September 28

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Saint of the day:

Saint Wenceslaus

Patron Saint of Prague, Bohemia, Czech Republic

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Saint Wenceslaus’ Story

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If saints have been falsely characterized as “other worldly,” the life of Wenceslaus stands as an example to the contrary: He stood for Christian values in the midst of the political intrigues which characterized 10th-century Bohemia.

Wenceslaus was born in 907 near Prague, son of the Duke of Bohemia. His saintly grandmother, Ludmilla, raised him and sought to promote him as ruler of Bohemia in place of his mother, who favored the anti-Christian factions. Ludmilla was eventually murdered, but rival Christian forces enabled Wenceslaus to assume leadership of the government.

His rule was marked by efforts toward unification within Bohemia, support of the Church, and peace-making negotiations with Germany, a policy which caused him trouble with the anti-Christian opposition. His brother Boleslav joined in the plotting, and in September of 929 invited Wenceslaus to Alt Bunglou for the celebration of the feast of Saints Cosmas and Damian. On the way to Mass, Boleslav attacked his brother, and in the struggle, Wenceslaus was killed by supporters of Boleslav.

Although his death resulted primarily from political upheaval, Wenceslaus was hailed as a martyr for the faith, and his tomb became a pilgrimage shrine. He is hailed as the patron of the Bohemian people and of the former Czechoslovakia.

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Prayer:

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His Song:

Good King Wenceslas

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Visit:

St. Wenceslas Chapel in St. Vitus Cathedral

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Recipe:

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St. Wenceslas goose in milk with red cabbage and delicious dumplings

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The Goose

1 goose, cut into sectioned pieces 
1.5 l of whole milk 
a handful of salt 
handful of crushed caraway

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Directions:

 

1. Pour the milk over the goose and let it rest overnight. 

2. The next day, remove the goose from the milk (do not toss out, this is to be saved when baking for basting), season the goose with salt and caraway.

3. Put in a dutch over and bake at 325 ° F for about an hour. 

4. Then uncover and bake for another half an hour until an hour of golden browning (again depends on the size of the goose and on the oven's performance). During the baking process, baste the goose with the milk.

5. Remove the goose once it is golden, a goose must reach a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F (73.9 °C) throughout the bird. Check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.
   
    

Red Cabbage with pears and dried apples

• 1.5 kg of red cabbage, julienne 

• 200 g of goose lard 

• 2 red onions, minced 

• 100 g of dried apples 

• 1 l of apple juice 

• 1 star anise 

• 5 cloves 

• 200 g of dried apples 

• 2 large pears, cubed

• salt

 

Directions:​

1. Cut the cabbage and onions, julienne (long and thin cuts)

2. Fry the onions and cabbage in the lard, turn over, sprinkle with sugar, and allow the cabbage mix to be caramelized. 

3. Pour half a liter of apple juice and add all the spices. 

4. During steaming, gradually add the rest of the apple juice.

5. When cabbage mix is still steaming add the dried apples & pears. 

6. Once the everything has soften in the cabbage mix it is done. 

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Herb Dumplings

• 1 pack of white sliced bread, cubed 

• 4 eggs, sperated 

• 50 g butter 

• 250-300 ml milk or cream for cooking 

• 115 g of parsley, minced 

• salt salt 

• butter for pouring the cups
   

Directions:​

1. Cut the bread into small cubes and let it dry in the oven. 

2. After removing it from the oven place into a mixing bowl, add the milk, add the melted butter, the beaten egg yolks, chopped parsley, season with salt and mix. 

3. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks have formed

4. Fold the egg whites into the bread mixture

5. Place the mixture into buttered ramekins.  
   Make sure that the dishes are filled only half way because the dumping will expand. Use a tall ramekin about 8 oz, only place 4 oz of dumpling.

6. Place the ramekins in a water bath on the stove in a pot of boiling water (just 5 cm), cook under the lid for about 25 minutes.

 

Five-Minute Homemade Rustic Artisan Bread​

 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups lukewarm water (approx. 100 degrees F)

• 1 Tbsp active dry yeast

• 1 tsp of sugar

• 1 1/2 Tbsp coarse salt 

• 6 1/2 cups flour
   

Directions:

1. Pour water in large bowl.  Sprinkle with yeast and sugar, and mix until dissolved.  
   Add flour and salt all at once, and mix until completely incorporated.  
   That’s it!  Five minutes.  No kneading.

2. Place a clean kitchen towel over the bowl and let it sit for two hours.

3. After two hours, cover bowl with saran wrap (but not too tight as it needs a little vent for gases to escape), and throw it in the fridge.

4. Your dough is ready to use at anytime in the next 14 days.

5. When you are ready to bake a loaf, preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Grab a hunk of dough with floured hands.  Do not punch it down, and do not knead or overwork it.  Gently shape as desired into a ball, loaf, rolls – whatever you like.  Place on a baking stone. (I bake absolutely EVERYthing on baking stones – cookies, bread, roasted vegetables, meatloaf, french fries – they are all I use in the oven – and the results are awesome!) You can let it rest for 30-40 minutes or bake right away – depending on the density you desire.  Dust top of dough with flour (and salt if desired).  Slash a few cuts in the dough with a serrated knife.

6. Place an empty metal broiler pan on bottom rack of oven and fill with warm water right before placing dough in oven.

7. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the crust is a rich brown color and firm to the touch.  Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.