All winter, parishioners of Saint Anthony’s Church in Wilmington’s Little Italy toil to prepare for this week’s celebration of the church’s patron, Saint Anthony of Padua. They churn out and freeze thousands of gallons of pasta sauce, tons of meatballs and oodles of cannoli shells. And then for a week they serve throngs of visitors these dishes plus plates of broccoli rabe.sauteed in oil with garlic, salt and a little bit of red pepper, veal spezzato sandwiches. Oh, and of course pasta.
At the heart of the festival is the celebration of a saint. Anthony of Padua was a priest and friar of the Franciscan Order. In addition to being Saint Anthony parish's patron, he also is the saint for finding things. If you went to Catholic school, you probably remember the rhyme “Saint Anthony, Saint Anthony, please look around. Something is lost that cannot be found”…
He died on June 13, 1231, and today is his feast day. This weekend the festival will feature a traditional procession where parishioners wheel his statue and many others on carts through the streets of Little Italy. Crowds line the streets and many tuck dollar bills into the sleeves of the bearers in exchange for bread or holy cards.
For a time I lived in this neighborhood, and I sat on the porch steps with my parents to watch the procession. You couldn’t get out and if you did you couldn’t find a place to park when you came back. So I stayed. And ate great food. On Sundays I made my way to the back door of the church’s kitchen with my casserole pot, which they filled with pasta, meatballs and tomato sauce for five dollars. Not so bad for being house-bound.
Each year the festival highlights an Italian region and for 2015 it is Abruzzo. This region is special to me because in the early 20th century, my family immigrated from Abruzzo -- the Adriatic coastal town of Giulianova -- to the United States
This past week in honor of the festival, my mother and I visited the most traditional of the festival’s five cafes. We settled in to listen to Italian music and enjoy simple dishes full of flavor. We chatted with families enjoying the evening. Finally, we brought home plates of pasta, fried smelts for my father, an acquired taste by the way, and veal sandwiches for my husband. Nothing changes.
St. Anthony's Spezzato Recipe
Courtesy of “What’s Cooking”, Wilmington News Journal
February 25, 2010
Ingredients:
2-3 lb veal cubes
olive oil
2 green peppers, chopped or sliced
3-4 large onions, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 oz) can tomato puree
1 Tbsp sugar
Fresh sliced mushrooms (or one small can)
salt and pepper to taste
Red pepper flakes (opt) to taste
Preparation:
Brown the cubed veal well in olive oil. Add green peppers, mix and cook slowly. In another pan, saute onions and garlic lightly. Mix in the tomato puree and sugar, then add to the first pan. Add the mushrooms, draining off liquid if using canned. Cook slowly, stirring frequently, until the meat is done, for about 20-25 minutes. Season to taste.
