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April 5

Saint of the day:

Saint Vincent Ferrer


Patron Saint of Builders

Saint Vincent Ferrer's Story

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St. Vincent Ferrer is the patron saint of builders because of his fame for "building up" and strengthening the Church: through his preaching, missionary work, in his teachings, as confessor and adviser.  At Valencia in Spain, this illustrious son of St. Dominic came into the world on January 23, 1357. In the year 1374, he entered the Order of St. Dominic in a monastery near his native city. Soon after his profession he was commissioned to deliver lectures on philosophy. On being sent to Barcelona, he continued his scholastic duties and at the same time devoted himself to preaching. At Lerida, the famous university city of Catalonia, he received his doctorate. After this he labored six years in Valencia, during which time he perfected himself in the Christian life. In 1390, he was obliged to accompany Cardinal Pedro de Luna to France, but he soon returned home. When, in 1394, de Luna himself had become Pope at Avignon he summoned St. Vincent and made him Master of the sacred palace. In this capacity St. Vincent made unsuccessful efforts to put an end to the great schism. He refused all ecclesiastical dignities, even the cardinal's hat, and only craved to be appointed apostolical missionary. Now began those labors that made him the famous missionary of the fourteenth century. He evangelized nearly every province of Spain, and preached in France, Italy, Germany, Flanders, England, Scotland, and Ireland. Numerous conversions followed his preaching, which God Himself assisted by the gift of miracles. Though the Church was then divided by the great schism, the saint was honorably received in the districts subject to the two claimants to the Papacy. He was even invited to Mohammedan Granada, where he preached the gospel with much success. He lived to behold the end of the great schism and the election of Pope Martin V. Finally, crowned with labors, he died April 5, 1419. His feast day is April 5.

http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=723

https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-vincent-ferrer/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Ferrer

https://soundcloud.com/user-84758912-221844386/ep-65-st-vincent-ferrer

Joan_de_Joanes_-_St_Vincent_Ferrer_-_WGA

 

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Prayer: 

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St.-Vincent-Ferrer-450.jpg
let-devotion-st-vincent-ferrer.jpg

Visit:

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Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Vannes

(Cathedral of Saint Peter of Vannes)

22 Rue des Chanoines

56000 Vannes, France

*The tomb of St Vincent Ferrer is on the left side of the nave within the Blessed Sacrament Chapel.

Also located here is a reliquary bust of the saint.

These relics have resided in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel since 1956.

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Recipes:

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Unity Bread & Jewish Sephardic Sumac Chicken and Rice Recipe 

Vincent is said to have been responsible for the conversion of many Jews to Catholicism


He wanted Unity. Due to the great schism the Church was then divided, The pope at the time resided in France. 
He was known for "building up" and strengthening the Church.




Unity Bread
 

Ingredients

  • 4 cups bread flour (20 oz)

  • 2¼ tsp. active dry yeast

  • ¼ cup sugar

  • 3 eggs at room temperature

  • 1 cup warm water (110-120 degrees)

  • ¼ cup vegetable oil

  • 1 tsp salt

 

​Directions:

  1. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, yeast and warm water. Stir to combine.

  2. Add the sugar, 2 of the eggs, vegetable oil and salt.

  3. Mix the dough with the dough hook until a smooth dough emerges, about five minutes.

  4. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board and knead by hand for an additional five minutes. The dough should be smooth, elastic and not sticky.

  5. Place the dough in a bowl that has been oiled on all sides. Cover the dough with a clean cloth and allow it to rise in a warm place for two hours or until doubled in size.

  6. Punch down risen dough and, if braiding, divide into four equal parts. (I like to use my kitchen scale to ensure my pieces are of equal size.)

  7. If forming a spiral, roll dough into a long, thin strand and shape into a spiral.

  8. For braid, roll each piece into a long, thin strand 26-28 inches long.

  9. To braid the challah, place two of the strands next to each vertically on a board. Weave the remaining two strands horizontally over and under the vertical strands. The result should look like a plus sign with no spaces between the strands. There should be two strands pointing in each direction.

  10. For each direction, take the strand on the left and cross it over the strand on the right leaving no space between the strands.

  11. Next, do the same action going the opposite direction.

  12. Repeat crossing the strands over each other, alternating directions until you run out of dough. Take the ends and pinch them closed and tuck the under the loaf.

  13. Carefully transfer the braided loaf to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat.

  14. Cover the loaf and allow to rise an additional 30 minutes to one hour.

  15. Preheat the oven to 350.

  16. Before placing the loaf in the oven, beat the remaining egg in a small bowl. Brush the egg wash on the challah, making sure to get in the crevices of the braids.

  17. Bake 35 minutes until golden brown.

  18. Allow to cool on a wire rack prior to cutting.​
     


Sumac Chicken and Rice Recipe

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup sumac

  • zest from 1 lemon

  • 1 tsp salt

  • ¼ tsp white pepper (black pepper is fine too)

  • 6 pieces bone-in, skin-on chicken legs (drumstick & thigh) or chicken breast

  • 3 cups basmati or jasmine rice

  • ½ cup pine nuts

  • 3 Tbsp berreris, dried cranberries or cherries

  • 1 tsp turmeric

  • ½ tsp salt

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil

  • 1 red onion, cut in ½ inch thick slices

  • 1 lemon, cut in 1/4 inch round slices

  • 4 ½ cups (32 fl oz) chicken stock

  • olive oil
     

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 400˚F with the rack in the middle.

  2. Make the spice rub by combining the sumac, lemon zest, salt and white pepper in a small bowl.

  3. Rub the spice mix under the skin and on top of the pieces of chicken.

  4. In a roasting pan, combine the rice, pine nuts, berreris, turmeric, salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil until the rice is a beautiful yellow color. Press the rice down so it’s pretty flat.

  5. Top the rice with the slices of red onion and lay the chicken pieces on top of the onions. Top each piece of chicken with a lemon slice.

  6. If you are assembling ahead of time and roasting later, this is the point you will want to cover the roasting pan with tin foil or lid and set in the fridge.

  7. Pour the stock around the chicken onto the rice. Drizzle the chicken with a decent amount of olive oil.

  8. Cover the roasting pan tightly with tin foil and place it in the oven. Roast for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and continue roasting for an additional 20-25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the rice has soaked up all of the liquids.


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Meatless

Sephardic Jeweled Rice

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 tsp salt

  • 1 tsp sweet paprika

  • 1/2 tsp turmeric

  • 1/4 tsp cumin

  • 1/8 tsp black pepper

  • 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil divided, plus 1 teaspoon

  • 2 medium size onions, diced small

  • 10 dried apricots, quartered

  • 6 dried figs (we used Smyrna), quartered

  • 1/4 cup dried cherries

  • 1/4 cups pistachios or pumpkin seeds

  • 1 cup long grain rice (Jasmine or Basmati)

  • 1 cup water

  • 1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon or orange zest

  • 1 cup pomegranate seeds
     

Directions:

  1. Combine salt, sweet paprika, turmeric, cumin and black pepper in a small bowl.

  2. Set aside.

  3. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a deep, non stick skillet with a lid. Add rice and spices and stir well.

  4. Cook over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly and making sure the rice gets well coated with the oil and the spices.

  5. Add 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes, remove from heat and let it sit for 15 minutes covered.

  6. In the meantime, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a non stick skillet.

  7. Add onions and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes stirring frequently, adding water 1 tablespoon at a time if necessary, to prevent from burning.

  8. Transfer onions to a plate and in the same skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Add dried fruit and pistachios or pumpkin seeds and cook over medium low for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.

  9. Once the rice is ready, fluff it with a fork, add onions, dried fruit, pistachios and lemon or orange zest and toss well.

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