The First Ember Days of Advent

Ember Days. Until I began reading Dad’s text book The Visible Church which was published in 1922 as part of a Catholic Education I hadn’t even heard of Ember Days. Dad received the book to help him study in 1951, when he converted to the Catholic Faith. Little had changed in the teachings at that point.

Much changed after Vatican II, including the elimination of the Latin Mass. I’m grateful for all the books I have been able to study that have helped me to find a deeper, richer love of my Faith. Much of what was placed on the back burner of Observation was not forgotten among the religious orders. And some of the misconceptions have also been clarified. Abstaining from meat on Fridays is still a thing. There are exceptions. Should Saint Patrick’s Day fall on a Friday, the Irish have been granted a special dispensation. Just as the Feast of Saint Joseph, Husband of Mary has special consideration. Celebrations allow for a suspension of certain obligations. Then again, certain obligations are suspend by acts of penence. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are NOT Holy Days of Obligation. The fasting and penance on those days is an Obligation. The Mass is a Celebration. You cannot do penance and celebrate at the same time. Does that make sense? You can elect to attend mass while performing acts of penance, but you are not required.

Ember Days of old were days of fasting while giving thanks to God for His seasonal blessings. It’s a big NO-NO to question the Church (believe me, when I confessed that I sometimes question the Pope, the penance was stiff. Hubby had to wait for me as I preformed my assigned penance. As we walked from the Church he whispered “Wow, what did you do?” because it was a long prayerful penance.) Yet sometimes I do wonder about the reasoning behind certain things. I know it’s all a matter of teaching discipline, dedication and faithfulness. Yet I don’t understand the purpose behind fasting on Ember Days when we are suppose to be giving thanks for the gifts of the changing seasons. It seems to be that Feasting would be a more appropriate response. Since we are no longer obligated to even acknowledge Ember Days, I think that gives us the freedom to celebrate. Today is the first of three Ember Days of Advent. It is also a Wednesday – a wild card have fun with it day. So I decided to give Meat Filled Pastries another go. This time with Barbecue Chicken.

As always, give thanks to the Lord our God. For He is truly great.

Barbecue Chicken Pastries
Chicken Filling
1/2 White Onion
1 cup Barbecue Sauce
2 boneless Chicken Breasts
Barbecue Seasoning to taste
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste

Cut onion in half from tip to root. Reserve half for another purpose. Peel and mince remaining half. Place in a bowl. Add barbecue sauce, stir to mix and set aside.

Cut chicken into strips. Season with salt and pepper. Place chicken strips in the insert of a pressure cooker. Add chicken stock. Lock lid in place, set PRESSURE COOK – HIGH – 16 MINUTES – START.

Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure. The chicken should be so tender, it practically shreds itself. Place shredded chicken in the bowl with barbecue mixture. Toss to coat well, set aside.

Pastries
3 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Shortening
8 tablespoons Ice Water or as needed

Heat oven to 350-degrees. Grease a large rimmed baking sheet, set aside.

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the shortening until mixture forms pea-size crumbs. Sprinkle with ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing gently with a fork, until dough forms a ball. DO NOT over-mix.

Divide dough into 6 portions. Roll out one portion at a time into a 6-inch circle. Mound about 1-1/4 cups of the filling on half of the circle. Moisten edge with water; fold dough over the mixture, press to seal edges with a fork. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling.

Cut slits in the top of each pastry. Bake in the heated oven for about 30 minutes or so, until golden brown and cooked through. While they might appear a bit burnt, that’s just the sauce oozing out and caramelizing in the pan.

Serve and enjoy! My guys dipped theirs in Honey Barbecue Sauce for extra flavor. I enjoyed mine as is.

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O Wisdom of our God Most High,
guiding creation with power and love:
come to teach us the path of knowledge!