Lent for Catholics is a 40-day season of prayer feasting and sacrificing that begins on Ash Wednesday ,when ashes are distributed, and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. Many Catholics are unaware of this and continue their Lenten practice until sometime on Holy Saturday, the Saturday before Easter Sunday. But Lent actually ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. Catholics of certain ages will abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays during this period. At some point baptismal commitments are renewed and some will abstain from an indulgence as a penance. In most Catholic homes food menus take on a whole different approach. `
In our house when I was growing up we ate lots of polenta, eggs (because my Nonna Giovanna had a farm with lots of chickens), pasta and fish. While I’m not fond of eggs or egg dishes for supper, I always enjoyed polenta, and still do. But now, for us, there is a variety of pasta dishes and I try to incorporate fish into many of our meals, all year long. However, fish, in those growing up days, no matter how it was prepared, smelled, and tasted like seasoned cardboard.
One fish dinner that we really enjoy is baked fish with tomatoes.
| Italians also give up other things that they like. These small sacrifices are known as ‘fioretto’, meaning little flower. The name derives from the tradition of leaving a flower on a church altar to the Virgin Mary or another saint with a prayer and a request. Fioretto are not always food related. Yes, some give up chocolate or sweets, but others might renounce watching TV! A couple of years ago, Pope Francis urged Catholics to disconnect their phones and TVs for Lent! |
BAKED FISH WITH TOMATOES
(A Quick and Easy Fish Dinner)
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 6-8 oz. Fillets – Sole, Trout, Grouper, Halibut – your favorite
Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Large Tomato – seeded and chopped
1 Garlic Clove – chopped
1 Tbsp. Fresh Parsley or Basil – chopped
Preheat oven to 400°. Brush small shallow oven-proof baking dish with a small amount of olive oil. Place fillets in a dish and season with salt and pepper. Combine remaining olive oil with the tomato and garlic in a small bowl and mix well. Spoon over fillets and bake until fish is cooked through – about 15 – 20 minutes depending on size and thickness. Sprinkle with basil or parsley and serve.
NOTE: This is a great dish served on top of sautéed spinach.
Ancora 
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