Persian Rice Pilaf & Chicken: Zereshk Polo Morgh

 

I've seen various recipes for this dish and they are all similar. Persian cooks often take their time and complete several steps in the preparation. Some people make more of the fruit and nut mixture and then  mix it throughout all of the rice, while others do as I've done here, and they put a small amount of the fruit and nuts mixed with some cooked rice on top of each serving or platter of cooked rice. The rice should not come out all sticky or clumped together, but rather more as individual grains. 

 

This is much more of a dinner than just a dish, so there's a lot going on here and I know it might look intimidating, but it really isn't difficult. Persians generally use barberries in this. Barberries are used in various parts of the world, and they are a tart berry from a type of evergreen bush. They are not terribly common in the United States, but they can be easily found online, if you want authenticity, or if you just want to try something new. I substituted dried sour cherries, but you can also use dried cranberries (preferably unsweetened) in addition to, or instead of, dried cherries and raisins. Persians often use skinless chicken, but you can use skin-on chicken (note: if I use skinless chicken in a particular recipe, I sometimes add the removed skin to cook alongside the skinless chicken to add flavor; I leave it in large enough pieces that it can be fished out, but if you are using skinless chicken for health concerns, that's a totally different matter). The red pepper isn't much, so it won't leave your mouth smoking. I use pistachios, but almonds (skins removed) can also be used as a substitute, or almonds can be used along with the pistachios. Saffron is an expensive spice from crocus flowers. If you don't have saffron and you don't care to buy it, you can substitute turmeric, in addition to the amount I already have in the recipe. The cardamom pods should be crushed or slit to allow the flavor of the seeds inside to easily be released.    

 

Ingredients:

 

4 whole chicken legs (that is the drumstick and thigh together)

2 cups basmati rice

6 cups water seasoned with 1 tablespoon salt to cook the rice initially

1/2 cup water to finish cooking the rice

1 teaspoon saffron in 1/4 cup hot water (divided use after soaking)

2 tablespoons olive oil + 2 tablespoons butter

1 cup chopped white or yellow onion

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon salt

2 whole slightly crushed and opened cardamom pods

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 good pinch ground red pepper (Indian, cayenne or other)

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 cup chicken stock

3 tablespoons butter

1 heaping teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup dried cherries

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup shelled and lightly roasted pistachios

 

Soak the basmati rice in some cold water from the faucet while you do other things for the recipe. Grind the saffron into a powder. A mortar and pestle is good for this, but you can use a spice grinder. Put the saffron into a small cup and add 1/4 cup hot water, stir and let it sit while the rice finishes soaking. In a large skillet, add the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and saute for 2 minutes. Add the salt, black pepper, pinch of ground red pepper, ground cinnamon, cardamom pods, ground turmeric and tomato paste; stir the spices and tomato paste to mix everything together well. Now snuggle the chicken pieces in among the onion/spice mixture. Cook for about 2 minutes, then keep turning the chicken pieces to coat them with the mixture. Cook for 4 or 5 minutes, then add 1 cup chicken stock, stir, cover the skillet with a lid or foil, turn the heat to low and let cook until the chicken is done and tender, removing the cover/lid on occasion to stir and to turn the chicken pieces. Add 1/2 the saffron water, stir and let cook just like 3 minutes. In a pan, add 6 cups water and 1 tablespoon salt, bring to a full boil. While the water is coming to a boil, drain the soaking rice, and once the water is fully boiling, add the rice to the water. Cook for 6 minutes ONLY (taste a piece of rice, the rice should still have some firmness to it, the rice does NOT have to absorb all of the water at this stage the way we normally cook rice, so much of the water will be drained off). Pour the water and rice into a colander and once the hot water runs off, place the rice and colander under the faucet and let cold water run on it for a few minutes (this stops the cooking process for the rice). In the pan you just used, add the rice back in and 1/2 cup water over very low heat, cover. Let the rice finish cooking and absorbing all of the water (this time as we more typically cook rice). Remove from the heat, but put the lid back on, let the heaping rice sit covered for 15 minutes. While that is ongoing, melt 3 tablespoons butter in a skillet over low heat, add the dried cherries (barberries or dried cranberries), golden raisins, pistachios (I lightly dry roasted the pistachios briefly, but that's certainly optional), 1 heaping teaspoon sugar and the rest of the saffron water. Stir and toss the fruits and nuts in the sweetened mixture. Now add 5 tablespoons of the cooked rice to the fruit and nut mixture and stir and toss to mix everything together very well (the rice will take on the color of the sweetened mixture). Serve by placing some of the cooked white rice on each plate, then topping each with some of the fruit/nut/seasoned rice mixture. Place a whole chicken leg next to the rice dish and add a little of the chicken sauce over the chicken pieces.  

 

           

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Cadence-This word is related to "chance" and to "case" (the noun form meaning, "the state or condition of something, something that happens;" as in, "in this case," "a court case," also the grammatical sense, "nominative case, accusative case, etc"), both words of Latin origin borrowed by English from Latin-based French, and it is related to "cadaver," a word borrowed by English from Latin. "Cadence" goes back to Indo European "khad/kad," which had the meaning, "to fall." This gave Latin "cadere," which meant, "to fall." A participle form of this verb, cadens, produced Latin "cadentia," meaning, "something that falls out, the falling out of dice (the action of such)." This passed into Italian as "cadenza," meaning "falling," but also, "the ending of a piece of music" (from the idea of "rising and falling of the rhythm and sound to end a song). This was taken by French (the basic form came from Latin, but with the extended meaning taken from Italian), and English borrowed the word in the late 1300s "seemingly" from French, but almost certainly with Italian (and perhaps Latin?) influence. It is possible that the borrowing was from Italian, but the spelling was then influenced by French. "Cadence" has since expanded the meaning to the rising and falling of one's voice in speech. 

Jamaican Sweet Potato Wedges & Sauces

Sweet potato fries or wedges are wonderful and they are well known in Jamaica, where they are often baked, not fried. Good fresh red or orange sweet potatoes are commonly used, and jerk seasoning, a Jamaican specialty, is a good way to add flavor to these crispy outside, soft and creamy inside sweet potato pieces.   

Ingredients (3 to 4 servings):

 

1 pound sweet potatoes (red or orange flesh), peeled

2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, canola oil or sunflower oil

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3 or 4 tablespoons jerk seasoning, store bought or homemade*

 

Cut the peeled sweet potatoes into wedges or narrower fries, if you prefer, and put them into a bowl, add vegetable oil and toss to coat the sweet potatoes. Stir together the jerk seasoning and cornstarch in a cup or small bowl, then sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potatoes and toss the wedges again to be sure all of the wedges get some of the spices. Let the wedges sit while you prepare to bake them. Begin to heat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with foil and lay the sweet potato wedges out on the baking sheet. When the oven is hot, place the tray in the oven and bake the wedges for about 30 to 40 minutes, turning the wedges once at the 18 minute mark (you may have to adjust the time according to how thick you cut the sweet potato wedges/fries). Check to be sure the sweet potatoes are done with a fork or a knife. They should be fairly crispy. Serve with curry aioli** or perhaps some sweet and spicy mango sauce: remove the flesh of one not quite ripe mango (slightly larger than a baseball in size) and add it to a blender or food processor. Remove the stem and seeds from one scotch bonnet chili pepper (or habanero chili) and add it to the blender/processor. Add 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, 1 quarter inch sliced round of onion (that is, the whole slice and all its rings), 1 large clove of garlic, 1 teaspoon white vinegar and 3 teaspoons honey. Blend/process until smooth. 

 

* To make your own dry jerk seasoning mix, here is the link:  https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2021/12/jamaican-jerk-seasoning-dry.html

 

** For curry aioli, here is the link:  https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2022/01/curry-aioli.html

 

 Some sweet potato wedges with mango sauce and curry aioli ...

 

WORD HISTORY:

Isolate (isolated)-This word is related to "isle," a word borrowed by English from French, which had it from Latin, but the ultimate origin of which is unknown. Neither "isolate" nor "isle" is related to "island," a word from the Germanic roots of English, which began to have the 's' inserted in its spelling in the 1500s in imitation of "isle." "Isolate" goes back to the Latin noun "insula," which meant "island," but as noted, where this comes from is unknown, although a form such as "in salo," meaning "in salt water;" that is, "in the sea," has been proposed. From "insula" came the Latin adjective "insulatus," meaning "make into or like an island, island-like," and this gave Italian "isolato," meaning "lonely, cut off from (thus, 'isolated')," and this was borrowed by French as "isole," with the same meaning. English borrowed the word and rendered it as "isolated" in the mid 1700s. English dropped the ending to form the verb "isolate" in the 1780s/1790s, but kept the adjectival form "isolated" as the participle form of the verb. The further meaning of "to quarantine" for the verb, "quarantined" for the adjective, and "(a) quarantine" in the noun form "isolation," seem to date from the late 1800s. The noun form "isolation"  seems to have been borrowed from French around 1800, where it had developed just a few years before from "isole," although there is a case to be made that it simply developed as such in English, but with the French inspired ending, itself from -tion, cion, which were derived from Latin "(t)io."    

Coconut Pudding

This is easy, but you have to pay attention to the milk mixture as it heats and you need to keep whisking.

Ingredients (4 to 6 servings):

 

2 cups milk

1/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

good pinch salt

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup shredded sweetened coconut

whipped cream 

toasted coconut for garnish

 

In a pan, heat milk, sugar, cornstarch, salt, egg and egg yolk over medium heat, whisk constantly until thickened, then remove from the heat. (Note: Put the ingredients in at the very start, this will let the egg/egg yolks gradually heat up and that, along with constant whisking, will keep the eggs from scrambling. You CANNOT heat the milk and other ingredients and then just add the eggs, they will curdle.) Whisk in vanilla and butter (the butter will melt in the hot pudding), then stir in the shredded coconut. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Serve with whipped cream and toasted coconut (toast in dry skillet over low heat until it starts to brown, stirring and shaking the skillet to prevent having the coconut burn).

WORD HISTORY:

Citadel-This word is related to "city" and to "civil," words of Latin derivation and borrowed by English from Latin-based French, and it is distantly related to "cemetery," a word of Greek derivation borrowed by Latin and taken by Latin-based French and then borrowed by English. "Citadel" goes back to Indo European "k(h)ei," with the meaning "settle, lie down;" thus, "homestead," and also the figurative noun sense, "family." This gave Latin "civis," meaning "resident of a town;" thus, "citizen," and this produced Latin "civitas," which meant "the rights of being a citizen (originally of Rome);" thus, "citizenship." This produced Old Italian "cittade," meaning "city," the diminutive form of which in Italian became "cittadella." Cities were often walled many years ago, but people began settling outside of city walls in increasing numbers. These expanded cities often had the old walled city in the interior of the city; thus, the meaning developed for "citadel" as a fortress within a city, a strongly fortified part of a city." French borrowed the word from Italian as "citadelle" and English borrowed the word from French in the mid 1500s.

Sicilian Pesto Bruschetta

What many people likely think of as pesto is green and it originated in Genoa (Italian: Genova) in northwestern Italy; thus, it is called "pesto alla genovese." The pesto for this bruschetta is called "pesto alla trapanese;" that is, pesto of Trapani, a city in western Sicily, where it is often used as the sauce for a twisted style of pasta called "busiate." Bruschetta is made with whole slices of bread grilled or otherwise toasted, that is immediately rubbed with garlic and brushed with olive oil, then often sprinkled with salt or topped with other items, like with this pesto, and it is served while still warm. Bruschetta's little sister is crostini, made from smaller slices of bread, that are then grilled or toasted and given various toppings. Baguettes or similar are often used for crostini, as they are of a smaller diameter than regular loaves of bread. 

 

Ingredients:

 

For the Pesto:

 

1/2 cup skinless almonds, toasted lightly

1/2 cup Roma tomatoes, blanched, peeled, cored and chopped

1 cup grape tomatoes, skin on, rinsed and drained, then dried on paper towels 

1 loosely packed cup fresh basil (about 20 to 25 leaves)

12 to 15 fresh mint leaves

4 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or 1 small whole red chili pepper

1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese (this is a sheep's milk cheese)

1/2 teaspoon salt (or more, but remember, the cheese is salty) 

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (more if you want a thinner pesto)

Toast almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat until some light browning starts to show. To a blender or a food processor, add the almonds and processor for just a few seconds to get started, then add the Roma tomatoes and the grape tomatoes, garlic, basil, mint, red pepper flakes or chili pepper, salt, and process for about 20 seconds, then drizzle in the olive oil while processing slowly until the pesto is combined (continue until smooth, if you like it that way, or stop when it retains some chunkiness). Empty into a bowl or jar and stir in the Pecorino Romano by hand. 

 

For the Bruschetta

 

bread or rolls (sliced)

garlic

extra virgin olive oil

 

Toast the bread or sliced rolls, rub with garlic and add some extra virgin olive oil, then spread on some of the "pesto alla trapanese," top with some tomato slices and olives, serve immediately while still a little warm.

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Pesto-This word is related to "pestle" and to "pistil," words of Latin derivation borrowed by English via French. "Pesto" goes back to Indo European "peis," which meant, "to crush." This gave Latin "pinsere," meaning, "to beat, to pound, to stamp, to crush." This then became "pistare," meaning "to crush, to pound," which then became "pestare." The noun "pesto" comes from either a short form (or common spoken form? or dialect?) of the past participle of "pestare," which is "pestato,"^ or from the first person singular form which is "pesto;" thus, "I crush" or "I crush (by pounding)." English borrowed the word in the late 1930s from Italian.

^ This would make the literal meaning of the noun, "that which has been crushed."

Moroccan Chicken with Couscous: Chicken Tagine

A "tagine" is a type of North African pottery dish used for cooking stews. The name of this cooking dish has given its name to the stews cooked in such a dish, and besides chicken, these stews may have lamb, beef, fish or vegetables as the main ingredient. In Tunisia, recipes generally are not stews, but rather much more of a type of omelette, like a frittata. Tagine cooking dishes are often, but not always, glazed and decorated with designs, some of which can be quite colorful. The basic dish is a shallow flat bottom dish, but there is a sort of domed top for the tagine. You needn't run out and buy a tagine for this recipe, as you can just use a heavy bottom pan (preferably with a lid, but you can use foil) and large enough to hold the contents.

Most recipes I've seen for this dish use boneless, skinless chicken, although I have seen a few recipes that use cut up skin on, on the bone chicken pieces. Skin on chicken has more flavor, but when a recipe uses boneless and skinless chicken, I often use that, BUT I also buy a bone-in, skin-on piece of chicken or two and cook it with the dish, then remove it at the end of cooking. 

 

This chicken tagine is usually served with Moroccan couscous, a type of pasta made with semolina flour. In Morocco the couscous is of very small grains of pasta, and it is smaller than the couscous of the Middle East, Israeli and Lebanese, which are larger and take longer to cook. Harissa is a paste of hot chili peppers usually seasoned with some spices. Both harissa and preserved lemons are often available in supermarkets, in spice shops and certainly in many Middle Eastern grocery stores. You can substitute some freshly grated lemon peel or strips of lemon peel for the preserved lemon, and you can add some cayenne pepper, sambal oelek (an Indonesian sauce of chopped chili peppers, also made in the United States), or any hot sauce to your liking, or you can just add an extra 1 or 2 fresh hot chilies as a substitute for the harissa.    

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken (chicken breast or thighs, or mixture of the two)

1 whole skin on/bone in chicken thigh

1 whole skin on/bones in chicken wing

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 inch piece ginger, grated, finely chopped, or thinly sliced

1 cup of either butternut squash, acorn squash, pumpkin or peeled sweet potato, diced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 two inch cinnamon stick

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 or 2 whole chili peppers, slit cut in it/them

1 tablespoon harissa

1/2 cup raisins

1 1/2 tablespoons honey

1 2/3 cups chicken stock

1 14 to 16 ounce can chickpeas, drained (also known as garbanzo beans)

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1 small preserved lemon (or 1/2 regular sized preserved lemon)

1/4 cup pitted green olives, halved

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a heavy bottom pan. Saute the onion, garlic and ginger for just like 2 minutes, then add the chicken pieces, including the whole pieces, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon stick, ground coriander, chili pepper, harissa, preserved lemon and chicken stock, cover and cook 20 minutes, then add the squash or sweet potato, honey and raisins; reduce heat to low, cover and cook for one hour. Add the slivered almonds and chickpeas, cook another 20 minutes, then stir in the green olive halves, and cook for two minutes. Check to be sure the chicken is done (it should be).

 

For the Couscous:

1 1/2 cups Moroccan couscous

1 2/3 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil 

(optional) 1/2 teaspoon salt

 

Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a sauce pan (with a lid). Add the butter, olive oil and salt (if using). Add the couscous and stir very well to mix. Let cook like 30 or 40 seconds, then shut off the heat and cover the pan with a lid for about 5 to 6 minutes. The broth should be completely absorbed. Fluff the couscous with a fork. 

 

  

WORD HISTORY:

Mattress-This word goes back to the transliterated Arabic root "tarh/trh," which had the notion of "throw, throw or toss away." This gave Arabic the verb "taraha," meaning, "to throw down, to throw away," which produced the noun "matrah" (the "ma" part was a noun forming prefix), which literally meant "the object thrown down," and which was used as "al matrah" for "the cushion or rug thrown onto the floor or ground to lie on." This was borrowed by Italian (via trade with North Africans in the early Middle Ages?) as "materasso," which was borrowed by French as "materas," and additionally reinforced directly by Arabic? English borrowed the word in around 1300 from French, initially in the French form "materas," but what became the modern spelling seems to have then been influenced by the Italian form. Of course too, modern mattresses are often made with springs and various padding.   

Bulgarian Salad: Shopska Salata

Bulgaria is a country in the Balkans bordering on the Black Sea in southeastern Europe. The country traces its history back to the Bulgars, one of the Turkic groups from Asia who eventually migrated into Europe. The Bulgars settled in a part of the Balkans and they mixed with the inhabitants there, many of whom were Slavic. This led to the Turkic language of the Bulgars being overtaken and replaced by the Slavic based language of the region that came to be called Bulgarian, which is written in Cyrillic, as are Serbian, Russian and Ukrainian, for instance.*

 

This salad is one of the national dishes of Bulgaria, with its main components providing the colors of the Bulgarian flag (white-green-red); however, the salad is also well known in Serbia and in Macedonia (North Macedonia), one of the former components of Yugoslavia.** Bulgarian sirene cheese is not easy to find, and you can substitute Bulgarian feta cheese, which might be a little easier to find, or just use Greek feta cheese, which is easy to find, although Bulgarian feta is more tart than its Greek cousin. NOTE: I get Bulgarian feta here in Cleveland at the "Culinary Specialties" shop at the West Side Market (it's not expensive).

 

Ingredients (4 to 5 servings):  

3 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 medium cucumber, peel on, split lengthwise and seeds scooped out, then chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 white or yellow onion 

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/3 cup sunflower oil (or Greek olive oil)

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup Bulgarian sirene cheese (substitute Bulgarian or Greek feta cheese), crumbled

(optional) some large green olives for garnish  

 

Add the tomatoes, cucumber, green and red bell peppers, onion and parsley to a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together well the oil, red wine vinegar, ground black pepper and salt. Refrigerate the vegetables and dressing mixture for a minimum of 2 hours, then mix the dressing well again and add it to the salad, tossing the vegetables to coat with the dressing. Top each serving with some crumbled cheese.  Optionally add some large green olives around the edge of each serving or on top.

 

* "Cyrillic" is a writing system developed back in about the 900s (A.D.) and it is named in honor of the Eastern Orthodox saint, Cyril.

 

** Macedonia is a region in the Balkans that has been contested by Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and (the former) Yugoslavia. The terminology "Macedonia" itself is controversial, as across the border lies the Greek region of Macedonia. When Yugoslavia dissolved in the early 1990s, its former component state of "Macedonia" became an independent country. In early 2019 the "official" name was changed to "(Republic of) North Macedonia," although many citizens there do not agree with the renaming. 

 

  

WORD HISTORY:

Desk-This word is related to "disk/disc" and to "dish," words tracing back to Greek, then borrowed by Latin and then borrowed by English, to "dais," a word borrowed from French, which had it from Latin, which had it from Greek. The ultimate origin of "desk" is unknown, but it goes back to transliterated Ancient Greek "diskos," meaning "a round, flat plate or stone." This was borrowed by Latin as "discus," meaning "dish, platter," and in Italian this devloped as "desco," meaning, "plate, platter," but also "table for eating," and "writing table for an official." Latin "seemingly" took the Italian form as "desca," with the "writing table" idea prevailing as the primary meaning by circa 1300, and English borrowed the word in the mid 1300s with that same meaning. The idea of a desk being used by officials or authorities in some capacity brought about usage in that sense, even though a physical desk was not necessarily involved, as in, weather or sports segments of news on radio or television, "Now for tonight's weather, here's Jim from the weather desk." A "desk job" came into use (late 1800s?) to contrast a clerical or official position with a job of manual labor.  

French Chicken with Vinegar: Poulet au Vinaigre

"Chicken with Vinegar," or "Poulet au Vinaigre," is a specialty of the French city of Lyon, dating back to the 1500s, 1600s or 1700s; take your pick, as historical information on the dish is scant. Serve with noodles, rice or mashed potatoes and a salad. You can use other parts of the chicken, but for this article I chose whole legs. There are quite a number of recipe variations, with red wine vinegar being the major preference, over the white wine vinegar that I use. Further, fresh or canned tomaotes are one of the other variations, but I chose to just use some tomato paste, although you can substitute ketchup, as the vinegar in the ketchup will simply blend in with the dish anyway. (Note: I needn't really tell you that using tomato paste can pose the problem of what to do with the unused portion, as many recipes call for 1 or 2 tablespoons of the paste. Of course there are tubes of tomato paste which can help with the problem, but if you aren't a prolific user of tomato paste, you'll still have a problem. I choose to frequently substitute ketchup, and to my knowledge, I have yet to turn into a pillar of salt; however, I did walk through some snow the other day, and IT MELTED! Another variation in some recipes is the amount of vinegar. I've seen recipes that call for what I view as "scary" amounts of vinegar, like 1 cup or more, and I'm not one to like a lot of sour taste in foods. Other recipes use 1/2 cup, but that's still a bit much for me, so about a year or two ago I tried using 1/3 cup, and while it was better, I finally settled upon using 1/4 cup, so if you like this dish, try it with 1/4 cup of vinegar and escalate the amount from there to see what you prefer. The old food preparation rule applies; in this case, to the use of vinegar: you can always add vinegar, but once you add it, try getting it out; so, use small amounts to start.        

 

Ingredients (4 servings): 

4 whole chicken legs

1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste (or thick ketchup)

2 tablespoon butter + 1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup dry white wine

1/4 to 1/3 cup white wine vinegar

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried tarragon

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt (if the broth is salty, you can leave this out)

1 cup cream

 

In a large skillet (it will need to be covered later; so preferably, a skillet with a lid, or you can cover it with foil), add the butter and oil over medium heat until the butter melts. Add the chicken and cook until it is browned ('about' 3 minutes per side). Remove the chicken to a plate, cover and set it aside temporarily. Add the onion to the skillet and to the existing oil/butter (add a little more oil if needed), then reduce the heat to low. Add the garlic and cook until the onion/garlic mixture is softened (like about 4 or 5 minutes). Add the tomato paste or thick ketchup, white wine, white wine vinegar, chicken broth, thyme, tarragon, black pepper and salt (if using). Keep the heat on low and let the mixture come to a simmer, then add the browned chicken pieces to the skillet, cover the skillet and let the chicken cook for about 50 to 60 minutes, until tender, stirring the liquid several times during the cooking process and spooning the sauce over any exposed chicken. Remove the chicken pieces to a plate and add the cream to the sauce, mix well and let the mixture just start to bubble and simmer over low heat for about 8 to 10 minutes, during which time the sauce should cook down to thicken the sauce a little. Return the chicken to the sauce to reheat it, then serve. 

 

With mashed potatoes and salad ... 

WORD HISTORY:

Opus (Opera)-These words are related to "operation," "copy" and "optimism," all Latin-derived words borrowed by English via French, and to "optimum," another Latin-derived word borrowed directly from that language by English. "Opus" goes back to Indo European "op," which meant "to work, to produce;" thus also, "to have ability to do (something);" thus also, "to have skill." This gave Latin the noun "opus" (perhaps via Italic "opis/opi/ope?" ^) meaning, "a work, a work of skill;" thus also, "a work of art or a composition of music or writing;" also in religious belief, "a miracle" ("a special work or deed beyond belief"). English borrowed the word from Latin circa 1810. Latin "opus" produced the verb "operari" (seemingly via the genitive case of 'opus,' which was 'operis') and meaning, "to work." This spawned the noun "opera," meaning, "a work, an effort," which carried over into Italian with the same general meaning, but also, "a composition." The specific meaning, "a dramatic work presented with orchestral music and vocals," seems to have developed in Florence (Italian: Firenze) in the latter part of the 1500s. English borrowed the word and this meaning from Italian in the mid 1600s.

 
^  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.

South African Gatsby Hoagie

This hoagie dates to the mid 1970s in Cape Town, South Africa and "supposedly" was named for the then hit movie "The Great Gatsby," starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow. I used 8 inch hoagie rolls, but you can use any size, or you can use any oblong bread roll and cut it to the size you prefer. In South Africa the finished hoagies are typically cut into pieces to be shared by several people.  

 

Ingredients (per 8 inch hoagie):

1 eight inch hoagie roll, baguette or other oblong white bread roll

4 slices bologna (aka "baloney")

1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil

1 cup (approximately) cooked french fries 

1 to 3 tablespoons Portuguese style piri piri, also known as peri peri sauce (or Tabasco sauce or other hot pepper sauce)*

1/4 cup ketchup

1/3 cup lettuce, chopped or shredded

If not already split, split the roll lengthwise, open it and let the open side toast for about a minute in a preheated skillet (medium heat). Remove the roll, set it aside briefly, and now heat the oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the bologna and fry until lightly browned on both sides (about 3 minutes total). Put the meat slices on the roll, top with french fries, then the hot sauce, ketchup and finally the lettuce. Close the sandwich and go for it!

 

* I have a recipe for a type of piri piri at this link:  https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2020/09/african-hot-pepper-sauce-pili-pili-piri.html

 

WORD HISTORY:

Bologna-This is the name of an Italian city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and in fact, the city is the capital of that region. "Bologna" is distantly related to "be" and to "bower," words from the Germanic roots of English. The origin of the name is from Indo European "bhu/bu," which meant, "to exist, to be, to live," with various extended meanings. This gave Celtic "bonu," which meant, "base, foundation;" that is, that which provides support for something else to exist;^ thus also, "a settlement." The Celts moved into the area of the future Bologna in the 4th Century B.C.E., calling their settlement "Bona." The Romans later took control of the area and rendered the city as "Bononia," which later became "Bologna" in Italian. While not everyone agrees as to the history of the sausage that bears the city's name, mortadella, a sausage with visible pieces of pork fat, was popular in Bologna and it became the basis for a variation that would come to be called "Bologna sausage" (circa 1600?), and English borrowed the term and simply shortened it to "bologna" in the mid 1800s, but the sausage is almost always pronounced as the variant form "baloney." The sausage has often held a lowly status with some, probably because it is usually made from leftover meat parts, and this likely led to the use of the term "baloney" being used for "nonsense, untrue statements, malarkey," with added emphasis by calling someone's story or statement "a bunch of baloney."    

 

^ See "Etymological Dictionary of Proto Celtic" by Ranko Matasović, Brill Publishing, Leiden (Netherlands) and Boston, 2009   

Moroccan Spice Blend: Ras El Hanout

"Ras el hanout" is a spice blend of varying combinations originally from Morocco, but also common in Algeria and Tunisia. Some recipes for "ras el hanout" can contain 2 or 3 dozen different spices! It is commonly used in these North African countries to season lamb, chicken, fish, rice and couscous (a type of pasta of small granules of semolina).  

Easy to make, as you're simply adding various dry spices to a container and then mixing them together. I kept the spices to the more easily obtainable types, but some types of ras el hanout in use in North Africa or imported into other countries may contain some truly exotic ingredients like "grains of paradise," "orris root," "dried rosebuds,'' and others. 

Ingredients (makes 1/2 cup spice mix):

2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons sweet/mild Spanish paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground red pepper, like cayenne
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cardamom

Use a jar, can or other container with a lid. Add all ingredients to the container, make sure to break up any "clumps" of spices with a fork or the back of a spoon, put the lid on and shake the container very well to mix. Shake the container each time before using the spice mix.   

WORD HISTORY:  

Magazine-This word goes back to the transliterated Arabic verb "khazana," meaning, "to store, to collect or amass." This produced a noun "makhzan," meaning "storehouse, warehouse," and its plural form was "makhazin." Italian borrowed the word as "magazzino" (1300s?), meaning "warehouse," which then expanded in meaning to include "goods stored in a magazzino." French took the word from Italian as "magasin" (likely reinforced by French contact with Arabic in North Africa), along with the meaning "warehouse," which then expanded to include "military materials' depot." English borrowed the word in the late 1500s with the meanings, "warehouse, storage facility for ammunition." The meaning of "collection of written articles" comes from the 1730s, but the idea "seems" to date to about a hundred years earlier when lists were made of items in "magazine storage facilities." Circa 1870 saw the spread of rifles capable of holding multiple cartridges, the gun's chamber being called a "magazine."    

French Connection Cocktail

A good cocktail that seemingly was invented in honor of the famous 1970's movie, "The French Connection."

Ingredients:

2 parts cognac
1 part amaretto
ice

 Use an "Old Fashioned" glass, also called a "rocks glass." Add ice, then add the cognac and amaretto, stir to mix.

WORD HISTORY:
Amaretto-This word seems to go back to an Indo European form like "ahm-ro," with the notion, "sour, bitter;" thus also by extension, "raw," and "harsh" (of taste and sound). This gave Latin the noun "amaror," meaning "bitterness," and the adjective "amarus," meaning "bitter." This gave Italian the adjective "amaro" meaning "bitter," as well as the noun of the same spelling ("amaro)," meaning "bitterness," but also "bitter herbal drink for help with digestion." The diminutive form in Italian was created by the "etto" ending, and the form "amaretto" was applied to an almond-flavored digestive in the mid 1800s in Italy, a form which has continued to this day. "Amaretti" are almond flavored cookies, with the word form being the plural of "amaretto." The cookies "may" have originally been somewhat bitter, rather than almond flavored, a taste perhaps developed in the cookies to mimic the digestive drink.

The Wayans Bros. Episode: The Son of Marlon

First broadcast in early 1998, this is a touching episode, but still with many of the hilarious antics of Shawn and Marlon that we came to expect from them. The little boy will capture your heart and Marlon is superb in this episode. Not that Marlon hasn't been superb before, but that is usually in his comedic role, and this episode has a little more seriousness to it.  

For those who may have never seen an episode of "The Wayans Bros," Shawn and Marlon are brothers who share an apartment in New York City. "Pops" is indeed their "pop," but his nickname is "Pops" to everybody, and he owns a diner on the ground floor of a New York City office building. Shawn owns a newsstand in the same building, Marlon works for him, and Dee is the building security guard. 

Main Cast for this episode:

Marlon.............................. Marlon Wayans
Shawn............................... Shawn Wayans
Pops.................................. John Witherspoon
Dee................................... Anna Maria Horsford
Chrissy............................. Kent Masters-King
Dexter.............................. Jeremy Suarez
Barry................................ Rockmond Dunbar

Shawn arranges for his brother Marlon to meet Chrissy, an attractive young lady, who shares an apartment with Shawn's girlfriend. At their first brief meeting, Marlon finds out Chrissy has a little boy named Dexter. Their first actual date is at Chrissy's apartment, where she tells Marlon her divorce is now final, but that it wasn't a nasty divorce and that Barry, her husband, had been too consumed by his job to devote much time to their family. So the mention of the divorce and some flirtatious remarks leads Marlon to think he's in for a sexy evening. Dexter is asleep, or so Chrissy thinks, but he sneaks out into the living room, and he is chased back to bed by his mother. When Chrissy goes into the kitchen, the persistent little boy returns and tries to get Marlon to play with him, because "I miss my daddy." Marlon comforts the boy and the two begin some horseplay, only to be joined by Chrissy. Dexter is happy.

Dexter and Marlon become quite close, with Dexter planning on Marlon taking him to a "Pow Wow" event. Then one night when Chrissy sends Dexter off to bed, the boy hugs Marlon and says, "Good night, Marlon, I love you." This all alarms Chrissy, who is fearful that Marlon will break up with her and that Dexter will be badly hurt again. Marlon surprises Chrissy when he essentially says the two of them should get married, but she doesn't answer. Marlon tells his brother Shawn that he wants to marry Chrissy and Shawn is skeptical that the marriage would work. It turns out, Marlon doesn't even know Chrissy's last name. Shawn advises Marlon to actually get to know Chrissy better by going out with her without Dexter. Shawn offers to look after the boy while they're out.

While Shawn has his hands full playing with Dexter (he often gets the boy's name wrong, as Lester and Chester), Marlon and Chrissy stop in a little place to eat. Marlon only shows how little he knows about Chrissy when he orders her a hamburger, only to learn Chrissy is a vegetarian, or maybe he doesn't learn that, because when she tells Marlon she's a vegetarian, Marlon says, "I'm a Capricorn." Hahaha!  Marlon also expresses a desire for them to have lots of kids, but Chrissy tells him she wants to pursue her career, which leads Chrissy to bluntly tell Marlon that the only thing they share in common is a love for Dexter and that she can't marry Marlon. Marlon tells her the boy needs a father, but Chrissy replies, "Dexter has a father." The two of them part.

The next day is the day of the "Pow Wow" event for Dexter and Marlon shows up at Chrissy's apartment. Shawn is there to see his girlfriend and he is shocked to see Marlon. Chrissy comes into the room and she tells Marlon she thought he would not be taking Dexter to the "Pow Wow." Marlon tells her he got a replacement and he opens the door, and in comes Barry, Dexter's father. He speaks to Chrissy and tells her that Marlon contacted him about the "Pow Wow" for Dexter, and that he doesn't want the boy going without his father. Dexter enters the room, sees his dad and runs to him. The two say how they have missed one another, and Barry tells Dexter that he's there to take him to the "Pow Wow," and that he will be around more often for other activities. As perhaps only a child can do, Dexter asks his dad if his mother can come too. This makes for an awkward moment, but Barry says, "Sure," and he carries Dexter over to his mother as she agrees and says, "I'd love that." The three hug and then head for the door to go to the "Pow Wow," with Barry thanking Marlon. Shawn tells his brother, "That was really big of you," but Marlon is feeling down. Just then the door opens and in comes Dexter and he goes right to Marlon to thank him. He asks if Marlon will come along too, but Marlon naturally declines, but he does tell Dexter he'll walk him to the car. 

Photo is of the 2019 Warner Home Video/Warner Archive Collection 4th Season DVD set

WORD HISTORY:
Cartridge-This word is closely related to "card" and to "chart," two words borrowed by English by way of French, which had them from Latin, which had them from Greek. The modern English rendering of the second part of the word is deceiving, as it is NOT related to "ridge," a word from the Germanic roots of English. The ultimate origin of the word is perhaps Arabic or Egyptian, but transliterated Ancient Greek had "khartes," which meant, "papyrus." Latin borrowed this from Greek as, "charta," meaning, "piece of paper, paper with writing, map (paper with a diagram)." This gave Italian "cartuccia," meaning, "piece of paper," which then produced, "cartoccia," "a roll of paper, a scroll." French then borrowed the word as "cartouche," meaning, "decorative or ornamental paper with rolled edges," and the idea of the "rolled paper" began the word's use for "gunpowder rolled up in paper for a firearm (pistol?)" (later expanded in meaning for metal coverings of bullets/shells). English borrowed the word in the latter part of the 1500s, but seemingly with a misunderstanding of its pronunciation right from the start, with it rendered as "cartage," but by the 1600s the spelling was altered further to the modern "cartridge" (thus you see why it is not related to "ridge"). The word also gradually took on the expanded meaning, "containers to hold liquid or dry material that can be inserted into a device or easily removed therefrom." 

Spanish Squid Sandwich of Madrid: Bocadillo de Calamares

In Madrid this is a famous sandwich, which is interesting, seeing that Madrid is in the middle of the country, not near the sea. They tend not to use lots of fancy toppings on this squid sandwich in Madrid, rather just a little lemon juice, and some people don't even add that. In Zaragoza, in northeastern Spain, squid sandwiches are topped with a spicy tomato sauce, called "salsa brava," and "aioli," a garlic mayonnaise. Cold beer is the common beverage to accompany a "Bocadillo de Calamares" in Spain.   

You can use sub sandwich rolls (also called hoagie rolls) or small baguettes. If you want to be authentic, the roll or baguette should not be cut completely through, so that it forms a hinged roll, similar to an American hotdog bun. If you're located near sources of squid, you can likely get squid in various sizes, then clean them and cut them to your own preference; otherwise, it's more likely that you will find frozen cleaned squid in packages at your supermarket or seafood shop. All you need do is thaw them, rinse them and slice them. This is an extremely easy sandwich to prepare. By the way, the people of Madrid are known in Spanish as "Madrileños."    

Ingredients:

squid rings (1/2 inch to 1 inch)
flour
salt
olive oil (enough to give about 2/3 inch in the skillet/pan)
sub rolls/hoagie rolls, or small baguettes, split on one side only
lemon wedge

Heat the oil in a pan or skillet. Salt the squid, put the flour into a storage container with a lid or into a sealable plastic bag and then add the squid. Snap on the lid of the container or seal the bag and shake the container or the bag until the squid are coated with the flour. Shake excess flour from the squid and then add the squid to the hot oil. Fry until the squid are lightly browned, then remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain them on paper towels. Of course if you have a deep fryer, you can fry the squid that way. Put a generous amount of squid into each split roll. Add a squeeze or two of lemon juice if desired.  

A squid sandwich ("Bocadillo de Calamares") on a split baguette...

WORD HISTORY:
Calamari-This word is distantly related, through Indo European, to English "halm" (also spelled "haulm"), a word from the Germanic roots of English and meaning, "a plant stalk," also, "a straw;" that is, "dried plant stalk used for animal fodder or bedding." It goes back to Indo European "kolehmos," which meant "reed;" thus also, "shaft, firm straw." This gave transliterated Ancient Greek "kálamos," meaning, "reed, hollow stalk;" thus also, "arrow, writing pen, measuring stick." This was borrowed by Latin as "calamus," meaning, "reed, plant stalk, writing pen," which produced the Latin adjective "calamarius," meaning, "of or about a writing pen." This passed into Italian as "calamaro," meaning, "a squid" (for its tubular, pen like shape and its ink), with "calamari" as the plural. The plural form was borrowed by English in the second half of the 1500s.     

Gnocchi With Herbs & Tomato Sauce

Ready made gnocchi are generally available in supermarkets and in any Italian grocery store. Here in the Cleveland area, gnocchi are available from "Ohio City Pasta," which has a stand at the "West Side Market," located on W. 25th Street in Cleveland, and their products are also available in some supermarkets. You can also use penne pasta for this. 

Ingredients:

1 pound potato gnocchi
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can (28 ounce) crushed tomatoes, or diced tomatoes in juice
1/2 chili pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons rosemary 
1 tablespoon sage
1/2 pound Gorgonzola cheese cut into pea-sized pieces*
3 tablespoons heavy cream, half and half or canned milk 
fresh basil, chopped (garnish)

Heat the oil in a skillet or a sauce pan over low heat. Add the onion and saute for a couple of minutes, then add the garlic, rosemary, sage and chili pepper. Saute until the onion and garlic are just softened. Add the tomatoes and let the sauce gently cook over low heat until it thickens from reduction.** Now add the cream or milk and stir to mix. Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi in some salted simmering water, drain it, add it the sauce and gently mix it into the sauce. Top with the small bits of Gorgonzola, which will melt somewhat. Sprinkle some fresh chopped basil leaves over the gnocchi.      

* Gorgonzola is an Italian blue cheese, which is sold as "dulce;" that is, sweet and creamy, or as "piccante," which is sharper in taste and firmer in texture, as it is aged longer. I tend to like stronger flavors, so I use piccante. 

** Use a splatter screen to keep from having tomato sauce all over your stove, your walls, your floor, your ceiling, and maybe even your front porch. I swear, cooking tomato sauce is messy, but the screen allows the sauce to properly reduce, while containing the bubbling sauce. 

WORD HISTORY:
Gnocchi-This word is the plural of Italian "gnocco," which is a type of small dumpling. It is related to a number of words from Germanic including, "knuckle," "gnarl," "knoll," "knurl," "knock," "knot." Old Germanic had variant forms that produced the words I've listed above.^ Lombardic, a Germanic dialect/language of the Germanic Lombards who settled in northern Italy (the region of Lombardia/Lombardy is named for them), had "knocha," which meant, "bone, joint, bump," which was borrowed by Latin/early Italian and became Italian "nocchio," meaning, "a bump on a tree;" thus, "a knot on a tree." From this came Italian "gnocco" ("a bump, a lump"), which was then used for the small lump of dough used for dumplings. German has dialectal "Nock," meaning, "a small hill," which then came to be used in parts of Bavaria and Austria for a type of "flour dumpling," with its more common diminutive form, "Nockerl," literally meaning, "little dumpling."     

^ There is a theory that these words all go back to an Indo European form of, "gn/kn/gen/ken," which had the notion of "press, pinch into a compressed form or a ball." 

Easy Spicy & Flavorful Spaghetti

Spaghetti sauce doesn't have to have 25 ingredients and cook for 10 hours. Sometimes... simple is more than adequate. This is my own recipe, but Italians have so many pasta sauce recipes, there is certainly a chance that this is a close match to some other recipe, but I use pitted Kalamata or Niçoise olives in brine, where Italians would likely use one of their own types of olive, of which they have several.

Ingredients:

1 pound spaghetti
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large cloves of garlic
1 chili pepper (seeded and chopped) or for more heat, 1 red chili pepper and 1 green chili chopped
8 to 10 pitted Kalamata olives with 1 teaspoon brine (halve the olives)
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 14 to 16 ounce can tomato sauce

Cook the spaghetti per the instructions on the brand you use. Don't let it overcook, but keep it with a little firmness when you bite into it; that is, "al dente," as the term goes. In a large skillet, heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Slice the garlic into pieces and add it to the hot oil (keep the garlic slices big enough that you, your family or your guests can use a fork to move it to the side of the plate if eating garlic directly is not desired). Let it cook for about 30 to 40 seconds (shake the pan a time or two), and then add the chili pepper (I use both red and green hot chilies, and the sauce was not mouth-scorching). (NOTE: If you don't like much heat, just add a little sprinkle of red chili flakes or a pinch of cayenne pepper.) Add the olives and the teaspoon of brine and 1/2 teaspoon of thyme. After about 1 minute, stir in the tomato sauce, and cook until the sauce is hot, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the spaghetti. I put it into the skillet and mix it with the sauce. While I'm a lover of grated cheese on pasta (I especially love Pecorino Romano), I don't use cheese on this spaghetti and I've found that I much prefer it that way with this sauce. 

WORD HISTORY:
Duo-This word is related to "two," a native English word from its Germanic roots, whose relationship to "duo" is from Indo European. "Duo" goes back to Indo European "dwoh/dwah/duwo," which meant "two." This gave Latin "duo," which also meant, "two." This continued into Italian as "duo," with the same meaning, and it was borrowed by French as "duo," but with the somewhat altered meaning, "two things together, two items combined." This was borrowed by English, with likely reinforcement from Latin, in the latter part of the 1500s, initially with the meaning, "song for two people, song written for two singers." The meaning expanded to just about any activity done by two people working together.

Mecklenburg Sour Cream Potatoes: Schmandkartoffeln

This is a potato dish from the Mecklenburg region of Germany. Mecklenburg lies just east of Hamburg and vicinity, and after World War Two it was part of the Communist-dominated "German Democratic Republic" (German: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, abbreviated as "DDR," and don't be fooled by the "Democratic" part of the name, as it was a Communist dictatorship, with strong ties to the Soviet Union). As such, it was part of the state of "Mecklenburg-Vorpommern" (Vorpommern is literally "Fore Pomerania," but is more commonly called "West(ern) Pomerania," in English), a state that continued with the reunification of Germany. Within the Mecklenburg region itself, the best known city is Rostock. I had a German friend who lived in Rostock for a while as a child after World War Two, but fortunately, he and his family were able to make it to West Germany; then later, he emigrated to the U.S. 
    
This is an easy dish to prepare. I use beef stock to make it, but you can use vegetable stock, which will make the sauce somewhat lighter in color. The potatoes are often served with Rügenwalder Teewurst* and dill pickles (German: "Salzgurken" (literally, "salt gherkins"), also called "saure Gurken," literally, "sour gherkins"). "Teewurst" is a spreadable sausage available in some German delis, or online from sellers with German or German-style food products. If you don't have Teewust, you can try some ham salad or potted meat. By the way, the standard German word for "sour cream" is "Sauersahne," but in a number of regional dialects, the word "Schmand" is used.  

Ingredients:

2 pounds small to medium potatoes, cook with skins on
1/2 cup chopped smoked bacon
1 large (baseball size) onion, chopped
1 2/3 cups beef (or vegetable) stock
1/2 cup sour cream 
1/3 cup flour (or a little more, if you like the sauce thicker)
1 heaping teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoons marjoram leaves (or oregano)
1 teaspoon salt (if your beef or vegetable stock has a good deal of salt, you can omit this)

Wash the potatoes well, cook them, skins on, in lightly salted water, until cooked, but still firm. Rinse the potatoes in cold water and peel them while they are still warm, set them aside for a little while. In a skillet over medium heat, saute the diced bacon for about 2 or 3 minutes. Add the chopped onion and cook until the onion softens. Sprinkle the flour over the bacon/onion mixture, then stir to mix in the flour, and let cook for just a minute or two. Gradually add the beef stock, stirring constantly, until the stock is all added and the sauce begins to thicken. Add the marjoram (or oregano), the salt (if using) and the white pepper, stir to mix in the seasonings. Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Make sure heat is turned low, then stir in the sour cream. Slice the potatoes and gently fold them into the sauce. Let the potatoes warm up over low heat, then remove the skillet from the heat. Serve with rye, whole wheat or multi-grain bread, slices of Teewurst and sliced pickles.

* "Teewurst" literally means "tea sausage," as it was often served with afternoon tea.

Schmandkartoffeln (Sour Cream Potatoes) with multi-grain bread, sliced pickles and Teewurst

WORD HISTORY: 
Cannon-This word is closely related to "cannoli," a word English borrowed from Italian, and also to "canon" (church law, standard or guideline for doing something, clergyman), also a borrowing by English. "Cannon" has a bit of a shaky distant history, but it "seems" to go back to transliterated Sumerian "ginah,"^ which meant "reed," which seems to have been taken by transliterated Akkadian as "qanuh," with the same meaning. This gave Hebrew "qaneh" (same meaning). This was borrowed by Ancient Greek from Hebrew as transliterated "kánna," and also meant "reed." Latin took the word as "canna," also meaning "reed," but also used for other "large woody plant stems;" thus also, "tube." This passed into Italian as "cannone," with the meaning "tube," which came to be applied to the barrel of artillery pieces when these weapons came into common use, but then this began to be used for the entire gun in general. This was borrowed by French (1300s?) as "canon," and English borrowed the word, also as "canon," in the early 1400s. The modern spelling "cannon" dates from the early 1800s. (Note: German borrowed the word as "Kanone" in the 1500s, but "perhaps" more so directly from Italian, and with reinforcement from French?)   

^ Sumerian was an ancient language of Mesopotamia in the Middle East from thousands of years ago. It has not been connected to any particular language family, although it came into much contact with elements of  the Semitic languages, especially Akkadian. 

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.