Haitian Chicken in Sauce: Poul an Sòs

Haiti is a country in the Caribbean that shares the island of Hispaniola with the Domincan Republic, a Spanish speaking nation on the eastern part of Hispaniola. As you can guess, Haiti is on the western part of the island, and French is the language of government and most commerce, while Haitian Creole is the every day language of most Haitians. This creole is overwhelmingly derived from French, but with bits and pieces of native Indian dialects, Spanish, Portuguese and African dialects. The population is of 90% to 95% black African descent. The history of Haiti is very complicated, and far beyond the scope of this article, but the Spanish were heavily involved in the overall island of Hispaniola from the time of Columbus until the early decades of the 1600s, when the French got involved in the western part of the island, which culminated in the late 1600s with an agreement between France and Spain on an official division of Hispaniola. French-owned tobacco, sugar and coffee plantations arose, worked by hundreds of thousands of African slaves. The 1790s saw the outbreak of a revolution in Haiti against French rule (in France itself, the French Revolution was ongoing during the early period of the Haitian revolt). The French abolished slavery in France and French territories. Spanish involvement on the island continued, and even the British got involved. After revolution, civil war and large numbers of French troops sent by France, eventually, Napoleon Bonaparte withdrew his troops, leaving Haiti to itself, but in an unstable governing situation. The 1800s saw much more conflict with war, assassination, a division of Haiti and conflict with the neighboring Domincan Republic. In the 1900s, the instability in Haiti saw the United States send troops to occupy the country for a number of years. After that, with governments coming and going, François Duvalier, better known as "Papa Doc," was elected in the mid 1950s and he became a ruthless dictator until his death in the early 1970s; whereupon, his son Jean-Claude, known as "Baby Doc," took over until large public demonstrations brought him to flee to France in the mid 1980s. The struggle to form stable governments in Haiti has continued. It is a very poor nation and in 2010 a major earthquake struck killing more than 200,000 people.       

Haitians have their own various ways of preparing this dish. You can use skin on or skinless chicken pieces, but I often use boneless and skinless chicken, except I add one or two skin on whole wings. One chili pepper will add "kick" to the dish, but if you're a lover of heat, use two chilies. If you aren't especially fond of heat, keeping the chili pepper whole will generally allow you to remove the chili pepper easily. Serve with rice, and Haitians often use fried plantains (called "ban(n)ann peze" in Haitian Creole) as a side dish.  

Ingredients (about 4 servings):

3 pounds chicken, mix pieces

1 large (baseball size) onion, cut into quarters, then sliced

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1/2 medium bell pepper, seeded and sliced

1/2 medium green bell pepper, seeded and sliced

1 habanero or scotch bonnet chili pepper, washed, but left whole

2 tablespoons tomato paste 

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups water (divided use)

1/4 cup oil

Add the chicken pieces to a pan. Add the minced garlic, thyme, black pepper and salt, then add 1 cup water, cover and cook for 20 minutes; remove the chicken to a plate with a slotted spoon to drain the liquid (reserve the liquid in the pan and add any liquid from the plate used to drain the chicken). Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then carefully add the chicken pieces to the skillet (it will sputter and spatter, so a splatter screen is a handy utensil). Fry the chicken, turning it often, until it is lightly browned (do not fry the chicken too long, especially if you use skinless chicken, as it will get dried and tough on the outside). To the original pan with the reserved broth, add the sliced onion, green and red bell pepper, scotch bonnet/habanero chili pepper, tomato paste and ground cloves; mix well to break down the tomato paste and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Add the chicken to the pan along with 1/2 cup water; cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, periodically spooning some of the sauce over exposed chicken pieces. Taste the sauce to check seasonings and adjust, if needed. Serve with rice. 

 

 Poul an Sòs with rice and a couple of fried plantains ...

 

WORD HISTORY:

Discern-This word is related to a number of words, including: "certain" and "concern," Latin-derived words borrowed by English via French, and to "secret," a Latin word borrowed by English directly from Latin, and it is distantly related to "riddle," now more common in the verb form "to fill with holes," but the corresponding noun form is now archaic, but it meant "sieve," and these are from the Germanic roots of English (it is not related to "riddle," meaning "a word game or puzzle). "Discern" goes back to Indo European "krei," which had the notion of "separating out, distinguishing between," which gave its Latin offspring "cernere," meaning, "to separate, to distinguish, to sift." Latin had the prefix "dis," with several meanings, including "asunder, apart, away from," which went back to Indo European "dwis," which had the notion, "in two;" thus, "double, twice, again." ("Dwis" may have had a variant form "dis," which may well have spawned the Latin form. Latin "dis-" and English "twi-," a prefix from the Germanic roots of English, are distantly related through Indo European.) The two Latin parts gave Latin "discernere," meaning, "to set apart, to divide, to distinguish (between), to determine (that is, "separate one thought from others, so as to make it decisive, to decide upon"). This passed to Latin-based Old French as "discerner," essentially with the same meanings, and English borrowed the word (likely with Latin reinforcement) in the second half of the 1300s as "discernen," meaning, "distinguish between two or more objects, see things clearly (thus also, 'see rationally and understand')." As English began to conjugate verbs differently, "discernen" became just "discern."   

Suriname Fried Plantains & Peanut Sauce: Bakabana

Suriname is a small country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It was long a colony of the Netherlands, dating back to the mid 1600s, and Suriname only gained its independence in late 1975. Dutch is the official language, although a form of English (a creole) is also spoken, along with some native languages and dialects. The little nation not only has influences from the Dutch, but also from the former Dutch colony of the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia, with immigrant indentured servants from there, India and China coming to form a substantial part of Suriname's population, which is now around 590,000. African people are largely descendants of slaves and Brazilian immigrants have frequently come to work in Suriname's gold mines.   

 

Making the peanut sauce the way some Surinamese do for this dish can be involved, as the Surinamese fry the peanuts and other ingredients and then they grind everything for the sauce. They use Surinamese chili peppers, which are very hot, but they are not likely to be easily found outside of Suriname, so you can substitute habenero or Scotch bonnet chilies. Habenero peppers have a powerful reputation for heat, but all habanero peppers are not the same. I've bought some that barely moved the needle on the heat meter, while at other times, a small section of a habanero would send smoke billowing from my mouth. When I've made this sauce, if the result is too tame, I add some good hot ground red pepper (usually cayenne pepper) to give it the proper kick. Of course, the "proper kick" is the heat level you prefer. The plantains should be ripe; that is, the peel should be almost black, and if it's actually black, that's fine.   

 

Ingredients:

 

For the plantains:

 

2 large ripe plantains, peeled (or 3 or 4 smaller plantains)

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1 egg

2 tablespoons buttermilk

2 or 3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons brown sugar

pinch of salt (a bit more salt for seasoning the fried plantain pieces)

oil for frying

 

Cut off the end tips of each plantain, then make a cut into the plantain skin lengthwise, so you can then peel off the skin. Cut the plantains into segments of about 2 or 3 inches long, then split those segments into 2 or 3 pieces (lengthwise again) that should make them about 1/3 inch thick. In a heavy skillet or pan, heat enough oil to make a depth of about 2 inches. Heat the oil until a crouton of bread sizzles and then browns in 50 seconds, but not more than 1 minute (if you have a thermometer, the oil should be 350 to 360 F). Mix together the flour, cornstarch, egg, buttermilk, water, sugar and salt. The batter needs to be smooth and thick enough to stick to and coat the plantain pieces well (if the batter is too thick, add and stir in a teaspoon of water at a time until a good consistency is reached). Line a plate with some paper towels so that you can place the fried plantain pieces there to drain off excess oil. Dip the plantain pieces into the batter to coat them, then put them into the hot oil. Fry the plantains until golden brown all over, which should be about 3 minutes (don't overcrowd the pan). Remove fried plantain pieces to the plate with paper towels. Immediately sprinkle on a little salt. Serve with peanut sauce.   

For the peanut sauce:

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

2 tablespoons kecap (ketjap) manis or soy sauce*

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons lime juice (or tamarind paste**)

1/2 teaspoon habenero or scotch bonnet chili pepper (or Surinamese chili pepper, if you have access)

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons peanut oil

3 tablespoons water

 

Put all of the ingredients into a pan over low heat. Stir well to mix and continue to stir until the sauce is well heated (about 5 to 6 minutes).     

 

* "Kecap (also Ketjap) Manis" is Indonesian soy sauce, which is syrupy and sweet. Some supermarkets or Asian markets will likely have "ketjap manis," but the keyword here is, "some." You can substitute regular soy sauce with some molasses, or even brown sugar, cooked together for just a few minutes.

 

** Tamarind paste is a fruit pulp, dark in color, with a sour taste used in cuisines all over the world, but especially in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, both of which have had lots of influence on the cuisine of Suriname. By the way, it is one of the ingredients in Worcestershire sauce and in some steak sauces. Tamarind can definitely be found in Indian/Pakistani shops, as well as other Asian grocers, but some supermarkets likely have it too. 

 

WORD HISTORY: 

Brown-This word is related to "burnish," a Germanic based word absorbed into French from Germanic Frankish and then borrowed by English from French, and to "bear," the noun for the animal, a word from the Germanic roots of English, and to "bruin," a Germanic derived word borrowed by English from Dutch. "Brown" goes back to Indo European "bher," which meant, "brown, dark," but also "bright, shining," perhaps from the glistening of some brown and dark objects. This gave Old Germanic "brunaz," which meant "dark, brown, shining/shiny," and this gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "brun," with the same meanings, and this then became "broun," before the modern form. The meaning of "brown," the name for the color, didn't really become set until the late 1200s. The verb form developed in the early part of the 1300s, but it initially meant, "to become or turn brown," and it wasn't until the 1500s that the meaning "to make something brown, to turn something brown" became prevalent. "Brown's" Germanic relatives are German "braun" (pronounced pretty much like its English cousin, not like "brawn," as many pronounce it), Low German "bruun" (Low German is not a standard language, but rather a number of dialects, and in some of those dialects the word is "brun"), West Frisian "brún," Dutch "bruin," Danish, Norwegian and Swedish all have "brun," and Icelandic has "brúnn." Latin borrowed the word from Germanic Frankish; thus, there are forms in a number of Latin-based languages.   

English Oxford Sausages

Oxford sausages date to the 1720s in Oxford, England (where did you think it would be, Edinburgh, Scotland? haha). The usually skinless sausage became much more popular by the mid 1800s because of recipes included in various cookbooks. 

 

Ingredients:

 

1 pound ground pork

1 pound ground veal

1/4 cup shredded beef suet 

2 1/2 cups breadcrumbs

1 heaping tablespoon grated lemon peel

1/2 teaspoon ground mace

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon well crumbled dried sage leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram, crushed in the palm of your hand

1/2 teaspoon dried savory, crushed in the palm of your hand 

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1 teaspoon salt

flour to coat the sausages

 

Put all of the ingredients, except the flour, into a large bowl and mix everything together well. Let the sausage mixture sit for about 10 to 15 minutes. It's best to use a little flour on your hands, then form the the mixture into sausages (roll them between the palms of your hands). Put the sausages on a plate, cover them with some plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least six hours, but 12 hours is better. Before cooking the sausages, roll them in a little flour to coat them (shake off excess flour). You can fry, bake or grill the sausages.  

 

I had Oxford sausages with mashed potatoes ...

WORD HISTORY:

Tallow-The origins of this word are uncertain, but Old Germanic had "talga(z)," which seems to have meant not just "fat," but "firm or solidified fat," with the "firm, solidified" meaning perhaps having been the original meaning of the word, as Gothic, an ancient Germanic language of the East Germanic branch of the Germanic languages had "tulgus," meaning "firm, solid, steady." (Gothic died out completely in the 1700s, but it had been very much reduced in usage long before that.) The Old Germanic form gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "tælg," which meant "dye" (perhaps from the idea that 'dye' becomes fast in materials?). By the mid 1300s the form became a number of spellings/pronunciations, like "talugh, talgh, talwugh," and the meaning fell in line with its Germanic relatives of being "hard or solid animal fat," with the meaning "seemingly" taken from its close cousin Low German. Eventually English settled on "tallow." The verb form came about in the 1400s from the noun and meaning, "to use tallow to grease or lubicrate." Forms in the other Germanic languages: German has "Talg" (borrowed from Low German "talch" in the first part of the 1500s), Low German has "Talg" (previously "talch"), Dutch has "talk" (not pronounced as the English word of the same spelling, but more like as if, "tall-k"), West Frisian "talk," Old Norse had "tolg/talg," but this may have been borrowed from Low German. Old Norse speakers had lots of contact with Low German speakers, and influences went in both directions, and Danish, Norwegian and Swedish all have "talg," while Icelandic has "tólg/tólgur."       

Bacon Jam

The Austrian state of Styria (German: Steiermark, capital: Graz) saw the development of "Verhackert(es)," seemingly the forerunner of bacon jam. Verhackert(es) is well ground bacon, garlic, salt and sometimes paprika or pepper mixed together to form a spread that is eaten on bread. "Verhackert(es)" is a word closely related to English "hack."

 

Ingredients:

 

1 pound thick sliced bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup apple juice

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons thick ketchup 

In a skillet over medium heat, saute the bacon until the fat is rendered. Remove the bacon to a paper towel to drain pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Turn down the heat to low and add the finely chopped onion to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until the onions brown and caramelize (this can take about 10 minutes or more). Add the garlic, brown sugar and cider vinegar, stir well until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium briefly until it begins to boil, then again reduce the heat to low and stir in the apple juice, being sure to scape up and browned bits from the skillet. Add the bacon, the black pepper and stir in the ketchup. Cook the mixture over low heat until it thickens.  

 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Champ/Chomp/Jam-The origin of the verb "champ"^ is uncertain, although many believe it to be imitative of the sound of "noisy chewing." The word seems to show up about 1400 as ''chamb'' and "chammen," with the meaning "to chew." Later, when potatoes were brought from the New World and became acceptable in Europe (they were initially thought to be poisonous, as were tomatoes), the Irish developed a dish of mashed potatoes and scallions (green onions) they called "champ," perhaps because the ingredients were seemingly "chewed up;" that is, "mashed together?" Or perhaps because of the chewing sound necessary to eat the dish, as more and more the word "champ" carried the notion of not only "chewing," but of "the sound of chewing," of "noisily chewing." The mid 1600s saw the development of the variant "chomp" in the American Colonies. In the early 1700s, the word "jam" shows up, and it is likely from "champ," with the idea of "jaws or teeth pressing together" carrying over to jam, "to wedge between, to press together." The noun form for "fruit and sugar cooked together for a spread or tart filling" is from about 1740, and its development is likely from the same idea as the Irish potato dish mentioned above. "Being in a jam;" that is, "being in a difficult situation," traces to the early 1900s.

 

^ The noun "champ" is simply an American English shortening of "champion" from circa 1870.  

Irish Lemonade

I use a tall 12 ounce glass for this; so, the amounts I've given below are for that size glass. You should adjust the ingredient amounts according to the size glass you use, and to suit your own tastes. I generally make my own lemonade. I don't care much for strong sour tastes, and by making my own lemonade, I can easily make it to my own taste preference. Just be sure to get the sugar dissolved completely. 

 

Ingredients: 

 

2 ounces Irish whiskey (Jameson and Bushmills are best known, but there are others)

4 to 5 ounces lemonade (homemade or store bought)

good dash of angostora bitters*

2 ounces club soda (it adds a little 'fizz')

a few ice cubes

fresh mint leaves for garnish

 

In a glass, mix together the Irish whiskey, lemonade, bitters and club soda. Add a few ice cubes and garnish with some fresh leaves. If you want some mint taste in the drink, crush the leaves a little in the palm of your hand, then add them right into the lemonade and stir. 

 

* Angostura bitters is an herb and spice mixture, with an alcohol content, used as a flavoring agent, and invented in the 1820s by a German doctor who was an immigrant to Venezuela. It is made in Trinidad and Tobago.

WORD HISTORY:

Bulge-This word is distantly related to "ball," "bellows," "belly," all words from the Germanic roots of English, to "bale" (bundle, package), a Germanic word absorbed into French from Frankish and borrowed by English from French, and it is more closely related to "budget" and to "bilge," Celtic derived words borrowed by Latin and passed to Latin-based French and then borrowed by English. "Bulge" goes back to Indo European "bhelgh," which had the notion of "swell, inflate, expand in size."

This gave Old Celtic "bulgos/bolgos," meaning "stomach, bag," and this gave Gaulish "bulga(s)," with the same meanings. This then was borrowed into Latin as "bulga," which meant "leather bag, pouch." A leather pouch was used to hold money. Old French, a Latin-based language, inherited the word as "boulge," also with the meaning "leather pouch/bag, often used for money." English borrowed the word circa 1200 as "bulge," and also meaning "leather bag, leather money pouch," but the idea of a money bag filled with money gave the notion of "protuberance," which gradually became the main meaning by the 1600s. The verb form developed in the 1600s and became more common by the latter part of the century.

Risotto With Scallops: Risotto con Capesante

For this recipe I first used bay scallops, which are a small type of scallops, but you could certainly use sea scallops, then cut them into smaller sizes, which is what I did about a week later when I made the dish again. I say "smaller sizes," because sea scallops have quite a variation in size, with some being the diameter of a golf ball, while others can be the diameter of a baseball or even larger.

 

The risotto should not be dry, nor should it be runny, but rather it should be creamy. The important thing is to keep stirring the rice, as this process removes some of the starchy coating of the rice to help add the creaminess to the risotto. Arborio rice is a great variety of rice to use for risotto. Arborio rice originally came from northwestern Italy in the area around Turin (Italian: Torino) and a little town named "Arborio." The rice is now also grown elsewhere in the world, including in the United States. 

Ingredients:

 

1 pound scallops

4 tablespoons butter (divided use)

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

1 1/3 cups dry white wine

2 cups clam (or seafood) broth

2 cups vegetable stock 

good pinch of salt

(optional) the top 1 1/2 inches of each spear from 1 pound of asperagus 

 

In a skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add the scallops and garlic and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, until the scallops begin to lightly brown, then add 1/3 cup of white wine and saute further until only a couple of tablespoons of liquid remain. Sprinkle a little salt onto the scallops.

 

In a heavy-bottomed pan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat, then add the finely chopped onion. Stir constantly as you saute the onion for about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the rice and mix everything together well in the buttery mixture for about 90 seconds. Now add the dry white wine and stir pretty much constantly (you don't need to stir vigorously) until the wine is down to a few tablespoons and then add 1 cup clam/seafood broth and 1 cup vegetable broth. Again stir until the liquid is reduced by more than half, then add 1/2 cup clam/seafood broth and 1/2 cup vegetable stock. Follow the same pattern of stirring, and, if using asparagus tips, after the liquid heats up, add the asparagus while you continue to stir. Add the scallop mixture from the skillet and keep stirring until the asparagus is tender, but still firm (not mushy).

 

Top two photos are with scallops and asparagus tips and the third and fourth photos are just with bay scallops ...

WORD HISTORY: 

Fierce-This word is related to "feral" and to "ferocity," both Latin-derived words borrowed by English via French, and to "ferocious," a Latin word borrowed directly from Latin. It goes back to Indo European "gwher," which meant, "wild animal, wild beast." This gave Latin the adjective "ferus," meaning "wild, untamed, savage," from a "likely" Italic form of "feros" (wild, savage).^ Latin-based Old French took the word as "fers" (masculine singular form), meaning, "wild, mighty, harsh, savage;" thus, "fierce, ferocious," which became "fiers" in the French dialect in England. English borrowed the word in the mid 1200s as "fiers," essentially with the same meanings, although the meaning "brave, bold" arose for awhile (perhaps seen as the result of being fierce and ferocious?), but died out after a couple of hundred years (by the mid 1500s?).   

 

^  Italic is a branch of the Indo European family of languages and includes Latin, Umbrian, Venetic, and others, most of which have died out. Latin's own limited use today is mainly because its dialects evolved into several modern languages: Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Rumanian, Catalan, Sardinian, and several others. 

German Eggs in Mustard Sauce: Senfeier

While this dish is a common one with Germans at any time of year, it is especially common in the days following Easter, as families have lots of boiled eggs on hand, and this is a good way to use them up. If you like mustard, this is a recipe for you. "Senf" is the standard German word for "mustard," a word that was borrowed by Old Germanic from Latin, which had borrowed it from Greek. "Seemingly," Old English once had "senap" from its Germanic parent, but it's not a well attested word.  

 

Frequently served with boiled potatoes as an accompaniment.

 

Ingredients:

 

6 eggs, hard boiled (or 8 minute eggs) 

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 large clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups half and half

2 tablespoons German hot (scharf) mustard 

1 heaping tablespoon grainy mustard (körniger Senf)

1/2 teaspoon salt 

 

Begin heating water in a pan large enough to hold the eggs and deep enough to hold water to cover the eggs by about an inch. (NOTE: In the U.S. especially, eggs are almost always refrigerated. So if you have refrigerated eggs, place them in a little WARM water, NOT hot, for a few minutes to essentially bring them to room temperature.) In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the finely chopped onion. Saute for about 2 minutes. If the butter begins to brown, lift the skillet from the heat and reduce the heat to low. Add the minced garlic and saute a further minute. Sprinkle the flour over the onion/garlic mixture and stir until it is mixed in to form a roux. If you turned the heat to low earlier, now return the heat to medium and gradually stir in the vegetable broth which should begin to thicken quickly. Now gradually stir in the half and half and continue stirring as the sauce thickens. Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the two types of mustard and the salt. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more half and half (or just milk), until you get a good consistency. When the water begins to boil, lower the room temperature eggs into the water one at a time (I use a large spoon ), and boil the eggs for 11 or 12 minutes for hard boiled, but I prefer 8 minutes for this recipe, which should leave a still moist looking yolk for the eggs. You must immediately plunge the eggs into cold water after 8 minutes to stop the cooking process. The German term for this cooked egg is "wachsweich," literally "wax soft" (the English relative of "weich" developed to be "weak," get it? Soft ... weak?). After the eggs have cooled a bit, peel them and cut them lengthwise. Spoon some of the mustard sauce onto a plate and then lay some of the egg halves on top. Serve with some boiled potatoes on the side of the plate.     

 

 

 "Senfeier," Eggs in Mustard Sauce with boiled potatoes and some arugula ...

WORD HISTORY:

Welt-This word for a raised and inflamed bump on the skin is related to "waltz," a word derived from Germanic that English borrowed from German, to "wallow," a word from the Germanic roots of English, and it is distantly related to the verb "vault" (leap over), a Latin-derived word borrowed via French (which had it from Italian), to the noun "vault" (arched roof), a word from Latin also borrowed via French, and to "revolve," another Latin-derived word borrowed from Latin, with French reinforcement, or the other way around. "Welt" goes back to Indo European "wel," which had the notion "to roll, to turn, to revolve." This gave Old Germanic "waltijanan," meaning, "to roll," and this gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "wyltan/wieltan," meaning "to roll," and this then became "welten," meaning "to roll over;" thus, "to twist, to wind (long 'i')," and the spelling and meaning were likely influenced by the related Old Norse form "velta," which meant "to roll over." By the early decades of the 1400s the noun "welt" had developed from the verb and meant "the twisted seam that joined parts of shoes that was similar to a ridge." By circa 1800, this ridge-like seam was applied to inflamed bumps on the skin that resembled such a ridge. While there are relatives of "welt" in other Germanic languages, from what I can tell, none has developed this meaning.     

3 Cheese Macaroni & Meat Sauce Casserole

 

 I'd say this is "Italian-American," rather than truly "Italian."

 

 

Ingredients:

 

2/3 pound sweet Italian sausage (removed from the casing)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided use)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup shredded carrot

1 can (28 ounces) peeled tomatoes, crushed

1 can (14 to 15 ounces) regular tomato sauce

1 teaspoon Gravy Master or Kitchen Bouquet mixed with 1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon dried oregano (crushed in the palm of your hand)

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes 

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup dry macaroni, cooked in lightly salted water

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup shredded fontina

1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano

In a skillet over medium heat, add 2 teaspoons of olive oil and then add the chopped onion and the sausage and keep stirring and breaking up the sausage as it cooks. Cook until the sausage is lightly browned, then add the carrot and garlic and cook for another 90 seconds. Add the crushed tomatoes and bring to a simmer for 3 minutes, stirring a little. Add the tomato sauce, Gravy Master/Kitchen Bouquet and water mixture, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, sugar and salt, stir well to mix. Turn the heat to low (or you'll have sauce spattered all over everything, including your outdoor doormat), and gently simmer the sauce for about 15 minutes, stirring often. If the sauce is too thick, add a little water to thin it out. Meanwhile, cook the macaroni in some lightly salted water until it is almost done. Drain the macaroni and stir it into the sauce. Swirl 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil in a casserole dish, then empty the macaroni mixture into the casserole. Drizzle another 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the top, then distribute the shredded mozzarella over the top, followed by the shredded fontina and finally sprinkle on the grated Pecorino Romano. Put the lid or aluminum foil on the casserole and bake in a preheated 350 F oven for about 40 minutes, then remove the lid and bake at 400 F until the cheese browns lightly.     

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Tone-This word is related to quite a number of words. A few examples: it is really the same word as "tune" (collection of sounds into a song or melody), it is closely related to "tonic," a word borrowed from Greek, it is distantly related to "tendon," a word English borrowed from Latin, which had gotten it from Greek, to the adjective "tense" (also the verb), borrowed from Latin, and to "tense," the noun (used in reference to the time form of a verb, as in, "Do I use the present tense or the past tense in this sentence?"), a word borrowed from French, which had it from Latin, to "tender," the verb, borrowed from French, which had it from Latin, and "tender," the adjective, likewise borrowed from French, which had it from Latin (but from a different Latin word than the verb), and to "thin," a word from the Germanic roots of English. It goes back to Indo European "ten," which meant, "to stretch, to stretch out." This gave transliterated Ancient Greek the verb "teínein," which meant, "to extend, to spread," and this produced the noun "tónos," meaning "rope" (materials wound together and then extended to tie or secure something), which developed the secondary meaning, "tension," from the idea of "taut rope," and further, "accent, voice stress, intonation," from the sound made by various degrees of tension applied to rope or cords when plucked. Latin borrowed this as "tonus," with the same general meanings, but with "particular sound or pitch of something" gaining in prominence, with Latin-based Old French taking the word as "ton." English borrowed the word from French in the mid 1300s, but with influence from Latin, and that influence likely brought about the later spelling with the ending 'e' to signify the 'o' being long. The mid 1600s saw the use for "firm body" begin, and the mid 1700s brought the additional meaning "attitude expressed in spoken (later even in written) words." The idea of high and low pitch in sound came to be used figuratively for shades of color.         

Scallops & Polenta with Herbs

Like many types of seafood, scallops are pretty expensive, with sea scallops being larger and more expensive than bay scallops. Sea scallops are able to stand up to the hot oil and cooking process better than the small, more tender and sweeter tasting bay scallops. The cooking process is done to sear the sea scallops a bit, but without overdoing it, and the amount of ground red pepper should not leave your mouth smoking like a furnace; rather, the red pepper and the paprika should just provide a tad of seasoning, later topped by a sprinkle of fresh lemon juice. If you prefer, you can replace the red pepper with ground black pepper.

 

Ingredients (4 servings):

 

24 large sea scallops

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground red pepper (like cayenne) to dust the scallops (or ground black pepper)

1/2 teaspoon sweet Spanish paprika (smoked)

4  tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons lemon juice

For the polenta:

1 cup quick cooking polenta (also called instant)

2 1/2 cups milk

1 1/3 cup water (more if needed)

2 tablespoons butter

3  tablespoons heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1 heaping tablespoon fresh sage leaves, chopped

1 heaping tablespoon parsley or cilantro, chopped

 

Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spread the scallops out on a plate or platter. (If the scallops are particularly moist, dab them lightly with a paper towel to remove any heavy amount of moisture). Lightly sprinkle the scallops with ground red pepper (or ground black pepper) and sweet paprika, then place the scallops in the skillet, seasoned side down. Now add the butter and let it melt as you season the top side of the scallops (you may have to do all of this in two batches). Turn the scallops over (after about 2 1/2 minutes, and they and the red pepper/paprika should be lightly browned) and cook them on the other side for about another two minutes, but allow whatever time is needed to cook the scallops through. When the scallops are cooked through, remove the skillet from the heat and sprinkle on the lemon juice.

 

Meanwhile, in a heavy bottom sauce pan over medium heat, heat the milk and water until it just starts to boil, then stir in the polenta little by little (initially using a whisk is recommended; it will help to prevent lumps), then continue stirring (I usually change to a spoon) until the polenta is nice and thick (4 to 6 minutes?). Stir in the butter and cream, then add the thyme, sage and parsley/cilantro. Mix together well. 

To serve: add some polenta to a shallow bowl or to a plate, then top with some scallops and a little of the butter/oil from the pan, along with a little chopped parsley or cilantro. Add a lemon wedge for those who want more lemony flavor.

 

WORD HISTORY:

Scallop-This word is related to "shell," "scale" (patches of skin), "scale" (weighing device), all from Germanic, but only "shell" is an original English word from its Germanic roots, as "scale" (patches of skin) was borrowed from French, which had it from Germanic Frankish, the word "scale" meaning "weighing device" is really simply from the Old Norse form of "shell," but this specific meaning came to English from Old Norse. "Scallop" goes back to Indo European "skel," which had the notion "to cut, to split, to chip." This gave Old Germanic the root "skal/skel," with the meaning, "to split, to divide," which gave Frankish, a Germanic dialect/language, "skala," with the meaning, "husk, shell," and this was absorbed into Old French as "escale, meaning, "shell," which then produced "escalope," meaning, "the shell of a nut." English borrowed the word in the later 1300s or very early 1400s, initially as "scalop," but the second 'l' was added not long thereafter. Originally it meant "shell of the sea creature (a scallop)," but that designation quickly transferred to the sea creature itself, and thus, to the creature's interior flesh (abductor muscle). The larger shells of the scallops were used as baking dishes, and the bright colored wavy shells were also used to pattern decorative designs. These brought about the verb usage beginning in the late 1600s for the idea of "designing something to look like the curves of a scallop shell," and then a few decades later to mean "to cook in a scallop-shaped dish." English had borrowed French "escalope" (see above) circa 1500, meaning, "the edge of something shaped like a scallop shell." The French word had developed the meaning, "the way to cut veal into pieces" in circa 1690, perhaps from the idea of cutting the veal into pieces resembling scallop pieces, then later, "to cut meat or fish into thin slices," but why this meaning developed is uncertain (perhaps just a further development of cutting the meat?). "Escalope" is not a terribly common word in the United States, where you are more likely to see it on a menu in an upscale restaurant, but the average American is likely not all that familiar with the word, although they might well connect it with "scallop." How commonly it is used in England or in other English speaking countries or regions, I don't know.