Ash Wednesday - and a fish salad

Today is March 1st,  and this year it is also Ash Wednesday.

So Happy March and, well, I'm not going to wish you a happy Lent, but I do hope you have a blessed one that is spiritually rewarding.

One of my students was telling me today of the big ceremony they'd had at her church last weekend, locking the Hallelujah banner in a dark crate to keep until it was reopened on Easter. I'd never heard of that tradition, but it seemed very dramatic and it certainly made an impression on her!

So, fish on Ash Wednesday and Fridays.

When I was growing up, eating fish on Fridays (or at least abstaining from meat) was still a regulation (All Fridays, not just during Lent). My husband and I always eat fish on Fridays, not because of any rule, but because we like fish (and maybe family tradition).

So, that got me pondering. If we are supposed to eat fish - to abstain from eating meat - as a penance or sacrifice, what happens when you actually like fish better than meat?

I mean giving up meat on Fridays isn't much of a sacrifice for a person who doesn't really eat it.

And the fish - I mean really - fried fish???  How is that a penance? It's delicious!!!!!

So, I decided to look up some information, and I stumbled across a review of this book.

Why Do Catholics Eat Fish on Friday?: The Catholic Origin to Just About Everything

I love the Amazon description:

Did you know that the origins of Groundhog Day stem from a Catholic tradition? Or that the common pretzel was once a Lenten reward for the pious? Why Do Catholics Eat Fish on Friday is a fascinating guide to the roots of all-things-Catholic. This smart and concise guide will introduce readers to the hidden heritage in many commonplace things that make up contemporary life. The reader-friendly format and the illuminating entries will make this guide a perfect gift for Catholics and anyone who loves a bit of historic trivia.

The review also contained this gem that answered the Why Fish question.

Technically, it's the flesh of warmblooded animals that's off limits — an animal "that, in a sense, sacrificed its life for us, if you will," explains Michael Foley, an associate professor at Baylor University and author of Why Do Catholics Eat Fish On Friday?
Fish are coldblooded, so they're considered fair game. "If you were inclined to eat a reptile on Friday, you could do that, too."

Um, Fried snake anyone????

And DO NOT come on here telling me it's a "southern thing" or a "Texas thing" or I may, I don't know. Scream or something. The idea of eating reptiles, *SHUDDER*.

I guess that would be doing penance!


Okay, so I decided I would try to find a healthy fish recipe to share that did not involve frying, because you know, tradition says we used up all the fat in the house on Mardi Gras.


Actually, confession time. I made this last week because I had some salad that was on its last legs and I'd just gotten some lovely haddock.  But I decided it really would be the perfect Lenten dish.

Except for the pomegranates. I'm still not convinced that it wasn't a pomegranate Eve used to tempt Adam. 


So here goes ~

If you have some lettuce that is wilting, this is a great use. I just dry roasted it briefly to crisp it up.

If your lettuce is fresh, you could easily make the salad with just the uncooked lettuce.

Next, my broiled haddock. Um, it did have butter and lemon on it. I feel like that merits a deduction. (Trying very hard not to sound sacrilegious here).

The lemon made a sort of dressing. I sprinkled pomegranate arils on top because I found a bargain of super, extra-ripe, end of season pomegranates last week.

Doesn't it look pretty?

It tasted delicious.

Which may defeat the point of fish on Fridays.

Anyone have a good reptile recipe?

King's Cake- New Orleans Style... Happy Mardi Gras!

Hello, everybody! The Fresh Pioneer is here and I've got a fun recipe for Mardi Gras (which was yesterday).

(Gratuitous brownie photo. This is what some of us WON'T be having during Lent!)

Really, this post should have been last week, but Lent sort of snuck up on me. I mean, really, didn't we just HAVE Lent like two months ago? I guess Christmas was in there somewhere, so it stands to reason that Lent has come again. Funny how the fun holidays can't come fast enough, but nobody says, "Gee, I can't wait for Lent this year!"

(If you're not familiar with Lent, it's a liturgical season before Easter. Just as Jesus spent 40 days in the desert fasting and praying, it's a time to spend 40 days getting rid of bad habits and growing closer to God. No hair shirts required, unless you've got one lying around.)

 (A little Lenten inspiration for those of us who think we don't have time, or the means, to make a difference.)

Don't ask what I'm doing yet. As I said, it all sort of snuck up on me. In my family, we usually dedicate ourselves to one new good thing (extra prayers, extra chores for someone else) and working on breaking a bad habit/ giving up something as a sacrifice. At my age, I should had lots of bad habits, but as a non-drinker, non-smoker, non-party type, I don't have much to work with. 

I was thinking of giving up sugar, but I'm not sure that's enough of a sacrifice. We've got to really FEEL the Lenten burn, baby! 

Maybe coffee? Oooh, scary thought!

Anyway, this little cake will be just perfect for NEXT fat Tuesday, as a pre-Lent celebration, and you'll be all ready for Ash Wednesday... and the forty days of tightening your spiritual belt. 

Let's start with the brioche (the sweet bread)

     Add 1/2 cup warm water to 2 envelopes active dry yeast (this is 5 tsp if you use a larger container)

        Let it sit for five minutes

Mix together:

4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups sifted flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Mix  and beat lightly 

1/2 cup lukewarm milk
3 eggs
4 egg yolks

 Make a well in the flour mixture and add to the center.

 Mix, adding a little flour if needed.

 Start kneading on the board.
Mix 1/2 cup butter, softened into the dough. Knead until it's elastic.

 Put it in a buttered bowl, turning to make sure all sides are buttered.

 Cover and let rise for about an hour, somewhere a little warm, until doubled in size.

 Punch it down once.

 Form into a ring, pinching the ends. Now, this is where most people would add a small figurine (the baby) or a coin or a bean.

 I hid a little bean in there. Preheat the oven to 375F and while the oven is warming, cover the cake and let it rise a little more, about 15 minutes.

 Put it in the oven for 30 minutes and while it's cooking, set out three small bowls of plain sugar.

 Use a few drops of food dye and make yellow, green, and purple.

Ta-dah.

 OK, at this point, I realized I missed a small step in the recipe. The dough should have been divided and it makes two cakes. Ah well. One GIANT brioche emerged from the oven.

 Layer on the sugar, patting it down as needed. (Don't worry about how thick to lay it on. The bread isn't that sweet, and when you cut a slice, there will be a layer of sugar at the top. If anyone objects, they can brush it off.)

And there it is, a sweet bread that rises nicely (and should probably rest a few minutes before cutting, but hey, the blog post must go up!).

 Happy Ash Wednesday everybody and I hope this Lent brings you closer to Jesus in every way!