Fr. Z's Blog | Formerly entitled: "What Does The Prayer Really Say?" – Clear, straight commentary on Catholic issues, liturgy and life by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf o{]:¬)

Fr. Z’s Kitchen: Sunday Chicken

Posted on 2 December 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I was in Paris not long ago and one dish that I didn’t get to have there was Coq au vin. I therefore determined to make some. It has been a while. Since my Sunday night plans opened up, I contacted two priest friends who wound up free for supper (after the Packers game, of course).

I’ve done Coq au vin more than once for the blog, but it has been awhile. I haven’t been doing any interesting cooking for long time now. My recent travels have sparked anew a desire to do something.

Click! It's a great gift idea.

And so it came to pass that I made a grocery and booze run during the first half and then set about making the desired dish, using Julia Child’s recipe. Who else? I used her first volume of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. UK HERE

One of the first things you have to do is get some of the fat off the bacon. Slice lean bacon into small pieces, lardons, and simmer them in water. I like larger pieces rather than the very narrow you sometimes see. The water gets rather scummy but… that’s the point. It is discarded.

BTW… as before, I am doing this entirely on a hot plate. I don’t have a stove.

Then you brown them in lots of butter.

Then, in the butter and bacon fat, you brown the chicken. I use dark meat for this, since I didn’t have an old rooster. Season it well before you add the meat for the browning stage. Salt and pepper are your friends.

Thanks, by the way, to readers S & KA who sent me the hotplates – quite a while ago now – from my wish list. I think of them often as I cook, for the hardware is a nice reminder of their kindness.

I brushed the stuff off of the mushrooms, which I quartered. That is I cut them up, I didn’t give them a place to live.

I also set about (on a separate hot plate) to braise the little onions, glacé a brun, as it were.

Then the mushrooms take their turn. They have a lot of water in them, so do only a few at a time, lest they steam each other in the pan.

Since I have limited options, having only two hot plates, I decided to combine the mushrooms and onions. Here you see the auxiliary hot plate, non-inductive. It doesn’t come out very often, but I needed an extra spot. I could have done it with just one, but I didn’t have the time that would have involved.

Time to flame up the chicken. I used about a 1/4 cup of brandy. Whoosh! This isn’t just “for effect”, as it were. This step firms up the flesh before the simmering stage.

Once that was burned off and reduced, I put in the bouquet garnis and a bit of tomato paste, a mashed garlic clove, and wine. I used a good Côte du Rhone. Remember that your Coq au vin or Boeuf Bourguignon will depend in large part on the quality of the wine. It stands to reason since it is a principle ingredient. Spend a few bucks more and get something that you would want to drink on its own, or even use the same wine you will drink with the meal. Nasty cheap wine will make your meal less than what it could have been, thus ruining the potential of the other ingredients you spent money and time on.

So, in go the wine and then stock. I used some beef stock and some chicken stock which I had at hand. The bouquet garnis included thyme and just a few leaves of rosemary. I think I will exclude the rosemary next time. Julia’s recipe didn’t call for it, but I had some at hand and I fell into temptation. Rosemary is tricky when liquids are involved. It can overwhelm everything else if you are not careful. In this case, it didn’t. It was subtle. But I am not sure that the touch of rosemary significantly improved what this dish was meant to be. The bay leaves, however, were essential. Get the imported leaves. I don’t think the California laurel tastes right.

At this point priest guests were present. I have no pics of the beurre manié, which does what roux accomplishes: thicken the sauce. You extract the chicken, start to reduce the liquid and add the beurre, because there wasn’t enough beurre in it already.

Alas, I also don’t have shots of the table and everything plated up, though we did it family style. The ravenous hoard did leave my two pieces as left overs. Here they are reheated the next day. I dare say that the chicken was even better than the night before.

I left all the lardon in, of course. The plate needed some additional personality, but.. hey. Left overs! Right?

Sunday meals with others are important. Make plans to make meals. Invite people. Get those knees under the table and make an afternoon or evening of it. Eating together is a blessing and a great way to make a Sunday a Sunday.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Fr. Z's Kitchen | Tagged Coq au vin, Julia Child
12 Comments

Harvard Valedictorian’s gives address in Latin, enters religious life

Posted on 2 December 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

A young lady who was the Valedictorian at Harvard, Mary Anne Marks, has entered religious life with the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

You’ll notice that she didn’t join the Liberated Community of the Expanding Cosmic Consciousness Egg or the Women Who Have Moved Beyond Jesus or even the Nuns on the Bus or any of the other LCWR type groups. Nope. She went for some real nuns.

Here is a video of her address at commencement … in Latin.

The Classical pronunciation takes me back to my own days of first and advanced Latin studies.

She did pretty well! And it was also a good thing to see someone give a memorized address.

Kathryn Jean Lopez has an interview with her HERE.

Posted in Just Too Cool, Women Religious |
39 Comments

French First Folio Found

Posted on 2 December 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I saw a blurb about this the other day on the news, but it was so facile that it didn’t get my attention until now.

From the UK’s best Catholic weekly, for which I also write, the Catholic Herald.

Shakespeare First Folio from Catholic College found in France

A First Folio of Shakespeare’s plays found in a French library came from a Catholic college

The discovery of a previously unknown copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio has refuelled speculation that the Bard was a Catholic sympathiser, if not a Catholic himself. [Of course Shakespeare was Catholic.]

The First Folio was discovered in a library in the small town of Saint-Omer, near Calais in northern France. A librarian came across it last month when he was preparing an exhibition of links between the area and England. Missing its frontispiece and the usual portrait of Shakespeare it had mistakenly been classified as an 18th century edition.

The librarian called in Shakespearean scholar Professor Eric Rasmussen from the University of Nevada, who was in London. Prof Rasmussen crossed the Channel to look at the book and concluded within minutes that it was a First Folio.

The First Folio, containing the text of nearly all Shakespeare’s plays, was compiled by the playwright’s friends and published in 1623, seven years after his death. Entitled “Mr William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories & Tragedies. Published according to the True Originall Copies”, it is the only source of a number of his plays, including Macbeth, Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar and As You Like It. Over a quarter of the 800 copies have survived; this is the 233rd known copy.

During the Elizabethan and Jacobean period many English Catholics escaped to France. A college at Saint-Omer gave a Catholic education to English boys. It was expelled from France in 1762 and moved first to Belgium and then in 1794 to Stonyhurst in Lancashire, where it remains today.

A spokesman for Stonyhurst College: “Many precious medieval artefacts, illuminated manuscripts and books were taken with them, and survive at Stonyhurst to this day, but it seems that a slightly scruffy and dog-eared First Folio was overlooked and left behind.”

Some of the college’s books, including a 15th-century Gutenberg Bible, ended up in the town library in Saint-Omer. The presence of the work at the Catholic college indicates, if nothing else, that Shakespeare’s work was well-regarded by Catholics at the time.

The newly-discovered First Folio has the name “Nevill” inscribed at the front, suggesting that “it was probably originally the property of Fr Edmund Neville, an English Jesuit priest who taught at the College in the 1630s”, the spokesman said. But other authorities suggest that “Nevill” refers instead to Edward Scarisbrick who studied at Saint-Omer; members of his family, from Ormskirk, Lancashire, used the name Neville as an alias.

This appears to have been a working copy of the book. Handwritten stage directions and alterations in Henry IV suggest that it was used in the performance of plays at Saint-Omer College, which had a reputation for well-attended drama productions. In one scene the word “hostess” is changed to “host” and “wench” to “fellow”, perhaps indicating that a female character was turned into a male.

Posted in Just Too Cool | Tagged 1st Folio, Shakespeare, Stonyhurst College
3 Comments

Thanksgiving Day: another demonstration that collectivism doesn’t work

Posted on 2 December 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Take a look at Truth Revolt (where there is a transcript of the following). The Left won’t like this:

Posted in The Drill | Tagged collectivism, liberals, Squanto, Thanksgiving Day
8 Comments

VIDEO: Chapel veils

Posted on 2 December 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

UPDATE 8 Sept 2015:

I have learned that this fellow/group is claiming my approval. It does not have my approval. As a matter of fact, I am entirely against this group and what he is up to. It’s weird and there is more than a touch of the neo-nazi to it:

A screenshot sent by an alert and concerned reader:

Just so that you all know that I want nothing to do with them.

ORIGINAL Published on: Dec 2, 2014 @ 04:00

There is a nice video from St. Anne’s parish in San Diego, an FSSP parish. They have their own “Latin Mass Society”, not to be confused with the Latin Mass Society in the UK.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Our Catholic Identity | Tagged chapel veils, Latin Mass Society, mantillas
39 Comments

ASK FATHER: “To contribute to the support of one’s pastor.”

Posted on 2 December 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader…

QUAERITUR:

If one spends hundreds of dollars a years on Mass stipends, can that be considered keeping the precept of the Church that says one must “contribute to the support of one’s pastor“? Because after spending that much in stipends, I don’t have enough cash left over for regular tithing.

Good question.

While the Precepts or Commandments of the Church vary a bit in language, they were generally listed in older books as:

1) To keep Sundays and holy days of obligation holy by attending Mass and resting from work.
2) To fast and abstain on the appointed days.
3) To go to confession at least once a year.
4) To receive Holy Communion at least once a year, during the Easter season.
5) To contribute to the support of one’s pastor.
6) Not to marry in a way prohibited by Canon Law.

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church we are given 5 Precepts, rather than 6:

2041 The precepts of the Church are set in the context of a moral life bound to and nourished by liturgical life. The obligatory character of these positive laws decreed by the pastoral authorities is meant to guarantee to the faithful the very necessary minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth in love of God and neighbor:

2042 The first precept (“You shall attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor”) requires the faithful to sanctify the day commemorating the Resurrection of the Lord as well as the principal liturgical feasts honoring the mysteries of the Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the saints; in the first place, by participating in the Eucharistic celebration, in which the Christian community is gathered, and by resting from those works and activities which could impede such a sanctification of these days.

The second precept (“You shall confess your sins at least once a year”) ensures preparation for the Eucharist by the reception of the sacrament of reconciliation, which continues Baptism’s work of conversion and forgiveness.

The third precept (“You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season”) guarantees as a minimum the reception of the Lord’s Body and Blood in connection with the Paschal feasts, the origin and center of the Christian liturgy.

2043 The fourth precept (“You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church”) ensures the times of ascesis and penance which prepare us for the liturgical feasts and help us acquire mastery over our instincts and freedom of heart.

The fifth precept (“You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church”) means that the faithful are obliged to assist with the material needs of the Church, each according to his own ability.

Notice that the issue of marriage is removed from the list, which, in my opinion, is a mistake.

Back to the question.

The faithful also have the duty of providing for the material needs of the Church, each according to his own abilities.

The law – and natural justice – requires that we support our pastors. The law does not go into detail about how we do that. Our Lord gives some indication, by praising the widow who gave only her mite (Mark 12: 41-44, Luke 21:1-4). From this it seems that our charitable giving should truly be sacrificial.

Furthermore, we give to our pastors, not in order that we get something back from them, but out of gratitude for what they give to us. We don’t hire them to perform a task like we would a gardener or an accountant.

Mass stipends, in many places in the world, are means by which priests live. When the concept of Mass stipend originated in the Middle Ages, a priest would ordinarily only say one Mass a day. The stipend was intended to cover his daily cost of living.

For the most part, especially in North America, priests receive salaries and do not live off of their stipendiary income. They are still only allowed to accept one stipend per day (except on Christmas). In many dioceses, priests forgo stipends entirely and that money is directed toward the parish. A priest is only permitted to collect Mass stipends for Masses he can reasonably offer in a year. If there are excess stipends, often times the parish or priest will send those stipends and the corresponding intentions to the missions or to religious orders.

How does this answer your question? Imperfectly, I suppose.

Priests have the right to their living “from the altar”. They don’t do what they do for the sake of money, but they have to live too. Diocesan priests have to make their own way in the world, like other people. And, if Father isn’t going to get a job (which would limit his ability to serve the people, and which he may not do without the permission of proper authority), the flock must support him. This is a symbiotic relationship.

Everyone fulfills their obligation to support their pastors in different ways. Hopefully, their giving is sacrificial, hopefully it aims at the needs of the priest and not just the needs of the donor. For example, imagine a parishioner who works at, say, a candy company. As an employee she get discounted gift certificates from her company. She then regularly puts a $20 gift certificate, for which she paid $15, in her Sunday envelope. The pastor, diabetic, must pass those gift certificates on to others. Does that really help Father?

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, Priests and Priesthood |
16 Comments

ASK FATHER: Rorate Masses in Advent

Posted on 1 December 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Some of you have written asking about “Rorate Masses” during Advent.

This is a beautiful custom whereby Mass is celebrated illuminated only by candlelight. They are usually before dawn.

The Mass is a Votive Mass of the Blessed Virgin, and so it is celebrated in white, rather than Advent purple.

One way that I have heard this done is that, while the hymn Rorate caeli begins, the priest and people process into the church. At the end of the hymn, prayers at the foot of the altar begin. When the Gloria is sung (for the Blessed Virgin’s votive Mass) the lights of the church are turned on.

It could be good to time to end of Mass as the sun is rising.

I imagine that some of you have experiences of these Rorate Masses during Advent.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000 | Tagged Rorate Mass
12 Comments

1 Dec: St. Nahum, Prophet of the Old Testment

Posted on 1 December 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Many Old Testament figures are numbered among the saints by the Catholic Church. You can find them listed in the Martyrologium Romanum.

1. Commemoratio sancti Nahum, prophetae, qui Deum praedicavit cursum temporum regentem et populos in iustitia iudicantem.

Yes, folks, once again today is the feast of St. Nahum, whose book is betwixt Micah and Habakkuk.

We don’t know much about this figure, historically. He was from the town Alqosh close to the end of the Assyrian reign. Like Johan, Nahum warns Ninevah of its destruction (612 BC).

Whenever I hear about Assyrians I think of a poem by Byron called the Destruction of Sennacherib which, though occurring earlier than Nahum, nevertheless concerns a biblical event recounted in 2 Kings. Read it aloud for some real fun!

THE DESTRUCTION OF SENNACHERIB, first published in 1815

The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold,
And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold;
And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea,
When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee.

Like the leaves of the forest when Summer is green,
That host with their banners at sunset were seen:
Like the leaves of the forest when Autumn hath blown,
That host on the morrow lay withered and strown.

For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast,
And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed;
And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill,
And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still!

And there lay the steed with his nostril all wide,
But through it there rolled not the breath of his pride;
And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf,
And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf.

And there lay the rider distorted and pale,
With the dew on his brow, and the rust on his mail:
And the tents were all silent, the banners alone,
The lances unlifted, the trumpet unblown.

And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail,
And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal;
And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword,
Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord!

And some people think our guardian angels are like those girly men in the cute pictures.

2 Kings 19:35-36: And that night the angel of the LORD went forth, and slew a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. Then Sennach’erib king of Assyria departed, and went home, and dwelt at Nin’eveh.

In any event, you might sit down with Nahum today and read for a while. Remember, there is an indulgence available for reading Sacred Scripture!

From the Prophet Nahum:

15:Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good tidings, who proclaims peace! Keep your feasts, O Judah, fulfil your vows, for never again shall the wicked come against you, he is utterly cut off.

An appropriate passage for this 1st Sunday of Advent.

Posted in Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Poetry, Saints: Stories & Symbols | Tagged Lord Byron, Nahum, prophet, Sennacherib
3 Comments

Darth Vader v. Batman

Posted on 1 December 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

This is very cool.

WARNING: The last minute or so of this counts among the most annoying video and audio I have ever seen or heard. Till then, however…

And now, just because it is so wonderful, once again the Passat commercial.

BTW… in this annoying video HERE there is a scene from the same people in which Vader faces off with Gandalf and then takes the Ring from Frodo.

And then there’s Captain America v. Master Chief. Hmmm….

Posted in Lighter fare | Tagged Batman, Captain America, Darth Vader, Master Chief
5 Comments

Christmas shopping, Advent, and You

Posted on 1 December 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

It is Advent, and we must let Advent be Advent. It is a time of spiritual preparing for receiving the Lord, who comes now and will come to us in many ways. In fact, it is a time of spiritual warfare, as St. Paul reminded us yesterday during Holy Mass in the traditional Roman Rite, which Catholics heard year in and out for so many centuries:

“Let us therefore lay aside the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light. … put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”

We are warriors on the march toward the Lord who is also coming to us.

That said, we all have a lot to do before Christmas, so that the last days before Christmas aren’t a mere frenzy of material concerns. Doing your planning and shopping now can help you save money and precious time, especially as time narrows toward the Feast of the Nativity of the Lord.

Make your lists of things to do and get to work so that you have as little to do at the end as possible.

To save you some time, remember that you can always order Mystic Monk Coffee and Z-Swag and, pretty please, remember to use my Amazon search box on the side bar for online shopping.

We have to balance our desires to observe Christmas with both spiritual and material concerns. Getting to it now will help you relax later and, after letting Advent be Advent, letting Christmas be Christmas.

And, above all…