Saints, Feast, Family
- Traditions passed down with Cooking, Crafting, & Caring -
August 1
Saint of the day:
Sts. The Mother and Her Seven Sons
Sts. The Mother and Her Seven Sons's Story
No Pork!
The woman with seven sons was a Jewish martyr described in 2 Maccabees 7 and other sources, who had seven sons that were arrested (along with her) by Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who forced them to prove their respect to him by consuming pig meat. When they refused, he tortured and killed the sons one by one in front of the unflinching and stout-hearted mother. The story likely occurred around the beginning of the religious persecutions in 167-166 B.C.E. Although unnamed in 2 Maccabees, the mother is known variously as Hannah, Miriam, and Solomonia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woman_with_seven_sons
https://orthochristian.com/48075.html
https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2001/08/01/102162-7-holy-maccabee-martyrs
https://livingmaronite.com/resources/feast-days/st-shmouni-and-her-seven-sons-martyrs-1-august/
Verse:
2 Maccabees 7:20
Prayer:
Visit:
St. Andrew Church, Cologne, Germany
Komödienstraße 6-8, 50667 Köln, Germany
Maccabees' relics - kept in the Maccabees Shrine
Recipe
Honey Roasted Za’atar Chicken with Dried Fruit
Ingredients
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10 oz. dried apricots (scant 2 cups)
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10 oz. pitted dried prunes (scant 2 cups)
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3 Tbsp za’atar
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2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
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4 chicken legs, skin-on
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1⁄2 cup dry red wine
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kosher salt, to taste
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1⁄3 cup honey
Directions
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread apricots and prunes into a 9×13-inch pan.
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In a bowl, combine za’atar and olive oil to create a paste. Rub the za’atar paste over chicken; place chicken on dried fruit. Pour wine around the chicken; sprinkle with salt.
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Cover tightly with foil; bake for 1 hour.
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Uncover the pan. Drizzle the chicken with honey. Bake, uncovered, for an additional 30-45 minutes, basting every 10 minutes with the pan juices.
Za’atar Roasted Carrots with Sumac Yogurt
Ingredients
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1 large bunch (about 1lb) mixed heirloom carrots,
sliced in half lengthwise if large -
Za’atar spice blend, to taste
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Kosher salt
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2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Yogurt:
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1 cup whole fat Greek yogurt
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2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
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1 clove garlic, crushed in press or finely grated on microplane
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1 tsp lemon juice
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¼ tsp sumac, plus more for sprinkling
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Kosher salt
Toppings:
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Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
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Parsley leaves
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Carrot top leaves
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Toasted sesame seeds
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Lemon wedges, for serving
Directions
Preheat oven:Preheat oven to 425°F.
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Roast carrots: Place carrots on a baking sheet. Season with za’atar and salt, to taste. Coat in oil. Roast on center rack of oven for 20-25 minutes or until tender and browned in spots, flipping halfway through.
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Mix yogurt: While carrots roast, prepare yogurt. In a bowl, mix together yogurt, oil, garlic, lemon, sumac and salt, to taste.
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Serve: Spread yogurt sauce on serving plate. Top with carrots. Drizzle over a few teaspoons of oil. Garnish with parsley and carrot top leaves, sesame seeds and a sprinkle of sumac. Serve with lemon.
