Jun 9, 20235 min read

Skillet Italian Sausage & Peppers- St. Anthony of Padua

About five years ago my husband and I took a pilgrimage to Italy with our parish and were very blessed to have visited a multitude of beautiful places, one of them being Padua. Before that I had not known much about St. Anthony accept to ask him to help me when I lost things, which is often!

"Tony, Tony,

look around.

Something’s lost

and must be found!"

As a way to celebrate St. Anthony of Padua and other saints, I will look up the region that they come from and make something that stems from that culture or geographical area. For tonight we are serving up skillet Italian sausage with fresh peppers and onions.

Tie on your apron and let's begin!

st. anthony of padua, italian sausage, Catholic feast day, liturgical living

(st. anthony of padua, italian sausage, feast day)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Yields: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

2 tbsps olive oil
1 lb sweet Italian sausage
1/2 white upon sliced
1/2 red onion sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 orange bell pepper, sliced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chicken broth (for flavor)
dried basil, for garnish

Begin by slicing the onions and peppers. A dish with lots of color makes me happy!

Then, over medium-high heat, warm up 2 tbsps olive oil. Cook the sausage links for 2-3 minutes on each side or until they are browned.

Note: They will not be cooked through at this point.

When you're finished browning the Italian sausage, slice them into 1 inch pieces and set them aside for later.

Add 1/2 white onion (sliced) and 1/2 red onion (sliced) to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes while stirring.

Add in the sliced red, green, and orange bell peppers and sprinkle everything with 1 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, and 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes. Toss the peppers and onions to mix in the seasoning and cook for about 5 minutes.

Pour in 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir to combine.

Return the Italian sausage back to the pan and lower the heat to medium. Cover the pan with a lid and let it simmer for 10 minutes.

Note: To help the liquid evaporate I then uncovered the pan and turned the heat up to medium high again for 2 minutes. If it is not evaporated in this time I strain the dish myself so to not overcook the sausage.

Serve as is, over pasta, or a bed of rice and sprinkle with dried basil! How easy was that?

Getting to know St. Anthony

He was born in 1195, only 13 years after St. Francis, to a faithful family and discerned very early on in his life, age 15, to join the religious order of St. Augustine. However, after witnessing the return of five Franciscan martyrs that died for preaching about Christ in Morocco, he felt called to "put on the habit of your [the Franciscan] order." He was never able to go to Morocco to preach like he wanted to because he became sick, but after healing he ended up in Sicily where his renowned preaching began. So the story goes that after attending a Dominican and Franciscan Ordination, they got together to have dinner and the provincial suggested that one of them give a sermon. Like most people when put on the spot in a group they pulled what my family would call a "nose goes" and St. Anthony was then asked to speak. With lacking education and living as a hermit they didn't expect much, but to everyone's surprise St. Anthony had a gift for speaking about the Gospel.

The Hammer of Heretics & His Incorruptible Tongue

There are stories upon stories about not only the beauty of his words but the fearlessness of his preaching, which gave him the name "Hammer of Heretics". One of my favorite stories is the popular "sermon to the fishes". One day St. Anthony's preaching fell on the deaf ears of heretics so he went down to a river near Padua and preached to the fish. The legend goes that when the fish heard him they all swam to shore and poked their heads out of the water to listen! He wanted so badly for souls to be won over for Christ that he dedicated his life to traveling and presenting the truths of Christianity. At times St. Anthony could have had anywhere up to 30,000 people listening to him speak. He loved the poor and helped to satisfy them in anyway that he could. In fact, when we went to Padua we were able to see his tongue which is incorruptible, you have to go look this up!

What is the story behind St. Anthony holding baby Jesus?

Ever wondered why he is seen holding the baby Jesus? One night while staying as a guest with a benefactor, the owner walked by his room and noticed rays of light pouring out from under the door. As he walked by he saw St. Anthony kneeling in ecstasy and holding a loving, caressing child. The owner knew from the uncharacteristic beauty that the child was Jesus. St. Anthony had such great purity of faith that he is also seen holding a lily. In fact, there is a blessing of lilies on the feast of St. Anthony which you can ask your priest to do for you. One more story, I can't help myself! In France during a time of Church persecution many priests and nuns were being murdered along with convents and churches being destroyed. Many faithful Catholics would go to a surviving church on his feast day to leave lilies and months later the beautiful lilies that adorned that parish were still fresh. Even if you can't get your lilies blessed I would highly recommend placing some on your kitchen table or home altar in honor of St. Anthony. You could also make a traditional St. Anthony bread for this feast day. Pick what will be engaging and meaningful for your family like paying tribute to our trip will be for ours!

The Blessing of Lilies on the Feast of St. Anthony

The priest vests in surplice and white stole, and says:

P:Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All:Who made heaven and earth.

P:The Lord be with you.

All:And with thy spirit.

P:Let us pray. God, the Creator and Preserver of the human race, the Lover of holy purity, the Giver of supernatural grace, and the Dispenser of everlasting salvation; bless + these lilies which we, Thy humble servants, present to Thee today as an act of thanksgiving and in honor of St. Anthony, Thy confessor, and with a request for Thy blessing. Pour out on them, by the saving sign + of the holy cross, Thy dew from on high. Thou in Thy great kindness hast given them to man, and endowed them with a sweet fragrance to lighten the burden of the sick. Therefore, let them be filled with such power that, whether they are used by the sick, or kept in homes or other places, or devoutly carried on one's person, they may serve to drive out evil spirits, safeguard holy chastity, and turn away illness--all this through the prayers of St. Anthony--and finally impart to Thy servants grace and peace; through Christ our Lord.

All:Amen.

Then he sprinkles the lilies with holy water, saying:

P:Sprinkle me with hyssop, Lord, and I shall be clean of sin. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Pray for us, St. Anthony.

All:That we may be worthy of Christ's promise.

P:Let us pray. We beg Thee, O Lord, that Thy people may be helped by the constant and devout intercession of Blessed Anthony, Thy illustrious confessor. May he assist us to be worthy of Thy grace in this life, and to attain everlasting joys in the life to come; through Christ our Lord.