Festa San Giuseppe

Great Feast This meatless celebration of St. Joseph consists of bread, pastas, fish, vegetables and plenty of desserts. Along with other dishes there are few traditional recipes that must be made to truly celebrate this day.

St. Joseph Bread is our first recipe. It is said that a if St. Joseph bread is kept in the home, the family will never starve. Another dish that you must have for your table is stuffed artichokes and for dessert sfinges and St. Joseph’s cream puffs. Anything in between is your choice as long as there is no meat. There are plenty of pasta, fish and vegetable dishes to create a glorious table.

The table itself should be arranged with a statue of St. Joseph at the head or the top portion of the table and three tiers to represent the holy trinity. Don’t forget to wear red. The traditional color for St. Joseph's Day. Enjoy your feast, enjoy the day and enjoy your family.

St. Joseph’s Bread

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups of warm water

2 packages of dry yeast

2 tablespoons of shortening

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 teaspoons salt

4 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

1 egg, beaten

PREPARATION

In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, shortening, sugar, oil and salt.

Let the mixture stand for 10 to 12 minutes.

Beat in the 2 1/2 cups of flour until blended

Stir in the remaining flour a little at a time to form a soft dough.

Place the dough on a floured surface.

Add the remaining flour to form a stiff dough

Shape the dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl.

Cover with a dish towel and let stand for around 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and divide into 6 equal pieces.

Roll each piece into a large rope.

Place 3 ropes side by side and form into a braid.

Place the 2 pieces of bread dough onto a greased baking sheet.

Cover with a dish towel until doubles in size.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Brush the top of the dough with the beaten egg.

Bake for around 25 minutes until golden brown.

Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 2 loaves

Stuffed Artichokes

INGREDIENTS

4 large artichokes

2 cups of seasoned bread crumbs

3/4 cups of freshly grated Romano cheese

2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 small bunch of long green onions finely chopped

1/2 cup of chopped fresh parsley

1/2 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp of fresh ground black pepper

1/2 cup of lemon juice

2 cups of chicken broth

PREPARATION

Prepare artichokes by cutting the stems off the bottom.

Carefully cut the off the tops of the artichokes and pull off the small tough leaves at the bottom.

Snip the pointy tips off the remaining leaves. Wash thoroughly. Lay the artichokes top down and press with the palm of your hand to loosen the leaves. Pull out the center of the artichoke.

Immediately dip the artichoke into the lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown. I usually spoon some in the middle and place the artichokes top down on a plate full of lemon juice while I prepare the breadcrumb mixture.

In a bowl mix the breadcrumbs, cheese, garlic, onions, parsley, salt and pepper.

Stuff the center and the leaves of the artichokes.

In a large pot add the artichokes and pour the chicken broth on top and around the artichokes.

Simmer over medium heat for around 1 hour until the bottom of the leaves are tender. Just pull a leaf off and make sure they’re not tough. After around 30 minutes check to make sure there is enough broth. If not just add some more.

This dish will serve 4 people.

Baccala Alla Siciliana

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds of prepared salt cod cut into 3 inch pieces.

1 cup of flour for dredging

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1 stalk of celery chopped

1 bunch of long green onions chopped

2 cloves of garlic crushed

1 Tbls of capers

1 jar of black pitted olives

1/2 cup of dry white wine

2 15oz. cans of tomato puree.

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp of dried oregano

1 tsp of sugar

1/4 cup of chopped parsley

PREPARATION

Dredge the fish in flour.

Shake off excess and set aside.

Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the cod on both sides until brown.

About 1 minute on each side.

Remove cod from the pan and drain on a paper towel.

Add onions, celery, garlic and capers, olives and sauté for about 1 minute.

Deglaze the pan with the wine.

Add Tomatoes, red pepper, oregano and sugar and cook for about 30 minutes.

Return cod to the frying pan and cook covered about another 20 minutes.

Place fish topped with sauce on a plate and sprinkle with parsley.

Serves 4 people

Penne Milanese

INGREDIENTS

1 pound of Penne

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 15oz cans of tomato sauce

1/2 cup of water

4 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 tsp of brown sugar

1 tsp of dried oregano

1/2 tsp of fresh ground black pepper

½ tsp of salt

1 8oz can of Pasta Con Sarde (Sardine Sauce) (Italian Specialty Stores)

1 cup of breadcrumbs

1 tsp of sugar

2 Tbls of extra virgin olive oil

PREPARATION

In 6 quarts of boiling salted water, cook the penne until al dente. Around 10 minutes.

In a large frying pan, sauté the onions and garlic for 2 minutes.

Add the sauce, water, basil, sugar, oregano, pepper and salt.

Simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in the Pasta Con Sarde and cook for 30 minutes more.

In a separate pan, brown the breadcrumbs and sugar in the olive oil.

Drain the pasta, plate and serve with the sauce on top.

Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top.

Serves 4 people

Sicilian Cauliflower with Bucatini Pasta

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup raisins

1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets

1 large yellow onion, diced

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

8 anchovies (1 small can), rinsed and chopped

1 pound bucatini

3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

1/4 cup flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped

1 tsp of fresh ground black pepper

PREPARATION

In a small bowl, soak the raisins in warm water for 15 minutes

In a large pot bring 6 quarts of boiling salted water to a boil.

Add the cauliflower and cook until tender.

Remove the cauliflower with a slotted spoon and keep on the side.

In the same water cook the bucatini until al dente. About 10 to 12 minutes.

In the meantime, sauté the onions in the olive oil in a large frying pan for 2 minutes.

Add the garlic and anchovy and mix in until the anchovies are broken apart.

Drain the raisins and pat dry.

Add the cauliflower, raisins and pine nuts to the onion anchovy mixture with ½ cup of the pasta water. Cook 10 to 15 minutes.

Sprinkle with parsley and season with black pepper.

Drain the pasta and pour into a large serving bowl.

Mix in the cauliflower and serve.

Serves 4 people

Sfingi

INGREDIENTS

1 package of. dry yeast

3/4 cup warm water

1 large egg

2 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

Oil for frying

1/2cup of granulated sugar

PREPARATION

in a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast into the warm water.

Let stand for 10 to 13 minutes until foamy,

Beat in the egg, flour and salt until smooth

Cover the bowl with a dish towel and place in a warm spot until doubled in size. Around 1 hour.

Punch the dough down and let in rise again for 1 hour.

In a deep pot, frying pan heat or deep fryer heat the oil to 350 degrees.

Carefully place the dough in the oil 1 tablespoon at a time and fry until golden brown. Don’t place to many in the oil at the same time and be careful with the splattering.

Drain the sfinge on a paper towel.

Place the dough in a paper bag with sugar and toss to coat.

Makes around 24. Best served warm.

St. Joseph‘s Cream Puffs

Pastry

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of all-purpose flour

1 stick of butter, softened

1 cup of water

4 large eggs

1/4 tsp of salt

PREPARATION