From a Priest’s Summer Kitchen

Summer 2010 Issue | Posted by Editor in What's Cooking

Father Leo Patalinghug has made it his life’s mis-sion to promote the power of good cooking and shared mealtimes. The director of pastoral field education at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., serves up a menu of faith, food, and fun at GraceBeforeMeals.com — a Catholic ministry that builds stronger families, one meal at a time.

Father Leo Patalinghug’s cooking prowess garnered headlines last fall when his “fusion fajitas” beat Bobby Flay’s red-curry concoction on the Food Network’s “Throw-down! With Bobby Flay.”

The crowd erupted in ecstatic cheers when Father Leo’s fajita prevailed. “What an honor,” he said of the win, then added that the food’s purpose was achieved: “We brought families together.”

Since winning against Flay, Father Leo hasn’t slowed down. The winning fajita recipe will appear in his republished cookbook, Grace Before Meals: Recipes for Family Life (Doubleday, August 2010). At GraceBeforeMeals.com, he serves up theology essays, video of television series, and tasty recipes that promote family faith and togetherness.

“God has to be a part of our dinner table because he remembers us at his,” Father Leo says.

But togetherness doesn’t have to be complicated. Father Leo invited Faith & Family into his kitchen, where he shared a delicious bounty of simple summer recipes.

By Amy Smith

The Recipes

Beer and BBQ Sausages

“This was part of the tailgating series,” Father Leo says. “We wanted to show that you can take tailgate flavors but add a bit more pizzazz. I also talked about the meaning of competition, how it’s meant to bring out the best in us. The use of beer gave me the opportunity to talk about not abusing it.”

6 Italian sausages

1/2 can beer

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

Blue cheese

Hot dog buns

Disposable aluminum pans

1/2 onion, sliced

1 green pepper, sliced

Grill sausages until almost fully cooked, approximately 5 to 7 minutes on each side. In an aluminum pan, pour in beer and barbecue sauce. Add onions and peppers, and blanch. Add sausages to the liquids, and braise for another 4 to 5 minutes. Toast hot dog buns, and add sausage, some peppers and onions — and some blue cheese!

Mini Asian Burgers

“The taste is similar to the inside of a steamed dumpling. Every culture has some type of burger, and Asians are no exception. It goes to show that we all have something in common, but we’re also diverse.”

Small potato rolls

1 pound ground beef

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons finely sliced green onions

Place ground beef into a bowl. Add chopped green onions, salt, and pepper. In a cup, combine brown sugar and soy sauce. Add to the meat mixture. Form into mini patties. Grill on medium heat for 2 to 4 minutes on each side, flipping once. Toast buns, and serve with your favorite topping — although it may not be necessary, as the meat will be so juicy and flavorful.

Hot Wings & Spicy Sauce

“These are Gloria’s Glorious Hot Wings. My friend, Father Andrew Semler, is a priest in the Archdiocese of Dallas. I made this for some priests over the summer on vacation, and he said these were the best wings he has ever tasted. I wanted to commemorate his mom, so I named them after her. It’s a hodgepodge of ingredients, but if you put them together in the hot oil, it creates a delicious sauce.”

Wings Cooking and Preparation:

10 chicken wings, cut into

separate pieces (discarding

the wing tips is optional, but it

makes it easier to cook if the

wing tips are separated from

the middle wing piece)

4 cups vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Season wings with salt and pepper. Cook wings in batches for about 10 minutes, or until the wings are fully golden brown in color.

Hot Sauce:

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon butter

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons hot sauce (any brand)

2 tablespoons ketchup

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 to 4 tablespoons red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt and black pepper

1/4 cup maple syrup

Fresh cilantro

Blue cheese

In a saucepan, heat oil and butter together. Sauté the garlic and the red pepper flakes together. Remove from the heat, and add the rest of the ingredients together and mix. Be careful, as the other liquids may splatter in the hot oil.

Assembly:

Pour some of the sauce on the bottom of a deep bowl (metal or glass). When the wings are cooked, remove from the oil, and instead of straining, place immediately in the bowl with the sauce. Mix the contents together. Add more sauce, as desired. Plate with a small container of blue cheese, and sprinkle some fresh cilantro leaves on top of the hot wings.

Father Leo on “CBS News Sunday Morning.”

Tilapia and Angel Hair Pasta

“With one pan you can easily make a meal for the entire family. This is a good recipe for Lenten Fridays. It sure beats fish sticks.”

1 tilapia fillet

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon butter

2 tablespoons mustard

2 tablespoons capers

1 lemon, zest and juice

1/4 cup white wine

1/4 pound angel hair pasta

2 teaspoons flat leaf parsley

1 cup water

Cook angel hair pasta in boiling water until al dente. When finished, strain pasta and return to pot; add 2 tablespoons olive oil to avoid stickiness. Season fish fillet on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge in bread crumbs. Heat olive oil in nonstick pan over high heat. Sear fish in hot oil approximately 3 to 5 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove and set aside. Add minced garlic, capers, lemon juice, lemon zest, mustard, and white wine to the pan, and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes, until it simmers. Add pasta to the sauce, mix together, and cook for 1 to 2 more minutes. Plate pasta, and top off with the fish. Garnish with lemon slice and fresh parsley.

Old Bay Beer-Braised Shrimp

“This recipe is dedicated to a priest friend of mine who died at an early age, Father Kevin Brooksbank. Some of his favorite things were beer, shrimp, and Old Bay seasoning. The braising liquid is beer, butter, and Old Bay; there’s just enough Old Bay to cream up the beer. Add the shrimp, and literally that’s it. Don’t overcook the shrimp. Mop up the sauce with crusty bread.”

1 can light beer

4 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 pound (about 10 medium-sized)

shrimp, peeled and deveined

Parsley (fresh flat leaf, if possible)

for garnish

1 small baguette, or 1 or 2 small

crusty dinner rolls

Sauté butter, garlic, and olive oil in a pan. Season shrimp with salt, pepper, and Old Bay, and add to hot pan. Add beer to pan — enough so that foam covers the shrimp — and add more Old Bay. Braise for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the shrimp turn pinkish white. Slice bread and put in a bowl. Add shrimp and sauce over the bread. Top with fresh parsley as a garnish and for extra flavor.

Father Leo,
above and below left,
prepares one of his many fish recipes.

Fusilli alla Fresca —

An End-of-Summer Pasta

“We were in need of a fun recipe the restaurant could offer clients during our ‘Throwdown!’ party. It actually won over the heart of a very critical taste tester.”

1 box of fusilli (rotini or twisty)

pasta, cooked al dente

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 to 4 tablespoons brandy

1 cup feta cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Cook pasta according to instructions; drain and set aside. Heat olive oil in a large skillet, and sauté garlic. Add cherry tomatoes, and blister in hot oil. Add parsley and basil. Add brandy, and flambé. Toss in pasta and broth. Add cheeses, and stir until they melt and incorporate into a light sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. This is simple and delicious — perfect for an end-of-summer side with barbecue and burgers.

Lamb Chops

“John the Baptist pointed to the Lamb of God. Make this for one of St. John the Baptist’s feast days.” If you cook it inside, sear the meat, then put it in the oven.

4 lamb chops, Frenched (bone

is cleaned to create a “handle”)

and sliced into two ribs chops

2 cups bread crumbs

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon pepper

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

Sauce:

2 tablespoons grape jelly

2 tablespoons mustard

1 cup orange juice

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut lamb chops into double-thick chops. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Dredge in bread crumbs. Heat remaining olive oil and butter in a large skillet. Sear chops for 2 minutes on all sides. Remove chops, and place on baking sheet. Place in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes (depending on temperature preference). Remove from the oven, and let meat rest for about 5 to 10 minutes. To prepare the sauce, add the grape jelly, mustard, vinegar, and orange juice to the skillet, and whisk together until fully incorporated. Place skillet over medium-low heat, and cook until sauce becomes a thicker consistency (reduced to approximately half). To serve, place small portion of sauce on the side. Serve with scalloped potatoes with chives for a tasty treat. You will definitely want to thank God for this “lamb” of God.

Mushrooms Stuffed With Honey Sausages

Father Leo likes this recipe because it “has all of the breakfast flavors. The honey is used to infuse breakfast flavor; you can also use syrup. Why limit this to breakfast? You can break the fast anytime.” Prepare on the grill, or serve over mixed greens as a main course.

Olive oil

Mushrooms

Sausage

Honey

Blue cheese

Fresh spinach

Add olive oil to pan. Cut stems off large mushrooms, and place, cap up, in the pan. Caramelize for a few minutes. Remove casing from sausage. Form meat into mini meatballs and cook in a second pan. Add 1/2 cup water, and allow meat to cook in the steam. Add a few tablespoons of honey and blue cheese to the pan. Fill mushrooms with meatballs, and pour honey sauce over the top. Add spinach to the pan, and sauté for a few minutes. Plate spinach and place mushrooms around it in a circle.

Father Leo prepares for the “Throwdown!” and poses with Bobby Flay after the big win.

— Amy Smith, the associate editor for our sister publication, the National Catholic Register,

enjoys cooking and watching the Food Network from her home in suburban Chicago.