All you can eat Fish Fries, on Fridays during lent are a “big hit” with the town folk where I live, the Knights of Columbus in a town near me do all you can eat fried clams and offer pancake meals on Wednesday’s complete with bacon or sausage and applesauce.... another favorite! This year it is Take Out, due to Covid, not sure how you do all you can eat take out, but hay, why not!
By now you know I am being snarky, seriously, Lenten Special ALL YOU CAN EAT?!? Never could wrap my head around that one. Long John Silver ramps up its advertising, starting on Ash Wednesday, McDonald’s pulls out it’s Fish Sandwich, Red Lobster does all kinds of lobster dinner specials. And this year I get it, with many restaurants hanging on by a thread they could use the Lenten Boost!
Anyway the whole fish for dinner thing as a sacrifice today makes me shake my head. Salmon fillets average well over $8.00 per pound, which is slightly more than beef sirloin. Especially if it is wild sourced.... that’s definitely on the pricy side for everyday groceries, but that is not the point I am making, nor am I looking at nutritional value.
It is the commodification of Lent I question. So I have included a modified recipe from the the Eighteen Hundreds, it was the typical meal served in the work houses, for the poor. I tried it, it’s not good, but not bad either😂 😂 .... And this little bit from Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist.
“—“He rose from the table; and advancing to the master, basin and spoon in hand, said: somewhat alarmed at his own temerity:
"Please, sir, I want some more."
The master was a fat, healthy man; but he turned very pale. He gazed in stupefied astonishment on the small rebel for some seconds, and then clung for support to the copper. The assistants were paralysed with wonder; the boys with fear.
"What!" said the master at length, in a faint voice.
"Please, sir," replied Oliver, "I want some more."—The master aimed a blow at Oliver's head with the ladle—“
GRUEL
Servings 8
Ingredients
3 large onions
2 litres water (a little over 1/2 gallon)
800 g coarse Italian bread (about 1 and 3/4 lbs)or any stale bread
salt and pepper to taste
200 g butter can use less (7oz) or pig lard
Instructions
Thinly slice the onions.
Cut the bread into medium cubes (half the size of a large marshmallow). It is best to use stale bread. If the bread is fresh, either cut it ahead of time and leave it out or you can put it in a very low oven (200°C) until it dries out.
Slowly caramelize the onions by salting.*
Add the water and cook for 20 minutes.
Remove from heat and cover. By covering the onions while hot they infuse. Infuse for 20 minutes.
Strain and return to heat.
Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and add the bread.
Cook until the bread begins to break down (20 minutes), stirring occasionally.
Cool or serve and finish with olive oil.
Recipe Notes
*It’s very important to cook the onions extremely slowly. Start them with a warm neutral oil such as grapeseed oil. Sweat slowly, adding salt at the beginning to draw out the natural moisture of the onion, stirring occasionally. After the onion starts to cook down and become more translucent, add some butter. Stir occasionally and add more butter when the onions become too dry. Do this for about 45 minutes until the onions have a nice deep amber color. They shouldn’t be burnt or bitter, just beautifully caramelize.
Bon appétit