Sergeants 3: The Rat Pack & Gunga Din

This 1962 western is really a remake of 1939's "Gunga Din," made by RKO Pictures, but this movie changes the setting from late 1800's India to the American West of the 1870s. I saw this picture three times at a movie theater when it was released in 1962: with my dad and with my older brother. The third time was with my mother, my grandmother and 2 of my great aunts, all of whom were taken with Frank Sinatra in those times. As in "Gunga Din," "Sergeants 3" is a drama with numerous bits of comedy injected. The main cast of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis Jr. and Joey Bishop were part of what had come to be known as, "the Rat Pack." The group often performed on stage together in Las Vegas and elsewhere, as well as being featured in some films together. 

The basic plot involves a group of Indians rallying to a call by a religious leader to unite to defeat U.S. army personnel and settlers in the region. The movie opens with a raid by a group of Indians on a small town. The town's telegraph office is able to send a message to the army stationed in a fort some miles away, prompting the fort's commander to decide to send three sergeants and a small troop of men to the town to investigate what has happened. The three sergeants are close friends and we first meet them at a fight in a saloon (see "Word History," below). Sergeant Mike is played by American actor and entertainer Frank Sinatra, Sergeant Chip is played by American actor and entertainer Dean Martin and Sergeant Larry is played by English born actor Peter Lawford.* Larry is planning to leave the army when his soon to expire enlistment runs out. He'll then marry Amelia, played by Canadian born actress Ruta Lee.** Mike and Chip plan to keep the trio together by finding some way to get Larry to sign a new enlistment form. At the saloon we also meet Jonah, a former slave who is a trumpet playing entertainer at the saloon, who wants to be in the army. Jonah is played by American actor and entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. The sergeants are all rounded up at the saloon by Sergeant Boswell, played by American actor and entertainer Joey Bishop.

The three sergeants lead a troop of men to the town that was attacked, only to come under attack by Indians themselves. The Indians are called to attack by one of their religious leaders, played by American actor Henry Silva. Later, we learn that this Indian leader is the son of the main leader and medicine man, Watanka. The troops hold off the attack and return to the fort, only to be ordered back to the town, but without Larry, whose enlistment is nearly over. The commander orders Sergeant Boswell to replace Larry, a thought Mike and Chip find repulsive, as Boswell is a proper soldier, all spit and polish. So Mike and Chip proceed to get Boswell drunk, and thus, sick. Larry is ordered back with his pals until his enlistment runs out. Later Chip and Jonah slip off to try to discover just where the Indians are located. They find a large cave where the Indians hold religious ceremonies. While there, the Indians show up, led by Watanka, played by Australian actor Michael Pate, and Chip is captured, even though he comically tells the Indians that he is arresting them in the name of the President of the United States Ulysses S. Grant.*** Hahahaha! Meanwhile, a disguise and the diversion of Chip's capture help Jonah to escape and he returns to the town to alert Mike and Larry about Chip's plight. Mike is under strict orders from the unit's commander, Colonel Collingwood, played by American actor Dick Simmons,**** not to get involved in any other mission except to garrison the town. Mike tells Larry he can't go on any rescue mission, because he's now a civilian, but that he can go along to help Chip if he signs another enlistment form, which he does, and Mike puts the signed form into his pocket. Mike, Larry and Jonah set out to free Chip. The three men arrive at the cave and find Chip tied up. Watanka, his son and many other Indians emerge and take the three wannabe rescuers prisoner. Watanka tries to make Mike tell him where the colonel is with the main body of soldiers. Mike grabs the knife of one of his captors and holds it to the throat of Watanka's son, bringing Watanka and his men to go down the mountain, leaving his son as a captive of the soldiers. (Note: One of the Indians in the group is Eddie Little Sky, a true Oglala Lakota, who was born on a reservation in South Dakota. He appeared in many films and television shows over the years.)

Watanka has assembled a large force to attack Colonel Collingwood's column of troops. Two of Watanka's scouts gallop up and tell him the Colonel and his men are approaching. Mike gets Watanka's son and tells the medicine man to disburse his men, or he will kill his son. The son tells his father to go ahead with the attack and he jumps off the cliff and plunges to his death. Without the medicine man's son as hostage, the sergeants and Jonah are now in peril. Some Indians ascend the mountain path and take the men prisoner again, but Jonah is severely wounded and left for dead and Chip is knocked unconscious. Watanka has Mike and Larry brought over to watch as the Colonel and his men are attacked. Jonah looks over and sees his trumpet. He takes the trumpet and goes into the cave, where there is a small opening in the upper part of the cave. Jonah struggles and climbs to the opening and then outside. He stands and blows the trumpet, alerting the Colonel and the column. He is then hit with an arrow.

The Indians attack, but the element of surprise is now gone. A large battle takes place, with much hand to hand fighting, but the soldiers are able to deploy artillery they have and the Indians turn in retreat, only to finally surrender. Up on the mountain, Chip has regained consciousness, and he comes at Watanka from behind and knocks him off the cliff, as Larry knocks one of the other captors off of the cliff. Larry now schemes to get his reenlistment paper from Mike's shirt pocket by pretending to be seriously hurt. When Mike kneels down to help him, Larry reaches into Mike's shirt and gets the reenlistment form.

The scene shifts back to the fort where Colonel Collingwood reads a special citation to honor the three sergeants and private citizen Jonah, who has been granted a place in the army with the rank of private. Jonah is shown with bandages on his wounds, but in his new uniform. Larry and Amelia get ready to leave, and Chip takes Larry's reenlistment paper from Larry's possession and tears it up, making Larry think everything is clear for him to leave. BUT... Chip had concealed a blank piece of paper in his hand, and that was what he had destroyed. When Larry and Amelia drive off in a buggy, Chip hands the real form to Mike, who then orders Sergeant Boswell to, "Arrest that man.... he's a deserter."    


* Though Peter Lawford was born in England, he spent much of his adult life in the United States, where he became a citizen. He became well known in the U.S. when he married the sister of then Senator John F. Kennedy, who would later be elected president of the United States.

** Ruta Lee was born in Canada, but her family moved to the United States, where she later became a citizen. Her parents were immigrants to Canada from Lithuania.

*** Grant was president from March of 1869 until March of 1877. Until the Constitution was changed by the 20th Amendment in 1933, presidents and vice presidents assumed office on March 4 following a presidential election of the previous November. The amendment moved the assumption of office to January 20.

**** Those who can remember the 1950s may not remember Simmons' name, but you will likely recall the television show, "Sergeant Preston of the Yukon." Well it was Dick Simmons, also known by his proper name, Richard Simmons, who played Sergeant Preston. The show also "starred" the Sergeant's faithful dog, "Yukon King." Simmons is not to be confused with exercise promoter and entertainer, Richard Simmons, who later became popular on television, more so in the 1980s and thereafter. 


 Photo is of the 2008 MGM DVD ...

WORD HISTORY: 
Salon (Saloon)-"Salon" goes back to Indo European "sel," which had the notion of, "settlement, living area." This gave Old Germanic "salaz," with the meaning, "living area, living quarters." This gave Lombardic (also known as: Langobardic) "sala," meaning, "abode, large room." This was borrowed by Latin (or the developing northern Italian dialects?) as "sala," meaning, "large room/hall." This then became Italian "salone," with the same meaning and this was borrowed by French as "salon," with the meaning, "room for receiving guests." English borrowed the word from French circa 1700 with the meaning, "large room, often in a palace or in the residence of well to do people, used for entertaining guests." The meaning expanded to include dining and entertainment rooms on ships, especially in first class sections. Later still, the term was often used for the dining car on trains. "Saloon" was initially simply a variation in the spelling of "salon," but by the mid 1800s it had come to be used as a term for a public tavern/bar in American English, where its meaning has remained ever since. NOTE: The Old Germanic form was passed to its offspring in various forms, including Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "sele" (house, large hall, often used for dining and entertainment). German still has "Saal" (large hall for dining and entertainment, and also a large room for displays of art or other collections), East Frisian "soal" (large hall), Swedish "sal" (ward). Low German had "sel'/"sal," but seems to have borrowed "Saal" from standard German in more modern times.       

Creamy Chipotle Sauce

This sauce goes well with all kinds of things, including with fish, on sandwiches, with veggies and on tacos. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sour cream (reduced fat is fine)
1/2 cup mayonnaise (reduced fat is fine)
1 or 2 chipotle peppers, chopped
1 tablespoon of the adobo sauce from the chipotle peppers*
1 teaspoon (dry) adobo seasoning**

Add the ingredients to a bowl and stir to mix well. Best when refrigerated for at least an hour (longer time period is even better) to allow the flavors to develop.

* "Adobo sauce" is not the same as "adobo seasoning." Adobo sauce is a mixture of ground dried chilies (not necessarily super hot chilies), along with various seasonings and some vinegar and often, some oil. Chipotle peppers come packed in adobo sauce.   

** For more about "adobo seasoning," and for an easy recipe for home use, here is the link: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/11/adobo-seasoning.html  

Great to add a "kick" when used as a dip for vegetables...

WORD HISTORY:
Deter-This word comes from a prefixed word, the main body of which is related to "terrible," a word of Latin derivation borrowed by English from French. The prefix here is "de," which goes back to Indo European "de," which had the notion of, "away from, down from, from." This was also taken by its Latin offspring, with the same meanings. The main part of "deter" is from Indo European "tros," with the meaning, "to be afraid, to fear, to tremble with fear." This gave Latin "terrere," meaning, "to frighten, to make afraid, to make fearful." The two parts together gave Latin "deterrere," meaning, "to frighten from," with the figurative sense being, "to discourage or stop someone from (doing something out of fear)." English borrowed the word in the second half of the 1500s, with the figurative sense, although over time the meaning has, "in some senses," softened somewhat to "discourage through persuasion," but "fear" still lurks behind other uses.     

Mexican Red Rice: Arroz Rojo

Often termed "Spanish rice" in the US, the fact is, this dish is not a part of the cuisine in Spain, where such rice dishes often use saffron, making them yellow in color (think Spanish "paella"). There are numerous variations to making red rice in Mexico, but I've chosen to go a little beyond the basic recipe. When I was a little kid, my mother made "Spanish rice" with bacon grease, tomatoes, onion and green peppers. How she learned to make it that way, I have no idea, but as to the use of only green pepper, in those days, red, yellow and orange bell peppers were considerably more expensive than green peppers. This is my own recipe and I do like some "heat" in many foods, so this has some chili pepper, although, of course, you can leave it out, scale it back, or increase it, depending upon your preferences. My mother never used chili peppers in the rice, but back then, you didn't really see fresh chili peppers in stores, and my father didn't like spicy hot food anyway. Just to clarify, I'm sure stores in some parts of the U.S. had chili peppers, especially those in the southwestern part of the country.   

Ingredients:

1 cup white rice (I use long grain rice)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 serrano chili, finely chopped (for more heat, use 2 serranos, for less heat, use 1 seeded jalapeño pepper)
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon mild Spanish paprika
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons ancho chili powder (or your favorite chili powder)
2 teaspoons adobo seasoning
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. When the oil is hot, add the rice and saute until it begins to brown, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add the onion, the chopped red and green pepper, the chopped tomato and the serrano chili pepper. Cook until the vegetables begin to soften (they will cook further). Add the tomato sauce, the paprika, the chili powder and the adobo seasoning; stir to mix in the seasonings. Add the broth, stir, and reduce the heat to the point where the liquid gently simmers. Cover the skillet (lid or foil) and cook until the liquid is absorbed (can vary from about 25 to 35 minutes, or even longer). Add the chopped cilantro and then use a fork to mix in the cilantro. 

WORD HISTORY:
Quay-This word is distantly related to "hedge," a word from the Germanic roots of English. "Quay" goes back to Indo European "kagh," which had the idea of "to enclose," which spawned the noun form "kaghom," meaning, "enclosure." This gave Old Celtic "kaghyo," meaning "pen, fenced in area," and this was passed to Gaulish, an old Celtic language, as "caium," with the same general meaning. This was taken by Old French as "cai," seemingly with the initial meaning of, "sandbank" (a ridge of sand that builds up in water to "enclose" a section of that water), but then the idea of a sandbank brought about "platform, or raised area for ships to dock; thus, "quay." English borrowed the word circa 1700, but the spelling varied, including cay, caye, key(e). 

Indian Fish & Chili Curry: Meen Mulakittathu

This dish is from the state of Kerala in southwestern India. Kerala is a state with a substantial coastline, and thus, plenty of fresh fish, including what is called "kingfish" (one word) in India, which is a type of mackerel typically used in Kerala for this dish. This fish is also known as "king mackerel" in some other parts of the world, including in parts of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, depending upon the time of year, as these fish prefer fairly warm water temperatures. If you can't find kingfish/king mackerel, you can easily substitute tilapia (which is what I used), cod or halibut. India is a land of hundreds of languages and dialects, and in Kerala the main language is Malayalam, from the Dravidian language family. Just as a point of comparison, English is a Germanic language from the Indo European language family.

This is a spicy dish (with some mild tartness), but much of the "heat" will depend upon the chili powder/ground cayenne pepper you use, as the heat level can vary tremendously, just as with hot chili peppers themselves, when used fresh or dried. I often grind my own dried hot chilies, and usually it is quite potent, but when I used it in this dish, the cooking did mellow the heat level to some extent, and it was not as hot as I had anticipated. As I have mentioned in other Indian food articles, the people of the Indian subcontinent have lots of spices and seasonings, including hot chilies, and they are not sparing in their use, as "hot" spicy food is common there, but not every dish produces a blowtorch feeling in your mouth, and some are quite mild. Another thing I noticed about this dish, and I actually had read this somewhere before I ever made this, the dish is noticeably better, if you cook it, then refrigerate it for a number of hours, preferably overnight. I had fixed the recipe and served it, but placed the remainder in the refrigerator simply to keep it from going bad. The next day when I took it out for lunch, WOW! The taste was so incredible, and again, it was NOT unbearably hot for me, and although I like hot spicy food, a few adjustments as I've noted in the recipe, and even many folks who do not like "heat" will find this dish to be great. You can find tamarind paste in many supermarkets or most certainly in Indian/Pakistani shops, or online. It has a somewhat tart taste, and you could skip using it, or perhaps use a little lime juice instead. Tamarind paste is pretty concentrated, so you don't want to use too much, as it can overwhelm other flavors. As a point of information, tamarind is one of the components of Worcestershire sauce.    

Ingredients (about 6 servings):

1 1/2 pounds white fish fillets (king mackerel, halibut, tilapia or cod)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (you can add a fourth tablespoon later, if needed)
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 cup chopped onion
1 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped or grated
5 garlic cloves, chopped
about 12 curry leaves *
1 1/2 cups water (a little more, if needed)
2 whole dried red chilies
2/3 teaspoon ground turmeric
3 tablespoons red chili powder (or 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper + 1 tablespoon mild red chili powder, like ancho, or for milder, 1 tablespoon cayenne and 2 tablespoons ancho chili powder**)
2 teaspoons tamarind paste
1 teaspoon ground fenugreek
1 teaspoon salt

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and let them pop, then add the onion, ginger, garlic and curry leaves. Let cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, then add 1/3 cup of the water, the dried red chilies, the turmeric, the red chili powder (or cayenne and chili powder), the ground fenugreek and the tamarind paste. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the fish pieces and the remainder of the water. Let the mixture come to a boil, then reduce the heat to produce a gentle simmer and add the salt. Cook 12 to 15 minutes. The liquid will cook down some, but this is not meant to be a thickened sauce. Serve with rice and/or chapati (roti) bread. ***

* Curry leaves have a combination of a citrusy and basil like taste. You can find frozen curry leaves in Indian/Pakistani grocery stores, or you can substitute basil leaves along with some grated lime peel.

** When people from the Indian subcontinent talk about "chili powder," they mean "hot" chili powder. In the U.S., and presumably Canada, "chili powder" has far less, if any, notion of "heat," as it is mild. When "heat" is desired for foods, Americans (and presumably Canadians) most commonly use cayenne pepper, chili pepper flakes, hot sauce, or fresh hot chilies. I'm not sure what the term "chili powder" (more likely spelled "chilli powder") means in Britain; that is, "hot" or "mild," since influences from the former British colonies of the Indian subcontinent may have prevailed.   

*** For chapati/roti bread, here is the link, but actually in the Kerala region, roti is usually made with rice flour, but  : https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2018/10/easy-flatbread-of-indian-subcontinent.html

WORD HISTORY:
Key-English has more than one word of this spelling, but this is the noun for "small island," likely with its best known form being in the plural and used for the U.S. archipelago, "the Florida Keys." It goes back to Taino, a language from the Caribbean islands, and a part of the Arawakan language family of Central and South America.^ Taino had "cayo" (meaning, "small low level island") and this was borrowed by Spanish as "cayo," with the additional meaning of "reef." English borrowed the word circa 1700, but the word's spelling seems to have been influenced by the then fairly common spellings of "quay," which were "key(e)" and "caye."   

^ Arawakan languages have declined over the centuries, largely at the expense of Spanish and other European languages that came to the New World.

Czech Sweet Rolls: Buchty, and Buchteln in German

These rolls originally came from the Czech lands of Bohemia, where they are called "buchty."* Very briefly and superficially, Bohemia and the Czechs had a long association with Germans through the Old German Empire (Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation) and the Habsburg family, one of the leading German noble families in Germandom for centuries. Bohemia later was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, led by the Habsburg emperor (Kaiser), who was simultaneously King of Hungary and King of Bohemia, as well as a number of other titles. When that empire dissolved, Bohemia became a part of the newly formed Czechoslovakia and it now is part of the Czech Republic, also known to some as "Czechia." The term "buchty" was borrowed by German as "Buchteln" (German nouns are capitalized), which is what I know them as, but they are also called "Wuchteln," although I have no idea why, unless it simply started out as a mispronunciation (?). There are also a couple of other regional names for these rolls in German. They are well known in Austria, parts of Bavaria (Bayern), Saxony (Sachsen) and the Swabia (Schwaben) region, part of which is in Bavaria, with the rest being a part of the state of Baden-Württemberg.

There are variations to Buchteln, which are often, but not always, filled with plum or apricot jam, while others add some grated lemon peel to the batter. Some dust the Buchteln with powdered sugar when they are taken from the oven. "Vanillesoße" (vanilla sauce)** is a common accompaniment to these little sweet rolls. I made the Buchteln straight up, with no filling or lemon peel, but I did have plum jam on the side for serving. I do NOT take responsibility for any desire you have to make these rolls over and over and over. They are delicious! Browned and a "little" firm on top, but just light and airy inside.

Ingredients:

Rolls:

2 1/4 cups flour (a little more, if needed, plus some for when kneading the dough)
1 packet dry yeast (1/4 ounce/7g, and I used quick rise yeast) 
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup lukewarm milk
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons melted butter for coating
(optional) 1 or 2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
butter for the baking dish
(optional) powdered sugar for dusting

In a bowl, mix the yeast with about 1/4 cup of lukewarm milk (it cannot be hot, just barely warm), 2 tablespoons of the sugar and 1/4 cup flour. Set this aside for about 10 to 15 minutes to let the yeast begin to act. Meanwhile, in a larger bowl, add the flour, the remainder of the sugar, the rest of the lukewarm milk, the egg yolks, the melted butter, the vanilla and the salt (the lemon peel too, if using). When the yeast mixture is frothy and puffy, add it to the other ingredients and mix everything very well. The dough will likely be somewhat sticky, but cover the bowl with a towel or paper towel and put it in a warm place for about 30 minutes or until the dough about doubles in size. Dust your counter or board with some flour and empty the dough out. I use some oil on my hands (not something like extra virgin olive oil, which has a flavor to it). Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, adding a little flour to the counter, as needed (of course if you have a mixer for bread, follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer). Roll the dough into a long "snake." Cut off pieces to roll into golf ball size rounds. Butter a baking dish. Dip each round into the melted butter to lightly coat them, then put the rounds into the buttered dish. The rounds should be "snuggled" into the dish together, not spread out from one another. Cover the dish with a towel again and let it sit in a warm place for about another 10 to 15 minutes to let the rolls rise a little. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 F for "about" 30 to 40 minutes, or until the rolls are browned. Note: If you want to fill the Buchteln, when you roll the golf ball size rounds out, punch an opening into each round with your thumb, put in a heaping teaspoon of plum or apricot jam, then pull the dough over the opening to close it off. Place this side down in the baking dish. Some people actually roll out the rounds, place the jam in the middle, then pull up the dough all around. Again, place where the opening was facing down in the baking dish.

Buchteln are usually served warm, and you can always pop them into your microwave for just a few seconds if they've cooled, but I like them cooled too. If you'd like vanilla sauce with the Buchteln, see note ** below.   

* Pronounced pretty much like "book-tea" (the "oo" being the pronunciation of "boot," not book), with the singular form being "buchta," with the (singular) meaning being "bread roll, bun." 

** The recipe for vanilla sauce is at this link: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2018/11/vanilla-sauce-vanillesoe.html

2 Buchteln with plum jam and vanilla sauce...

Fresh from the oven...

Unbaked...

WORD HISTORY: 
Leave-English has two forms of this spelling, but this is the noun meaning, "permission, agreement to permit something," most commonly associated with "permission to be away from work or military duty, furlough." It is related to the second part of "belief," and more distantly related to "love," both from the Germanic roots of English. It goes back to Indo European "leub(h)," which had the notion of "care, desire, love, something that pleases." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "leubon/laubon," meaning, "permission" (obviously tied to "something that pleases"). This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "leafe" (not related to the foliage of trees and plants, "leaf"), also meaning "permission." This then became "leve," before the modern version. Relatives in the other Germanic languages: German has "Urlaub" (military leave, leave from work, but Americans more typically say "vacation"), Erlaubnis (permission, a permit, authorization), Low German borrowed "Urlaub" from standard German, but prior to that, it had "orleve," Dutch has the now antiquated "oorlof" (permission, military or work leave), but Dutch also has "verlof," (vacation, military leave, furlough). Most of the Germanic languages now use words unrelated to the English noun "leave." 

Chocolate Syrup

If you like chocolate syrup to make chocolate milk or to top your ice cream, here's a simple recipe to make your own syrup.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups water
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, bring the water to a boil, mix in and dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder and salt, making sure both are mixed in completely. Keep whisking at a moderate pace until the mixture begins to thicken somewhat. Turn off the heat and whisk in the vanilla. The sauce will not be all that thick until it cools completely. Empty into a jar or dish, cover and refrigerate.

WORD HISTORY: 
Syrup-This word is distantly related to "sherbet," an Arabic-derived word borrowed by English from Turkish. The ultimate origin of "syrup" is uncertain, but it goes back to transliterated Arabic "sharab/sarab," which meant, "a drink, a beverage," from a verb, "shariba," which means, "to drink," but for which I have no further history. Latin borrowed the word from Arabic as "siroppus/siropus," by which time one of the medical treatments of those days used thick sweetened fruit juices and herbs as a remedy for some illnesses, presumably intestinal. Latin-based Old French took the word as "sirop," and English borrowed the word from French, initially as "sirup," in the second half of the 1300s and the meaning gradually shifted away from "a remedy" to "a sweet thickened liquid used as a flavoring agent on food." By the way, there are 2 common pronunciations of this word: 1) as if, "sir-up;" 2) as if, "seer-up."