Saints, Feast, Family
- Traditions passed down with Cooking, Crafting, & Caring -
July 18
Saint of the day:
Saint Frederick
Patron Saint of against deafness
Saint Frederick's Story
St. Frederick, Bishop of Utrecht, Martyr Frederick was trained in piety and sacred learning among the clergy of the Church of Utrecht. Being ordained priest, he was charged by Bishop Ricfried with the care of instructing converts, and about 825 he was chosen to succeed him as bishop of Utrecht. The new bishop at once began to establish order everywhere, and sent St. Odulf and other zealous and virtuous labourers into the northern parts to dispel the paganism which still subsisted there. According to tradition St. Frederick became involved in the difficulties between the sons of the emperor, Louis the Debonair, and their father and step-mother. During these disturbances the party of the young princes charged the Empress Judith with numerous immoralities. Whatever may have been the truth of these stories, St. Frederick is said to have admonished her of them, with charity but with the effect of drawing upon himself the fury and resentment of the empress. He also got himself disliked elsewhere. The inhabitants of Walcheren were barbarous and most averse from the Gospel. On which account, St. Frederick, when he sent priests in the northern part of his diocese, took this most dangerous and difficult part chiefly to himself; and nothing gave him more trouble than marriages contracted within the forbidden decrees and the separation of the parties (that the union of Louis and Judith was itself incestuous was an afterthought of hagiographers). Free Online Catholic Classes for Anyone, Anywhere - Click Here The story goes on that, on July 18, 838, after St. Frederick had celebrated Mass and was about to make his thanksgiving, he was stabbed by two assassins. He died in a few minutes, reciting that verse of Psalm 144, "I will praise the Lord in the land of the living". The eleventh century author of his life says that these assassins were employed by the Empress Judith, who could not pardon the liberty he had taken to reprove her sins, and was incited thereto by her husband. William of Malmesbury and others repeat the same; but later writers, such as Baronius and Mabillon, think that they were rather sent by some of the inhabitants of Walcheren. And this seems the more likely opinion: for no contemporary makes the charge against Judith and it is not at all in consonance with the attitude of Louis towards episcopal authority and Christian conduct. St. Frederick composed a prayer to the Blessed Trinity which for many ages was used in the Netherlands. The reputation of his sanctity appears from a poem of Rabanus Maurus, his contemporary, in praise of his virtues.
Prayer:
Visit:
St. Martin's Cathedral, Utrecht
Achter de Dom 1, 3512 JN Utrecht, Netherlands
Recipe:
Bitterballens
Ingredients
For the beef braise
-
½ kg chuck or brisket cleaned of excess fat
-
2 whole onions cut in half, skin left on
-
4 cloves garlic peeled
-
2 whole carrots peeled and quarted
-
250 ml chicken stock
-
2 pc bay leaves
-
1 tsp black peppercorns
-
½ bunch thyme fresh
-
1 tsp allspice whole
-
1 pc star anise
-
½ bunch fresh thyme
For the bitterballen mix
-
30 g butter
-
30 g flour
-
1 tsp allspice
-
2 tsp marmite optional
-
salt and pepper
For the breading
-
1 box panko breadcrumbs
-
2 whole eggs beaten
-
150 g flour
Extras
-
mustard for dipping
-
frying oil
Directions
-
Sear the beef in a cast iron pan with 1 tbsp of vegetable oil until nicely browned. Work in batches to avoid cooling down the pan too quickly.
-
Sear the onions and carrots and brown nicely.
-
Add the rest of the ingredients from the "beef braise" section with the browned meat to the Instant Pot. Close the lid and set it on high pressure for 35 minutes.
-
Once the timer goes off, let it cool for 20 minutes. Manually release the rest of the pressure.
-
Strain the liquid from the braise and save 250ml of the braising liquid. (500ml for a 2x recipe, and so on...)Once the beef is cool enough to handle, shred it into small pieces with your hands.Alternatively, you can chop the beef with a knife into smaller pieces. Discard the vegetables and spices.
-
Begin by melting the butter in the pan. Add the flour and whisk.
-
Cook over low heat until a blond colour roux is made. About 3 minutes.
-
Add the braising liquid slowly and whisk continually to make a smooth sauce with no lumps of flour.
-
Once all the liquid is mixed in add the shredded beef, allspice, marmite and fresh black pepper. Cook gently until the mixture thickens slightly for about 2 minutes. Taste. Make sure it's seasoned nicely with salt and pepper.
-
Let this cool completely on a tray at room temperature for 10 minutes. Once it's cool enough to put in the fridge, cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for about two hours or overnight.
-
Once the mixture is completely cooled, begin to roll it into little balls (smaller than a ping pong ball).
-
Get three containers with high sides and fill one with flour, one with beaten eggs and the other with the panko bread crumbs.Dredge the balls in the flour, then the eggs and finally the panko breadcrumbs.
-
Once breaded you can store some in the freezer for later or fry some now in a deep fryer at 170°C/350°F for about 5-6 minutes or until nicely golden and hot in the middle.
-
Serve with a side of mustard and a nice cold beer. Enjoy!
Notes
Breading the bitterballen is time consuming so get somebody to help you if possible.Take your time to properly coat the balls in the flour, then egg, then panko to ensure you have a really nice breading. Always be super careful when deep frying. Use a proper deep fryer instead of a putting a pot of oil on the stove.
