Sneak Peek

Sneak Peek: I wrote this for the WRM Summer Journal...

Sunday Family Meals: My Culinary School

By Ana Braga-Henebry, M.A.



In his 1998 Apostolic Letter Dies Domini (The Day of the Lord), Saint John Paul II writes:

“Sharing in the Eucharist is the heart of Sunday, but the duty to keep Sunday holy cannot be reduced to this. In fact, the Lord's Day is lived well if it is marked from beginning to end by grateful and active remembrance of God's saving work. This commits each of Christ's disciples to shape the other moments of the day — those outside the liturgical context: family life, social relationships, moments of relaxation — in such a way that the peace and joy of the Risen Lord will emerge in the ordinary events of life.”

There are few opportunities that offer more dynamic and relaxed family time than a family’s sacred time around the table, sharing a meal. Sunday is the Eucharist day par excellence, a day set apart by our heavenly father for rest and the Eucharistic meal. No other activity reflects better that life-giving sacrament than the family meal.

For a busy mother at home, Sundays offer an opportunity to improve and develop a task that is mostly done in a quotidian, hurried and necessary manner. Rare is the weekday when mothers have time to put thought and challenging new skills into play as they make their daily family meal. Hungry kids, limited time, littles underfoot, and the never ending demands of the various family activities, all of these may make a more elaborate daily meal near impossible.

But Sunday comes, every week, to the rescue! On Sundays, a Catholic family is at home, relaxing and enjoying each other’s company. Dad’s presence makes such a marking difference. The dining table is set more beautifully; liturgically-colored candles may be lit, and the mother, her many usual chores eased by the restful aspect of the day and the presence of her husband, is able to focus on the making of the family meal.

I could say that the above scenario is the story of my life. For over thirty years, Sundays were to become my culinary school: challenging myself to please the family and our guests, I developed dishes and stories around them. My husband was with my little ones, and we often had guests over. The absence of common chores provided time for me to peruse cookbooks and plan meals that were more festive and reflective of the holiness of the day.

I have always loved cooking. I grew up in different world, in South America, and Cook did not allow us kids in the kitchen much—unless I begged and promised to help, I hadn’t a chance. I remember my first entries into the culinary world: being allowed to peel potatoes or sort beans while observing the meal preparation. What better way to learn? Mother would make our own meals on Sunday evenings and to this day, I make her same pizza crust. She also made all of our many birthday cakes, and that recipe too is my default wedding cake recipe as our kids and godchildren are married.

When I found myself married in the USA, I reveled in reigning in my own kitchen. My poor husband was guinea pig for all sorts of cultural assimilation attempts. The good man never complained, but I know how many failures I served him. Before I had completely adapted, however, the kids, and many of them, were underfoot, growing, always hungry. My ambitious culinary dreams became a work of mercy: feeding the hungry. My challenges consisted in making good-tasting and filling meals out of basic, inexpensive ingredients. No time for sauces, garnishes, or the trying of too many new ingredients.

But the children grew, as children always do. The older ones started saying how they enjoyed “Mom’s” food, and husband tasted fewer failures. Some of the kids were interested in learning, and their daily dinner help allowed me to start developing new things again. Moreover, the Sunday dinner guests, old or young from near and far, were more frequent and brought with them recipes, dishes, and more ideas. They also brought praise, praise for food that was homemade, that was real and made from scratch, and had years of experience behind it. For so many years, Sunday after Sunday, meal after meal, I experimented, tried new recipes and methods, made mistakes, and learned!

Before the youngest reached high school age, I saw myself doing cooking demonstrations and classes in our college-town community. I come up with the themes, recipes, cooked and entertained. I tell stories, of growing up in a world where herbs grow year round and a dry-spice cabinet is not need, and I tell them cooking is not as much about food as about love. My audience is as diverse as you get, but I do use the word “sacredness” and it is consistently well received. I go to school meetings or shopping, and people approach me: “I loved your cooking class! It was so much more than food!”

Once I received a Thank You note: “I haven’t heard about the importance of sitting together as a family since I was a little girl”, my admirer wrote. I kept the note into a drawer of treasures. As I read further, I sensed that the middle-aged writer was moved by coming across something she thought our society had lost forever: the sacredness of a family meal, with friends around the table.

The day of the Lord was my school, and the praise I receive is all His. In His infinite wisdom, He was the one who gave us Sundays! Mothers may use Sundays for the rest they need, and also for developing interests they may not have time for during the week. A good book, needlework, or just conversations they are too busy to have other days. For me, the growing family, the loving support of my husband, the reaching out to dinner guests, and the time Sundays allowed me, all became my culinary school! For my ability to feed delicious food to others, and to have it transformed into a sacred experience, I give thanks and praise to God!



Ana’s Signature Dish:

Frango Catupiry (Herbed Cheesy Chicken)

This is a Brazilian traditional dish that has as many variations as there are cooks. I developed my own through trial and error through the years…

About 3 lbs chicken, diced (I use boneless, skinless)

Sauté in 3-4 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Add fresh crushed garlic (several cloves) and salt to taste

(Tip: Pan fry for a while until golden and crispy)

Add 2 chopped onions

4 large, ripe, fresh tomatoes, diced (2 Ro-tel or petite-diced cans also work well)

Cover, let it simmer at least 20 minutes

Add two 8 oz packages softened cream cheese, stir to incorporate completely

Garnish with any combination of fresh herbs from the garden: basil, chives, cilantro, parsley, very finely chopped.

Serve over your favorite rice or side dish