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The Daily Journal

Wednesday, September 22, 2004

 


Faith, fun and good food
St. Padre Pio Festival set to begin this Sunday

By DAVID PESCATORE
Staff Writer
dpescatore@thedailyjournal.com

 


Photo/GNS

Love biscotti? The Padre Pio Festival will have several different varieties of homemade Italian cookies, such as biscotti. For recipes, turn to B2.

Q&A on festival

Where is

the festival?

The Padre Pio Festival is at the church, 4680 Dante Ave., Vineland.

What time is

the festival held?

10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Are there

any activities?

Yes. Mass will be held immediately following a procession with a statue of St. Padre Pio.

A homily will be offered by Ermelindo DiCapua, who spent three years with Padre Pio. Blessings will be offered with relics from saints Padre Pio and Mother Pauline.

Will parishioners go to the Padre Pio Shrine in Buena?

Yes. A bus will take visitors to the shrine of St. Padre Pio every hour.

What kind of

food will be sold?

Sausage and peppers, porchetta sandwiches, pizza, meatball sandwiches and more will be available for $4 each portion.

Are activities planned for the family?

Yes. The festival will have games for children and live music from Johnny Vee and the Italians.

Will alcohol

be sold?

Beer and wine will be sold.

Where can I park?

Traffic will be directed in the church lot and surrounding area.

How much

does it cost?

Admission to the festival is free. Food and drinks are available for purchase.

-- From

staff reports


Staff file photo

The festival itself will be held at the parish on Dante Avenue. However, a bus will take visitors to the St. Padre Pio Shrine in Buena every hour this Sunday.

The licorice-tinged aroma of anise will fill the air around St. Padre Pio parish at its annual festival that kicks off Sunday.

It's a day of worship and fun, when parishioners and visitors alike can play games, take part in an auction, enjoy live music and buy fresh produce from area farmers.

But one of the main attractions, after Mass and blessings with relics of saints Padre Pio and Mother Pauline, is the abundance of Italian cuisine.

The festival will include sausage and peppers, porchetta sandwiches and pizza, as well as favorites like meatball sandwiches and chicken wings, each available for $4 per portion. A chicken platter with potato salad, three bean salad and semolina bread is $8.

After the main course comes the true indulgence, fresh Italian desserts.

"Café Pio" will include filled-to-order cannolis, sfogliatelli (an Italian puff pastry), and the Rev. Peter Saporito's favorite, spumette, a delicate cookie made with almonds.

"I love them. They just melt in your mouth. Basically, they are just egg whites, sugar and almonds, but they are so good," he said.

The toasted almond treats remind him of the desserts his grandmother used to make, Saporito said.

Ah, but then there's the homemade cannoli. Who could resist? Certainly not Donna Wagoner of Vineland, the festival's event chairperson.

"You can keep the shell," she said. "Just give me the filling and a spoon."

Wagoner said the café also will have coffee and cappuccino, Italian ices and funnel cakes.

Beer and wine will be available, with Bellview Winery sponsoring its own booth.

The Padre Pio Festival is intended to be a celebration, Saporito said. "There is a chicken barbecue and pig roast. Johnny Vee will be here. There will be games and an auction. It will be a lot of fun. Or, you could just sit under a tree, drink cappuccino and listen to music."

Spumette

  • 4 egg whites

  • 2 cups sugar

  • 4 cups sliced almonds

    Toast almonds at 250 degrees until golden. Cool. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

    Beat egg whites and sugar until stiff. Fold in almonds with a spatula.

    Drop teaspoon-sized dollops on a cookie sheet and bake 12-15 minutes or until firm. Cool.

    -- Maria Ciancaglini

    Sharon's chocolate biscotti

  • 2 1/2 cups flour

  • 1/ 2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 1/ 2 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1 stick butter

  • 1 1/ 4 cup sugar

  • 2 eggs

  • 1 tsp vanilla

  • 1 tsp orange flavoring

  • 2 envelopes Nestle pre-melted Choco Bake

  • 1 cup almonds or walnuts, toasted

  • 1/ 2 cup large chocolate chips

    Blend butter and sugar.

    Add eggs, vanilla, orange flavor and chocolate. Stir in sifted flour and other dry ingredients. Add chocolate chips and nuts. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 min, then toast for 3 minutes on each side.

    -- Sharon Provenzano

    Pizzelles

  • 6 eggs

  • 3 1/ 2 cups flour

  • 1 1/ 2 cup sugar

  • 1 cup margarine

  • 4 teaspoons baking powder

  • 2 tablespoons vanilla or anise extract

    Beat eggs, adding sugar gradually. Melt margarine and allow to cool but not harden. Add melted margarine and extract, sift in flour and baking powder.

    Use teaspoon to drop onto pizzelle iron.

    -- Delores Flaim

    Originally published September 22, 2004