Between a Rock and a Hard Place

At this time, the Church Ladies' thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the Italian earthquake. One survivor should be especially commended:

Another of those rescued today was Maria D’Antuono, 98, who said that she had spent 30 hours knitting as she waited to be freed from her ruined home.

"I worked, I knitted," said Mrs D'Antuono, from the village of Tempera, close to L'Aquila. The redoubtable nonagenarian told rescuers that she was in good health when she was found this morning, according to Sky TG24. [source]

40 Meatless Meals- Pasta alla Vodka

1 lb 5 oz penne
7 T unsalted butter
1/2 red pepper flakes, or more to taste
1 cup less 2 T vodka
1 scant cup tomato sauce
1 scant cup heavy cream
1 t coarse salt
1 cup Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, warm serving bowl.

Melt butter in large skillet. Add pepper flakes and vodka, and simmer for 2 minutes. Add tomato sauce and cream, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt.

When pasta is cooked, drain well and toss with sauce and cheese in skillet. Transfer to warmed bowl and serve immediately.

Serves 6.

A Little Something to Go with your Water

Many people ramp up their Lenten penances during this holiest of weeks, so, just in case you're looking to go from Forty Meatless Meals to all-out bread and water, I give you this excellent bread primer from epicurious.com. Even as someone who's been baking bread for years, I learned a lot about how yeast works and various methods of rising. I also appreciated the fact that the recipes give weights, so I got to use my new kitchen scale and discover just how much more accurate that method is.

And, for your tip of the day, one of the most valuable pieces of advice: in a cold house, give your bread a warm, humid place to rise by placing it in the (not running) microwave with a mug of hot water.

The best part about waking up

is a little bit of the Eternal City in your cup!

Caffe San Eustachio, the best coffee in the world in my humble opinion and that of food critics the world over, is now imported by Gustiamo Foods. Now I can relive my Roman days, which were spent less than a block from this fine establishment.

Caffe' Sant'Eustachio is a Roman legend. This is the coffee bar where Romans in the know stop for their liquid fuel----daily doses of espresso and cappuccino. Located in the heart of Rome between Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, Sant'Eustachio has been producing its signature coffee since 1938. Sant'Eustachio coffee is slow roasted over wood on the premises without chemical processing. The beans, selected by the owner Roberto Ricci, are a blend of 100% Arabica. The taste is smooth and sweet and the acidity low.

William Grimes, formerly of the New York Times, advised those in the U.S. seeking a perfect espresso, "When the need for a real espresso becomes over powering, buy a ticket to Rome, tell the taxi driver to head straight for the Sant'Eustachio Caffe. The espresso will be perfect. A little expensive, but surely worth the trouble."

40 Meatless Meals- Tempura

The very word tempura is supposed to come from the Latin name for Ember Days: the Quattor Tempura. The earliest Christian missionaries in Japan, in the late 16th century, were Spanish and Portuguese [Jesuits]. They brought with them, as Catholics, the commitment to abstain from meat and pray at these moments of the year. From this need one one hand, and from Japanese culinary tradition,s, on the other, was born this wonderful dish.
[Evelyn Birge Vitz, A Continual Feast]

NB: This dish takes a bit of prep work, so enlist a friend

chopped fresh vegetables (broccoli, onion, sweet potatoes, peppers, etc)

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg yolk
1 cup ice water
1 cup flour

Beat egg yolk lightly. Add water, and mix quickly to combine. Fold in flour, and stir until roughly mixed.

Heat oil in sauce pan. Dip vegetables in batter and deep fry until golden brown. Serve with rice or noodles.

The Official Knitting Pattern of Holy Week

The Crown of Glory

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged.
And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns
and placed it on his head,
and clothed him in a purple cloak, and they came to him and said,
"Hail, King of the Jews!"
[Jn 19, 1-2]

Knitting Pattern here
Image Source: The Knitting Fool (knitted by Elaine Joann Lyons)

And for the more POD:
The knitters of Fair Isle, inheriting their designs from Spanish sources, still preserve the Catholic tradition that made Christendom. We can still find on the sweaters they knit 'The Sacred Heart', 'The Rose of Sharon', "The star of Hope' and 'The Crown of Glory'. [source]

40 Meatless Meals- Macaroni & Blue Cheese

Blue Cheese Pasta

While living in Rome, I was dubious that being a great civilization involved eating moldy cheese. Moving to America's dairyland made me more open to the concept, and I have found a couple kinds I like. Think of this as mac & cheese for adults. I simplified a recipe for Spaghetti alla Gorgonzola [It's a great cookbook, but the recipes involve at least 4 pots. Although I suppose doing all those dishes could be penitential. ].

Blue Cheese Pasta
Serves 4 [I made a half recipe, in light of the 3 pounds of paella in my freezer]

1 lb pasta

2 T butter
1 small onion

8 oz blue cheese [in honor of Zadok, I used bally cashel]
1-1/2 cups milk

pepper

Sautee the onion in the butter until softened, but still clear. While the onion cooks, prepare the pasta according to package directions and crumble the cheese in a bowl. In a blender or food processor, combine the onion mixture with the milk & cheese, blending until smooth.
After the pasta is done & drained into a colander, gently heat the cheese sauce in the pasta pan and sautee some vegetables in the onion pan. Add the pasta and black pepper to the sauce pan and toss, coating completely. Serve with vegetables.

NB:
1. If you find blue cheese is too salty for you, consider substituting a milder cheese for a portion of the quantity. I used 2:1 bally cashel to pecorino ratio.

2. If the cheese sauce looks too thin after being heated, dissolve 1 t of cornstarch in water and add it to the sauce.

All my bags are packed...

I'm ready to go to Seminarian Pat's transitional diaconate ordination!

As a memento of the occasion, I have assembled a Seminarian Emergency Kit containing:

Cardinal Cushing's Social Manual for Seminarians
Irish Saints (Emergency Spiritual Reading)
Sewing Kit
Lint roller
Green Scapular (because you never know when you'll need one)
Deck of playing cards
Emergency Latte Fund
Our Lady's University decal for the Paschal Mystery Machine Central Edition
Holy cards to give to the children (a long time dream of Seminarians Joseph & Pat)
A trophy for the best altar boy in the parish

and the sign for when neighbors of the House with Mary on the Gazebo pick me up at the airport!

40 Meatless Meals- Polenta with Vegetables

1 cup cornmeal
1 t salt
2 T Olive oil + extra for greasing casserole dish
3 cups fresh vegetables
Grease 9x13 casserole dish; set aside.

Prepare polenta according to directions on cornmeal package (this generally involves whisking one part cornmeal into 3 parts water and simmer for 45 minutes).

Spread polenta in greased casserole dish.

Preheat oven to 350. Saute vegetables in 2 T of olive oil.

Place polenta casserole dish in oven and bake for 10 minutes. Spread vegetable mixture on top of the polenta, and bake another 10-15 minutes. Top with grated cheese, if desired.

40 Meatless Meals - Chicago-Style Stuffed Spinach Pizza

Note: This recipe is the latest iteration, as I'm always working to perfect it, and any suggestions are welcome. I'm going for something akin to Giordano's here, in case the real purists are curious.

Crust:
3/4 c. warm water
1 package yeast
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
3 cups bread flour
3/4 tsp. Kosher salt
3 T. canola oil
1 T. olive oil

Combine water, yeast and sugar, and allow to sit. Meanwhile, mix 2 c. flour and salt. Add yeast mixture. Form the dough into a rough ball, then alternate adding the oil and flour a little a time until all of the oil is added and the dough comes together into cohesive ball. Knead very briefly. (Minimal handling of the dough gives it the more pie-like consistency Chicago-style is known for.) Let rise until doubled.

Meanwhile, assemble the filling:
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 packages frozen spinach, well-drained
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 3/4 c. shredded mozzarella

Saute the onion, garlic, and red pepper in a large skillet until soft, remove from pan. Place spinach in the pan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until all the excess water is removed (about 10 minutes). Add to onion mixture and allow to cool before adding mozzarella.

Once the dough has risen, roll it out with a rolling pin. Allow to rest 10 minutes. Repeat.

Set aside 1/3 of the dough and roll the remaining 2/3 into a circle about 1/4" thick. Place in a greased 10" deep dish pan. Trim the dough close to the edge of the pan, and add filling. roll out the remaining 1/3 of the dough into a circle large enough to cover the pie. Place it on top of the pan, trim the edges, and seal, rolling the edge of the bottom crust over the top. Cut a 1" slit in the top to vent.

Bake at 400F for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350F. When the crust is golden (about 10 minutes), remove the pizza and spread:

1/2c. crushed tomatoes*

onto the top crust. Sprinkle with basil and a bit of mozzarella, and return to the oven for 15-20 more minutes, until the cheese just begins to brown. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, and enjoy!

*Note: If you are using a cast-iron skillet, take care that the tomatoes don't touch the pan, as the acid is bad for the iron.