LeRoy Pennysaver & News

LE ROY PENNYSAVER & NEWS - MARCH 24, 2019 by Lynne Belluscio The tradition of the St. Jo- seph’s table is shared by many Sicilian families. The origins of the feast can be traced to the Middle Ages and there are several variations of the story. The most common story tells of a terrible drought and famine in Sicily. The farmers and the fishermen prayed to St. Joseph and promised that if the drought ended, they would prepare a feast for all the peasants as a way to thank their patron saint for answering their prayers. When the drought ended and when the crops were harvested, a huge feast was prepared and no one was turned away. As time went by, the St. Joseph’s table was prepared as a way to remember prayers answered by St. Joseph. In Italy, and sever- al other countries, St. Joseph’s Day in celebrated as fathers’ day. Tom MacPherson wrote about the St. Joseph’s Table in his book, Crossing Cultures. His Great Aunt Josephine O'Geen “kept many of the cus- toms of Sicilian culture alive in her home, among them the Si- cilian tradition of hosting a St. Joseph’s Table.” During World War II, she prayed to St. Joseph to protect her son, John, and promised to set a St. Joseph’s Table if he returned safe. In Le- Roy, there were several women who prepared a St. Joseph’s ta- ble each year and everyone was invited to stop by and enjoy the food. In some communities, the St. Joseph’s day table is set at a church hall or community cen- ter, instead of in a home. Traditionally the St. Jo- seph’s table is prepared on March 19, although it can be set on the weekend closest to that date. Food is displayed on a three-tier altar, symbolic of the Trinity or the three steps to heaven. At the top is a statue of St. Joseph with candles and fresh flowers. The other levels of the table include fresh vege- tables, fruits, a large display of St. Joseph’s bread in a variety of symbolic shapes, and cakes, and cookies. A priest comes to bless the food, and friends and family arrive to eat and socialize. The most significant food on the table is the wonder- ful St. Joseph’s bread. I remember Jo Manley bringing me a loaf many years ago and I asked her to share her recipe, and it’s my favor- ite recipe for this yeast bread which is made with eggs and flavored with anise seeds. Usu- ally it’s covered with sesame seeds, which I recently learned is symbolic of tears. The bread is made in a variety of shapes. Some represent the tools of the carpenter, the saw and hammer. Other shapes include the “Bam- bino” Jesus, the beard of Jo- seph (which is an upside down wheat sheaf). Sometimes it is shaped into a cross, or a crown of thorns, or Joseph’s staff. The bread is baked and served from March 19 until Easter. I was invited to share the St. Joseph’s table at Elaine and Sam Zalacca’s home this past Sunday, and I asked about all the food, because it was not part of my husband’s family traditions. No meat is served because St. Joseph’s day is held during Lent. A dish of “Mollica” which is toasted breadcrumbs, mixed with sugar and cinnamon, is in the center of the table. Mollica is symbolic of the sawdust of the carpenter. It is also served on pasta. (I tried sprinkling it on top of the butter on a slice of St. Josephs bread. It was delicious.) The table is filled with sweet cookies and desserts, symbolic of the sweetness of St. Joseph. The table is also decorated with fruit - pineapples and oranges. There are also fresh vegetables - - asparagus, eggplant, pep- pers, artichokes and large bulbs of fennel, “Finocchi” were on the corners of the table, with the green tops draping over the sides. There was a delicious sal- ad of red onions and sliced or- anges. There were small Frettata omelets filled with vegetables. One of my favorite dishes, are batter fried cardoons. Everyone has a story to tell about car- doons. They are the stalks of burdock and in the spring, the men go out to the hedgerows looking for the new stalks. Ev- eryone has their “secret” place to find the best cardoons. The stalks have to be peeled and cleaned which takes a lot of time. It’s too early to find car- doon around here, but Elaine told me that she was able to find fresh cardoons at Wegmans, and she admitted that they were so much easier to prepare than the wild cardoons. (Next time I go to Wegmans, I’m looking for fresh cardoons.) Traditionally, there are fava beans on the ta- ble, because during the drought and famine in Sicily, only fava beans survived to feed the peo- ple. Sam Zalacca showed me a beautiful St. Joseph’s ribbon that had been in the family for many years. He also told me of the Italian Band (We have photos in the Historical Soci- ety collection) who would play in front of St. Joseph’s Church on Lake Street on St. Joseph’s Day and would march along the streets between Lake Street and Mill Street. Here is the “Sacred Reci- pe” for St. Joseph’s Bread, that Tom MacPherson included in his book: Ingredients: 3 ¼ cups warm water 2 pkgs dry yeast 1 cup of sugar ¼ tsp salt ¼ cup plus 2 Tbs of shorten- ing about 4 cups of flour 1-3 tsp of anise seeds 3 tsp baking powder 3 eggs beaten sesame or poppy seeds Mix warm water, yeast, sug- ar, salt, shortening, eggs, flour, anise seeds and baking powder. Work dough and add more flour (about 3 lbs all together) until right consistency (about 10 to 15 minutes). Turn into a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap and a towel and let rise in a warm place 1 1/2 hours until double. Shape into loaves or shapes, cover with plastic wrap or dish towel and let rise another hour on a greased baking sheet. Set oven at 350 degrees. Brush the tops of the bread with beat- en egg yolks and sprinkle with seeds. Bake about 25 minutes. Best eaten warm from the oven, but can be frozen. The bread makes great toast and French toast. St. Joseph’s Bread