Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell... About Old Age

Many years ago, when the thought of being my current age... ah, which is middle aged... (let me uncross my finger so I can type) was just that; a thought, I saw this movie on television. The movie has stayed with me all of these years, likely now 45 years (hey, I was just a baby), and of course I have seen it a couple of times since then. The movie is from 1951 and, while it has a serious message, it is lighthearted and comedic, although you might just have to hold back a tear or two. While Clifton Webb has always been a favorite of mine, the supporting cast of "elderly" characters makes the movie, in my opinion.

The movie centers around Lynn Belvedere, played by Clifton Webb, a man who has written and given lectures about staying young even in old age. Mr. Belvedere decides to find out if living a long life is really worth it, although he is only 46, and, according to his business manager, played by Zero Mostel, he doesn't even like admitting to that. Belvedere takes on the identity of a recently deceased 77 year old man, Oliver Erwenter, who had applied for admission to an old age home. The home is run down, decrepit and bleak, just like its residents. The people there go through their daily routines, including aches, pains, dizziness, and depression, a condition which itself can cause people to imagine even more illness, as one woman believes she has a bad appendix, even though the attendant to the residents, played by Joanne Dru,* tells her it is just gas. Many of the people have no one on the outside who cares much about them, and loneliness, routine and boredom are really their constant companions. Mr. Belvedere is able to convince people he is really 77, but because of his active lifestyle, he appears to be much younger.** The residents are captivated by "Mr. Erwenter," a man of their own age group who is still spry and young acting. This gives Belvedere the way to convince the residents to become active again, and he plans for the home to hold a bazaar, with the residents helping to spruce up the place, and then to work at the various booths for the bazaar. The home takes on new life and so do the residents. Any aches and pains subside a bit, as their newly found importance in life makes the pain less severe. And they're all too involved to feel the tiredness they had felt before.

Then, while Mr. Belvedere is out, in come some reporters who had heard about Belvedere's act. They disclose to everyone that the man they know as "Mr. Erwenter," is really a writer named, "Lynn Belvedere," and that he is 46, not 77. The residents are stunned, with a mixture of anger and sadness, as they now seek to retreat to their old lives again. The set up for the bazaar is dismantled and carted off, and the people sit in their chairs and begin to complain about their various illnesses. When Mr. Belvedere arrives, he is treated with scorn by the elderly residents, who feel he had been making fun of them with his performance. Belvedere is told that the run down old age home is really how their lives are, and that they are simply awaiting death.

Belvedere and the managing reverend go out together, and only return hours later. In the morning, as the residents will not even speak to Mr. Belvedere, the outer door leading into the yard of the home opens and all of the items for the bazaar are carried in and set up. The spirit of the residents is revived and the bazaar goes forward, with great success. Only then, the residents learn that Mr. Belvedere is leaving to return to his lecture circuit. At first they are sad, but he encourages them to continue with an active life. When they say how they will miss him, he tells them that won't happen, because they will be too busy to think about him, and that he found the answer to his question about whether it is worth living to an old age. He tells them, now he has to do something to help middle aged people. (Thank goodness, he's going to help me! ... Uncross fingers again)

* Actress Joanne Dru, who passed away in the mid 1990s, was the sister of the long time host of "The Hollywood Squares" game show, Peter Marshall, who, as of this writing, is 90 years old.

** In a funny scene at a point after his business manager had told how Mr. Belvedere hates to even admit to being over 45, the attendant tells the man she thinks is Mr. Erwenter, that it's hard to believe that he is 77, since he doesn't look a day over 60! A startled Mr. Belvedere takes a hit to his vanity, but he recovers when the reverend who oversees the home tells him he looks like he's 45. The reverend is played by Hugh Marlowe.      

Photo is from the 2012 Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment DVD

WORD HISTORY:
Ring (verb)-English has two main forms of this word, and this is only for the verb form (although also a later derived noun) meaning, "to make a sound with a bell or bells." The origin of the word is unclear, although some have suggested an Indo European root having to do with "screeching" or "crying out," but at this time, I'm not sold on it. To me, it is more likely a Germanic invention, based upon imitation of the sound, but an invention that either did not spread to all Germanic dialects, or that, at least, did not stick with all of them. Old Germanic had "hringjanan," meaning, "to make sound by hitting metal." This gave Old English "hringan," meaning, "to sound a bell, to alert or gain attention by sounding a bell or bells." This then became "ringen," before the modern form. The noun form, meaning, "the sound made by a bell," was derived from the verb, but not until the 1500s. Not all of the Germanic languages have forms of the word, but Dutch has "ringen," Swedish has "ringa," Danish and Norwegian have "ringe," Icelandic has "hringja" (German once had "(h)ringan").  

Tuna & Cannellini Bean Salad

This is an Italian dish, which is quite common in Italy, from my understanding. 

Ingredients:

1  6 ounce can tuna in olive oil, drained (oil reserved), tuna broken up into small pieces
1 15 to 15.5 ounce can white cannellini beans, rinsed in cold water
4 tablespoons capers, drained
3 tablespoons lemon juice
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
(optional: pinch of sugar)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 small onion (traditionally red onion, but use what you have), chopped
10 grape tomatoes, halved, or 2 to 3 regular tomato slices, chopped
5 basil leaves torn into smaller pieces

In a bowl, put the rinsed beans, the broken up tuna, the capers and the onion; mix well. Add the tomato pieces, the basil pieces, the lemon juice, the olive oil, the reserved oil from the tuna,* the salt and the pepper; mix well. Chill for a couple of hours, or better yet, several hours, before serving.

* If using a pinch of sugar, mix the olive oil, the reserved tuna oil, the lemon juice and the sugar in a separate cup or bowl to make sure the sugar dissolves; then pour all of it into the bean mixture.

With some sliced Italian bread

WORD HISTORY:
Hurry-This word, distantly related to "horse," has a sketchy history, but it goes back to Indo European "kers," with the meaning "run." This then gave Old Germanic "hurzanan," meaning "to run  or move quickly, to hasten, to rush" (thus, "apparently," also applied to insects, as the result of quick movement, "to buzz or hum from quick movement"). I could not find a form in Old English (that doesn't necessarily mean there wasn't one), but it appears later as "hurren," with the "buzzing" meaning, along with its relative of that time, German "hurren," which meant "rush, move quickly,"  and also "hurre" in North Germanic, meaning "whirl;" thus also with the "quick movement" notion. By the 1500s, the English word took on the more specific modern meaning, but whether this was under the influence of the German form (which is now archaic), or whether that specific meaning had remained in some dialect(s) in England, which then overtook the "buzzing" meaning, with perhaps "buzzing" simply reinforcing the "rush" meaning. In spite of its archaic relatives, the English word has remained alive and well and; thus, continues to "buzz" along.  

Shrimp with Chilies and Wine

So simple! Great appetizer or even the basis of a light lunch.


INGREDIENTS:

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, or tail on
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh chopped chili pepper or chili flakes, or dried chilies (to taste) *
1 tablespoon dark chili powder + more to garnish
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/4 cup white wine (dry or medium dry)
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chili pepper or flakes and cook for 45 seconds. Add the garlic, cook for one minute, then add the wine. Add the shrimp and sprinkle in the chili powder, stir. Turn the shrimp as needed to cook them through, which should only take a couple of minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan when the shrimp are cooked, or they will become tough. Serve the "broth" on the side as a dipping sauce. Sprinkle on a little chili powder for garnish.

* If you don't like much "heat," just use a teaspoon of chili flakes

WORD HISTORY: 
Shell-This word is distantly related to "skill," as the underlying meaning of "skill" is, "capability that distinguishes; that is, separates, it from others." "Shell" goes back to the Old Germanic root "skal/skel," meaning "to separate, divide." This came from the Indo European root "skel," which meant "to cut, cleave" (you get the notion: "cut, cleave," to "separate, divide."). The Germanic form gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "sciell/scill," and the Anglian dialect had "scell," all meaning "seashell and eggshell." Old English also had the related "scealu," which meant "shell or husk." The idea in all cases was, "a covering that splits off or separates." The word then became "schelle/shelle," before the modern version. The verb form, meaning, "to remove the shell from nuts," came from the noun, but it did not become common until the mid 1500s! The other Germanic languages have various forms, often with a variety of meanings, so it is difficult to sort them out; after all, the word "scale" (from a fish) is also closely related, and the use for the word "shell" for some drinking glasses shows the complex nature of the word. So, just some examples in the other Germanic languages: German "Schale" (verb form: "schälen," meaning "to peel or to skin"), Low German Saxon "Schell" (verb: "schellen"), Dutch "schil" and "schaal." Swedish "skål" (meaning "bowl," from the shape of a half shell), Icelandic "skel." "Apparently," West Frisian "skyl," which meant "peel of a fruit or vegetable," is now obsolete. 

Frankfurt-Style Pickled Pork Chops & Sauerkraut

This is a specialty dish of Frankfurt am Main, also known as just Frankfurt, in the German state of Hessen in western Germany, and it is the "financial capital" of Germany. The "am Main" means "on the Main (River)," and it is used to distinguish this Frankfurt from another German city of Frankfurt, which is about 50 to 60 miles east of Berlin on the Oder River; thus, this city is referred to as "Frankfurt an der Oder," and it is much smaller than the Frankfurt in Hessen. The dish is generally called, "Frankfurter Rippchen mit Sauerkraut" (the "Ripp" part is closely related to English "rib"). The first part of the recipe is for making the the pickled pork, as in Frankfurt cuisine, the pork chops are not smoked. In English, the word "pickle" also carried the meaning of "curing" by the use of salt in some way, and it wasn't until vinegar became a popular ingredient for "pickling," that the word often took on the connection to vinegar in English. Plus, the word "cure" had come to be used in the mid 1700s for treating meat with salt and spices to preserve and flavor it, leaving "pickle" to be used more with vegetables, especially cucumbers, in vinegar laced brine.   

Ingredients:

(to pickle the pork)
48 ounces water (more if needed to cover the meat)
5 tablespoons pickling or kosher salt + 1 tablespoon separate
1 tablespoon sugar
1 bay leaf
6 peppercorns
4 fresh loin pork chops

Bring the water with everything, except the pork chops and the separate tablespoon of pickling salt, to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. It must be considerably cooled to use over the pork. In a dish or non reactive pan, place the pork chops, then sprinkle the extra tablespoon of salt over them. Pour the brine over them. If you need to add a little more water, do so. Make sure the pork is fully covered by the brine. If you are using a dish/pan with a lid, put it on, or put plastic wrap over the top to fit tightly. Place in the refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours.   

(for the dish)
1  2 pound bag of refrigerated sauerkraut, drained and rinsed
2 cloves
2 onions, chopped (divided use, so keep each separate)
1 Granny Smith apple (I leave the peel on, but you can peel it, chopped)
4 juniper berries, crushed a little
5 whole peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil (or lard, which was used in the past)
4 pickled pork chops
1 cup hard apple cider or apple juice or regular apple cider, no spices added**

Almost all Germans would fix this dish on top of the stove, but I prefer to bake it, and I think you'll love the results. A casserole dish with a lid is good, but a non reactive pan is fine too. In a separate pan, heat some water, add the cloves, one chopped onion and the peppercorns. Add the pork chops and simmer for about 20 minutes, remove the pork and discard the liquid (don't get that backwards).

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet, add the other chopped onion. Saute briefly to just begin to soften the onion. Add the apple and cook for just another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring a little. Drain and rinse the sauerkraut, put into the dish you will be using. Add the onion/apple and juniper berries and mix well. Nestle the two bay leaves into different parts of the dish. Add the pork chops, pressing them down into the kraut a bit, but you need not cover them completely. Pour in the cider, cover the dish and place in a 300 degree (F) oven. Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the meat is tender. 

* "Culinaria, European Specialities" (Volume 1), chief editors: Joachim Römer and Michael Ditter, editor: Christine Westphal, published by Könemann Publishing, Cologne 1995

** For those unaware, "hard cider" means it is fermented and has an alcohol content.

Cured pork chop, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes ... what a great dinner!

WORD HISTORY:
Sift-This word, closely related to "sieve," goes back to Indo European "seip," which had the notion, "to flow through, to drip, to trickle." This gave the West Germanic branch of Old Germanic, "sibp," which meant, "sieve." ^ This then gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) the verb "siftan," meaning, "to put something through a sieve." This then became "siften," before the modern form. The close relationship between forms of "sieve" and "sift" in the Germanic languages makes it rather difficult to separate the words, but words in other Germanic languages more or less mirroring their English cousin: German has "sichten" (perhaps borrowed from Low German? Not nearly as common as the closely related "sieben," literally "to sieve, to sift"), Low German Saxon has "sichten," Dutch has "ziften" (also "zichten," which is antiquated).

^ For the history of the word "sieve," here is the link to that article:  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/12/liptauer-cheese-spread.html 

Glühwein Will Give You A Glow

Glühwein, literally "glow wine," is German spiced wine (also called "mulled wine," in English), more common in winter and at Christmas time, as it is usually served hot. It is frequently sold at Christmas markets or Christmas events in German areas. Commonly made and served in German areas in Europe: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and Alsace. "Typically," it is made of red wine, but white wine is not totally uncommon, especially in some areas. Scandinavian countries also have a similar spiced drink, but the drink's base sometimes comes from other fruit juices, and the drink may include liquor. Americans drink spiced apple cider, which is something akin to the wine, but the American version is usually non alcohol cider; at least that's what I tell people (not that it isn't the truth, I swear!), but in the German state of Hessen, hard apple cider, known in standard German as "Appelwein," and in Hessian dialect by a number of regional variations, is used. "Glühwein" can take the chill out of winter and even make having a cold fun .... ahhhchooo! .....Gesundheit!   

Ingredients:

1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
6 whole cloves
1 orange, juice + peel
1 lemon, juice + peel
1 bottle red wine (not sweet, I tend to use Cabernet Sauvignon)

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the water over medium heat. Turn down the heat to low and add the sugar, stirring to dissolve it. Add the cinnamon, the cloves, the orange juice and peel, the lemon juice and peel. Let simmer, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. This will form a nice syrup. Add the wine and heat through, stirring to mix. Serve hot. You can leave some peel in, as it looks and tastes good, but be careful of the cloves, you don't want to choke.  

WORD HISTORY:
Mull-There are several words of this spelling in English, some of which "may" be related.^ This form, used as "mull (something), usually wine," with the past tense form, "mulled," being more common in an adjectival usage, as "mulled wine," or "mulled cider," to mean, "heated wine with sweetener and spices." It "seems" to go back to Indo European "melg," which meant "to rub, to stroke," and is what you do to get milk from a cow or goat. The stroking process then became the word (noun) for the actual product, "milk" (the same form gave the Germanic languages, including English, their forms for "milk"). This gave Latin "mulgere," with the meaning, "to milk," which then gave Latin "mulctra," meaning, "milk pail." This was borrowed by the Germanic dialects of northwestern Europe as "molde," but with the same meaning; although, that meaning began to broaden to "trough," and later also to a more general word for a container, but then more specifically to a container for beer. Low German lost the "d" sound, which left "Molle." ^^ English "apparently" borrowed the word from Low German or Flemish, as both had forms of the word. The idea of heating a liquid with added flavorings would have easily applied to wine.

^ "To mull over;" that is, to think something over, to ponder," may be a figurative use of a verb form "mull," meaning "to grind into a powder." 
 

^^ Low German speakers were the main group of Germans to settle Berlin. While standard German (based on High German dialect) began to overtake the Low German of Berlin, it never completely displaced the Low German, and Berlin dialect, Berlinerisch, remains a dialect of High German, but with many Low German characteristics and vocabulary, including "Molle," meaning "a glass of beer." In Berlin, the term, "Mollenfriedhof" literally means, "cemetery for glasses of beer," but it really is the term for, "beer belly," a true cemetery for glasses of beer.

Liptauer Cheese Spread

This is a highly popular cheese spread in much of Bavaria and Austria, commonly just called Liptauer, or Liptauer Aufstrich (spread), not to be confused with the well known "Obatzda," another, similar, cheese spread, primarily from Bavaria, often eaten with large soft pretzels (YUMMY!). There are a number of variations on Liptauer, with just a change or two in ingredients, but all recipes I've seen are very similar to one another. Good with pumpernickel or hearty rye bread and some sliced vegetables. Liptauer came from the "Liptov" area of northern Slovakia, for which the German rendering of the name was "Liptau."  

Ingredients:

1 pound small curd cottage cheese, mashed up well (or pressed through a sieve, if you want to get that involved, which I don't, but see the Word History)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 heaping tablespoons sour cream
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons sweet paprika (Hungarian for authenticity, but use what you have)
2 tablespoons hot paprika (same as with sweet paprika)
1 medium pickle, finely chopped
1 teaspoon grainy mustard
2 tablespoons caraway seed (whole or ground)
3 tablespoons capers (whole or chopped)
3 anchovy fillets, chopped*
3 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper

In a bowl, thoroughly mix the cottage cheese, cream cheese and sour cream. Gradually add all of the other ingredients to make sure everything is well mixed. Cover and chill for a couple of hours. "Typically," "hot paprika" is not really all that hot, but you can cut down on the hot paprika, but then up the regular paprika, as the spread needs quite a bit of paprika.

* Please don't be afraid of anchovies. When used in cooking, they actually melt away, but provide a subtle meaty taste. When used in cold dishes, they do need to be chopped well to keep the taste subtle, and not the taste anchovy haters remember from a bite of pizza they had when they were 11 years old. I love anchovies, including on pizza, but I realize that "full strength" anchovies are not for everyone.   

I had mine with pumpernickel cocktail bread along with celery and green onions. (Hey, who's the guy with the onion breath?)

WORD HISTORY:
Sieve-This word, closely related to "sift," goes back to Indo European "seip," which had the notion, "to flow through, to drip, to trickle." This gave the West Germanic branch of Old Germanic, "sibp," ^ which meant, "sieve." This then gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "sife" (likely pronounced "sifeh," with a short "i," and the ending "e" was pronounced 'eh'). This then became "sive," before the modern form. The verb form was derived from the noun in the 1400s. Other West Germanic languages have: German "Sieb," Low German Saxon "Seev," Dutch "zeef," West Frisian "souwe."

^ Forms of "sieve" are only in the West Germanic languages, so either other Germanic forms died out in East and North Germanic, or the form itself was developed in West Germanic.  

Currywurst (German-Style Curry Sausage)

This sausage dish has become common in many parts of Germany, but whether that popularity has carried into other German areas outside of Germany, like Austria, much of Switzerland, or some other areas in western Europe, I don't know. The sausages are commonly served as part of the menu in many fast food places (called: "Schnellimbisse," the plural form in German) in Germany, and they are very common in Berlin, but I found them easily in Frankfurt years ago. Perhaps nearly 35 years ago, a German friend of mine, originally from Düsseldorf, told me that the places in his area sold the sausages whole, then put ketchup over them, then sprinkled on curry powder and finished with a dusting of paprika, which was similar to how we sold them at a German-style Schnellimbiss I once owned, but we put them into sausage rolls, American style. In Frankfurt, and I believe Wiesbaden, I found some places in the 1980s that sold the sausages whole, but most places sliced them, then squirted on the sauce, which already included the curry (and maybe paprika). They are commonly served with French fries* and a roll (German: a "Brötchen," literally a "small or little bread," very much like a Kaiser roll) in Germany. Stores there also sell packages of mix for the sauce, or even already made sauce. Of course, there are a variety of recipes for the sauce, with all sorts of ingredients being added in some, including applesauce! This is my own version, which is more along the lines of the sauces I had in Berlin, Wiesbaden, and especially Frankfurt.

Ingredients:

1  15 ounce can tomato sauce
4 tablespoons thick ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 heaping tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons curry powder, hot or mild (or some of both)
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon hot paprika (typically most "hot" brands of paprika are not very "hot")
8 to 10 red or white bratwurst, the already cooked variety or raw 

Begin preparing the sausages according to the instructions on the package(s) of the type and brand you buy. In a sauce pan, heat the oil over medium low heat. Add the onion and cook for about one minute, then add the garlic. Cook for just another minute of two, just to soften the onion and garlic. Add all of the other ingredients, stirring well to mix. Let cook over medium low heat for about 5 minutes, or longer, if you want to let the sauce cook down a little to thicken it more. When the sausages are done, slice them per serving, then spoon on some of the curry sauce. You could also put individual sausages on sausage rolls and top with some of the sauce.

* German uses the French term for French fries, "Pommes Frites," and there was a Schnellimbiss in Frankfurt that went by the name (although I believe they used the shorter form "Pommes Frit" or "Pom Frit"). It was on Münchner Strasse, not far from the main train station, the Hauptbahnhof. They too sold Currywurst. It was a very busy little place, and you could go inside or go to a window from the sidewalk. All such places sell beer in Germany and, unless the laws have changed, which I doubt, drinking in public was not against the law. Anyway, the place did a great business well into the middle of the night .. ahh, that's what people told me. 

I had the Currywurst sliced, then topped with sauce, and served with French fries and a Kaiser roll. 

WORD HISTORY:
Case (Casing)-This word, very distantly related to "have," and meaning, "a box, a receptacle, a cover" (the last also especially true with its derived form "casing"), goes back to Indo European "kahp," which had the notion, "to seize, to take hold of, to take into possession." This gave Latin the verb "capere," which meant, "to take by force, to seize, to capture, to take something in (either physically or mentally)." This then gave Latin the noun "capsa," meaning, "bookcase;" that is, "a box that takes in books." The meaning developed beyond a place for books to, "box, chest, place for storing items," and it was taken on by Old French, a Latin-based language, as "chasse," with essentially the same meanings. The Old North French dialect had it as "casse," which was borrowed into English, initially as "cas" in the 1300s. As large guns developed, the shell coverings had the term "casing" used for them, as did bullets later. 

Pasta With Cheese and Pepper (Cacio e Pepe)

Excellent in its taste and in its simplicity. This is an Italian dish, most especially associated with Rome. The dish is meant to have a spicy taste from the black pepper; so if you like spiciness, you can add even more pepper. 

Ingredients:

6 quarts water, with 2 tablespoons salt
1 pound spaghetti
1/4 cup Pecorino Romano + extra for sprinkling on top
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
5 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup freshly and coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 cup hot pasta cooking water (you may not need to use all of it) 

Heat water to boiling with the salt added. Cook spaghetti about 8 or 9 minutes, making sure it is not too soft or mushy. In a skillet or pan over low heat, add the pepper, the olive oil and the butter. Let butter melt, stirring to mix the ingredients. Drain the spaghetti, but keep 1/2 cup of the hot cooking water. Add the cheeses to the warm oil/butter/pepper mixture. Stir well, then add one half of the hot pasta water, stirring further to mix well. Add the pasta to the skillet and stir to coat the pasta, adding tablespoons of hot pasta water to thin the cheese and pepper sauce, if needed. Sprinkle some cheese on top of each serving.  

The spaghetti and a glass of hard apple cider.* Hey, you Italians drink what you want, and I'll drink what I want, and I don't give a damn what Mussolini said; in fact, since he said it in Italian, I don't know what the hell he said anyway. And once I drink that big glass of hard cider, even if you translate, I still won't care! Just joking ... I don't want to find a horse's head in my bed... What's that? I won't find a horse's head, but I might find a horse's behind, if I look in the mirror? ... I don't get it, I don't even have a mirror in bed. 

* For those learning English, and for those unaware, in this case, the use of the word "hard" means it has an alcohol content, usually a fairly good percentage. In the U.S., while today, with high alcohol content beers produced by many craft breweries, in the past, beer was "seen" as being relatively low alcohol, as contrasted to what were then often referred to as "hard liquors;" that is, alcoholic beverages like various types of whiskey, with much higher alcohol content. 

WORD HISTORY:
Am-This word is part of a large and complex group of words connected into use with the composite verb "to be." ^ It goes back to Indo European "esme," which had the meaning "I exist;" thus, "I am." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "imi," with the same meaning. This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "eom," which meant, "to be (in existence)." This then became "em," before then modern form. In the English of old(e), English speakers said, "ic beo" (I am). Why exactly "am" prevailed over the direct form of "be" ("beo"), I don't know, but "perhaps" it was by influence by Old Norse, which used "emi," which became "em" (am). Old Norse is another Germanic language, but from the North Germanic branch of the Germanic languages; whereas, English is from the West Germanic branch. Old Norse came to England with Old Norse speakers collectively called "Danes" by the English in those times. Gothic, another Germanic language, which died out, is from the East Germanic branch of Germanic, had "im" (am). There are forms in some other non Germanic Indo European languages too.

^ I say "composite," because the component parts of  "to be" actually come from forms of more than one old verb; thus, its highly irregular conjugation. It is a verb of the utmost importance, as I can't imagine the language being able to function without its various forms.

Heaven and Earth Soup

This soup is my own invention, although I don't know if anyone else has come up with a similar soup, but that is possible. I based this recipe on German "Himmel und Erde," * a dish which combines potatoes and apples, and often, but not always, bacon. It means "Heaven and Earth," with the apples representing "heaven," as they come from up on a tree, and with the potatoes representing earth, as you dig them from the ground. There are variations to the German recipes, with some regions, like the Rhineland, mashing the potatoes and apples together, or mixing chunky applesauce into the mashed potatoes. Other recipes cook potato and apple chunks together, often by frying. You can serve this soup with a good, ice cold apple schnapps, direct from the freezer, and with a strong apple taste. Be sure to taste the schnapps to make sure it's good before serving it to others, and don't hesitate to try it more than once, to be extra certain. Just be sure you have enough left for others. Well... the hell with them! Let 'em buy their own apple schnapps.

Ingredients:

1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 slices of bacon, fried and then crumbled
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon canola oil or other neutral-flavored oil
3 cups chicken broth (low sodium is fine)
3 large potatoes, diced
2 Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled and chopped
1 cup evaporated milk (canned milk)
2 tablespoons thyme leaves (see Word History, below)
1 teaspoon white or black pepper
salt to taste (optional, the bacon, and likely your broth, will have salt, so keep that in mind)
ice cold apple schnapps on the side (best right from the freezer)

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, fry the bacon over medium heat until crisp; remove, crumble and set aside. Sauté the onion in the bacon fat for a couple of minutes, then add the garlic, cook for another minute or two. Lower the heat to low, add the oil and sprinkle the flour over the onion/garlic mixture and stir to combine; this will form a roux coating the onion pieces. Allow to cook for another two minutes. Gradually stir in the chicken broth, then add the thyme leaves. When the broth bubbles lightly, add the potatoes, stir well. Since I've used the roux to thicken the soup early on, you will need to stir the soup fairly often to keep it from sticking, even on low heat, but allowing the bacon flavored flour mix to cook with the other ingredients adds flavor. After a few minutes, add the apple, stir further to mix well, simmer the soup. When the potatoes and apple are just barely tender, not falling apart, stir in the crumbled bacon and add the pepper (and salt, if using), then stir in the milk. Let the soup come back up to heat, but do not let it boil. Let's see, did I tell you this soup is good served with some apple schnapps?     

* For my article about German use of apples in cooking, here is the link to the article: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2013/01/germans-and-apples.html

And that's not ice water next to the soup ....

WORD HISTORY:
Leaf-This word, related to "lodge," goes back to Indo European "leubh," which meant, "to peel or strip away a plant covering." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "lauba," which transferred the meaning to a common plant item stripped away; thus, "leaf, foliage." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "leaf" (likely pronounced lee-af). This then became "leef," before the modern version. The other Germanic languages have: German "laub," Low German Saxon "Loof," Dutch "loof," West Frisian "loaf," Icelandic "lauf(i)," Danish "løv," Norwegian "løvverk" (literally, "leaf work;" thus, 'foliage'), Swedish "löv."  

Portuguese-Style Spicy Shrimp (Camarões á Portuguesa)

This is my own variation on a recipe from, "Portuguese Homestyle Cooking," by Ana Patuleia Ortins, Interlink Books, 2008 edition. The Portuguese title of the recipe, "Camarões á Portuguesa," is taken from the book. This is not a dish that will make your mouth melt with heat, but if you like more heat, add a whole chili or two.

Ingredients (about 6 to 8 servings):

1/4 cup olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2/3 cup chopped tomato, with juice
1 bay leaf
1/2 jalapeño or serrano pepper, finely chopped or 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped
2 pounds shrimp *
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter

In a sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat, then add the onion. Cook for a couple of minutes until the onion is softening, then add the garlic, tomato and chili pepper (fresh or dried), cook 2 minutes, then reduce heat to low, add the wine and bay leaf, cover and cook for another 5 minutes, before adding the shrimp, cilantro and salt. Simmer just until the shrimp are tender, do not overcook, unless you want shrimp that are tough. Remove the shrimp from the pan and put them into a serving dish or into individual serving dishes. Melt the butter in the hot broth. The author says her father never pureed the broth, and that she does so only occasionally, but the broth is used as a dip for the shrimp. I did not puree the broth, and the oil and butter in it almost silky.    

* The actual recipe calls for this to be "peel and eat shrimp," and thus, the shrimp are in their shells. I used cleaned (deveined), tail on shrimp of medium size (41/50 per pound).

 WORD HISTORY:
Portugal-This name for the country on the Iberian Peninsula, and neighbor of Spain, which borders it to the north and east, is a compound of Latin "portus" and "Cale." The first part is related to "port" (a word English borrowed from Latin), and distantly related to "ford" (an original English word from the Germanic roots of English). It goes back to the Indo European root "per," which had the notion of "cross over, to pass over or through." This then produced the extended "perts," meaning "crossing." This gave Latin "portus," which meant, "harbor (also spelled, "harbour," British English and many former British colonies), "seemingly" from the idea of, "a place, or the place, a ship docks after crossing a body of water;" thus also from an extended notion, "entrance to a city" (later, regardless of being on or even near water). The Romans had named a prominent harbor city, in what is now Portugal, "Portus Cale," which later came to be applied to the entire area of what is now Portugal, and the city came to be called, "Oporto." The second part of "Portugal" comes from "Cale," a word somewhat disputed in its history, but which I believe comes from the name of one of the Celtic tribes of that region, the Gallaeci, whose related branch to the north gave their name to a large area of western Europe, and Roman province, "Gaul." "Portus Cale" morphed into "Portungale/Portyngale," before the modern version. 

Drop Biscuits (Ah, Not on the Floor!)

Ingredients for 15 biscuits

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup melted butter (to cut down on the butter, use 1/4 cup butter + 1/4 cup canola oil)*
1 cup milk (room temperature)

Heat the oven to 450 (F). Sift the dry ingredients together, then add the butter (butter/oil) and milk. Mix lightly, do not work the dough. Let dough sit for just a couple of minutes after mixing, to allow the dough to absorb the liquid. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the baking sheet in little mounds. Bake 12 to 15 minutes on center oven rack (time depending upon your oven; mine take about 15 minutes), until they just brown ever so slightly, but you don't want the bottoms to get too browned and hardened.

* Hopefully, the "Biscuit Police" won't nab you, although you should be on the lookout for guys who look like the "Pillsbury Doughboy," but in blue uniforms, with a badge reading, "Biscuit Police!" And yes, you can poke them in the tummy and they'll giggle. 

WORD HISTORY
Biscuit-This word is a compound, with the "bis" part, distantly related to "two" and to "twice," going back to Indo European "dwoh/dwah/duwo," which meant "two." This gave Latin "duis," which meant, "by two, twice," with the "du" later changing to "b," in Latin; thus, "bis," meaning "twice." This became "bes" in French, a Latin-based language. The second part is related to "cook," and it goes back to Indo European "kwekwo," "perhaps" a variant form of "pekwo," which seems to have meant "to ripen;" the notion being to prepare inedible raw food until it is 'ripe;' that is, "ready to eat." This gave Old Italic "kekewo," and this gave Latin "coquus,"with that same meaning, which gave Latin "coquere," meaning "to cook," which then formed "cocere," which then formed "cuire," meaning "to cook." The combined parts gave Old French "bescuire" and its participle form, bescuit," was also used as a noun, meaning, "twice cooked/baked bread." This was borrowed by English from French as "bisket" in the 1500s, but the spelling was altered in the 1800s, following the French example, which had long since changed from "bescuit" to "biscuit," influenced by the Latin spelling "bis." The British English meaning of the noun is more what in American English is called a "cookie" ("baked sweetened dough, most often flat or very slightly mounded, and with a crispy, firm or moderately firm texture"), but also a "cracker" (a thin, crispy flatbread, often with salted top). The American English meaning is, "a small rounded baked good, most often using baking soda or baking powder for leavening, with a soft, bread like texture, which is only sometimes sweetened a bit." For non-Americans, if you go into an American supermarket, there is likely to be a whole refrigerated section with various brands and types of pre-made and formed biscuit dough, which come packaged in tubes.