Today is the 2nd Day of the Christmas Season. It is the Memorial Feast of Saint Stephen. It is also a Friday. Every Friday throughout the year is approached as a mini Good Friday. While fasting is not required, abstinence and penance is.
As a child I truly felt the penance of Friday. Fish Sticks were served in the winter, and Egg Salad or Tuna in the summer. We weren’t big fish eaters. It turns out Dad didn’t like fish although we’d occasionally have a catfish fry. I don’t think I gave it much thought as a kid – why fish sticks? All I knew was that’s what we ate on Fridays. Every now and again we’d get to spend time with our cousins. Their mother made Salmon Patties on Friday. Salmon Patties were a real treat as far as I was concerned.
Since marrying a fellow Catholic who also abstains on Fridays, my Friday Penance has greatly changed. It really doesn’t feel like a sacrifice any more. Instead, abstaining on Fridays is a way of bringing the reality of Good Friday and a love of Jesus Christ into the foreground of my everyday existence. That really is the point of Friday observances. It teaches discipline, self-control, resisting temptation, and honoring the sacrifice Christ gave to the world. God never said we had to eat yucky stuff on Fridays. Believe me, pan seared Tilapia is anything but yucky. I chose to serve tonight’s fish with Germelli Pasta. After all, it is the second day of Christmas, and Germelli means “Twin” or “Two” as two ropes of pasta are twisted and twined together to create one. Just as a marriage brings two separate beings together. You can see the two, and yet you can also recognize the one. My Husband and I are two people, yet we are also united as one in Christ.
Merry Christ-Mass everyone!
Pan-Seared Lemon Tilapia with Germelli Pasta
Germelli Pasta
4 oz Germelli Pasta
1 tablespoon Italian Herb Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Butter
4 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
Pinch Garlic Powder
Pinch Crush Oregano
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
Minced Parsley
Bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil over medium heat. Stir in pasta and return to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 10 minutes.
Drain the pasta well without rinsing and return to the saucepan. Add olive oil and butter, stir to coat. Mix in Parmesan cheese, then mix in lemon juice, garlic powder, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Mince parsley, fold into the pasta. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Pan-Seared Tilapia
2 tablespoons Italian Herb Olive Oil
2 Tilapia Fillets
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
Italian Seasoning to taste
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
Parsley for garnish
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle tilapia on both sides with lemon juice, Italian Seasoning, salt, and pepper. Place fillets into the hot skillet making sure they don’t touch. Sear until golden brown on the outside and opaque and flaky on the inside, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Remove to a plate.
Divide Parmesan Pasta between the plates, garnish plates with parsley and serve.
Serve this unassuming Friday Supper with a simple salad, some wine and give thanks to yet another beautiful day of the Lord’s creation.
Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
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