Saint Francis Xavier

December 3rd St. Francis Xavier

"Lord I am here! What do you want me to do? Send me anywhere you like."
In honor of this great missionary, we'll have tempura tonight. I've got some frozen shrimp ready and waiting. I'll probably include bell pepper and onions. Here's the recipe if you'd like to try it yourself or you can follow the link to the Catholic Cuisine site on my sidebar for another idea.


Since St. Francis is the patron of foreign missions and one of the Church's most illustrious missionaries having traveled to and labored in western India, the island of Ceylon, Malacca, Moluccas Islands, Island of Mindanao (Philippines), and Japan, an option for dinner on this feast day would be tempura. Tempura is generally regarded as having been introduced to the Japanese culture by the missionaries from the Iberian peninsula (Portuguese most likely) - and being as St. Francis was the most famous missionary to the orient this would be fitting.

Tempura Batter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2/3 cup ice water
Oil for deep frying
Your choice of dippers; shrimp, scallops, and vegetables are good.

Sift together the dry ingredients. Beat egg slightly and mix with the water. Add the dry ingredients. Stir only until mixed; mixture will be slightly lumpy. Dip shrimp or vegetables into the batter and deep fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.