Lamb Stew with Beans

This dish is known in the German state of Hessen as "Hammeleintopf," or, "Lammeintopf," depending upon the type of meat used. In German, a "Hammel" * is a castrated sheep, as opposed to a Lamm, a young sheep (see Word History). In English, the word used for such a male sheep is a "wether," which is certainly not at all common in the United States. ** Food wise, "Hammelfleisch" ("Fleisch" is literally "flesh," in English; that is, "meat") is what English speakers call "mutton," a word English borrowed from French. "Mutton" is not "commonly" seen in the United States, but elsewhere in the world it is, so use either "mutton" or "lamb" for this dish. I "essentially" adapted this recipe from, "Hessen: Kulinarische Streifzüge" (Hessen: Culinary Travels), by Frank Gerhard, photos by Hans Joachim Döbbelin, Sigloch Edition, 2008. 

Ingredients:

1 large potato, peeled and diced
1 15.5 ounce can white beans (Great Northern or navy), drained and rinsed
2 strips bacon, cut into about 1/2 inch strips
1 garlic knockwurst (or other garlic sausage), chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
water (see instructions below)
1 pound lamb, cut into small pieces (so that it will cook fairly fast)
2 medium onions, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped (include the leaves, if the stalk has them)
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil (or other oil, preferably taste neutral)
2 tablespoons tomato paste (or just use ketchup)
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (or 2 sprigs fresh thyme)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon parsley
5 tablespoons cream or milk (I used canned evaporated milk)
3 or 4 tablespoons bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter, flaked

In a heavy bottomed, oven safe pan (make sure to use a pan large enough; give some room, and the pan will need to be put under the broiler to finish the dish), heat the oil over medium heat, then add the onion, carrot, bacon, knockwurst and celery, cook for a couple of minutes, then add the potato and garlic. Stir to keep from sticking, cook for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the lamb, cook another 3 to 4 minutes, again stirring periodically. Add the beans, bay leaf, cloves, thyme, salt, pepper and water (just enough to bring it even with the other ingredients). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes. Make sure the meat is tender. Remove from heat for a couple of minutes while you turn on the oven broiler. Add the milk or cream and stir well. Add the breadcrumbs to the top, and top them with small flakes of butter. Place pan under the broiler, but at a little distance, depending upon your oven rack. Let the breadcrumbs brown and crust a bit, being careful not to let the topping burn. Remove the pan, let stand for a few minutes, sprinkle with some parsley and serve.  

 * The German noun "Hammel" has no living relatives in English, but English once had the verb, "hamelian," which meant "to mutilate," and there were related words in other Germanic languages. In German, the idea of "mutilate" eventually developed further into "castrate;" if you get my drift. German developed the noun "Hammel" from that meaning.  

** Here is the link to the article with the history of the word "wether:"   http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2012/06/erased-wealth-for-some-gains-for-guess.html

WORD HISTORY: 
Lamb-This word, while common in the Germanic languages, has an uncertain history beyond Germanic, although I tend to agree with those who feel it is distantly related to Greek "eláphi," meaning "deer," which seems to come from Indo European "lonbhos," which meant, "elk, deer." This may have also given Old Germanic it's form, "lambaz," which meant "lamb." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "lamb" and "lomb," depending upon dialect. Of course, eventually "lamb" won out, and it has remained in this spelling for all of these centuries. The other Germanic languages have: German "Lamm," ^ Low German Saxon "Lamm," West Frisian "laam," Dutch, Norwegian and Danish "lam," Swedish "lamm," and Icelandic "lamb."

^ Two things: the German form was also once spelled "lamb," and its modern plural, "Lämmer," was once, "lembir," showing that connection to the "b" sound, and certainly giving a boost to the connection to Indo European "lonbhos."

A Friend in West Virginia, Part Eleven

So my Clarksburg, West Virginia friend went and bought the new F-150 truck. He kept in touch with me, even before the place opened for business that day, as he went to their lot and saw the truck from a distance, letting me know what he thought about it. Later, when he met with the sales person (people?), he emailed me to let me know how things were going, eventually saying that the place was getting the paperwork together and that he had decided to sign on the dotted line. He felt he had made a pretty good deal, trading in his old F-150, and I was so happy for him, and even proud of him for the way he had handled everything. He hoped that he would be able to sleep and start feeling better, as medical problems persisted. Now, having some anxiety before signing a payment plan for a pretty expensive new vehicle is far from uncommon, but his level of anxiety, and the fact that he told me such feelings were common for him, speaks volumes. 

WORD HISTORY:
Rate-This word, the noun form, related to "reason," goes back to Indo European "reh," which had the notion of "to reason, to figure, to reckon." This gave Latin "reri," which meant, "calculate, reckon," thus also, "judge," and its participle form was "ratus," the grammatically feminine of which was "rata," "which meant, "(already) calculated;" thus, "fixed, final calculation/amount." This gave French "rate," with the meaning "value/price." English borrowed the word from French in the 1400s. The verb form, meaning "to calculate a value or standing of something," was derived from the noun, circa 1500.

"Imitation" Frankfurt Green Sauce (Grie Sooß)

Known in standard German as "Grüne Soße" (ß=double s), but in the Hessian dialect of Frankfurt as, "Grie Sooß," I have used the term "imitation," as all of the traditional herbs* are not easily found outside of the Frankfurt area, not even in Germany, so I had to use some substitutes.** There are variations in the recipe, especially in northern Hessen,*** in and around the city of Kassel, which "seems" to have been the sauce's place of origin, although other cultures, like Italian, Spanish and French, also have "similar" sauces. This sauce is traditionally served with hard boiled egg halves, and/or, boiled potatoes (see photo below), but it is also often served with beef or fish, especially salmon. "Supposedly" the herbal sauce was writer and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's favorite dish. Goethe was born in Frankfurt and I visited his house back more than thirty years ago, but he wasn't home. You think it might have been because Goethe died in 1832? He spent much of his later life in Weimar. I've had the sauce several times in Frankfurt over the years.

There are many variations on how to make Green Sauce, and yogurt is used by some. While not exactly the same, I based my version on a recipe in, "Original Hessisch, The Best of Hessian Food," by Angela Francisca Endress and Barbara Nickerson, published by Walter Hädecke Verlag, Weil der Stadt, Germany, 2010. Since some of the Frankfurt herbs are difficult to get, use whatever you can get, and besides the ingredients I used, even kale and arugula should be fine. I'm sure there will be no penalty for being practical. Then again, maybe if there is a penalty, you'll visit Goethe's house in Frankfurt, and HE WILL be home! 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup mayonnaise (reduced fat is fine)
1 cup sour cream (reduced fat is fine, don't worry about what Goethe might think)
juice of one lemon
3 hard-boiled eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons oil (I used canola; remember, using extra virgin olive oil will alter the taste)
1 teaspoon mustard
(the herbs should total about a cup, not tightly packed, when finely chopped; so, use your own proportions for each type, but watercress has a little bite, so I'd limit how much you use, and chives are related to onions, and have that general taste. When you rinse the herbs before using, make sure to dry them before chopping them. No stems of any size should be used, and I've seen German recipes that recommend tearing the herbs by hand, instead of chopping them.) 

parsley
chives
Swiss chard
spinach
watercress
dill
tarragon

Boil the eggs and let them cool, then peel them. In a bowl, I then use a fork to smash and break up the eggs very well; no big chunks. Then combine the eggs along with the mayonnaise, sour cream, salt, pepper, oil, mustard, sugar and lemon juice. Mix very well. Add the herbs and thoroughly mix. Chill the sauce for an hour or two minimum before using. 
 
* There are seven "must use" herbs in "authentic" Frankfurt Green Sauce: parsley, chives, chervil, sorrel, garden cress, borage and pimpernel. Of the many recipes I've seen for the sauce, almost all simply list "cress" (Kresse, in German), and there are several varieties of the plant, but I've chosen to list "garden cress," as that was in the recipe I used for the basis of this version here. Watercress is common in many cultures, including in the U.S., so using it is fine, as from what I've read, the varieties of cress plants all have similar taste, which is a bit biting. Another thing, there can be several names for the same type of cress, depending upon country or region. For U.S. readers, if you've never had or bought watercress, most major supermarkets have it, as do, of course, "farmer type" markets. About 40 years ago, I knew two guys who loved watercress, and the one, a major beer drinker, told how he would rinse it off, put it in a bowl, add some salt, and eat it while watching television and drinking beer. He was about 60 years old then, and watercress was in some stores or markets even back then in the U.S., as I gave it a try, and liked it (or was it the beer I liked?)

** Of my substitutes, tarragon is even commonly used as part of the dish in other parts of Hessen, and so is spinach, but less so; thus, I didn't really veer that far from Hessen.

*** Hessen is a German state in western Germany. Its capital is Wiesbaden and Frankfurt is located only 20 to 25 miles away. Frankfurt is Hessen's largest city, and is Germany's financial capital.  
 
I had mine with hard boiled egg halves and boiled potatoes, with a dab of butter.

WORD HISTORY:
Dill-This word has an unknown origin, although it might be an invention of Old Germanic, as forms are only found in the Germanic languages, and forms in other languages "seem" to all be borrowings from Germanic languages or dialects. German and Low German Saxon have "Dill," Dutch and West Frisian have "dille," Danish has "dild," Norwegian, Icelandic and Swedish have "dill."

Kraut, Smoked Pork Chops & Dumplings (Kraut Sputel)

I had this dish many years ago, in what was then West Germany, in the state of Hessen, its place of origin. Northern Hessen (German: Nordhessen) is the area where part of my maternal German ancestors came from. The yeast dumplings, with bits of butter mixed in, are just FANTASTIC! This was the first time I made the dish, but it is well worth any effort. It's Hessian name is "Kraut Sputel," and "Sputel" is a Hessian dialect word, derived from German "sputen," a word closely related to the English word "speed." * The German term for the pork chops used is, "Kasseler Rippchen," and they are from pork loin, which is cut into pork chops. Kasseler Rippchen are salt cured, then lightly smoked. "Frankfurter Rippchen" are pork chops that are salt cured, but not smoked," obviously a specialty of the city of Frankfurt, in Hessen. The origin of the term "Kasseler Rippchen" (also spelled "Kassler") is a bit contentious, as there is a city in northern Hessen named "Kassel," where it is held that their city is the place of origin of the pork product. Others, however, have contended that the the name came from Berlin, where a butcher of that name, although perhaps with the spelling "Cassel," lived. The first part of German "Rippchen" is closely related to English "rib." **

Ingredients (4 servings):

For the dumplings:

1 cup flour (+ more for kneading and forming)
1/2 packet quick rising yeast
1/2 cup warmed milk
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 stick butter, flaked
1 egg

For the sauerkraut:

1 onion
2 cloves garlic 
2 tablespoons canola oil (in older times, lard was used)
1 1/2 pounds sauerkraut, drained and rinsed
2 juniper berries (optional, if using, crush them a bit)***
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup chicken stock
4 smoked pork chops

In a bowl, mix the flour and salt. In a cup, add the slightly warmed milk (not hot!), sprinkle on the yeast and the sugar; allow to foam. Pour the milk and yeast into the flour, add the egg and butter flakes. Mix well, cover loosely with a towel or paper towel, let sit for about 30-35 minutes.

In a pan large enough to hold everything (preferably with a lid, although foil can be used as a cover), heat the canola oil over medium heat, then add the onion. Cook until the onion begins to soften, then add the garlic, cook no longer than about another minute, so as not to burn the garlic. Drain and rinse the sauerkraut, add it to the pan, then add the sugar and juniper berries (if using). Then stir in the stock, stir well, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 375 degrees (F). Remove the sauerkraut from the heat. Knead the dumpling mixture for a few minutes, adding extra flour, if needed, to make sure the dough is not wet or sticky. Form the dough into four equal size dumplings. Place the pork chops into the warm kraut in an upright or near upright position, leaving space between the chops. Into each of those spaces, place one dumpling. Cover the pan with a lid or use aluminum foil (cover tightly, or the dumplings might not rise properly, and even dry out). Into the oven the pan goes for about 1 hour. Remove the pan from the oven, the dumplings should have risen and spread out (see photo below).        

* For the history of the word "speed," here's the link: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2013/04/do-we-need-traffic-laws-ask-nra.html

** For the history of the word "rib," here is the link: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-last-of-sheila-great-whodunit.html

*** If you've never used juniper berries, they come from certain evergreen trees; thus, the "berries" are actually little "cones" from these trees, but they look a lot like blueberries, but dried. They are most famous for the flavor they give to gin (see Word History below). The German for "juniper berries" is "Wacholderbeeren."
.
The sauerkraut goes in the bottom of the pan, and the pork chops are then stood on edge, or nearly so, with the dumplings wedged in between. I only fixed two chops, and if I had it to do over, I would have divided the dough to make three dumplings, by putting the third on the other side of one dumpling. This photo is of the cooked dish, just from the oven. Look at the pork chop in the second photo! Wow! Hessians might have a glass of apple wine with this dinner, as it is a specialty of Hessen, especially Frankfurt and vicinity, where the dialect term apple wine is "Ebbelwoi," with other similar dialect forms used elsewhere in Hessen. Of course, beer is always common with Germans, and white wine is also common.

WORD HISTORY:
Gin-The origin of this word is unknown, but it goes back to Latin "iuniperus," which meant "juniper" (the name of the tree). This gave Old French, a Latin-based language, "genevre," and Dutch borrowed the word from French as "genever." English borrowed the word circa 1400, but it began to be spelled "geneva," seemingly influenced by the name of the Swiss city, and then the word was shortened from this to "gin" in the early 1700s, as the name for the alcoholic drink flavored with juniper berries. 

Spinach & Kale Soup

Ingredients:

1/2 pound baby spinach
1/2 pound kale
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 teaspoon salt (if you use canned or carton vegetable stock, you may not want to add any salt)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
32 ounces vegetable or chicken stock
2/3 cup Riesling wine (a Spätlese is good, but certainly not mandatory)
1 12 ounce can evaporated milk
3 tablespoons flour + 3 tablespoons water
3 slices white bread, cubed
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter or oil (or mixed)

In a pan, heat the butter and oil until the butter melts. Add the carrot and let cook for a minute or two. The carrot will be the only thing that really needs to cook much to soften it. Tear or cut the kale and spinach into somewhat smaller pieces, making sure to remove the thicker stems from the kale. Keep a small amount of the two greens to top the soup when serving, and add the bulk to the pot, let it wilt. Add the vegetable stock, the salt and the Riesling wine, stir well. At the first sign of bubbling, remove the pan from the heat and gradually stir in the canned milk. Mix the flour and water well. Return the soup to the heat, until it bubbles lightly. Gradually add the flour and water mixture to the soup, stirring constantly. You want the soup to thicken some, but not too much. To make some croutons, add the butter or oil to a skillet, then add the bread cubes, turning to coat and brown them. Add some of your freshly made croutons and a few fresh leaves of spinach and kale to the top of each serving.

WORD HISTORY:
Spinach-The ultimate origin of this word is unknown, although it goes back to Persian, an Indo European language, which had, "aspanakh," which meant "spinach," and it is "possible" that Persian developed the word on its own. This was borrowed into Arabic as "isbanakh." Now we get back to difficult again, as tracing the history of this word is very difficult. How the word got into Europe? It is possible it came from different routes, as the Latin of the Middle Ages had "spinachium," "perhaps" from Saracens (Arabic people). Did this then pass to into Latin-based languages, Provençal ("espinarc") and Old French ("espinoche"), and then into Spanish ("espinaca")?  Did the Moors, a Berber people of the Muslim faith (with heavy influence of Arabic) from northwestern Africa in the Middle Ages, carry the word with them when they invaded Spain (a form there was "asbinakh," which eventually passed into Catalan ("espinac") and Spanish? Still more questions, and how did the word actually get into English? Via French ? Via Dutch ("spinaetse"), which had borrowed it from French. It came into broader use in the 1500s in English.

Trump Is Just Like Their Führer

Just like the original fanatical, furious Führer, Donald Trump is half nuts and half manipulator. He fears all sorts of things, mainly other human beings, which distorts his ... ah, judgment, but he knows what he's doing. Giving voice to concerns about trade, border security, crime and some other issues, doesn't bother me in the least. We need such discussions, but wanting to build walls to keep people out, using bigoted and racist descriptions of Mexicans, women and others, as well as disparaging veterans captured in the service of this country, and mocking a disabled man, is stoking the fears, bigotry and racism of people to his own perceived advantage. It isn't unifying, it is divisive. The same with using the grieving mother of one of those killed in Benghazi. A true leader would try to console this woman, not exploit her grief and stoke her anger. That's manipulation. I've never been much of a John McCain fan, but in 2008, he at least had the decency to set the record straight when a woman at one of his rallies said Barack Obama was "an Arab." That took guts. And some in the crowd did not like McCain for his comments, nor his asking them to tone down the rhetoric against then presidential candidate, Obama. You know Trump's bad, when his running mate, Mike Pence, himself a fanatical fascist, hiding his nastiness behind fundamentalist Christianity, looks more reasonable than Trump. 

Hitler too, knew what he was doing.* As he sought to gain power, Adolf Hitler was known for his fiery and provocative speeches given to cheering crowds, while he was protected by brown-shirted stormtroopers, who beat up and carted off any protesters. The thing is, "I'm not sure" that even Hitler yelled to his bullies to, "get him outta here," about protesters, or ever told his audiences, that a protester "would be carried out on a stretcher." No matter what Hitler brought about, even death and destruction to to his homeland, his faithful remained loyal to him.** Sound familiar? How about this Trump quote: "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot someone, and I wouldn't lose any voters. OK? It's like incredible."

* This is NOT meant as a comparison to Trump, so I'm putting it in this separate note, as even I don't think Trump has gone this far, although he seems to be trying hard to work toward similar hate. More troubling is that Trump knows his rhetoric has prompted avowed racists and bigots to endorse him and has "inspired" supporters at his rallies to confront and bully protesters:
 
While in some of his public speeches Hitler ranted against Jews, and some of his lines were dripping with venom, he watched his language, so as not to give away his real long term goal of mass murder. But such speeches by Hitler and other Nazi leaders stoked hatred, dehumanized minorities and began to prepare Germans for the ultimate hatred ... murder. Even later, while his killing machine murdered millions of innocent people, Hitler kept these events as quiet as possible (although rumors and stories circulated). Traudl Junge, one of his secretaries for the last couple years of his life, said the subject of Jews was never discussed in his private times, and she and the other secretaries saw him every day, even having lunch, dinner or tea with him. He knew what he was doing. After the war, much was made by Hitler apologists that he never knew about the death camps and executions, because there were no written orders from him to carry out these atrocities. It was all a bunch of nonsense. One case shows he knew exactly what was going on.  See next note

** Hitler's secretary, Traudl Junge, cited one telling incident, which took place in 1943 at Hitler's villa, "the Berghof," above the town of Berchtesgaden. She admits that she only heard about it from others who were present in the dining room, including her husband, who was one of Hitler's personal aides. The Schirachs had been invited to the Berghof, at Henriette von Schirach's request, to see and dine with Hitler. The husband, Baldur, had been head of the Hitler Youth in the 1930s and then the Nazi Party leader of Vienna, and if you've seen any of the documentaries on the Nazi Hitler Youth, you've undoubtedly seen Baldur von Schirach in the films or still photos from that time. By the way, Schirach was under lots of American influence from both sides of his family, as his mother was an American and his paternal grandfather served in the Union army during the American Civil War, and Baldur grew up speaking both English and German. At the time of the dinner with Hitler, Henriette von Schirach had recently been in Amsterdam, where she had witnessed the brutal round up of Dutch Jewish women, who were then packed into railway cars and sent to the "east," which was another Nazi euphemism for "sending Jews to their death," as the extermination camps, designed to kill Jews and others as quickly as possible, were located primarily in Poland. "Auschwitz," the most infamous of all, was located there, as were others. Mrs. Schirach told Hitler the terrible things she had witnessed in Amsterdam, adding that people in Amsterdam felt these Jews would never be heard from again. She was under the impression that Hitler was unaware of such things, but upon mentioning the information to Hitler, the conversation at the dinner table stopped, Hitler momentarily went silent, then he told Mrs. Schirach not to get involved in matters that she didn't understand, adding that she was "too sentimental." Hitler abruptly arose from the table, left the room and did not return, nor did the Schirachs ever return to Hitler's company, as he never invited them back. Even here though, Mrs. Schirach apparently thought Hitler could not possibly know of what was happening, and she sought to inform him, only to be told to mind her own business by the fanatical, furious Führer. He knew what he was doing. 

WORD HISTORY:
Manipulation-This word, made up of three parts: "mani," "pul" and "ation," and meaning, "skilled use of the hands to work something, skilled direction of situations, the managing of other's emotions and mental state or faculty for a purpose either good or bad." The first part, related to "manual" and "manager," goes back to Indo European "man," which meant "hand." This gave Latin "manus," also meaning "hand." This then was combined with the second part to give Latin "manipulus," which literally meant "handful," and its derived form in Old French, a Latin-based language, "manipuler" which was used for, "take as many medicinal herbs are you can hold in your hand; take a handful of herbs (medication)." This was combined in French with the third part to form "manipulation," which was then borrowed into English in the first half of the 1700s, with the general meaning of using the hands, including "to mine for ore or minerals," in those times, of course," done "by hand." The second part of the word, distantly related to both "fill" and "full," ^ goes back to Indo European "pleh," which meant "to fill, to complete," and this gave Latin "pleo," also meaning, "to fill, to complete," the root of which, rendered as "pul," in Latin, then joined with the first part, as noted above. Finally, the Indo European suffix "te/tis," gave Latin "(a)tio," which became the third part of "manipulation." 

^ The connection goes back to Indo European, as both "fill" and "full" are from Germanic, which had its own form derived from Indo European

Stewed Pork and Fruit is Silesian Heaven (Schlesisches Himmelreich)

This is THE dish of the former German region of Silesia (German: "Schlesien"), an area, since the end of World War Two, largely in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. The region had been contested going back a couple centuries or more, although often by German versus German. It was a region with lots of coal and copper, which saw heavy industry develop there, thus making it a coveted area for any ruler. The population had been very mixed for centuries, with Germans much in the majority in the overall area, but with a substantial Polish minority (and outright Polish majorities in some locales), and even a Czech minority (which was actually a Czech majority in that particular part). The Habsburg monarchy (the Hapsburg ruler also being emperor of the Old German Empire in those times) controlled the area for quite some time, until Frederick the Great, of the Hohenzollern monarchy, successfully wrestled most of the region (except the Czech part) from the Habsburgs, giving control to Prussia. The end of World War Two saw the Allies give most of the region to Poland, although a small part went to Czechoslovakia, and a small part remained with Germany, essentially around the city of Görlitz. Much of the German population was expelled from the area given to Poland, although there remains a small German minority there of about 350,000, from what I understand, and they are Polish citizens.

To some, perhaps even to many, this dish may sound strange, and it may be that you will need to acquire a taste for it, but it's really very good, with the fruit sweetening the meaty, mildly smoky sauce. This dish is well known, as the German Silesian refugees carried their individual recipes for it to their new homes elsewhere in post-war Germany.* I've seen recipes for this with cured, but unsmoked pork too, but smoked pork is more common, often pork belly. You can use pork stewing meat, but it's cheaper to buy some pork steak or pork chops and cut them up yourself, then add some pieces of smoked bacon for that flavor. Typically served with potato or yeast dumplings.

Ingredients:

1 pound pretty lean boneless pork
1/2 pound smoked bacon
water to cover 
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups (total) dried apple, dried apricots, dried pears, golden raisins (even better if the peels are on the apple and pears) **
peel from one lemon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
2 tablespoons cornstarch and 4 tablespoons cold water (well mixed, to make a "slurry")

Put all of the ingredients, except the ground cloves, sugar and cornstarch and water mixture, into a pot over medium heat. Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cook until the pork pieces are tender, and the liquid reduces a bit. Stir in the ground cloves. Taste it to see if the sugar is needed, and if so, add it and stir. Gradually add the cornstarch and water, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens a bit. If you're like me, and you like much thicker sauces, use more cornstarch/water.

* If you have seen the movie, "Nowhere in Africa" ("Nirgendwo in Afrika"), the main characters are from Silesia, and early on, Walter Redlich tells their Kenyan cook about "Silesian Heaven," adding, "Ummmm," to show how he loves it. While the Redlichs were German Jews, they were not practicing Jews, and thus, they did not forbid themselves pork. I did an article on this wonderful movie, an Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Film, at this link: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2013/06/nowhere-in-africa.html

** Fresh apple and pear slices can be used, but they may well fall apart during cooking, and traditionalists would never approve.

"Silesian Heaven," with "Silesian Potato Dumplings." The apricots sure stand out. 

WORD HISTORY:
Belly-This word, closely related to "bellows," goes back to Indo European "bhel," which meant, "to swell," from which a derivative developed, "bhelg," with the same meaning. This gave its Old Germanic offspring "balgiz," meaning, "bag." This then gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "bælg," meaning "bag," but also "bulge." This then became, "belig," ^ then, "beli," before the modern spelling, but the meaning of "the abdomen" took place not long before 1300.

^ Old English words began losing the "ig" sound for words with that ending, leaving what came to be most commonly spelled, "y." Close relative German still spells many words with an "ig" ending, but the pronunciation by "some" German speakers sounds pretty similar to English "y."  

Egg in Your Beer, Eierbier

There are many recipes for "Eierbier;" that is, "egg beer." Here are two:

Recipe #1 Ingredients (adjust ingredients for the amount you want to make):

2 12 ounce bottles of light (in color) beer
20 ounces canned evaporated milk or regular milk
4 eggs, beaten
6 tablespoons brown sugar
4 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
whipped cream for topping

This requires a little physical work .... stirring, or even better, whisking. If you have a double boiler, you can use it for this; otherwise, you can put all of the ingredients, except the whipped cream, into a bowl and set the bowl on top of a pot of some lightly simmering water. Heat ingredients over low heat, stir well, and stir continuously as the liquid actually heats through. Continuously stir until foamy and a bit thickened. Remove cinnamon stick and cloves. Serve warm, with whipped cream on top.

In the north of Germany, rock candy is commonly used to sweeten beverages, including tea. I have chosen to just use regular white sugar. This drink uses strong dark beer or stout as the main component. 

Second Recipe Ingredients:

2 pints dark beer (or stout)
4 teaspoons white sugar
4 egg yolks

Heat the beer and sugar in a heavy bottomed pan over low heat until the sugar is fully dissolved. Do not allow to boil. Turn off the heat and allow the beer to cool just briefly. Beat the egg yolks, then add about a tablespoon of the warm beer to the eggs, stirring constantly. There should be no curdling. Gradually mix the eggs into the beer, using a stick blender or an eggbeater. Serve immediately.

WORD HISTORY:
Flour-This word, spelled "flower" until the first half of the 1800s, goes back to Indo European "bhel," which meant "to swell." From this notion also came the meaning, "bloom, blossom," as plant buds "swell" and bloom into a blossom. Its Italic offspring took the "f" sound instead of "b," which gave Latin "flos," meaning "flower," and it's accusative case was "florem." Old French, a Latin-based language, rendered this as "flor" (later the spelling changed to "fleur"), along with the figurative meaning "best of, the finest part of." This meaning came to be identified with ground grain, as "the finely ground best part of the grain," which brought along the word as the name for the ground grain. English "meal" and its ancestors were the original English words for "flour," and "meal" was retained for the "coarsely ground grain." English borrowed that meaning in the mid 1200s, but the word "flower," for "blossoming plant," had already been borrowed earlier. The spelling "flour" seems to have been done purely to differentiate it and its meaning from "flower." By the way, "flower" is related to English "blossom," as they come from the same Indo European root, but Old Germanic retained the original Indo European "b" sound.  

Sage & Cheese Stuffed Dates With Bacon

The idea for this simple recipe "seems likely" to have developed from Spanish tapas; that is, "snacks" of numerous types served at bars in Spain.

blue cheese (any type, including Gorgonzola, one of my favorite cheeses)
sage leaves
bacon
dates, pitted (large date types are naturally better for stuffing, but use what you have or what you can buy easily)

Heat the oven to 400 degrees (204 C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Soften the cheese a bit by mashing it down and stirring it, you don't want it too soft, and definitely not runny, so I wouldn't add any milk or cream. Slit open each date, then put a bit of the cheese inside, then put a sage leaf, or half of a larger leaf, on top of the cheese. Press the date together to close it somewhat, but it doesn't have to be totally closed. Cut the bacon slices about 3 inches, so that each slice wraps around a date just one time, with little overlap, then fix the bacon to the date with a toothpick. If you wrap the bacon double, it will not cook properly. Place the dates in the oven for about 12 to 15 minutes, checking to make sure they do not burn. If the bacon needs a little more time, keep the dates in the oven, but watch extra carefully.

WORD HISTORY:
Date-English has a couple words of this spelling, but they have different histories. This is the word for the fruit coming from a type of palm tree. The exact origin of this word is uncertain, but it most certainly seems to come from a Semitic language of the Middle East, as Hebrew has "deqel" and Arabic has "daqal," both meaning "date palm," the tree producing "dates." Greek applied the meaning to their word "daktylos," which meant "toe or finger," from the fruit's resemblance to a toe and the closeness of the Semitic word to their own. The Greek word is likely related to English "toe," going back to Indo European.^ Latin borrowed the word from Greek as "dactylus," and it was taken by French, a heavily Latin-based language, as "date." English borrowed the word from French circa 1300.

^ The Indo European root "deik" is the ancestor of "toe," but the meaning of the Indo European root had the notion of "point, show;" thus, the Old Germanic form was originally used for "finger," from the idea of "point, show," but then was used also for "toe." 

Sweet & Spicy Thai Chili Sauce

New photos added 11-3-21. 

 

 

There are some very good commercial brands of Thai chili sauce on the market, but for those who like to try making their own food products, here is a good recipe. Of course, with products you make for yourself, you get to control the ingredients. This sauce is great for dipping or for fixing chicken wings, as well as for other recipes. Thai food can have some "heat" from chili peppers, and you can add more chili pepper to this sauce for more "kick." 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced red chili peppers
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
4 teaspoons cornstarch + 3 tablespoons cold water

Bring all ingredients, except 4 teaspoons of cornstarch and 3 tablespoons cold water, to a boil, then lower heat to simmer the sauce for about 5 minutes. Give the mixture a little taste; if it needs a little more sugar, now is the time to add it, when it will dissolve well. Mix together the cornstarch and water, gradually add to the sauce, stirring well until thickened. Refrigerate.

WORD HISTORY:
Pickle-For a fairly common word, this word's history is not totally clear. It first appeared in English in the 1400s, and seems to have been a borrowing from Low German/Middle Dutch "pekel," perhaps with Frisian "pikel" thrown in. Where any of these West Germanic languages got the word remains in question. Its main meaning was, and "generally" remains, "to use a salt, spices and liquid solution to preserve and flavor meat." It "might" be somehow connected to the ancestor of "pike;" that is, "pike," "the long heavy spear used in the Middle Ages," except for ceremony nowadays, with the idea of "sharp, pointed," because of the taste. Low German Saxon has "Pekel," (East) Frisian has " päkel" and German has (verb) "pökeln," but German borrowed the word from Low German. It is "assumed" that the original root word is from Germanic, as there are no other languages seemingly with a form of the word,* except the Germanic languages, and even then, it seems to be confined to the West Germanic languages, which includes English, but, as already noted, it was borrowed by English. Initially in English, it was spelled "pikyll" and "pekille," and it meant a "spicy, sour sauce for meat." During the 1500s, the word came to be used for a bad situation, "We're in a real pickle," probably from the idea of "spicy (hot) and sour" (bad). It wasn't until the early 1700s that the word started to be used for vegetables, often cucumbers, in a brine, often with the brine containing vinegar, with the "pickled cucumber" taking their very name as a derivative of the process, "pickles," although fermented pickles (uncooked and treated with salt, and often with little or no vinegar) and other vegetables have become more common in recent times. When I first ordered "pickles" in an Indian restaurant, many years ago, I was stunned to see things other than what I knew as "pickles," because in the cultures of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, pickles are any number of fruits and vegetables preserved and strongly seasoned with salt, chili peppers and a variety of wonderful spices. So, if you order pickles in an Indian restaurant, don't expect to see what you get with your corned beef sandwich at the neighborhood deli. Of course, the word was carried to the southern Asian region when Britain controlled the area. The "preserving of meat" meaning in English is now more often referred to as "curing;" as in, "cured ham," which might or might not also be smoked. 

* Hungarian has a form of the word, but it was borrowed from German. By the way, Hungarian is not even an Indo European language, and is therefore not even on the family tree of English, although Hungarian has borrowed many words from Indo European languages, frequently German. Hungarian is related to Finnish, Estonian, and Turkish, to name a few of its relatives.

"Bang the Drum Slowly," Young Robert De Niro

One of my favorite movies is "Bang The Drum Slowly." When I was in college many years ago, one of the nearby movie theaters had matinee specials, I believe it was on Wednesdays. I had a long spell between classes then, and I'd frequently take in the matinee special. That's how I saw this movie. It wasn't really advertised, nor did it have any big names in starring roles (at that time), but it was about baseball, and I loved baseball; plus, if I remember right, the matinee special only cost fifty cents (remember, that was 1973 pricing and money value). One of the main actors in the movie went on to become fairly well known years later in the first several seasons of "Law and Order;" this was Michael Moriarty, who played Assistant District Attorney Ben Stone on the television series. The other main actor became a Hollywood staple and is known to anyone who hasn't been living under a rock for decades; that actor is Robert De Niro. The movie was based on a novel written in the mid 1950s by Mark Harris,* and the movie prompted me to read the book. I believe I bought it in paperback, which in those times was likely 50 or 75 cents, but don't trust my memory.

The movie centers around a mediocre major league baseball player, a catcher, Bruce Pearson, played by Robert DeNiro, who is a bit slow on the uptake, and the target of many jokes from the other players. He receives a death sentence diagnosis from doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota (he is from Georgia). His roommate during the season, a star pitcher and an insurance salesman, Henry Wiggin** (played by Michael Moriarty), had accompanied Pearson to Minnesota, and he wants to give his friend a final season. Pearson's diagnosis makes Henry look at Bruce in a whole new way, causing him to forget the poorly educated farm boy, the non-hip, mismatched clothes, the poor hair style and the incessant tobacco chewing (and spitting) of the forlorn catcher. Maybe he doesn't really forget, but he comes to see that these things aren't actually so important after all, and that a hip image can't save a person from one of the experiences common to all living things .... death.

The team, from New York City, but given the fictional name, the "New York Mammoths," is expected to be one of the top teams in baseball, and a possible World Series champion. Henry, also known by the nickname, "Author," because of his writings,*** plots to keep Bruce on the team as spring training begins, and he also tries to get the players to stop making fun of Pearson, but he dares not tell them why; knowing full well that the team manager, Dutch, played by Vincent Gardenia, would never put a dying player on the roster. The thing is, by accident, Dutch hears that Pearson and Wiggin were in Minnesota over the winter, and he tries to find out why, which leads to some hilarious scenes and dialogue, as the cantankerous and dry Dutch tries to unravel the story of the two players. Yes, while the basis of the story is about a dying man, the story is also part comedy, and Vincent Gardenia was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Dutch.**** At one point, Dutch utters a great line in reference to himself, "When I die, the newspapers will write in their headlines, 'Sonofabitches of the world have lost their leader.' "

I can't go further without giving away too much of the story and, therefore, ruining the movie for those who haven't seen it. The movie combines seriousness, comedy and sadness, all in one. If I remember right, then "Today Show" movie critic, Gene Shalit, gave the movie a special mention, as a film worth seeing, even though it then had no major stars, but the movie helped showcase De Niro's and Moriarty's talents, thus aiding their careers. Check this movie out, it will make you laugh, and it just might make you shed a tear.   

*There was also a television production of the book done in the 1950s, starring a then little known actor from Cleveland ... Paul Newman.

** Remember, the book was written in the 1950s and the movie was made in the early 1970s, both before anything like the astronomical player salaries of more recent decades. Players often had, and needed, off season jobs to supplement their incomes.

*** Pearson always mistakenly calls him "Arthur."

**** Gardenia appeared occasionally on CBS's hit comedy series, "All in the Family," in those days of the early 1970s. He played Frank Lorenzo, the husband of Edith's friend and neighbor, Irene, who was a feminist and a Catholic, who drove Archie up the wall.  

Photo of the Paramount Home Entertainment DVD

"

WORD HISTORY:
Death-This word is closely related to "dead" and "die," both from the Germanic roots of English, but with "die's" use in English perhaps coming from Old Norse(?) "Death" goes back to Indo European "dheu," which meant "to die." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "dauthos," which meant, "the state of being dead, not being alive, death." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) the noun "deaþ" (þ="th"), with the same meaning. This later came to be spelled "death." Relatives in the other Germanic languages, many of which mean "dead": German "Tot," ^ Low German Saxon and Dutch "dood," West Frisian "dea," Danish and Norwegian "død," Icelandic "dauði" (ð, also essentially equivalent to "th") and Swedish "död."

^ The high Germanic dialects underwent what are called "sound shifts," and one of those shifts often made the "d" sound into a "t" sound; thus, Low German and Dutch "dood," is rendered in standard German, which is heavily based on Old High German, "Tot," a grammatically masculine noun; thus, "der Tot." Interestingly, many German dialects use the "d" spelling, with even southern Bavarian having "doud." 

A Friend in West Virginia, Part Ten

As time passed, the level of intensity of my friend's anxiety was really demonstrated when he prepared to buy a new truck. His F-150 truck certainly symbolized his need to try to demonstrate his masculinity and image, something not uncommon. During the days leading up to his going to see, and to likely buy, the truck, he told me he was literally sick with worry and sleeping problems, and that this was not uncommon for him. From what he told me, he is a heavy smoker, a habit that seemingly goes with many anxious people. His anxiety and the smoking may well have contributed to some illnesses he periodically suffered, requiring medical treatment. 

WORD HISTORY:
Stow: This word, related to both "stand" and "stead," goes back to Indo-European "steh," which had the meaning "stand." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "stowon," which meant, "a place, a stead, a room or place to keep things." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) the noun "stow," with the same meanings, and which then became "stowe," before returning to "stow," and the form "stowage." The compound "stowaway" is, of course, still commonly heard in English, but don't tell on me. The city of Bristol, in southwestern England, was originally called, "Brycgstow;" that is, "bridge place," or, "place at/of the bridge," before the eventual contraction to "Bristol." The verb form naturally goes back to the same basic Indo European root, which then gave Old Germanic "stowonan," which meant, "to dam up to hold water, to hold in by barrier." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "stowijanan," meaning, "to hold back by hemming in." This then became "stowen," before the modern form. Also the idea of putting items into a part of a ship to "stow them," likely from the idea of a secure area, "the hold," into which things were packed to keep them from moving around much while the ship was at sea, "seems" to go back to the nautical lingo of the Hanseatic League (a trade federation), which was largely made up of Low German, Dutch and Flemish speakers, all very close relatives of English, even more so in those times, and that meaning was borrowed from one or all of those languages circa 1500, in the sense they all likely reinforced the meaning in English. That meaning continued into modern times with other means of transport. By the way, "stow" is also related to "store," which also traces back to the same Indo European root, but which came to English as a borrowing by way of French, from Latin. The connection of "holding things in," is present in both the Germanic forms and the Latin, and goes way back to ancient times.    
  
Other forms in the Germanic languages: German has the noun "Stau," meaning, "barrier, obstruction to flowing liquid or to moving objects," although this exact meaning seems to have been borrowed from Low German, "apparently" in the 1600s, and indeed, it is also used in a modern compound, "Verkehrsstau," which means, "traffic jam;" literally in English, "traffic stow." German also has the verb, "stauen," meaning, "to dam up, to build up/accumulate (water, blood or other fluid build up, for example), also "to stow," although often in modern times in the derived "verstauen." Low German Saxon "stauen" (verb), "to stop or hold back the flow of water," Dutch has a couple of forms, "stuwen" (to bar, to obstruct, to stow) and "stouwen" (to stow), Norwegian has "stuvning" (medical usage for "swelling with fluid, edema"), Swedish "stuva" (to stow, to bundle; that is, 'something held together'). I could not find modern forms in Danish or Icelandic, although their ancestor, Old Norse, had "stó," nor could I find a modern form in West Frisian, although Frisian once had "sto."

Scrambled Eggs & Kippers or Sprats

This German dish, also known by a couple of variations, but essentially, "Rührei mit Bückling" (Scrambled Eggs with Kippers), originated in the north of Germany, along the Baltic Sea, where herring was plentiful, and where one type, "Kieler Sprotten" ("Kiel Sprats," "Sprotte" is the German singular), young lightly smoked herring, were used to make the dish in and around the city of Kiel. "Kippered herring" are readily available in supermarkets, and you even might find German "Kieler Sprotten" in some supermarkets, if you would like to try them. The dish is easily used for lunch by adding some fried potatoes on the side, and also a nice cucumber salad. 

Ingredients (per serving):

2 to 3 eggs, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons milk (I use evaporated, "canned," milk, NOT sweetened condensed milk)
1 tablespoon butter, for frying
bite-sized pieces kipper fillet (or 4 or 5 Kieler Sprotten, if you have them) 
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
"a good pinch" of white pepper (black pepper is fine, too)
fresh or dried dill for sprinkling on top
1 slice rye bread (a rye-wheat bread, called "Roggenmischbrot," is traditional, but regular rye, white or wheat bread is fine)

Heat a non-stick skillet with the butter over low heat. Add the onion and cook a minute or two to soften the onion. Meanwhile, beat the eggs with the milk, salt and pepper. Add the eggs to the skillet and scramble them. Put the kipper on top of the bread slice (I toast mine). Put the scrambled eggs on top of the fish, then preferably, sprinkle on some fresh dill, but dried dill is fine, too.  

"Scrambled Eggs & Kippers" on toast, with fried potatoes and some cucumber and red onion topped with reduced fat sour cream

WORD HISTORY:
Sprat-This word, closely related to "sprout" and more distantly related to "spread," goes back to Indo European "sper-id," which had the notion of "strew, toss about." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "spruitanan," meaning, "to sprout, to spring forth," from the notion, "come forth from the strewn seed." This gave Old English "sprott," a noun form, and meaning, "a small fish;" perhaps literally, "a sprout of a fish." This then became "sprotte," before eventually becoming "sprat." German has "Sprotte," but this seems to have been borrowed from Low German Saxon, which has "Sprott," and Dutch has "sprot." I could not find a form in the difficult to research Frisian dialects, but it wouldn't surprise me if one or all have (or at least, had) forms of the word, as it "seems" to have developed in the Germanic languages around the North Sea and western Baltic, where the fish were commonly caught for food. The high German dialects apparently did not have this form of "sprout," as they were further south, away from the Baltic and North Seas.         

Thai Cucumber Salad

Great salad with "some" spicy heat, but only as much as you'd like. I use English cucumbers. These are the long, slender cucumbers, often marketed in the U.S. as "seedless cucumbers," although I have seen signs in markets saying, "English cucumbers," or "English cukes." They often come in plastic wrap. If the cucumber says, "Parlez vous français," just say, "Hey, you're not fooling me, you're no English cucumber!" If for some reason you can't find these, use regular cucumbers, split them lengthwise, scrape out the large seeds with a spoon, then slice the cucumbers. The skin can be pretty thick on some regular cucumbers, and it is often coated with wax to preserve them and to make them shiny, so it may be better to peel them, or partially peel them (after washing them well), so that you'll have stripes of dark green and very light green. As for the chili pepper, if you're not fond of much "heat," use just a 1/4 teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper, instead of the fresh chili. Or, if you don't mind the heat of black or white pepper, add up to one teaspoon of either. At least "some" spicy heat is a part of what makes it "Thai," but you don't have to scorch your mouth, either.

Ingredients:

2 English cucumbers, cut lengthwise, then sliced fairly thin (peeled or unpeeled)
1 to 2 tablespoons salt
1/4 cup finely chopped onion (red or white)
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
3 tablespoons sweet Thai chili sauce (readily available in supermarkets and not very expensive)
1 or 2 jalapeno or serrano chili peppers, seeded and finely chopped (I don't seed mine, but I like heat)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
peanuts, coarsely chopped, then roasted briefly in a skillet (no oil)

Spread the cucumber slices out on a large platter, sprinkle the salt over them and let them drain 30 to 45 minutes, rinse in cold water, pat dry. Mix the vinegar, fish sauce, chili sauce and sugar well, making sure to dissolve the sugar. Add the onion, cucumber, cilantro and chili pepper and toss well to coat the mixture. Top with the briefly roasted chopped peanuts.

WORD HISTORY:
Cucumber-The origins of this word are unknown, but from what I've read over the years, it is thought to have been from some non-Indo European language of the eastern Mediterranean region. What is known is, the word goes back to Latin "cucumis," one of the case forms (ablative) of which was "cucumere." English borrowed the word from Latin as "cucumer" around 1400, although it was already present somewhat earlier, but not commonly used, as English had its own term "earth apple" (then spelled as the compound, "eorþæppel"). French had their forms of the Latin word (French is a Latin-based language) as "coucombre" and "cocombre," which then influenced the spelling and pronunciation in English later on. (Modern French has "concombre.")

Eggs in Sweet & Sour Bacon Sauce (Eier mit Süßsaure Specksauce)

Presumably invented in Berlin, where it is common and also where it is often served with mashed potatoes. By the way, English once used "ey" as the word for egg. See the "Word History" below.

8 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled
6 strips bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
2 tablespoons vinegar
3 teaspoons sugar

Heat a large skillet or heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, fry the bacon pieces and chopped onion. If you prefer, you can begin frying the bacon and pour off some of the fat, before adding the onion, but don't let the bacon get too done before doing so. When the onion is beginning to soften, add the butter (or you could use canola oil, or another taste-neutral oil) then sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir well to combine, reduce heat to medium low.  Let cook a couple of minutes to make a lightly browned roux. Add the beef stock gradually, stirring continuously to stop the flour from lumping. Use as much broth as you need to reach the thickness of the sauce you want. As I've noted here many times, I like very thick sauces and gravies. Add the pepper and stir. Adding salt is optional, as the bacon and stock will have salt. Cook another couple of minutes, then stir in the vinegar and sugar. Again, adjust the vinegar and sugar to how sour or sweet you like the taste. Some people leave the eggs whole, some halve them, some quarter them, but do as you please. Add them to the sauce, or place the eggs on a plate and pour the sauce over them.  

No one has to coax me to have mashed potatoes, I LOVE 'EM!

 

 

 
WORD HISTORY: 

Egg-(noun) For such a common word, this form of the word has not really been around in English for all that long, although its relative has. Old English (Anglo-Saxon) had "aeg," with the "g" sound presumably not being emphasized (the same thing happened with "day," which was spelled "daeg" in Old English). Eventually, the Old English word came to be "ey, eye, eai,"* and pronounced like modern "eye," the sight organ (German and Dutch, very close relatives of English, still have "ei," pronounced "eye"). The plural was "eyren." So, my question is, if one Englishman traded a chicken "ey" for a duck "ey," would that be an "ey for an ey?" (hahaha! Excuse me while I get my composure.) Anyway, it is assumed by many linguists that the spelling, "egg," came to English by way of Old Norse (a North Germanic language, closely related to English, which is West Germanic), which also had "egg." There's always the possibility, however, that the original "aeg" survived in certain areas and spread to other parts of England, perhaps aided by the Norse word, which would undoubtedly have been brought to England by the Danes, who settled in large parts of northern England and spoke Old Norse (Old Norse was from the North Germanic branch of the Germanic languages). The form "egg" didn't really replace "ey, eye, eai" until like the 1500s and 1600s!!! Whatever the true story, all forms, "aeg," "ey," "eye," "aei," and "egg" come from Old Germanic "ajja." This went back to Indo European "owo," (some spell it "owyo" and "oyyo") which developed in Latin as "ovvum" and in Greek as "oion." Relatives in the other Germanic languages: German "Ei" ("Eier," plural), Low German Saxon "Ai," West Frisian "aai," Dutch "ei," Danish "æg," Norwegian and Icelandic "egg," Swedish "ägg."                                                                                                                                                                        

"Egg," the verb, as in, "egg on or incite," came to English from Old Norse "eggja," which is, by the way, related to English "edge." (For the history of "edge," see:  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2008/11/conservatism-unravels-part-two_28.html 

Why Do We Have The Electoral College?

Set aside your feelings on this issue, if you have any, and if you don't know what the electoral college is, no, you can't get a degree or study IT (information technology) there. It goes back to our federal system; that is, a system of divided power, with a national government and the individual states sharing power. When the nation was founded, the legislative branch was given two branches ("houses"), the "upper house" being called the Senate, where each state received two representatives, called "senators," regardless of the state's geographic or population size. Many Americans may not know this, but in those times, senators were NOT elected directly by a vote of the people, but rather, they were appointed by state legislatures. It wasn't until the ratification of the 17th Amendment to the Constitution by three quarters of the states in 1913, that thereafter, senators were elected directly by the vote of the people in their respective states. Senators are elected to serve for six year terms.

The "lower house," called the "House of Representatives," was deliberately set up to be closer to the people, as these representatives, commonly called a "congressman" or "congresswoman," serve two year terms, and they have always been elected directly by a vote of the people. These representatives are apportioned by population, currently with one representative apportioned for about each 700,000 people in a district. Congressional districts in the individual states are typically drawn by the state legislatures, the upper "houses" of which are called "senates," and the lower "houses" of which go by various designations. The state legislature of Nebraska, called the State Legislature of Nebraska (there's an echo in here), is the only one in the United States to have a one house legislature. The district boundaries approved by a state's legislature also needs the approval of the state's governor. Thus, which political party controls the legislative branches of each state and the governorship can be VERY important, for when one party controls both houses of a state's legislature, and also the governorship, congressional district boundaries, as well as that state's legislative districts boundaries, can be drawn favorably for that particular political party. Divided control in a state, can lead to compromises over such boundaries. Boundaries are determined after the national census is certified every ten years, so if the "State of Unrest" has its two legislative houses controlled by the "Chaos Party," and also the governor is a member of that party, the "Chaos Party" will likely draw any boundary adjustments to their favor, giving them an advantage for the next TEN YEARS, in both congressional elections and in state legislative elections. Understand, some states may not see enough change in population to warrant much change in boundaries, while other states may see major changes due to a big population increase or to a big population loss. Further, even a state that remains relatively steady in population, or that has a small gain over a ten year period, might see a loss in congressional representation, as the national population count is what determines how many people are to be represented in each congressional district, and the national count has always increased. The point is to try to keep representation as equal as possible, often summed up in the saying, "one man, one vote." Just for the sake of example, if, after ten years, a state with two congressional districts, has congressional district A with 900,000 residents, while district B has 700,000, that is not equal representation, and both districts will have to be drawn to comply with whatever the new amount per district is determined to be, after dividing the new national population by the number of congressional districts, which is 435. Let's just say that amount is 800,000; so district A will have to shave off 100,000 residents in boundary changes, to be given to district B, making both districts equally representing 800,000 residents. 
       
"Okay Randy, the high school civics lesson is boring .... I mean GREAT, but what does this have to do with the Electoral College? ... Wait a minute, 'high school civics,' but 'electoral college?' I'm confused!"

Well the "Electoral College" is based on the number of United States senators and the number of members of the United States House of Representatives, collectively known as "Congress." The Electoral College has NOTHING to do with the number of state senators and state representatives in the individual state legislatures. The small population states feared big population states would run the country to their own benefit, and to the detriment of the small population states. So EVERY state was given two United states senators, regardless of population. Likewise, the big population states feared the small population states would have too much say in governing relative to their populations, so the system of representation based on population by district was implemented for the United States House of Representatives. As to presidential elections, when the country was founded, information traveled far more slowly than today, which made the Founders fear that if Americans could vote directly for a president, they would not have enough information about candidates from states far from them, and thus they would vote provincially; that is, for a candidate from or close to their own state, keeping the nation divided. Thus they chose an indirect election system for a president. The Electoral College provides for each state to receive one electoral vote for each congressional district within its boundaries, as well as one vote each for the two U.S. senators. So if state "XYZ" has eight congressional districts, it has ten electoral votes (8 representatives  + 2 senators). The smallest number of electoral votes a state can have is three. The District of Columbia, which has no voting member of the House of Representatives and no senators, was given three electoral votes. There are 538 electoral votes available nationwide; 435 congressional districts, and 100 senators, plus the three votes for the District of Columbia. A candidate needs at least 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.

Now, I know this a lot, but its our system, like it, not like it, whatever. It is VERY important for Americans to know their election system. Technically, when you vote for a president, you are voting for that person's, or really, that candidate's political party's "electors" to the Electoral College. The political parties of each state choose their electors in the way they have in their state party rules, which is often, but not always, by a state party convention. While we commonly think of the national Republican Party and the national Democratic Party, as well as various other political parties, the reality is, both of the major parties, and some of the smaller parties, each have 50 separate state political party organizations, as well as organizations for the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands, all with their own rules, although only the 50 states and the District of Columbia can vote in the actual national elections. Naturally the electors chosen by the state parties are considered loyal to their particular party, but on rare occasions, they abandon their party and choose a different course.* 48 of the states, and the District of Columbia, award all electors to the candidate with the most votes in their state. Maine and Nebraska award electors by congressional district, with the two representing the entire state going to the winner of the majority of votes in the entire state (voter turnout matters!). 

After the election is held on the first Tuesday of November every four years, the votes are tabulated and, in theory, although usually, in fact, if candidate A won the state of Virginia, all of Virginia's electoral votes go to that candidate. "Typically," by election night or by the next day, the winner is known, although at times close state results can result in recounts, or the counting of challenged ballots, etc, that can delay the process. The electors meet in each state around the middle of December, depending upon the year, so more than a month after election day. The ballots are then sent to the United States Senate, and they are counted in early January during a joint session of Congress; that is, the Senate and the House of Representatives meet together.

In case you were wondering, it is important to know that, although relatively rare, a candidate can receive more votes from the public nationally, but lose the election, because of the number of electoral votes. John Quincy Adams, Rutherford B. Hayes, Benjamin Harrison and George W. Bush, in 2000, all lost the popular vote to their opponents, but won the electoral vote, except Adams, who was elected by the House of Representatives, as neither he, nor Andrew Jackson, had the required number of electoral votes. In fact, Jackson led Adams in both the popular vote AND the electoral vote, but the House chose Adams. Rutherford B. Hayes won the electoral vote by the landslide margin of .... ONE!  

* The individual states set the laws governing the votes of electors to the Electoral College. Some states punish electors who do not vote as per the popular vote in their state. The Supreme Court ruled many years ago that states have a right to require electors to vote by the state rules. In more modern times, votes cast contrary to the public vote in some states can be voided. 

WORD HISTORY:
College-This compound word, the second part of which is distantly related to "legal" and "legate," with the entire word closely related to "colleague," goes back to Indo European "leg," which had the notion "to gather, to collect, to pick;" thus also, "select, choose." This gave Latin "lego," which meant "select, appoint." This then was formed into a compound, collegium," ^ meaning, "a collection of people to perform a particular task, including school, group, organization or partnership." This gave Old French, a Latin-based language, "college," with the same meaning. It was borrowed by English in the 1300s, with the "organization" meaning, but it's association with schooling continued to grow, although it wasn't until the 1800s that the primary meaning became, "a specialized subject department of a university." American English uses the word more broadly for "an educational facility for undergraduate studies," although in every day speech many Americans use it interchangeably with university ("So your son is off at college and is about to get his doctorate?").  
^ The prefix being an abbreviated form of "con," which was a prefix intensifier meaning, "with, together, totally." From Indo European "kom," meaning, "with, by, near." The suffix, "ium," from  the Latin suffix "ius," derived from Indo European "yos," a suffix often used for adjectives when used as nouns.

Frankfurt Lentil Soup (Linsensuppe)

This soup from Frankfurt, Germany, is served with, believe it or not, Frankfurters! True Frankfurters (Frankfurter Würstchen) are pork sausages in sheep intestine casing. When the casings are stuffed with the pork and seasoning mixture, they are twisted together; and thus, they are sold in pairs. When cooking them separately, they are meant to be heated in hot, but not boiling, water for about eight minutes, otherwise the skin will burst; a definite "no, no," to Hessians.* In Germany, by German law, the sausages must be produced in the immediate Frankfurt area; otherwise, they cannot legally be called "Frankfurter Würstchen." **

Ingredients:

1 pound lentils
48 ounces beef stock 
1 leek stalk, sliced
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, diced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/2 pound bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces (or can be diced, if slab bacon)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 to 2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Frankfurters/Franks, with natural casing, cut into one inch pieces
parsley to garnish each bowl of soup

In a a pot/pan large enough for your soup, over medium heat, add the bacon, onion, celery and carrot. Cook for a few minutes, until the vegetables soften a bit, and a little browning is a good thing. Meanwhile rinse the lentils by first pouring water over them and swishing them around. Discard any lentils that float.*** Then rinse again in a large sieve over running water. (If your package says to soak the lentils first, or to parboil them, follow those instructions, but generally they don't require such.) Add the beef stock to the vegetables, then add the sliced leek and diced potatoes. Bring the soup to a boil, then turn down the heat to let the soup just lightly bubble. Stir in the pepper. Check the lentils, carrot and potato to be sure they are about done, but you don't want them mushy. If the soup is too thick, you can add "up to" a cup of water, without diluting the great broth. Turn down the heat to very low, so that the soup is at just a bare simmer, and add the Frankfurter pieces, stir. Let cook about 10 minutes more. Sprinkle a little parsley on top of each serving.

* Nothing "worst," than a burst Wurst! (In Hessian dialect, "Wurst" is spelled "Worscht," along with the variation in pronunciation. The soup itself is called "Linsensuppe" in standard German, but "Linsesupp," by Hessians.)

** While I did not check on this, I "assume" Germany has agreements with other members of the European Union that also protects the use of the name "Frankfurter Würstchen," just as other countries have product names they want protected.

*** I'm not sure if its really necessary to discard the "floaters," but that's what my mother and grandmother did.

WORD HISTORY:
Twist-This word, related to "two, twine and twin," goes back to Indo European "dwoh/dwah/duwo," which meant "two." This gave Old Germanic "twiss," meaning, "divide into parts." ^ This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "twist," a form which was most often used in compounds and used most prominently in "mæsttwist," literally, "mast rope;" that is, "rope support for the mast of a ship" (rope then often being two strands wound together), and "candeltwist," a forked device with inverted hollows to "snuff out candles" ("forked" is the key here; that is, two divided parts), and also "twist," meaning "the fork of a tree branch." The spelling has remained for lo all of these centuries, but the meaning of "rope," or more particularly the way rope was made, by entwining, winding strands together, became the meaning. The verb came from the same source, which then gave Old English "twislan," meaning, "to divide into two parts, to make a fork of something." Of course, it too followed the noun in meaning later. Other forms in the Germanic languages: German "Zwist" (disunity, strife, both with the notion of "dividing"), ^^ Low German Saxon and Dutch "Twist" (disunity, strife), Swedish "tvist" (strife), Icelandic "tvistur" (two in number games/lots), Danish "tviste" (seemingly archaic, "dispute, strife"). I could not find forms in Norwegian or Frisian.   

^ Just PURELY a guess, but there could have been early forms of the word, likely verbs, in the Old Germanic dialects more direct in meaning to, "divide, separate into two parts," but these words did not last, although descendants did, more especially in one or more of the Low Germanic dialects, which "may" then have passed on the word to the other continental Germanic languages (more than likely one dialect passing it to the next, not all directly from one Low Germanic dialect), thus, the similar meanings (strife, disunity). The same would be true of English, where a descendant of the original word survived, mainly for use in compounds. Old Norse had a form, "tvistra," that stuck to the original meaning, "to separate, to divide," but that meaning is not present in its descendants, which seem to have borrowed forms of the word too, so the original Old Norse form seems to have died out. Gothic had forms, based on "twis," again with the meaning "split apart, break away."        

^^ German seems to have gotten the word from Low German, along with the meaning. 

Kochkäse, German Cooked Cheese

This cheese is common in the German state of Hessen, where I have relatives, but also in other parts of the German language area. It is not at all sophisticated, as it came from rural areas and farms, where dairy products were readily available in times gone by, before refrigeration. It was a great way to use an abundance of dairy product, and to preserve it for an extra bit of time. It is a great cheese spread or a topping for boiled potatoes. While once made exclusively at home, now it is also made commercially. This is not a low calorie, low fat dish, but if you treat yourself to it occasionally, like every 3 or 4 days.... sorry doctors and nutritionists, just joking here a little; a couple times or so a year, hey, you've got to live life. A little philosophy here, and I'm sure it will not please everyone, but anyway, moderation is a key, in my opinion, something I'm not claiming to have done all the time, but if you live to diet and exercise, you are going to lie on that death bed and say, "Well after all of my dieting, deprivation and exercising, I'm about to kick the bucket. Why didn't I eat that delicious looking piece of chocolate cream pie in 2016? Hey, that was just last year?" There are so many variables that go into our lives and our health, some of them "baked in," to use a food expression, in that our genetics have much to do with our health and life span. If you enjoy a few "vices" once and awhile, that makes life worth living. If you spend your life worrying that "this dish has ten more calories than my allotment, and this one has 20 calories more, damn, I'm going to die from these 30 extra calories," you likely won't die from the calories, but the stress on your mental health may just edge you closer to the grave. Having self discipline is fine, but like anything else, it can go too far on some things. (Hey! What's the matter? What are you doing on the floor? .... Damn! He did die from those 30 calories. So much for that theory. Well at least he didn't eat any chocolate cream pie, so extra for me. What a way to go!) 

Ingredients:

24 ounce container 4% milk fat small curd cottage cheese,* pushed through a sieve (not a real fine sieve)
1 tablespoon baking soda
3 egg egg yolks
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup or less of milk or cream (I use canned evaporated milk, but I have used heavy cream on occasion)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 or 2 teaspoons caraway seeds (your preference on amount)

Put the cottage cheese into a flat-type dish, add the baking soda, mix and then spread the mixture out, cover with a clean dry towel, or paper towels, and leave the dish sit in a warm area to "ripen." The cheese will look .... ah, unappetizing, to be quite honest, but a bit shiny or glassy. Put the cheese into a heavy bottom sauce pan, over medium low heat. Then add the butter and gradually add the milk or cream, stirring to keep the cheese from sticking or browning on the bottom. Bring barely to a boil, reduce heat to very low, and don't be afraid to lift the pan off of the burner for a few seconds, as dairy products can stick/burn pretty easily. You may not need all of the milk/cream, which is fine, as less is great. Add the pepper and the caraways seeds stirring well.** Remove from heat and allow to cool down somewhat. Lightly beat the egg yolks in a bowl or cup, add one tablespoon of the cheese mixture to the eggs stirring constantly, so as not to cook the eggs and to blend together. Add a second tablespoon of the cheese to the egg yolks with the same process. Gradually stir the egg yolks into the cheese mixture. Allow to cool a bit, then refrigerate, and the cheese should be thickened after an hour or two. This should not be runny, but it is not likely to be anywhere near solid, rather more like commercial processed cheese in a jar. There will also likely be a yellowish color to it.  

* I've tried low fat cottage cheese and it just didn't work as well, but give it a try, if you'd like; maybe you'll have better success than I have had, especially if you let much of the cottage cheese liquid drain off. Secondly, if you have a regular brand of cottage cheese that is drier; that is, not all runny, use it, as the runny type also doesn't work as well, or you can put the cottage cheese into a large sieve or cheesecloth, if you have it, and let it drain.

** You don't have to add the caraway seed to the heated cheese, but rather you can just sprinkle some caraway seeds on the cheese when served, as I did in the photo below. Of course if you add the seeds when the cheese is warm, they will soften, if that is important to you. 

I put this on some real German pumpernickel bread, with a few caraway seeds sprinkled on top

WORD HISTORY:
Yellow-This word, related to "gold," goes back to Indo European "ghelwos," a suffixed form of "ghel," (shine, be bright). This gave its Old Germanic offspring "gelwaz," meaning "yellow." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "geolu" and "geolewe," depending upon dialect. Like its close cousin Low German Saxon, the English "ge" combination was pronounced more like a "ye," and thus, later the word became "yeolwe," then "yeolou," before the modern spelling. The verb form in Old English, meaning "to become yellow," was "geolwian, seemingly taken from the adjective (which was also used as a noun). While not proper, at all, the pronunciations "yeller" and "yellah" are not uncommon in every day speech in the United States. Why "yellow" became associated with cowardly behavior is something I have not been able to find out, although "apparently," that usage dates from the mid 1800s. Related forms in the other Germanic languages: German "gelb" (originally "gelo"), Low German Saxon "geel," West Frisian "giel," Dutch "geel," Danish, Norwegian and Swedish "gul," Icelandic "gulur." All mean "yellow." Notice, that in most cases, the other Germanic languages no longer have an ending, but rather use the basic root word, where English has "ow," rather than just "yel."