Friday, April 13, 2007
Good Friday Meal
I ran into some friends (a married couple) one Friday this Lent and we started discussing what kinds of meatless meals we served in the family. Usually a Friday meant tunafish, either tuna salad or tunafish casserole (with rice, not noodles). The husband is Italian, and his family grew up with beans and rice for Friday meals...but not the Louisiana Red Beans and Rice that I love to make, but an Italian version. I pestered for a recipe of sorts and made it this Good Friday.
Italian Rice and Beans
Marinara sauce (I followed Giada's without the carrots
Cannellini Beans (canned is an option)
Rice
First you make the marinara sauce, let it simmer, then add cannellini or any other beans. If using canned, make sure you drain and rinse the beans well. Add some water or stock and let it simmer up to an hour. Season to taste as you go along. Don't let it become too thick, add some liquid periodically.
Cook the rice separately (I use short grain), until it is about done, or al dente. Add the rice to the bean and tomato mixture. The rice will absorb the sauce so add near the end, close to serving.
This was so tasty. My only change would be to use dried beans instead of canned...or find another brand. The beans were a bit mealy, and I like them to be a bit firmer. But I know dried would require some extra steps and time.
11:05 Posted in Liturgical Year , Meatless, Penitential , Vegan , Wheat, Egg and Dairy Free | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Epiphany Cake -- Eggless, Milkless, Butterless
Ethel Marbach is an author I really enjoy. Most moms will recognize her by the name Ethel Pochocki and her Bethlehem Books titles such as Once Upon a Time Saints.
Her earlier works as Ethel Marbach are all out of print, but I've had fun reading Holy Housewivery: A Do-It-Yourself Handbook and the companion, Holy Housewifery Cookbook. She is a wonderful, humorous writer, with a great grasp of the Catholic faith and traditions and what it entails to be a wife and mother. I'd say she's a combination of Mary Reed Newland and Erma Bombeck.
My favorite works by her are these tiny series of pamphlets entitled Family Liturgical Customs printed by Abbey Press in the 1960s. They are small, but packed full with ideas. And I was just thrilled to come across this suggestion for an Epiphany Cake. I plan on substituting the wheat flour with a wheat-free combination so my son can share in cake on Epiphany. This comes from her Family Liturgical Customs No. 2: Christmas.
(As an aside, dear reader, there are 5 pamphlets in this series: Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. I still haven't found a copy of Advent or Lent. I've been looking for many years. This Christmas pamphlet was a new-found addition. Anyone have a copy that they could share? Copy it for me? I am also offering scanning text or copies of my pamphlets in exchange.)
Our King's Cake for Epiphany contains three beans (or a dime, nickel and penny wrapped in foil) and they who find them are Kings for A Night. There's much X-Ray eyeing and, when Mother turns her back, secret probing of promising-looking lumps on the cake. We bake an inexpensive spice variety in a tube pan, spread it with simple vanilla butter frosting, and crown it with a ring of gumdrops. Gumdrops can be such regal jewels! Here is the recipe for our King's Cake (Mother called it Eggless-Milkless-Butterless Cake):
Epiphany Cake
Mix in saucepan:
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup shortening or lard
2 cups seeded raisins
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg and cloves, each
2 teaspoon cinnamon
Boil for 3 minutes. Cool. Add mixture of
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon water
Sift and blend in:
2 cups flour (I'm going to do a mixture of barley and oat flour, with some starches)
1 teaspoon baking powder
In a greased and floured tube pan, pour batter. Drop in beans or money.
Bake at 325 degrees about one hour, or until toothpick comes out clean.
08:50 Posted in Christmas , Desserts , Vegan | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Epiphany, Three Kings, King Cake