On This Blessed Thursday

Today is the second Thursday after Pentecost. Traditionally it is Corpus Christi Thursday. It seems like the Catholic Church is filled with moving Feast Days that all revolve around Easter. Even Easter revolves around an even older Holy Time, Passover. All of this is based on the cycle of the moon.

Easter Sunday is calculated as the first Sunday following the full moon of the March Equinox. Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten Season would be 46 days before Easter Sunday. Ascension Thursday comes 40 days after Easter. Pentecost is 10 days after that, making the Easter Season 50 days long. Corpus Christi falls on the second Thursday following Pentecost Sunday. It’s enough to make your head spin. Which is why most parishes anoint the new church year with a calendar parishioners can hang on their fridge to keep track of Holy Days, Feast Days, Memorials and other dated of importance throughout the year.

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, known more commonly as the Feast of Corpus Christi, is one of the most moving Feasts within the Church. To celebrate the day, one must accept the miraculous transformation of bread and wine into the actual body and blood of Christ. This is called transubstantiation in that the change of the whole substance of bread becomes the substance of the Body of Christ. Just as the wine becomes His blood. This miraculous change is brought about in the Eucharistic Prayer through the efficacy of the word of Christ and by the action of the Holy Spirit. It is not preformed by the priest. He offers up the prayer, but the change is made by God. This is not symbolic, it is real. While Holy Thursday recalls Christ’s institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper, Corpus Christi gives the Catholic Faithful a joyful opportunity to celebrate our Eucharistic Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

In our modern world filled with modern obligations, not everyone can participate in a public devotion to the Eucharist apart from Mass. Because of this, the Church has allowed most dioceses to transfer the Feast of Corpus Christi to the following Sunday. This allows more of the faithful to participate together. So while we will celebrate the Eucharist at Mass on Sunday, in our home we will acknowledge today to be the Feast of Corpus Christi. While not a day of abstinence, my heart said share a delicious meatless supper. Enjoy!

Note: The recipe that follows is for more than I made. For the three of us, I cut everything in half. This is excellect as the seafood course in a formal dinner or as a crowd pleaser. A nice crisp Autum wine would be lovely.

Shrimp and Spinach Stuffed Pasta Rolls
Shrimp Stuffed Pasta
12 Lasagna Sheets
2 lb Medium Shrimp
1 tablespoon Italian Herb Olive Oil
2 cups Spinach
1 cup Ricotta Cheese
1 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

Heat oven to 400-degrees. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray and set it aside.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta sheets al dente, about 11 minutes. Drain well; lay out flat on a rimmed baking sheet.

While the pasta cooks clean, devein and peal the shrimp, removing the tails. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook shrimp until pink, about 5 minutes or so. Reserve 12 whole shrimp for the finishing garnish.

Chop remaining shrimp, place in a mixing bowl. Tear spinach leaves, scatter over the shrimp. Add Ricotta, Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheeses. Stir to blend.

Divide the filling evenly among the lasagna sheets, spread out to within an inch of one end. Beginning with the filled end, roll up the pasta without pressing out the filling. Place in the prepared casserole dish; seam side down. Set Stuffed Pasta aside to make the sauce.

Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
1 (12 oz) jar Roasted Red Peppers
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste

Drain peppers well. In a blender blend red peppers, cream, oil and spices until smooth. Pour mixture into a sauce pan, warm gently over medium heat for a few minutes.

Spoon sauce over and around the Stuffed Rolls.

Finishing Touches
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Reserved Shrimp
Fresh Basil for garnish
4 tablespoons Butter
Cracked Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Minced Roasted Garlic

Sprinkle Mozzarella over the stuffed rolls. Place a whole shrimp on top of each roll, secure with a toothpick. Cover casserole dish with foil and place in the oven to bake for about 15 to 20 minutes until warmed through. Remove foil; continue to bake until the cheese has melted.

While the Stuffed Rolls are baking, Chiffonade the basil and set aside. In a small pan, melt the butter. Season butter with cracked pepper and roasted garlic.

Pour the melted butter in a rimmed serving platter. Remove the Stuffed Rolls from the oven. Carefully arrange rolls on the platter. Garnish with Chiffonade Basil and serve.

Note: If you grow your own herbs, pick a few such as basil and oregano to tuck around the platter for added color.

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Great are the works of the LORD,
exquisite in all their delights.