Weather – If it rains on the
8th of May, it foretells a wet harvest.
At Milan, the birthday of
the holy martyr Victor, a Moor. He
became a Christian in his youth, and served as soldier in the imperial army. When Maximian wished to force him to
offer sacrifice to idols, he persevered with the greatest fortitude in the
confession of the Lord. Being
first beaten with rods, but without experiencing any pain, through the protection
of God, and then having melted lead poured over him, which did him no injury
whatever, he at length terminated the career of his glorious martyrdom by being
beheaded.
He was stationed at Mediolanum
(modern Milan) – at that time the capital of the Western Roman Empire – in 303
when the edicts of the Emperors Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius, and Constantius
ushered in the Great Persecution.
Christians lost all legal rights and were ordered to sacrifice to the
Roman gods, on pain of death.
Christians in positions of authority, including soldiers, lost their
standing, their livelihoods, and their pensions. Victor was one of the first denounced for his faith;
refusing to deny his Lord, he was subjected to various tortures (the list of
which grew longer with every telling).
Emperor Maximian did all that he could to make the old soldier
apostatize but failed, and finally condemned him to execution by beheading.
You can read the medieval
Passion of St. Victor here.
Victor is the titulary saint
of North Italy – his patronage extends over many towns and cities in the
region, not forgetting the place of his martyrdom. In his honor, have Risotto alla Milanese.
RISOTTO ALLA MILANESE
Heat 3 - 4 cups of chicken
stock or bouillon.
Mince 1 small onion and ½
clove of garlic.
Soak a pinch of powdered
saffron in 2 tablespoons of white wine, and set aside. If any wine remains in the bottle, pour
it in a glass for the cook.
Wash ½ cup of dried
mushrooms. Soak them in a little hot stock or bouillon for about 10 minutes.
Remove from bouillon, cut them up, and set both aside.
Grate ½ cup of Parmesan
cheese.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter
in a skillet, then stir in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When heated, add 1 cup of raw rice. Stir to coat the rice, then spread it
evenly on the bottom of the pan and allow it to brown, stirring frequently to
keep it from burning.
When rice is nearly browned,
add the onion and garlic, and allow them to brown.
To the rice, add 1 cup of
the hot bouillon, the saffron/wine, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook over low heat for 20 to
30 minutes WITHOUT STIRRING. Add
more bouillon when the first cupful cooks away.
In the last 10 minutes of
the rice’s cooking, add the mushrooms and the bouillon in which they soaked.
When all of the bouillon has
been added, and the rice is tender and dry, put a lump of butter on top (the
original recipe says “the size of a walnut” which to me is about 2 – 3
tablespoons). Sprinkle with the
Parmesan and stir lightly to mix.
And serve.
Artwork: Il Sodoma (Giovanni
Antonio Bazzi), Saint Victor, 1529, Palazzo Pubblico, Siena
found in: Mrs. Arthur Bell, Lives and
Legends of the Great Hermits and Fathers of the Church (1902), p. 75
