Padre Pio’s Pasta con Pollo

by Grazia Barletta · Published August 2, 2022 · Updated October 17, 2022

Every month Grazia Barletta prepares a recipe inspired by the saints in her Cape Town kitchen, and shares it with our readers in text and photos taken exclusively for The Southern Cross by the chef herself.

Padre Pio was born as Francesco Forgione on May 27, 1887, in the small village of Pietrelcina in the south-east of Italy.

Born into a farming family — his father, Grazio, was a shepherd — he entered the novitiate of the Capuchin Friars in Morcone at 15, and joined the order at age 19. He suffered several health problems, and at one point his family thought he had tuberculosis. He was ordained at the age of 23 on August 10, 1910.

For 50 years he served at the monastery of San Giovanni Rotondo, where he was a sought-after spiritual advisor, confessor, and intercessor whose life was devoted to the Eucharist and prayer. While praying before a cross on September 20, 1918, Padre Pio received the stigmata, apparently the first priest ever to bear the miraculous wounds of Christ.

As word spread about his holiness and mysticism — especially after US soldiers brought home stories of Padre Pio following World War II — the priest himself became a point of worldwide pilgrimage, for both the pious and the curious.

He would hear confessions by the hour, able to read the consciences of those who held back. He was reportedly able to bilocate, levitate, and heal by touch. In 1956 he founded the House for the Relief of Suffering, a hospital that serves 60000 a year. Padre Pio died on September 23, 1968, at the age of 81.

This is a great Italian recipe to celebrate the much-loved Italian saint.

Ingredients

500g penne pasta • 400g diced chicken breast • 1 tsp chicken spice • 1 tsp cayenne pepper • 1 tbsp olive oil (or more if needed) • 1 chopped garlic clove • 1 cup chopped yellow or red peppers (For a vegetarian option, replace chicken with mushrooms)

Basic tomato sauce:

1 tin chopped tomatoes • 3 ml sugar • salt and pepper to taste • 15ml olive oil • Fresh basil leaves

Preparation: 25 min • Servings: 6

Preparation:

Add all the ingredients for the basic tomato sauce. Bring to the boil, then simmer until the sauce is thick. Puree till smooth and set aside.
In a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta till al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and season with chicken spice and cayenne pepper. Fry till golden.
Remove the chicken from the pan, then sauté the garlic and peppers, adding more olive oil if needed.
Add the chicken and tomato sauce to the sauté and let simmer.
Finally, add the drained pasta to the sauce, and add salt and pepper to taste. Fresh basil leaves and parmesan cheese can be added.
Enjoy with a prayer to Padre Pio!

This recipe was published in the June 2022 issue of The Southern Cross magazine