Recipes for the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola
The Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, celebrated on July 31, gives us a natural opportunity to explore the food of the Basque Country.
St. Ignatius was born in 1491 in Azpeitia, in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa. Long before he became a priest and founded the Society of Jesus, he was known as Iñigo López de Loyola, the youngest son of a noble Basque family. He grew up in a region shaped by green mountains, coastal waters, farming villages, fishing communities, and deeply rooted food traditions.
Many of the dishes now associated with Basque cuisine developed after Ignatius’s lifetime, or were transformed by ingredients brought from the Americas. Potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, corn, and paprika eventually became main ingredients in Spanish cuisine, but only later. They would not have formed part of the meals of Ignatius’ early childhood.
You do not need to prepare an entire regional feast to honor his feast day. Choose one dish that works for your family, serve it with bread or a simple salad, and allow the meal to become a small connection to the land that shaped St. Ignatius.
Personal Note from My Kitchen
When I began planning this feast-day menu, I first thought of the Basque dishes most people recognize today: salt cod, tuna stew, peppers, potatoes, and rich regional desserts.
But I kept returning to a different question: What might St. Ignatius himself have actually eaten?
There is no menu that we know of from his family table, and I do not want to pretend that we can know exactly what was served in the Loyola household more than five hundred years ago. Still, looking at the ingredients available during his lifetime gives us a glimpse into the world he knew.
Before tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes became part of Spanish cooking, families relied on grains, onions, leeks, cabbage, herbs, poultry, fish, bread, cheese, apples, pears, and nuts. Meals were shaped by the season, the household, and what could be grown, raised, caught, or preserved nearby.
Below, I give an original recipe for a historically inspired meal, and several more modern dished for your table. Enjoy!
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Basque Chicken & Barley Pottage
Meals in late fifteenth-century Basque households were built around what the land and seasons provided. Barley, onions, leeks, cabbage, herbs, chicken, and rustic bread would all have been familiar ingredients to St. Ignatius. This simple one-pot meal is inspired by those traditions while remaining practical for your every day kitchen.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 2 leeks, sliced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small green cabbage, chopped
- 1 cup pearl barley
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
For Serving
- Rustic country bread
- Sheep’s milk cheese, such as Idiazabal or Manchego
- Good olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken on both sides until golden, about 4 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the leeks and onion, cooking until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic for another minute.
- Add the cabbage and cook until it begins to wilt.
- Return the chicken to the pot. Add the barley, chicken stock, bay leaves, thyme, marjoram, salt, and pepper.
- Bring to a gentle boil before reducing to a low simmer. Cover and cook for about 50–60 minutes, until the barley is tender and the chicken easily pulls from the bone.
- Remove the chicken. Discard the skin and bones, then shred the meat and stir it back into the pottage.
- Taste and adjust seasoning. Sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving.
Serve each bowl with thick slices of rustic bread, sheep’s milk cheese, and a drizzle of olive oil.
10 More Recipes to Honor St. Ignatius of Loyola
Txuleton a la Brasa
Txuleton a la Brasa is inspired by the communal meals of Basque cider houses. This delicious steak is served family-style with piquillo peppers, pickled peppers, and a simple dressed salad. Choose a thick bone-in rib eye and slowly warm it, finishing it with an intense sear to create a dark crust while keeping the center beautifully pink.
Tolosao Bean Stew
Tolosa Beans from Gipuzkoa create a creamy, flavorful stew with just water, salt, and olive oil. A slow simmer brings out their rich texture. Serve the beans with braised cabbage and sausage for a traditional Basque meal.
Porrusalda
Porrusalda combines tender leeks and potatoes in a simple, lightly seasoned broth. This humble soup reflects everyday Basque home cooking. Its warmth and simplicity make it a practical feast-day meal.
Marmitako
Basque fishermen created Marmitako for meals at sea. The stew combines fresh tuna, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, and smoky paprika in one hearty pot. This quick version brings the coastal flavors of St. Ignatius’s homeland to the family table.
Piperade
Piperade combines peppers, onions, tomatoes, garlic, and Espelette pepper in a colorful Basque dish. Serve it with eggs, fish, meat, or crusty bread. The dish captures the bright flavors of the Basque countryside.
Merluza en Salsa Verde
Merluza en Salsa Verde pairs firm white fish with a bright sauce of parsley, garlic, onion, white wine, and fish stock. Some Basque cooks add peas, clams, or chopped egg. The parsley gives the sauce its signature flavor and connects it to St. Ignatius’s region.
Chicken Piperade
Chicken Piperade is a family-friendly dish pairs tender chicken with tomatoes, onions, garlic, and sweet peppers. It brings the flavors of Basque piperade to an easy main course. Serve it with potatoes, rice, or fresh bread.
Bacalao al Pil Pil
Bacalao al Pil Pil is a classic Basque dish combines salt cod, garlic, chile, and olive oil into a rich, silky sauce. Slow cooking helps the cod release its natural gelatin, which blends with the oil. It makes a fitting choice for a traditional St. Ignatius feast.
Gateau Basque
Gâteau Basque features a tender, buttery crust with a layer of pastry cream inside. This rustic dessert blends the textures of cake, cookie, and pastry. It offers a simple but special taste of St. Ignatius’s Basque homeland.
Pantxineta
Pantxineta layers crisp puff pastry, smooth pastry cream, and sliced almonds. This golden dessert from San Sebastián feels elegant but remains easy to prepare. It makes a fitting finish for a St. Ignatius feast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why serve Basque food for St. Ignatius of Loyola?
St. Ignatius was born in Azpeitia in Gipuzkoa, one of the historic Basque territories of northern Spain. Preparing food from this region offers a concrete way to connect the feast-day meal with his family background and birthplace.
Is Basque cooking the same as Spanish cooking?
The Basque Country extends across portions of northern Spain and southwestern France and has its own language, cultural traditions, and regional cuisine. Although Basque food shares ingredients with neighboring areas, dishes such as marmitako, bacalao al pil-pil, porrusalda, gâteau Basque, and Idiazabal cheese are particularly associated with Basque culinary culture.
Do I need salt cod to prepare a traditional meal?
No. Salt cod is important in Basque cooking, but it requires soaking and may not be easy to find. Fresh cod, tuna, chicken, beans, leeks, potatoes, or peppers can all provide a meaningful connection to the region.
What is the easiest Basque recipe for beginners?
Porrusalda, piperade, or marmitako would be good starting points. Each uses familiar ingredients and relies more on patient cooking than advanced technique.
What can I serve if my children do not eat fish?
Try chicken cooked with Basque-style peppers, a simple steak with roasted peppers, Tolosa-style beans, or piperade with eggs. Follow the meal with gâteau Basque or pantxineta.
Prayer for the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding,
and my entire will—
all that I have and call my own.You have given it all to me.
To you, Lord, I return it.Everything is yours;
do with it what you will.Give me only your love and your grace.
That is enough for me.Amen.
Whether your celebration is a simple bowl of chickpea stew after work or a full Spanish-inspired family dinner, the goal isn’t perfection. In the ordinary rhythms of home, faith can be nourished just as your nourish your minds and bodies – around the kitchen table.
Looking for something similar to these recipes above?
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