What is in a Name?

In the days of old, the naming of a male child was a fairy big deal. There was a ceremony, the circumcision and a whole lot of fuss. This is why, on the 3rd of January, the Church celebrates the Most Holy Name of Jesus.

While there was not all the fuss surrounding the naming of a daughter, in 1513 Spain asked for permission and was granted the first known Feast Day of the Most Holy Name of Mary, which was celebrated on the octave day of her nativity, September 15. Then, in 1908, through complicated rules that would make your head spin, it was decided the Feast Day of the Most Holy Name of Mary needed to be moved since it clashed with a feast of higher ranking. And so it was fixed to September 12, still within the Octave.

Catholics in particular have a close relationship with Mary. We believe she has made countless appearances, especially to children who often have a deeper faith to accept what adults view as impossible. Often these visions or appearances have resulted in Mary’s passing along to us instructions from above regarding prayer and piety. Many outside the Catholic Church mistake the Rosary as a form of Marian worship if for no other reason than because of the repetitive Hail Mary prayers. Yet Hail Mary, full of grace comes to us from scripture. Most don’t realize that when the Rosary was first prayed, it was the Are Father and not Hail Mary that was repeated with every bead. The mysteries of the Rosary are the mysteries of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, and not that of his mother. The beads help to count out the prayers, and the receptiveness’ is meant to keep our minds busy while our souls are engaged in a deep conversation with Christ that we might not even realize we are having.

Both the Feast of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary (its full title) and the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus are considered Optional Memorials, in that they are low-ranking feast days. Both these days were removed from the Church Calendar in the Liturgical Reform following Vatican II, but were restored by Pope John Paul II in 2002. As Optional Memorials, many Catholics don’t even realize these days exist. In some ways, that is sad. But then again, if we placed great importance on every feast day, that’s about all we could do. Feast Days are important, but only if they do the job intended – to direct our focus on our relationship with God the Father, God the Son and invite the Holy Spirit to dwell within us.

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Welcome to a wonderful feast! This fry bread is super easy to make, and the finishing touches are as individual as you are. While we’ve made Chicken Fry Bread Tacos, thus far these made with Flap Meat (as found in the Mexican Markets) or Skirt Steak (same cut, prettier name found in most other markets) is the best. Even better than Navajo Tacos made with whole beans. Hope it becomes as popular in your house as I know it will be in ours. Enjoy, and have a very blessed day!

Skirt Steak Fry Bread Tacos
Marinated Skirt Steak
4 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
2 tablespoons Taco Seasoning
1 tablespoon Jalapeno or Habanero Olive Oil
2 lbs Skirt Steak

Place the chipotle peppers in a small blender or food processor. Add taco seasoning ahs spicy Olive Oil. Pulse to blend into a smooth paste.

Lay skirt steak out flat. Work the past into the meat. Cover and refrigerate for several hours.

When ready to cook, warm grill to medium-high. White the grill warms, place a large metal mixing bowl in the oven to warm. Once the grill is ready, sear the skirt steak for about 2 minutes or so per side.

Remove from grill, stack together on a cutting board. Cover and let rest for just a few minutes for the juices to settle. With a sharp knife, cut the steak into strips against the grain. Turn the board, cut into bite-size pieces. Place in the warm bowl for serving.

Fry Bread
2-1/2 cups Flour
1 tablespoon Baking Powder
3/4 teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon Lard
1 cup Milk, warmed
Olive Oil as needed
Peanut Oil or High Temperature Oil for frying

Mix dry ingredients together. With hands, work lard into the flour mixture. Slowly add milk. Place dough on a floured board, knead for 5 minutes. Shape dough into a 10-inch long cylinder, bursh with oil, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, cut 12 squares of parchment paper or waxed paper about 6 or 7 inches square. Spray with cooking spray, stack together and set aside.

When ready, make fry bread disks for frying. Cut dough into 1-inch equal parts. Work with 1 part at a time, roll the piece of dough into a ball. Flatten dough by hand, with a rolling-pin or tortilla press between 2 pieces of prepared paper to create a disk about 5-inches round. Don’t worry if fry bread isn’t perfect – it’s more authentic if isn’t less that perfectly round.

Remove top piece of paper from the fry bread disk, set aside to use again. Set disk aside and begin again, reusing top piece of paper for as long as possible (remember, you have an extra one). Stack the disks together and let rest for a few minutes before frying.

Heat about an inch or so of oil in a large cast iron skillet. Fry the bread disks in the hold oil, one at a time, until golden brown, swirling the disk with a wooden spoon or tongs as it cooks to prevent burning. Flip bread, continue to brown until done. Place on paper towels, blot off excess grease and set aside in a warm oven. Repeat until all the bread has been fried.

Taco Garnishings
3 roasted Jalapeno Peppers
1 roasted Hatch Chili Pepper
2 Scotch Bonnet Peppers
3 Roma Tomatoes
1-1/2 cups shredded Iceberg Lettuce
2 Green Onions
1 Avocado
1/2 cup Mexican Cheese Blend or as desired, optional
1/2 cup Sour Cream or as desired, optional

Lightly coat a cast iron tortilla pan with Jalapeno or Habanero Oil. Heat skillet to medium-high heat. Place the jalapeno and hatch pepper on the skillet, let roast, turning as needed to blister. Set aside to cool.

Stem the roasted peppers, dice and place in a small bowl. Stem Scotch Bonnet Peppers, dice and add to the roasted pepper mix. Toss to blend, set aside to use as a spicy garnish.

Chop tomatoes, shred lettuce and set aside until ready to assemble tacos. Trim roots from the green onions, slice and set aside. Just before serving, peel and dice the avocado.

To Fishing and Assemble
1 can Refried Beans
2 tablespoons Taco Seasoning
3 tablespoons Beef Stock

Empty refried beans into a microwave-safe bowl. Add taco seasoning and beef stock. Cover and warm for 3 minutes. Stir and keep warm until ready to assemble.

To build taco, begin with fry bread as the base. Spread warm beans over the bread, top with meat. Then garnish as any other taco with lettuce, tomato and whatever else you like. The peppers will give that kiss of heat.

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The Lord is compassionate toward all his works