Recipes: Ascension, St Benedict, Sts Raymond

[Tybourne]

****I just received the excellent book ‘Cooking with the Saints’ from Ignatius Press. Lots of things in there I want to try.

Please does anyone know of special recipes for the Ascension?

What about the for the Feast of St Benedict? or any of the Saints Raymond (of Penafort, Bl. Ramon Lull etc). These are my son’s patrons but no recipes in the book for them.

Thanks,

Tybourne

 

[Tantum_ergo]

Well, you could always try a nice souffle for Ascension (it rises).

And Eggs Benedict.

 

[Lil_M]

Cooking with the Saints? I hate GOT to get this!

May I add that a good chocolate cake also rises

 

[Tybourne]

Thanks Tantum, great ideas.

You should add this book to your wedding list Michelle!

Tybourne

 

[Lil_M]

I’m sure if I mention it to FH he will get it. He’s very pro- buying cookbooks, so I will cook for him

 

[LilyM]

Didn’t one of St Benedict’s enemies try to poison him? Wouldn’t be doing any cooking for his feast, I don’t think - he’d probably think I was up to no good

As for St Raymond of Penyafort - he’s a patron of lawyers - maybe shark? (little insider joke there - I’m a law student). Or perhaps the hot-air-souffle would be appropriate for him too?


Enough with the jokes - now for the serious suggestions. Since St Raymond was Spanish I’d make some yummy paella in his honour, as nothing else comes to mind.

For St Benedict - I’ve just read that he’s a patron against stinging nettle rash, and remembered that Italians do use stinging nettle leaves in their cooking (you’d need to wear gloves while collecting and preparing it).

It seems to be used in pretty much the same way as arugula, an Italian herb, so I’d imagine the taste is pretty similar.

This recipe for stinging nettle lasagne sounds good.

Hmmm, making me hungry now :yup:

 

[In_Vino_Veritas]

St. Benedict’s Abbey in Atchison, Kansas serves onions with breakfast one day each week (I heard a doctor recommended it in the teens during a flu epidemic.) Maybe you could do that.

Also, just about any Bread should work for St. Benedict, since the raven took bread to him as sustenance while he was a hermit.

 

[Tybourne]

More great ideas! Thanks you wonderful people!

I think St Benedict is a patron against nettle rash because he threw himself naked into a patch when struggling against thoughts about a girl he’d known in Rome. Nettle tea with honey is actually surprisingly tasty.

The Italians are unafraid of many ‘yard plants’. Young dandelions are also added to salads. We are trying to go organic in our garden so in about three years I will take my revenge on the dandelions by eating them all! Has anyone tried roasting dandelion roots to make a coffee substitute? The myth about wetting the bed is partially true. A doctor told me once that dandelion coffee is a diuretic and a good detoxifier.

 

[Asillia]

Another fun book with this kind of thing is ‘The Bad Catholic’s Guide to Good Living’ (don’t be fooled by the title! It’s actually pretty orthodox!) which also has a bunch of recipes and celebration ideas for various feast days. I think my favorite entry are the 'Virgin’s Nipples" for St. Agatha’s day, which I guess is something they actually make in Italy for that feast! He also jokingly suggests getting your wife a new brassiere and getting it blessed, hehe.

(St. Agatha was a martyr who had her breasts cut off)