Saints, Feast, Family
- Traditions passed down with Cooking, Crafting, & Caring -
November 14
Saint of the day:
Saint Laurence O'Toole
Paton Saint of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin
Saint Laurence O'Toole's Story
St. Lawrence, it appears, was born about the year 1125. When only ten years old, his father delivered him up as a hostage to Dermod Mac Murehad, King of Leinster, who treated the child with great inhumanity, until his father obliged the tyrant to put him in the hands of the Bishop of Glendalough, in the county of Wicklow. The holy youth, by his fidelity in corresponding with the divine grace, grew to be a model of virtues. On the death of the bishop, who was also abbot of the monastery, St. Lawrence was chosen abbot in 1150, though he was only twenty-five years old, and governed his numerous community with wonderful virtue and prudence. In 1161 St. Lawrence was unanimously chosen to fill the new metropolitan See of Dublin. About the year 1171 he was obliged, for the affairs of his diocese, to go over to England to see the king, Henry II, who was then at Canterbury. The Saint was received by the Benedictine monks of Christ Church with the greatest honor and respect. On the following day, as the holy archbishop was going to the altar to officiate, a maniac, who had heard much of his sanctity, and who was led on by the idea of making so holy a man another St. Thomas, struck him a violent blow on the head. All present concluded that he was mortally wounded; but the Saint came to himself, asked for some water, blessed it, and having his wound washed with it, the blood was immediately stopped, and the Archbishop celebrated Mass. In 1175 Henry IIof England became offended with Roderic, the monarch of Ireland, and St.Lawrence undertook another journey to England to negotiate a reconciliation between them. Henry was so moved by his piety, charity, and prudence that he granted him everything he asked, and left the whole negotiation to his discretion. Our Saint ended his journey here below on the 14th of November, 1180, and was buried in the church of the abbey at Eu, on the confines of Normandy. His feast day is November 14th.
http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=365
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorc%C3%A1n_Ua_Tuathail
Prayer:
Prayer:
St. Laurence O’Toole, man of peace,
You were in the middle of family and political conflict from your earliest days.
Give the gift of peace and hope to all who experience the
trauma of division in families, in communities and among nations.
Visit:
St. Lawrence's church in Chorley, England
Recipes:
Oh Dublin.....Gur Cake,
Chester Cake,
Donkey's Gudge??
Like a bread-pudding stuffed between a shortbread crust or pie crust, this is a very traditional Dublin dessert made by bakers with day old bread so there was no waste. In different parts of Ireland the dessert is called different names.
The story of this gem goes:
Back to harder times, more frugal times, this dessert shows the ingenuity that people had to make food stretch further. Gur cake is this at it's best and it is very traditional Irish food.
Gur cake is called different names in different areas of Ireland. In Dublin the cake is called Gur, in Cork it is chester cake and in Waterford it is called donkey gudge cake. This is a cake that has huge heritage, and yet comes from a very humble beginning.
There’s an old Dublin term used to describe a young boy, a messer, somebody who gets up to mischief. That word is “gurrier”. In the early 1900s this was a kid who probably lived in the city center tenements, they’d duck and dive around the city centre, grabbing food as and where they could. In the bakery, any cake cuttings and stale bread on the floor at the end of the day went to the gurriers, who would bring them home to transform into a treat (Gur Cake) that is still made to this day. If you’d like to read more about life in the tenements at the turn of the century, read “Gur Cake and Coal Blocks” by Éamonn MacThomáis.
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Dublin Lawyer
Lobster & Rice
Ingredients
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1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
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1 teaspoon cayenne
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2 teaspoons paprika
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1 1/2 cups sliced button mushrooms
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1/2 cup sliced scallions
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1 pound cooked lobster meat
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Salt and freshly ground black pepper
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1/4 cup Irish whiskey (recommended: Jameson)
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4 cups heavy cream
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2 cups hot cooked rice
Directions:
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In a small mixing bowl thoroughly combine softened butter, cayenne pepper, and paprika.
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In a large deep-sided skillet over medium-high heat, melt the cayenne butter and add the mushrooms, scallions and lobster meat.
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Saute until mushroom are golden, about 5 minutes, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
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Carefully add the whiskey off the heat and cook until almost completely evaporated. Add the cream and reduce until thickened.
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Serve in large bowls over hot rice.
Waterford Blaa
Yield: 8 rolls
Ingredients:
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10 gram active dry yeast (about 1 tablespoons & 3/4 teaspoon)
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10 grams caster (superfine) sugar ( about 2 1/8 teaspoon)
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500 grams Bread Flour, plus more for dusting (A little shy of 4 cups)
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10 grams sea salt ( about 1 3/4 teaspoons)
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10 grams Unsalted butter ( about 3/4 tablespoon)
Directions:
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Dissolve the yeast and sugar in 275ml lukewarm (98° F) water. Leave for 10 minutes. It should get nice and frothy, indicating that the yeast is alive and well.
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Pulse flour and salt a couple of times in food processor to combine. Add the butter, cut into small bits and pulse 2-3 times.
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Transfer flour/butter combination to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Change to dough hook and knead for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. It will go from rough to shiny.
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Place in a bowl, cover with cling film, and leave in a warm place for 45 minutes. Remove from the bowl and knock back , pushing the air out the dough. Rest for 15 minutes, to give the gluten time to relax; this will make shaping easier.
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Divide the dough into eight pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Rest for five minutes more, covered.
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Dust a baking dish with flour and place the dough balls, side by side. Dust with flour. Leave in a warm place for 50 minutes.
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Preheat oven to 410° F (210° C, gas mark 6.5). Liberally dust the blaas with flour from a sifter for a final time and bake for 15-20 minutes.
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