finely ground

6 big gratings of nutmeg

A handful of flat leaf Italian parsley, leaves chopped

1 large egg

Place the goose breast in a ceramic or glass baking dish. In a small bowl mix together the rosemary, thyme, about ¼ cup olive oil, and the white wine. Season with salt and black pepper and pour this over the goose, turning the breast over in the marinade to coat it well. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Pre-heat the oven the 425 degrees.

In a large sauté pan, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium flame. Add the shallots and the apples and sauté until the apples are just tender when poked with a fork, but not falling apart. Add a splash of Calvados and let it bubble for about 30 seconds. Let this cool. Add the bread crumbs, parsley, nutmeg, and the egg. Season with salt and black pepper and mix everything well. Drizzle on a little extra olive oil if it seems dry.

Remove the goose from the marinade and lay it out, skin side down, on a work surface. Press the stuffing out evenly over the goose and roll it up lengthwise, tying it with butcher’s twine in 4 or 5 places. Place the goose back in the roasting pan, skin side up. Add a splash of calvados to the bottom of the pan, stirring it into the remaining marinade. Spoon some of the marinade over the goose. Roast for about 40-45 minutes, or until the temperature in the middle of the breast reaches 145-150 degrees. Let it rest about 10 minutes before carving.

 

Erica DeMane is a writer and chef.  Read her blog at EricaDemane.com.

Image: “Saint Martin of Tours by El Greco