During a famine in Sicily, when food was scarce and many people were starving, the poor people had only their faith to rely on. St. Joseph was known as the protector of the Holy Family and Italians had strong family relationships, so they prayed for St. Joseph to intercede for them so they could have successful crops. Their prayers were answered, and the famine came to an end. In gratitude, people promised to make annual offerings of their most precious possession - food - in St. Joseph's honor.

Today, the faithful erect "St. Joseph Tables," which are set to honor St. Joseph. They are filled with beautiful and often elaborate foods, including meatless dishes such as stuffed artichokes, frittatas, pasta and fish, as well as breads, cookies, pastries, cakes and other delicacies. In recent years, beef, veal and chicken dishes have been added to the table.

The specially prepared breads may take many Christian symbol forms. Citrus fruits, grapes, olives and figs represent the orchards and vineyards in Sicily. Lemons are a symbol of good luck and returning ones good fortune to others. Pasta Milanese is served with bread crumbs or "Mudica" symbolizing sawdust depicting St. Joseph's trade as a carpenter. Most popular foods include the Pignolatti and the Pupaculova. The Pignolatti are fried pastry balls joined together in the shape of a pine cone representing "the pine cones Jesus played with as a child." The Pupaculova is a baked bread which encloses a dyed Easter egg representing the "coming of Easter."

Each table is blessed by a priest and presided over by a statue of St. Joseph. A stalk of lily blossoms, votive candles and a lace tablecloth are other typical items used to decorate the feast table.

When you visit a St. Joseph's table, you often receive gifts of fava beans and breads. Fava beans play an integral part of the celebration because this was the food that saved the Sicilians from starvation. The bean is said to bring good luck, and it is believed that if the St. Joseph's bread is kept in the home, the family will never starve.

Recipes:
From the Kitchen of: La Rosa Pizzeria, Lincolnshire
847. 634-2230
www.LaRosaPizzeria.com

Grilled cutlets Siciliano

From Angelo "Cafe Angelo" Nicelli

Yield 24 6/8oz. Servings.

8#cutlets [any veal pork chicken etc.]
4C. Coarse bread crumbs [approx. 1#]
2C. Pecorino romano "10 oz"
1/2C.=2oz. Chopped Italian parley.
16 cloves=2oz.finely chopped garlic.
1tsp.ground black pepper. 1tbl.salt
1-2lemon rind.[opptionall
1pint olive oil, not virgin
Optional low fat version ,8egg whites lightly whipped
(1)combine 1st.7 ingredients except cutlets,& mix well. Can be prepped ahead.

(2)pound the cutlets between plastic wrap to ¼" thickness.

(3)spread the dry mixture in a pan to a 1inch depth. Pour the oil in a qt.bowl

(4) preheat and lightly oil a ridged grill pan or grill to med.-hot

(5) dip the cutlets in the oil letting the excess drip back into the bowl,lay on top of the

Crumbs,spread some crumbs on top and press down firmly w/your hand.Pick up

The up the coated cutlets letting loose mix fall back into pan.

(6) Grill 2/3 min:on each side until marked &golden brown. Do not char the coating.

(7) Serve hot or @ Rm. Temp..Garnish with field lettuce w/lemon vinaigrette or diced Fresh tomatoes in season virgin oil basil onion dressing.

CARCIOFI ROMANI

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 quart water
Juice of one large lemon (save the juiced halves)
6 large firm artichokes
3 large cloves garlic
1 cup packed, flat Italian parsley leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup virgin olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
Water
Directions:

Mix the lemon juice with the quart of water in a deep bowl. Remove leaves from the artichoke stalk. Cut the stalk at the artichoke bottom and a think slice off the blackened bottom of the stalk. Using a sharp knife, trim the woody outside part of the stalk off as close to the tender core as possible. Place core in lemon water.

Pull off the tough outer leaves of the head, until the tender paler green color of the inner leaves reaches half-way up the leaf. (If possible go ahead and remove yet 1 or 2 more layers.) Cut off the top 1/3 of the artichoke head. Holding the artichoke by the stem end, pound the head gently on a firm surface so that the leaves open. (Here you can, if you want a whole artichoke, open the leaves still further until you reach the choke in the center of the artichoke. Scrape out the choke with a pointed spoon, or you can remove it later as you will see.) Finally, trim the fibrous part from the bottom of the artichoke where the outer leaves were snapped off. Rub trimmed artichoke with the reserved, juiced halves of the lemon. Place the trim-med artichoke in the lemon water.

Chop the trimmed artichoke stalks, garlic, parsley and mint finely together. Mix in salt and pepper.

Drain artichokes and stuff each with a portion of the chopped mixture, placing the stuffing between the leaves. Gently squeeze each artichoke around its equator to close the leaves back into place, trapping the mixture inside.

Tightly pack artichokes upright in one layer in the bottom of a Dutch oven. Pour in olive oil, white wine, and enough water to just cover the artichokes.

Bring liquid in the pan to a boil. Immediately reduce heat, cover and simmer gently for one hour. When artichokes are fork-tender, remove them to a platter with a slotted spoon. Allow to cool to room temperature. Cut each artichoke in half and ease out the choke with a spoon.

Set pan of cooking juices back on high heat and reduce the remaining liquid to about 1/2 cup. Pour the reduced cooking liquid over the artichokes. Up to this point, the dish can be prepared several days in advance.

This dish is usually served at room temperature, but it can be reheated. Simply place the artichokes and their cooking liquid in a sauté pan, set over medium heat. After they begin to sizzle, cook them for three minutes and turn. The outer leaves should be golden brown. Cook three minutes more on the second side. Serve at once.

MARINATED SQUID SALAD

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon best-quality red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice Salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tomatoes, peeled, cored, seeded, and chopped
3 tablespoons finely minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
Pinch of hot red pepper flakes
Pinch of thyme
1 scallion, sliced into rings
1 pound squid, cleaned and sliced into thin rings, tentacles reserved
1. In a medium-size nonreactive bowl, combine the vinegar and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Add salt to taste and stir to dissolve the salt. Add 3 tablespoons of the oil, the tomatoes, parsley, pepper flakes, thyme, and scallion, and stir to blend. Set aside.

2. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Once it has boiled, add 2 tablespoons salt. Add the squid rings and tentacles and cook just until the squid loses its translucency and turns opaque, not more than 1 minute. (Usually begin tasting the squid as soon as they hit the water, and as soon as they taste right flip them all into a giant colander.) Drain the squid well, but do not rinse.

3. Add the drained squid to the marinade and toss to blend. Stir in the remaining olive oil and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Taste the mixture and add salt to taste as necessary. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

4. Serve on small salad plates, or on a bed of dressed greens. (Since the marinated squid is quite colorful, they look beautiful set atop a bed of arugula or lamb's lettuce mixed with a touch of vibrant red radicchio.)

Reminder: Squid cooks in seconds. If cooked too long the squid will turn to rubberbands. So be very careful while cooking them.

PIZZA RUSTICA

Dough Ingredients:

1/2 pound flour
1/4 pound shortening
2 whole eggs Dough Instructions:
Mix the dough and let stand for 15 minutes. Divide in half and roll out top & bottom layers.

Pizza Filling Ingredients:

10 slices (4oz approximately) salami
5 slices (4oz approximately) mortedella
3 slices (4oz approximately) boiled ham
Chop 2 ½ - 3 cups w/mozzarella
Dash of nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 whole eggs
1/4 pound of shredded mozzarella
2 pounds ricotta cheese
1/2 cup parmesan
Pizza Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Chop meats and mix remaining ingredients.

Place first layer of dough in a pie pan

Add the filling and cover with remaining layer

Prick the top with a fork and brush with butter

Bake for 1 hour

Serve at room temperature

Pasta Salad Puttanesca Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

3/4 cup capers, rinsed
6 cloves garlic
3/4 cup olive oil
6-8 chopped anchovies
3/4 tsp red pepper flakes
8-9 oz black brine cured olives, pitted and chopped
6-7 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped or 14 oz. can peeled plum tomatoes, drained and chopped handful flat leaf parsley, finely minced
1 to 1 1/2 pounds pasta
8 quarts lightly salted water, boil while prepping
Directions

Mix all ingredients except pasta in a bowl with olive oil. Add a few grinds of pepper, no salt and mix gently.

Cook the pasta very al dente, drain and mix with dressing. May serve hot or cold.