Text: Chef John Folse
There was always something happening on River Road where I grew up. Because there were six boys in a family of eight children, you can bet the Folse boys were always in the thick of things. One day, we decided to thumb a ride to Donaldsonville, just a few miles upriver. As we strolled through the metropolis, word on the street was about a St. Joseph altar on River Road in Abend, where Sicilian immigrants had settled at the turn of the century.
We had heard about St. Joseph altars but had never seen one. A merciless drought in the Middle Ages killed Sicily’s vegetation, leaving the people to die of hunger and thirst. The poor people prayed to St. Joseph for intercession, promising to honor him perpetually on his feast day (March 19) if their prayers were answered. The rains came, and still today, St. Joseph is remembered annually with food altars. It seemed only right and proper that we pay our respects to the foster father of Jesus—after all, we were pious altar boys at St. James Catholic Church—so we headed to Abend.
Admittedly, it had not escaped our attention that beautiful Sicilian girls would be present. Girls, coupled with free plates of spaghetti—well, we just may as well have won the lottery! We feasted on spaghetti with whole boiled eggs in the sauce. Mollica (stale bread crumbs, a.k.a. St. Joseph’s sawdust) was sprinkled on top. There were stuffed artichoke leaves, egg batter-fried vegetables, whole vegetables from the gardens, olives, fruits (especially lemons for girls to place under their pillows to dream of their future husband), Italian breads, lamb-shaped cakes covered in coconut, and every type of cookie imaginable—fig, ginger, lemon, orange, and cherry.
A large red fish, symbolic of Christ, held pride of place in the center of the altar. We ate our fill to the great delight of the Sicilian grandmothers and even brought spaghetti home with us. You might say we made quite the impression!
Today, I have the privilege of preparing the red fish for the St. Joseph altar at Sister Dulce Maria’s Cypress Springs Mercedarian Prayer Center in Baton Rouge. Because this is also crawfish season, a few crustaceans rim the edge of the red fish platter. Celebrate St. Joseph’s Day and crawfish season with Crawfish Spaghetti with Fava Beans.
Crawfish Spaghetti with Fava Beans
Makes 6 Servings
Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) can fava beans, rinsed and drained
- ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups diced tomatoes (about 4 plum tomatoes)
- 1 pound cooked crawfish tails
- 1 (12-ounce) package spaghetti, cooked according to package directions for al dente, reserving ½ cup pasta water
- Grated fresh Parmesan cheese
- Crusty Italian bread and lemon wedges, to serve
Instructions
- In the work bowl of a food processor, place beans, parsley, crushed garlic, oil, and lemon juice; pulse until almost smooth. Add salt, granulated garlic, and pepper.
- In a large saucepan, combine bean mixture and tomatoes. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are softened, about 20 minutes.
- Stir crawfish, spaghetti, and reserved ½ cup pasta water into bean mixture; cook until mixture is heated through, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve with bread and lemon wedges.
