Friday Lenten Special:Tilapia

Broiled Tilapia

Cook's notes: The following recipe has two options.  The fish is broiled with a creamy cheese coating or the other option is adding whole wheat bread crumbs to the creamy cheese coating which gives the fish more texture. Both options gave the fish an impressive flavor. It was a perfect Friday Lenten meal. 

Since my grill currently is surrounded by piles of snow firing it up was not an option.

recipe adapted from allrecipes.com 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 Tilapia fillets
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 TB. butter softened
• 2 TB. lite mayonnaise
• 2 TB. fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
• 1/4 tsp. thyme
• Old Bay seasoning (comes in a can spice section of the store) 
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/8 tsp onion powder
• optional 1/2 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs 
• 1/4 cup almonds

Directions:

• Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with PAM
• Place fillets on sheet and sprinkle with Old Bay Seasoning
• Turn oven to broil
• In a bowl add cheese, mayonnaise, lemon juice and spices  
• Mix well and set aside (whole wheat bread crumbs can be added into this cheese mixture) 
• Broil the fillets 3 minutes and then turn over and cook 3-4 minutes longer
• Remove from oven and divide cheese mixture over the fillets and press it down into the fillets, sprinkle with almonds
• Broil 2 more minutes and broil till topping browned but watch carefully do it does not burn
• Use a fork to test if fish is done, fish should be flaky 

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A phone call today from my daughter who in in Santa Fe with her husband on vacation was a surprise since they had only been there one day. I guess as parents we tend to think the worst with an unexpected call. They wanted us to know that last night as they were driving on the interstate they encountered thousands of people walking who were making their way to the town of  Chimayo.  According to them the sheer size of the crowd and the impressive sight of so many people walking with glow lights really made an impression on them. My daughter thought since it was Good Friday today this event would be a timely piece for my blog and interesting for others to know about. Needless to say I had to do a bit of research but found all this information quite interesting. 

Faithful Journey to Chimayo

CHIMAYO, N.M. Thousands of New Mexicans are making what’s called the most holy pilgrimage in the United States this Good Friday to a little church in Chimayo.

Pilgrims come from all over, walking for miles, traveling through the night from Espanola, Santa Fe and Albuquerque making their way to el Santuario de Chimayo a tiny shrine in northern New Mexico. They leave from their homes or their cars parked on the road side to walk 10, 20, 30 or even 100 miles to reach Chimayo in the darkness before Good Friday. Pilgrims line the highways north of Santa Fe carrying crosses and glow sticks. By Easter Sunday tens of thousands of worshipers pass through the doors of this little chapel built almost 200 years ago on a site that is sacred to many Pueblo Indians and descendants of Spanish.  El Santuario de Chimayo was declared a National Historical Landmark in 1970.

Once people arrive they file into the church offering up special intentions and touching the holy dirt, that is said to have healing powers, located inside el Santuario.

For many this pilgrimage is an annual tradition, but for some making the pilgrimage this Good Friday it’s their first time. Everyone has their own reason for making this trek. Some reasons might include: spiritual strength, remembering loved ones who have died, to pray for a safe return of loved ones, or a plea for hope to recover from an illness. 

An estimated 300,000 people are expected to visit the sanctuary throughout the year. During lent the church typically sees around 40,000 pilgrims.

This link can give you more information.

http://www.houstonculture.org/hispanic/chimayo.html