Puerto Rican Coconut Pudding: Tembleque

As an adjective, the Spanish word "tembleque"* means "shaky, trembly, wobbly," and as a noun, it means, "(the) jitters, shakiness." This dessert obviously got its name from the "shaky" nature of the pudding, which is true of many gelatin type dishes. The dish seems to have originated in Puerto Rico, but Brazil has the same basic dessert, although the Brazilian version is often topped with a plum and wine sauce and the dessert is called "manjar branco" in Portuguese.**   

Ingredients:

2 cans coconut milk (28 to 30 ounces total)
1/2 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 teaspoon salt
candied orange peel for garnish
ground cinnamon to taste for garnish
(optional) toasted coconut for garnish

In a bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 1 can of coconut milk until the cornstarch is well dissolved into the coconut milk. In a heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium heat, mix together the other can of the coconut milk, the cornstarch mixture, the sugar and the salt (a whisk is good to use for this). Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring constantly and let the mixture thicken, taking care that there are no lumps. You can use ramekins or other small dishes, filling them with the pudding and then covering them with plastic wrap before refrigerating them for 4 to 6 hours. Serve in the individual dishes or unmold onto serving plates, but in either case, sprinkle on some cinnamon and/or some toasted coconut and add a strip or two of candied orange peel.

* The basic pronunciation in Spanish of "tembleque" is as if "tem-blay-kay," but from what I understand, Spanish speakers from various parts of the world may put a little more emphasis (accent) on either the second or third parts, according to their local or regional speech patterns.

** In Portugal, "manjar branco" is the name of a couple of dishes, with one "similar" to the basic Puerto Rican/Brazilian dish, but it is not made with coconut milk, but rather with cream or milk. Then there is another dish of that name which is made with chicken meat in thickened milk. This dish has the more specific name "manjar branco Coimbra."  

WORD HISTORY:
Bonus-This word is related to quite a number of words including, "bounty" and "beauty," both words of Latin derivation borrowed by English through French, and "bonanza," another Latin-derived word, but in this case borrowed by English from Spanish (particularly Mexican Spanish). "Bonus" goes back to Indo European "deu," which had the notion "partial to, show favor or reverence toward." This gave its Italic offspring "dweno(s)," meaning "good." This gave Latin "duenos," also meaning "good," but the word then became "duonus," before the change to "bonus,"^ still with the meaning "good," but with the extended meanings, "useful, brave, gallant." English borrowed the word in the mid 1700s, mainly with the meaning, "money or other benefit given to reward good work performance" (or used as an offer to entice and encourage good work performance), then expanded to "any kind of additional benefit," including in competition, such as "bonus point(s)," and also "special benefit to join an organization or business, often in sports, but not exclusively so."      

^ The Latin word for war, "bellum," was also once spelled with a beginning "d." 

Piña Colada

Back in the late 1970s, singer and songwriter Rupert Holmes released a song with the lyrics, "If you like pina coladas, and getting caught in the rain..." Well, the name of the song upon its original release had nothing to do with "piña coladas," because its was called, "Escape." We in the public knew the song because of its reference to piña coladas, and so the record company and Holmes amended the song title to, "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)." The song and the drink were VERY popular!

The "Piña Colada," which literally means, "strained pineapple" (see Word History, below) was invented in Puerto Rico in the 1950s. As with many a popular invention, there is not total agreement as to this drink's naming, or more precisely, when the drink was given its enduring name. This is a very tough drink to make, as it will require you to be able to pour liquid, add ice cubes and then.... to push a button on a blender to make the blender operate, and then... to push another button to make the blender stop. There are college degrees issued for being able to do these difficult maneuvers, but unfortunately, I flunked out. I kept pushing the wrong buttons and it took me most of a semester to find out the buttons that operate the lights in the room are not the buttons that operate the blender. They have to make things complicated. Damn! And I wondered why the lights kept going off and on. 

Ingredients (per drink):

2 ounces light (white) rum
2 ounces pineapple juice
2 ounces coconut cream
pineapple chunks
maraschino cherries
1 cup ice cubes

Put the rum, the pineapple juice, the coconut cream and the ice cubes into a blender. Blend until smooth. Garnish with pineapple chunks or slices and a maraschino cherry or two. You can adjust the ingredient amounts to suit your own taste. Hey! The lights just went out. Well, habits are hard to break. Cheers!
 
I've seen all kinds of glasses used over the years for Piña Coladas (short, tall, squat, narrow), so use what you have or what you think makes a nice presentation, if you are serving guests.

WORD HISTORY:
Colander-The ultimate origin of this word is unknown, and part of even its later history is a little shaky. It goes back to the Latin noun "colum," a type of "woven wicker basket or fishing net used for fishing." This brought about the additional meaning, "sieve," and produced the verb "colare," "to strain or to put liquid through a sieve." This produced Latin "colatorium." This passed into Latin-based languages of the western Mediterranean in various forms, but while English borrowed a number of words from Latin-based French, this does not seem to be one of them. It was borrowed by English in the 1300s, "perhaps" from Spanish or Catalan "colador," but with an "n" inserted because of either misunderstanding or easier pronunciation in those times? It had several spellings in English originally, all with an "n" ("coloner," "cullender," for example).       

Puerto Rican Eggnog: Coquito

This coconut flavored "eggnog" is a drink for the Christmas holiday season among Puerto Ricans. While it is often described as "eggnog," not everybody includes egg yolks in their recipe. There are some other variations among recipes, too, as, for instance, some people make it with coconut milk, some use cream of coconut (as I've done), and some use both.* Light colored rum, also called "white rum," or "clear rum," is the preferred type of rum for this drink. Rum production is one of the main industries in Puerto Rico, which is a United States territory, and a great deal of Puerto Rican rum is sold on the mainland of the U.S.    

The canned cream of coconut might vary slightly in the number of ounces, depending upon brand name. Some people make larger batches of "coquito," just prior to the holiday season, putting it into bottles, and leaving it to "cure" for a couple of weeks before drinking it. 

Ingredients:

2/3 to 1 cup light (in color) rum
1 can (15 ounces) cream of coconut
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
2/3 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
(optional) 2 egg yolks 

Add all ingredients into a bowel and whisk it well, or better yet, put the ingredients into a blender and blend until very well mixed. Refrigerate for a couple of hours, at least, but it is better if left in the frig for 6 to 8 hours. Serve in glasses topped with or without some whipped cream and a little sprinkle of cinnamon on top.

* Cream of coconut has a higher fat content than coconut milk and much of the liquid is extracted (as for coconut milk); thus, it is much thicker, and it is usually sweetened a bit.  

WORD HISTORY:
Cask-This word, related to "quash" (a word borrowed by English), has a difficult history, but it seems to go back to Indo European "kuet/kwet," which had the idea, "to shake." This gave Latin "quassare," which meant, "to shatter, to break into pieces, to split up," which passed to Latin-based Spanish as "cascar," with the same basic meaning. This produced the noun "casco," which initially meant, "shard or piece of pottery." This then came to mean "helmet," "perhaps" from the idea of pottery having formed a vase or jar, which resembles a helmet, because the word also meant, "jar, bottle, vat." Helmets were also used to cook food, or to hold food or drink. This was borrowed into French as "casque," with the same meanings. English borrowed the word in the mid 1400s, with the meaning, "container for liquids, often alcoholic types of liquids."

Adobo Seasoning

Adobo means different things in different Latino (Spanish) influenced cultures. Often is it a type of Puerto Rican/Latino seasoned salt, and it is very commonly used in Puerto Rico to season meats and for fried plantain chips. In Mexico, however, the term is also used for a sauce usually made from a mixture of chili peppers, spices and some liquid component. It is often used as a marinade. If you've bought chipotle peppers in the can, they are usually packed in adobo sauce. This easy recipe is for the dry, seasoned salt type. The are many variations and I've actually seen a recipe with NO salt.  

Ingredients:

2 1/4 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon well crumbled dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika (Spanish paprika) 
(For a sort of, "Mexican style," add 1 teaspoon chili powder and 1 teaspoon ground cumin)
If you like a little "heat," use hot paprika, or add a pinch of cayenne pepper. Spanish paprika is naturally used in many Latino cultures. It has a nice smoky flavor.

Add all ingredients to a jar/container with a lid. Shake the container until the ingredients are well mixed. Always give the container a shake before adding the adobo to any recipe.

WORD HISTORY:
Season/Seasoning-"Season" is distantly related to both "seed" and "sow" ("toss or scatter seed"), both original English words from its Germanic roots. It goes back to Indo European "seh," which meant, "to sow, to seed." This gave Latin "serere," meaning "to sow (seed)," one of whose participle forms produced the noun "satio" ("a sowing"), the accusative form of which "sationem" gave Old French, a Latin-based language, the noun, "seison" (later, "saison"), meaning, "the time of the year for sowing." This was borrowed into English in the late 1200s, likely from what was the Norman French form, "sesoun," but with the broadened meaning, "a particular time of the year," including later, "a time of year for specific events or activities;" thus, "baseball season," "boating season," "picnic(ing) season." The verb form of "season" came from Old French "assaisonner," the basic meaning of which was, "to ripen," but with the secondary development of, "the addition of ripened seeds (spices) to enhance the flavor of foods;" thus, also the noun, "seasoning."       

To Help Relief Efforts By Charities

There has been much weather related devastation in the United States from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, with Texas, Louisiana, Florida,* Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands** having suffered.  Other areas of the Caribbean have also suffered, and Mexico has been hit by both a hurricane (Katia) and a major earthquake. If you would like to help by donating, before doing so, it's a good idea to check sites like Charity Watch or Charity Navigator to try to avoid scams. Remember, ruthless scammers will try to rake in big bucks from these emergency situations. Wherever there is money, the scammers will be there too. Some charities are international, if you want to help people in various parts of the areas affected.  

Also, we want the largest part of our contributions to go directly to helping people in need, not to helping a few line their pockets with our money and at the expense of people who need help. And  PLEASE don't let any prejudices or resentments keep you from donating. Whatever religious faith is trying to provide help to others (Catholic, Orthodox, various Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist or whatever), as long as they check out as valid and recommended charities, they are deserving of your support, as are many other civic charities. There are many WONDERFUL people in all sorts of charitable organizations.

* Florida is being hit by Hurricane Irma as I write this. Georgia is likely to suffer damage, along with possibly some other states.

** Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are both U.S. territories, whose people are American citizens.

WORD HISTORY:
Charity-This word seems to go back to an expanded form of Indo European "kah," as "kahro," which had the idea of "to desire, to want, to wish." This gave Latin the adjective "carus," which meant, "dear;" meaning both "beloved," but also, "expensive." This then gave Latin the noun "caritas," meaning, "costliness, value, dearness" (with the further Christian religious extension of, "love and kindness toward mankind"). Old French, a Latin-based language had the word as "charité," which meant, "Christian alms;" that is, "giving aid to those in need." English borrowed the word circa 1150, at first as, "charite," before the modern spelling. 

Plantain Chips

Plantains are starchy, non sweet bananas, common in tropical parts of the world, including on the island of Puerto Rico, which is a territory of the United States (people born on Puerto Rico are American citizens). Plantains are generally available in the produce sections of many supermarkets these days, and definitely in Latino markets, and make sure you look at the little sticker on them that says, "plaintain," because they are identical to the more common sweet bananas. Plantain chips, called "platanutres," in the Spanish of Puerto Rico, are one of the island's most common uses for this produce, but they are also common in other places in the Caribbean and in some South American countries. The "basic" recipe for these chips is the same all over, but for me, it was inspired by: "A Taste of Puerto Rico," by Yvonne Ortiz, Dutton, a division of Penguin Books, 1994. There are some slight variations in recipes from place to place, and from person to person.

Plantain chips are simple to make, but what is not so simple, is to be able to stop eating them:

2 green plantains
1 1/4 cups canola or vegetable oil
Puerto Rican adobo seasoning to taste*
(for a spicy kick, 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper)

Peel and very thinly slice the plantains. Add enough oil for an inch or 2 in a heavy duty skillet; cast iron is good for this, but not a necessity. Heat the oil, but it should not be smoking hot. Fry the chips in batches, removing them to paper towels to drain them as you go. Add Puerto Rican adobo to taste, and the 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, if using.

* Puerto Rican adobo is a type of seasoning, easily available in supermarkets, although perhaps in the "Hispanic/Latino Foods" section. I deliberately put "Puerto Rican adobo," as "adobo" can mean different things in Latino countries or in the Philippines, a country with Spanish influences (it was once a colony of Spain).

WORD HISTORY:
Plantain-There are two words of this spelling in English, but by far the more common is the one meaning, "a type of starchy banana using in cooking," although its pronunciation may well have been influenced by the other word.^ This word goes back to the "Carib" language of the "Cariban" family of languages, native to South America, which then spread to some of the islands of the Caribbean. This language family is much diminished in modern times, as its forms were often replaced by Spanish, Portuguese, French, English or Dutch in the areas colonized by the European speakers of these languages. The Carib word, "platana/blatana," meaning "banana," was borrowed into Spanish as "plántano" (early on likely influenced by the other Latin derived word, see note below), which then became "plátano." It was borrowed by English in the mid 1500s, but was likely influenced in spelling and pronunciation by the already borrowed word, "plantain" (see note below).

^ The other word of identical spelling is the name for a plant with broad, flat leaves, but it is from a form of the Latin word "plantago," which gave Old French, a heavily Latin-based language, "plantain," but it has nothing to do with the origins of the Carib word. This word "plantain" was borrowed by English in the 1400s from the French dialects brought to England by the Normans and other French speakers, thus called, "Anglo-Norman," which had a variety of spellings, like "plainteine, planteine, planteyne," but its English spelling seems to have been influenced directly by the continental French spelling, "plantain."

Ecuadorian Shrimp Ceviche (Ceviche de Langostinos)

Published 4-24-16, but added 2 photos and "note" 2-16-22 

 

"Ceviche" is traditionally marinated raw seafood in many Latino countries and cultures, but some people now fix it lightly cooked, instead of raw, for safety reasons, which is a good idea in my opinion, especially if you have any immune system problems. Previously, and still used by some today, the raw fish or other seafood was marinated for a number of hours in citrus juice, or a combination of citrus juices. This process "cooked" the fish, because of the acidic juices used, but it was found not to kill all of the potential bad guys, and "on occasion" some people got sick. Variations in recipes are common, but I've kept it simple here, using only shrimp, which makes this something of a shrimp cocktail in Ecuador. NOTE: For those who like chili pepper heat, you can always add some finely chopped red or green chili pepper to this. Further, I'm not particularly fond of sour tastes, and this dish has ketchup, vinegar, lime juice and orange juice, so I add more than 1 tablespoon sugar to suit my own taste, but I neglected to mention that in the original article.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 servings):

1 pound medium cleaned shrimp, cooked in salted boiling water for no more than a couple of minutes (if using cooked frozen shrimp (very common way of selling shrimp in the U.S.), cook until just thawed and tender
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced into rings, then cut into thirds
fresh cilantro, 3 tablespoons
1/2 cup ketchup
lime juice, from 1 lime
orange juice, from 1 orange
3/4 cup frozen corn kernels, cooked for about one minute in boiling water, then rinsed in cold water
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
fried plantain chips*

Fix the shrimp as noted above, drain. In a bowl, mix the ketchup, olive oil, vinegar, and sugar, making sure the sugar dissolves. Drain the shrimp and put into a serving bowl. Add the lime and orange juices, then the onion and corn kernels, mix well. Chill the shrimp in the refrigerator. Add the ketchup mixture and cilantro, stirring well again. You can chill the dish further before serving. Serve with the plantain chips on the side.

* Plantain chips are common in many Latino countries and communities, including among Latino Americans, especially Puerto Ricans, both in Puerto Rico and on the mainland. To make: 2 green plantains, peeled and very thinly sliced. Enough corn oil (I used canola oil) for an inch or 2 in a heavy duty skillet; cast iron is good for this, but not a necessity. Heat the oil, but it should not be smoking hot. Fry the chips in batches, removing them to paper towels to drain them as you go. Add Puerto Rican Adobo to taste. Puerto Rican Adobo is a type of seasoning/seasoned salt, easily available in supermarkets, although perhaps in the "Hispanic/Latino Foods" section. I deliberately put "Puerto Rican Adobo," as "adobo" can mean different things in Latino countries or in the Philippines, a country with Spanish influences (it was once a colony of Spain). The above plantain chip recipe is based on the recipe in, "A Taste of Puerto Rico," by Yvonne Ortiz, Dutton, a division of Penguin Books, 1994

 

 

WORD HISTORY: 

Amigo-This word for "friend" has an uncertain ultimate origin. It is related to "amiable," a word of Latin derivation, borrowed by English from French. While the origin of "amigo" is uncertain, it goes back to Latin "amare," meaning "to love." This then provided the basis for "amicus," meaning "friend," which became "amigo" in Spanish, a Latin-based language. English borrowed the word (via American English) in the 1830s, although it may well have been in use by some English speakers in areas like Texas, then a province of Mexico, with mixed Spanish-English speaking populations.

Puerto Rican Rice Pudding (Arroz con Dulce)

This recipe isn't really based upon any one recipe, but the idea came from a cookbook I have: "A Taste of Puerto Rico," by Yvonne Ortiz, Dutton, a division of Penguin Books, 1994

Ingredients (for 6 servings):

2 cups short grain white rice
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 13.5 oz (or 14 oz) can coconut milk
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
2 cinnamon sticks
6 whole cloves
1 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
3/4 cup golden raisins, soaked in a little Puerto Rican rum, light or dark, for about an hour
can add shredded coconut & top with ground cinnamon

In a sauce pan, heat the water to boiling with the salt, cinnamon, cloves and ginger, simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the cinnamon, ginger and cloves, add the rice and simmer until all the water is absorbed. Be aware, the rice will not be done, but do not add more water! Add the condensed milk, the evaporated milk, the coconut milk. Strain the raisins, saving the rum for someone who might like it (I can't imagine who ... hic... 'scuse me!). Add the raisins and stir well to combine. Simmer until all the milk combo is absorbed. Let cool a bit, then chill. Sprinkle each serving with some shredded coconut and ground cinnamon on top, followed further by some whipped cream. If you still have some rum left over from soaking the raisins, woo woo!

WORD HISTORY:
Clove-There are two words of this spelling in English, and in spite of their similarity in meaning, they are from different sources, ^ but this is the name for the spice. It goes back to Indo European "klehw," which meant "peg, spike." This gave Latin "clavus," which meant "nail." French, a Latin-based language, had the term, "clou de girofle" (a type of flower, whose bud bore a resemblance to a nail). English borrowed the word as "clowes" in the 1400s. The whole dried spice bud got the name, as it resembled a nail.

^ For the other form "clove," the past tense form of "cleave," and meaning "a section of garlic," this is the link to the article where that word is covered: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2013/08/what-we-got-with-obamapart-two-bankers.html