Arrabbiata Sauce

First published September 2015


Arrabbiata means "angry" in Italian; thus, this sauce is intended to be "spicy." It is especially good with fresh ripe tomatoes and fresh chilies, like serrano peppers. If you have an herb garden, use basil from the garden, or even store bought fresh basil, as so many produce shops and supermarkets now have fresh herbs available. Of course, if you do not have access to fresh produce, perhaps because of the season, use canned tomatoes, dried chilies, and dried basil. Italians tend to use fresh ingredients, but if you use canned and dried ingredients, you will not wake up to find a horse head in your bed. Ahh .... not that I can guarantee that.

Ingredients 

(for 1 pound of penne or rigatoni pasta)
about 3/4 pound of fresh Roma tomatoes, seeded (if using canned tomatoes, 1  28 oz. can of drained diced tomatoes, or drained whole tomatoes broken up; in either case, save about 1/4 cup of tomato juice)
1/4 cup of tomato juice, if using fresh tomatoes
2 serrano chili peppers, seeded and diced (or 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of dried red chili pepper flakes, depending upon the level of heat you want)
1   6 oz. can tomato paste
2 cloves of garlic, chopped/minced
4 or 5 basil leaves, chopped (or about 1 teaspoon dried)
1/4 cup olive oil
Romano cheese
You should not need to add salt to the recipe, because of the Romano cheese and the pasta should be cooked in salted water.

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the brand you use. In a skillet add the olive oil and the chopped garlic, saute just about a minute (don't let the garlic burn, as it can have a nasty taste). Add the tomatoes and chilies and cook until they soften. Stir in the tomato paste and juice from the tomatoes (you can actually mix the juice and tomato paste together and then pour it in), then add the basil leaves. Drain the pasta and mix it into the sauce, serve with grated or shaved Romano cheese, preferably Pecorino Romano (this is made from sheep's milk).

Rigatoni with arrabbiata sauce, with serrano chili pepper and freshly shaved Pecorino Romano cheese.

WORD HISTORY:
Pasta-The ultimate origin of this word, very closely related to "paste," is unknown. It goes back to the Greek verb "passein," meaning "to sprinkle." This produced Greek "pasta," a type of porridge, perhaps from the notion of "sprinkling the grain into hot liquid" (or perhaps the reverse)? Latin borrowed the word as "pasta," but it took on the meaning "dough, paste" (grain or ground grain mixed with liquid). Italian inherited the word from Latin and it came to mean "dough formed into various shapes and then cooked in hot liquid" (whether this was in any way tied in with the Greek meaning of "porridge" (grains cooked in hot liquid) is unclear, but it's perhaps coincidence). English borrowed the word from Italian in the second half of the 1800s. Americans tend to pronounce the first part of the word as if "paw," and in England and other parts of Britain the first part usually rhymes with "last." 

Sarah Palin Came To Mind

This was first published in September 2015


There is a Hungarian church not far from me and the church still has a Hungarian language service on Sundays, besides a service in English. Out on the front lawn of the church property there is a sign the church uses to advertise various things, including the sale of its Chicken Paprikash, which is made right in the kitchen of the church, and which they have about every other month.* Well recently they posted a message in Hungarian. I have no idea what it said, but for some reason, Sarah Palin came to my mind. Hmm, I wonder why? Do you think maybe the republic is in danger because of a church sign in Hungarian?

* It is very good, by the way, and it is currently $10 per dinner.

WORD HISTORY:
Sleeve-The ultimate origin of this is uncertain, but apparently it goes back to some form in Old Germanic, as it has relatives in other Geremanic languages. It is likely related to "slip." The Germanic form gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "sliefe/slefe," and the verb form was "slefan," which meant "to slip clothes on." The word then became "sleve," before the modern version. Many of its relatives in the other Germanic languages have died out, but they generally meant "to slip on clothing, to put on clothes," although Dutch still has "sloof" ("apron") and some East Frisian has "sleeuve" ("sleeve"). 

"A Night In Casablanca," With the Marx Brothers

While many people do not consider this movie to be one of the classics of the Marx Brothers, I disagree, and when I first saw it many years ago, I laughed so hard at a couple of scenes, I actually got sick. The Marx Brothers were a family comedy act born in New York City to German Jewish immigrants in the latter part of the 1800s, although one, Herbert, known by his stage nickname of "Zeppo," was born in 1901. In the history of American comedy, the Marx Brothers rank right up at or near the top, depending upon who is doing the ranking. In their early film career Groucho, Chico (pronounced "chicko," not "cheeko"), Harpo and Zeppo appeared together, but from the mid 1930s on, it was Groucho, Chico and Harpo. "A Night in Casablanca" was their next to last film together and it was made just after the end of World War Two. Thereafter, Groucho remained very much in the public eye with a radio show which then was transferred to television on NBC. It was a game show called, "You Bet Your Life," and to this day I remember watching that show as a child with my grandmother way back in the 1950s, when all such shows were in black and white.

"A Night in Casablanca" centers around a hotel in Casablanca, Morocco managed by Ronald Kornblow (played by Groucho), whose recent predecessors had died at the hands of Nazis staying at the hotel. The Nazis are trying to get artworks and other treasures pillaged by the Nazis in Europe during the war, but hidden in a remote storage room in the hotel. The head Nazi goes by a fake name, as he is really being hunted as a Nazi war criminal. His valet is "Rusty" (played by Harpo). Rusty is good friends with "Corbaccio" (played by Chico),  who does some work for the hotel, as well as owning a camel rental/ taxi service, called the "Yellow Camel Company," with his competitor being the "Checkerboard Camel Company." As with the previous hotel managers, the Nazis plan to kill Kornblow, but Rusty finds out their plan and goes to Corbaccio to "tell" him. For those unaware, as part of his act, Harpo Marx did not speak, so when he "tells" Corbaccio, it is by a number of gestures, body movements and whistles, and Corbaccio must then figure out what Rusty is trying to tell him. It is a hysterical scene!

I will not go further, so as not to spoil the movie for anyone who has not seen it, but there are other hilarious scenes, including, among others, Groucho being constantly interrupted while he is trying to make out with a woman (actually a Nazi accomplice), the Marx Brothers hiding in the same room where the Nazis are trying to pack as they prepare to flee, and Harpo piloting the Nazi getaway plane! Further, you will be treated to a popular song of that era, "Who's Sorry Now," and also Harpo playing Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody #2 on his harp, as well as Chico playing "The Beer Barrel Polka" on the piano and leading the orchestra in the hotel nightclub. Do yourself a favor and see this movie!

The photo is from the Warner Home Video DVD from 2004. 

    
WORD HISTORY:
Loot-This word comes in a noun version, meaning "items and valuables taken by plunder or theft, with some type of violence usually implied, often conquest," and also, "money," a meaning which seems to have developed in American English, perhaps from underworld slang in the 1920s. It also has a verb form which means "to plunder, to rob." It goes back to Sanskrit "lunt," which meant "to plunder." Exactly where Sanskrit got the word is uncertain. This produced Sanskrit "luntam," a noun meaning "plundered goods."  This gave Hindi "lut" with the same meaning. English borrowed the word in the late 1700s from Hindi.  

"The Third Man," One Of The Great Films

"The Third Man" is a British produced, although with assistance from American David O. Selznick, black and white suspense film set in Vienna after the end of World War Two. It is often seen on lists of the greatest films ever. The movie's music, played only on a zither, remained a popular song in the 1950s and 1960s. Most of the film was shot on location right in Vienna, with the rubble and devastation of the war still all around. The city was a hot spot for corruption, as people trying to survive the aftermath of the war would wheel and deal to get the necessities of life, or more. Vienna, like Berlin, was divided into occupation zones by the Allies, along with joint control by the victorious powers of the central city. Also like Berlin, Vienna became a center of espionage during the increasing tensions between "the Western Allies" and the Soviet Union.

The story centers around an American writer, Holly Martins, played by Joseph Cotten, who goes to Vienna to see his friend, Harry Lime, played by Orson Welles, only to learn that Lime had been hit and killed by a vehicle not long before Martins' arrival. British military authorities tell Martins that Lime is a ruthless con man involved in the theft of scare penicillin, having the antibiotic diluted and then sold on the black market. The dilution of the drug made it ineffective to treat many ailments, costing literally life and limb for many a person, including children. Martins only knows Harry Lime as a friend and he seeks to refute the charges against Lime by conducting his own investigation, along with help from Lime's girlfriend, Anna, played by Alida Valli, to whom Martins takes a liking. One witness tells Martins that there was "a third man" at the scene of Lime's death, something denied by other witnesses. It is tough to write much more about this film without giving away some of its twists and turns for those who have not seen the movie, so I will leave it here, except to say there are scenes which include the Wiener Riesenrad (Vienna Ferris Wheel) and, believe it or not, the Vienna sewer system. That last is a clue to the story. I think you will likely agree with many of the lists which include this film as one of the greatest ever. Oh... and after watching it, try getting the theme song out of your mind! If you've seen the movie before, it is well worth seeing again ... and again. The film won the Academy Award for Best Black and White Cinematography, and it was nominated for Best Director (Carol Reed) and Best Film Editing.

The photo is from the DVD from Korea (don't panic, it is in English. If you only speak Algonquin .... PANIC!!!)

WORD HISTORY:
At-This common word goes back to Indo European "ad," which meant "near, to, at." This gave Old Germanic "at," with the same meanings. This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "æt," which meant "to, toward, at." This later became "at," and it has remained such for many centuries. The other Germanic languages have: German once had "az," with the "z" pronounced "ts," but the word died out. Low German Saxon has "at," which means "when, as," but I'm not really sure if this is the same word in heritage, or if it is just another word that developed that spelling. Dutch also lacks a modern version, as does West Frisian, but the much diminished North Frisian dialect of Frisian has "et," meaning "at." Danish has "at," which means "to," Icelandic has "að," which means "to," and Swedish and Norwegian both have "åt," meaning "to, towards, of."