June 24, 2010

Honig-Johannisbrot Laib

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Honig-Johannisbrot Laib

(Loaf with St. John’s Bread

and Honey)

St. John's Bread

June 24: The Nativity of St. John the Baptist

Islander sometimes gives up chocolate for Lent and substitutes carob in her recipes to satisfy her sweet tooth during the 40-day fasting period.

Curiously, carob powder or flour is referred to as St. John’s bread because the ground seed pods come from the honey locust tree. In the bible, Matthew 3:4 provides a description of the food that John the Baptist subsisted on while living in the wilderness: locusts and wild honey. But in Greek, the word for “locusts” may refer to carob pods instead of grasshoppers.

For our observance of the saint’s nativity, Islander baked a traditional German St. John’s bread called Honig-Johannisbrot Laib. While it looks a lot like a decadent chocolate dessert, this healthy carob loaf is naturally sweetened with honey—probably just the way St. John the Baptist would have liked it himself!

Recipe

(Adapted from Cooking with the Saints by Ernst Schuegraf)

Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 cup honey
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup carob powder
  • 1 tablespoon orange rind, grated
  • 2 tablespoons carob powder (for dusting)

Directions

Sift the flour with the baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large mixing bowl, stir the honey with sesame oil. Gradually add the flour mixture. Combine the egg with the water and beat lightly. Pour into the batter and mix. Add the carob powder  and blend until the batter has a smooth, deep chocolate color.

St. John's Bread

Add the orange rind and mix until the batter is well incorporated. Spread the batter into a generously-buttered loaf pan. Dust the top with two tablespoons of carob powder. Bake in a preheated oven at 300 degrees for 70 minutes, testing for doneness. Remove from the oven, cool the bread completely on a wire rack, slice and serve.

St. John's Bread

Notes

  • Feast days of St. John the Baptist are on January 7 (Eastern Orthodox Synaxis of the Forerunner), June 24 (nativity) and August 29 (beheading).
  • Search our blog for other recipes posts using carob as an ingredient.
 

June 24, 2010

Chicken St. John

Posted by HI Cookery under 06 June | Tags: , , , |
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Chicken St. John

Chicken St. John

June 24: The Nativity of St. John the Baptist

St. John the Baptist is the patron saint of Islander’s family and paternal relatives. Even her brother chose “Juan” for his Spanish confirmation name. For our blog recipe post, we have made Chicken St. John to celebrate the birthday of the cousin of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is a hearty stew with a rich and creamy gravy which we eat with Honig-Johannisbrot Laib (Loaf with St. John’s Bread and Honey), also a blog recipe post, to complete our feast day dinner.

Recipe

(Adapted from Cooking with the Saints by Ernst Schuegraf)

For the broth

  • 2 pounds of boneless and skinless chicken breasts
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • ½ cup celery, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons carrots, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons onion, minced
  • 1 parsley sprig
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4 peppercorns

Directions

Trim excess fat from the chicken breasts and cut into large chunks. Place them in a large pot with the rest of the ingredients listed above and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for an hour. Let the chicken cool in the broth and set aside. Strain the liquid, reserving a cup of broth for the gravy.

For the gravy

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup broth (from above)
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup Cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • pinch each of rosemary and basil

Directions

In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat. Stir in the flour, then add the strained broth and cream. Mix well until thickened.  Add the cheese and stir until melted and smooth. Sprinkle with salt and rosemary and basil. Prepare the garnish.

Chicken St. John

For the garnish

  • 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup almonds, toasted
  • 1 avocado, sliced

Directions

Saute the mushrooms in butter. Place on the bottom layer of a baking dish and top with the chicken and sauce. Cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Chicken St. John

Meanwhile, toast the almonds by heating them in a skillet until brown. Slice the avocados. After the chicken is baked, remove from the oven and uncover (take care to avoid escaping steam). Top with almonds and avocado. Bake for 10 more minutes, uncovered. Remove from the oven. Serve the chicken pieces with avocado slices on plates and ladle the gravy over them with some almonds. Garnish with parsley.

Chicken St. John