Christmas | Pre-Prans with Ruthie

Ruthie’s back with Fr. Radmar Jao, SJ for some Christmas recipes to make with your family and friends!

Cayenne-Candied Bacon Bites, festive Flatbread Pizzas, and Scandinavian Gløgg round out this very merry Christmas Pre-Prans with Ruthie.

Flatbread Pizza

1 store bought flatbread
2 sweet yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 TB butter or olive oil
1 jar fig jam
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
3 ripe pears, sliced thin
3 oz. gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Heat oven to 450.

Saute onions in butter until caramelized, should take 15 minutes or so. Meanwhile, spread a layer of fig jam onto the flatbread. Top with a layer of onions, the walnuts, arrange the pears and top with the cheese.

Put on top rack of oven for about 8-10 minutes…

Cayenne-Candied Bacon Bites

1 lb. thick cut bacon
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 c. packed light brown sugar
3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with lightly greased foil.

Combine the brown sugar and cayenne in a shallow dish, mix well. Press one side of bacon firmly into spice to coat well. Arrange the slices onto the baking sheet, sugared side up. Sprinkle with any remaining sugar mix.

Put a cooling rack on top of the bacon to keep it flat while cooking.

Cook until bacon is crisp and bubbly, 15-20 minutes. DO NOT PUT ONTO PAPER TOWELS, THEY WILL STICK.

(adapted from Emeril Lagasse)

Gløgg

1 bottle dry red wine
1/2 bottle port
2 c. good vodka
2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
2 oranges

Put all into pot, give it a good stir, heat to almost boiling, reduce heat and let summer for an hour or more if you like. Strain and serve in mugs.
Gløgg will keep on the stove, covered, for several days.

ABOUT THE SHOW

“Pre-Prans with Ruthie” is an Ignatian food show on the IN Network that brings the time-honored Jesuit tradition of “preprandials” (aka: pre-prans) to your home through easy to make & share recipes that are infused with Ruthie’s lovable personality and stories of the heart.

New episodes each month!

“Preprandial” = something done right before a meal, like sharing appetizers and drinks. In the Society of Jesus, “pre-prans” is a traditional way for Jesuits living together to share in conversation and fellowship.

WHO IS RUTHIE?

Ruthie is a Catholic mother of two grown kids and fifth of twelve siblings. A retired yoga instructor, she now lives and works in Los Angeles, CA, serving as Kitchen Manager at the Jesuit Novitiate, in addition to owning and managing Organized Living with Ruthie. As a niece and sister of two Jesuits, her ties to the Society of Jesus and Ignatian Spirituality are life-long.