Saints, Feast, Family
- Traditions passed down with Cooking, Crafting, & Caring -
October 25
Saint of the day:
Saint Daria
Saint Daria's Story
The legend states that Daria was sent to live as a prostitute, but her chastity was defended by a lioness. She was brought before Numerian and ordered to be executed. There are many variations to this legend. Some claim that she was subjected to execution by stoning, others say she was beheaded and yet others claim she was buried alive in a deep pit beside her husband. It appears this torment was chosen in order to inflict on Daria the death reserved for unfaithful vestals. They were entombed in a sand pit near the Via Salaria Nova, the catacombs in Rome.
The surviving "Acts" of Chrysanthus and Daria state that on the anniversary of their deaths, a large number of Christians had gathered at their underground crypt to pay their respects when Roman persecutors surprised them, filled the crypt with stones and buried them all alive, including Diodorus, a priest, and Marianus, a deacon.
Prayer:
Visit
Catacombs of Priscilla
Via Salaria, 430, 00199 Roma RM, Italy
Recipe
Pumpkin and Parmesan Arancini
Ingredients
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2 1/2 cups (625ml) chicken stock
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2 tbs olive oil
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1 onion, finely chopped
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350g peeled Jap pumpkin, coarsely grated
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3 garlic cloves, crushed
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1 cup (220g) arborio or carnaroli rice
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3/4 cup (60g) finely grated parmesan
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1 cup (150g) plain flour
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2 eggs, lightly beaten
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2 cups (140g) fresh breadcrumbs
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Sunflower oil, to deep-fry
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Lemon wedges, to serve
Salsa Verde
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1/2 bunch each mint & flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
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Finely grated zest of 1/2 a lemon
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2 tsp red wine vinegar
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2 tsp chopped capers, rinsed, drained
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1/2 cup (125ml) extra virgin olive oil
Directions
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Place stock in a saucepan over low heat to heat through.
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To make the arancini, heat oil in a large, deep frypan over medium-high heat. Add onion, pumpkin and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until pumpkin softens. Add rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until rice is well coated and heated through. Reduce heat to low, add the hot stock and bring it to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until the liquid is completely absorbed and the rice is tender. Stir through parmesan, season and spread evenly over a baking tray. Chill for 45 minutes or until completely cooled.
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Place flour, egg and breadcrumbs in separate shallow dishes. Using floured hands, roll 1 heaped tablespoon of the cooled pumpkin mixture into a ball, then roll in flour, dusting off excess. Dip in egg, letting excess egg drip off, then roll in breadcrumbs. Repeat with remaining pumpkin mixture. Place arancini on a baking tray and chill for 30 minutes or until firm.
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Meanwhile, to make the salsa verde, place herbs, lemon zest, vinegar and capers in a food processor and whiz until finely chopped. With the motor running, gradually add oil in a thin, steady stream until well combined.
How to prepare citrus fruit
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Half-fill a deep-fryer or large saucepan with sunflower oil and heat to 180°C (a cube of bread will turn golden in 90 seconds when the oil is hot enough). In batches of 4, deep-fry the arancini, turning halfway, for 3 minutes or until golden and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.
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Serve the arancini hot or at room temperature with salsa verde and lemon.
