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| Lawrence's Sentencing |
Ordained as a deacon under Pope Sixtus II in Rome in the 3rd Century he was the first of seven deacons to serve in the church. His position in the church was arch-deacon: among his jobs were the treasury and distributing alms to the poor.
After the death of Pope Sixtus II, the Emperor of Rome Valerian, decreed that all the riches of the church be turned over to Rome. In direct defiance Arch-Deacon Lawrence worked quickly as to distribute as much of the churches wealth to the poor as he possibly could.
When the Roman Prefect came demanding the riches- Lawrence assembled a gathering of the poor, crippled and blind telling him that these were the churches true treasures. Adding insult to injury by saying that the Church was truly rich, so much more so than the Emperor.
This act of defiance lead to his martyrdom.
The Emperor has a great gridiron prepared with coals under it and Lawrence was placed atop it to die as his punishment. (You had to hand it to them, the Romans were pretty creatively gruesome when it came to the use of torture) Lore has that somewhere between being placed on the grate and his death Lawrence was said to have said
"Turn me over, I am done on this side."
Dying soon thereafter.
After his Sainthood he was declared Saint Lorenzo...The Patron Saint of Cooks.
(...appropriate but still slightly creepy...)
Anyway, today, in the spirit of Saint Lorenzo I introduce you to a traditional grilled dish from Napoli. Straight from Frances Mayes Year in the World...and why I love love love Italian Cooking so much. An entire dish created "on-the-fly".
When asked how to make Grilled Peppers an ancient Italian woman cut several large peppers into pieces and placed them in the roasting pan.
"No olive oil?" Mayes asked.
"Si, Olive oil...Swimming in Olive Oil."
"What about meat?" she asked.
Oh, si...si...why not? And maybe some spices and formaggio (cheese) makes it nice, too" replied the old woman.
Like Andy Warhol one said:
"Art is pretty much whatever you can get away with"
It seems Italian Dishes are pretty much the same.
To accompany our Grilled Green and Red Peppers I have added chunks of fresh Parmesan (if you are going to add the sawdust stuff in the green can...save your time and dish and just don't) and a few wads of the leftover Buffalo Mozzarella. Also some fresh Italian Sausage.
Bake a loaf of Pane di Sale di Mare
Basically a thick crusty sea salted loaf.
Pane di Sale di Mare
3 cups flour.
1 cup warm water
1 package dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
Mix one cup of the flour with the warm water, sugar and yeast and set aside in a warm spot to work for 15 minutes.
Add 1/4 cup olive oil and then the rest of the flour. Gather into a ball and shape into a round loaf. Place on flat baking stone or baking sheet.Oil the top and sides with a little olive oil and sprinkle all of the outside liberally with flake sea salt. Bread will rise as it bakes. Requires no kneading or pre-rising.
Bake at 350 for 5-40 minutes or until loaf is lightly browned and sounds hollow when thumped.
Let rest for 10 minutes before trying to cut.
Add a glass of good wine and enjoy a traditional Napoli meal. Remember...Italians do not butter their bread...only drizzle with good Olive Oil or eat it plain, using it to sop the juices of the Grilled Pepper, Meats and Cheeses. Below, I drizzled my bread with the juices and olive oil left in the dish from baking.
Mangia!
