Mexican Spiced Coffee: Café de Olla

"Piloncillo" is unrefined whole cane sugar that ranges from light brown to darker brown, but which is not colored by molasses. It is common in Mexico, but it is also known as "panela" in a number of other countries in Central and South America. It can be easily found under one of those names in Latino grocery stores or in supermarkets, especially where there are fairly large numbers of residents of Latino heritage. It is generally not very expensive. Understand, you don't have to have piloncillo or panela to make Mexican coffee, as brown sugar is a great substitute (note: brown sugar typically is regular sugar that has an added amount of molasses, which then of course gives it the brown color).

 

Ingredients (4 to 5):

 

6 1/4 cups water

6 tablespoons ground dark coffee

2 cinnamon sticks (about 2 1/2 to 3 inches each)

2 cloves

1 star anise

1/3 to 1/2 cup dark brown sugar or piloncillo 

(optional) frothed milk 

Bring the water to a boil in a pan over medium heat. Add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise and brown sugar or piloncillo. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Adjust heat to maintain a steady simmer. Add the coffee, stir, cover and cook for 4 to 6 minutes. Strain the coffee through a fine strainer. Top with some frothed milk, if desired.   

 

 With some frothed milk ...

WORD HISTORY: 

Burro-This word is distantly related to "pyre," a word of Greek derivation borrowed by Latin and borrowed by English from Latin, but with a likely reinforcement or even initial basis from Greek; it is also distantly related to "fire," a word from the Germanic roots of English. "Burro" goes back to Indo European "paewr/pehwr," with the meaning "fire." This gave transliterated Greek "pyr," with the same meaning, which spawned Greek "pyrros/pyrrhos," which meant "flame-colored;" thus, "reddish or reddish-yellow in color;" thus also, "reddish-brown." This was borrowed by Latin as "burrus," meaning "reddish-brown," which gave Latin the noun "burricus," which meant "small horse," which was "borrico" in Latin-based Spanish, meaning "a donkey." English borrowed the word as "burro" in the late 1700s by way of American English of what are now the southwestern states.    

Cape Verde Islands Bean & Hominy Stew: Cachupa

Cape Verde is a country made up of several islands (an archipelago) in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 350 miles off the western coast of Africa. Cape Verde's official language is Portuguese, and the name is "Cabo Verde" in Portuguese. The Portuguese were great explorers and Cape Verde was discovered by the Portuguese in the mid 1400s, and it became a colony of Portugal in the late 1400s, and Cape Verde gained its independence in 1975. The population is nearly a half million, with people of Portuguese ancestry being common, but with some of other European ancestry too, as well as people of Middle Eastern and Sub-Sahara African background. The capital is Praia, and it is located on the island of Santiago, the largest island of the archipelago.

 

"Cachupa" is the national dish of Cape Verde, and as with popular dishes, there are variations, with even a vegetarian style prepared. Most of the variations have to do with the types of meat used, as well as the mix of beans used; and yes, the dish typically includes more than one type of bean. Cape Verdeans generally use dried hominy and dried beans, so the preparation time is naturally longer, but I use canned hominy and canned beans, everything rinsed, to shorten the overall time needed to enjoy this stew, and it is a good one! 

 

Chouriço is traditionally a smoked Portuguese sausage, typically flavored with garlic, red wine and some smoked paprika. While it is akin to Spanish chorizo, it is not really the same, as the Spanish sausage is typically not smoked, but rather it is cured by drying over a period of time and it has more paprika as a seasoning. Neither of these sausages is the same as Mexican chorizo, as the Mexican version is generally fresh and needs to be thoroughly cooked. The Mexican version is the most common chorizo in the U.S. and "likely" also in Canada, although Spanish chorizo can be found in the U.S., but it "may" take a bit of effort. I'm in Cleveland, and the Greater Cleveland area is quite diverse, with people from all over the world. A few years ago, I wanted to do a Spanish recipe* that needs Spanish chorizo, so I went to our West Side Market, but no vendor there had Spanish chorizo, and not only that, one or two of the vendors weren't quite sure what I meant by "Spanish" chorizo, so strong is the influence of Mexican chorizo. If you like trying to find ethnic foods, see if your community has Portuguese chouriço or Spanish chorizo, but if not, you can easily find either online, or you can use some pepperoni, although it won't be the same. "Blood sausage" is commonly called "blood pudding" in Britain, and in Portuguese it is "morcela." Blood sausage is "generally" sold in delis, and again, if you live in an area with a number of people of Portuguese heritage, you'll likely find "morcela," but it can also be found online, and you can substitute other blood sausage, like Spanish (morcilla) or British (blood pudding).           

 

This stew is commonly served with piri piri sauce on the side. Piri piri is Portuguese hot sauce, and it is my understanding that people in Cape Verde do not add the pepper sauce to the dish itself, but rather piri piri is put on the table for each person to season their stew to their own heat level preference.  

 

Ingredients (6 to 8 servings):

 

1 1/2 pounds pork ribs

1 pound chouriço, sliced into about 2/3 to 1 inch pieces

2/3 to 1 pound blood sausage, sliced about 2/3 to 1 inch thick

8 cups water

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 slices bacon, chopped 

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 1/4 to 1 1/3 cups chopped onion 

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced

1 cup chopped yam

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (or just white vinegar)

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika

1 tablespoon tomato paste (or thick ketchup) 

1 can (14.5 to 16 ounces) yellow hominy, rinsed

1 can (14.5 to 16 ounces) butter beans, rinsed

1 can (14.5 to 16 ounces) red kidney beans, rinsed

3 cups chopped kale 

In a pot, add the pork ribs and 8 cups of water, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer. Cook until the ribs are tender, remove them to a plate and let them cool down, and then take the meat off the bones. Skim off the foam from the cooking water, then strain the water into another pan or other container (just in case there are any bone or gristle bits), then add it back to the pot. In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat, then add the bacon, followed about 2 minutes later by the onions, followed about 2 minutes later by the garlic. Saute for a few minutes until the onion begins to soften, then add the contents to the pot (oil, bacon grease and all), along with the the chouriço, blood sausage, chopped yams, bay leaves, vinegar, ground white pepper, smoked paprika, tomato paste/ketchup, rinsed hominy, rinsed butter beans and rinsed kidney beans. Bring to a light boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a steady gentle simmer. Use a lid or foil and cover and cook for 45 minutes to one hour, periodically checking the pot and stirring. Remove the lid/cover and add the chopped kale and stir it into the stew. Cook uncovered for another 10 to 15 minutes. Stir well before serving in shallow bowls with some crusty bread and hot sauce on the side. 

* The dish was "Spanish Butter Bean & Chorizo Stew," known in Spanish as "Fabada Asturiana." Here is the link to the recipe: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/04/spanish-butter-bean-chorizo-stew-fabada.html 

 

WORD HISTORY:     

Yam-This word technically is used incorrectly in English as another name for a sweet potato, a vegetable to which scientists say true yams are not related. I'll skip the technicalities, since "yam" IS used in English for a sweet potato, but the word's origin lies in West Africa from one of the Niger-Congo languages of that region,^ perhaps Fulani, which has "nyami," a word that actually means "to eat," but true yams are a main source of food in some cultures in Africa; thus, a form of the word is applied to "yams." Both the Spanish and Portuguese were involved in the slave trade in West Africa during the 1500/1600s where they borrowed a form of the word; Spanish has "ñame" (pronounced like "nyahmay") and Portuguese has "inhame" (seemingly pronounced both "in-yah-mi" or "in-yah-meh"). "Perhaps" English picked up the word in Jamaica, once a Spanish possession with numerous West African slaves, but taken over by England in the mid 1600s.    
 
^ The Niger-Congo family of languages includes many African languages and dialects, including Zulu, Swahili and Fulani. Niger-Congo is to these languages what Indo European is to English, German, Italian, Hindustani or Persian (and many others).

Brazilian Romeo & Juliet: Romeu e Julieta

This is a real tough recipe. haha  You'll need guava paste (Portuguese: goiabada, pronounced like: goyah-bawda), which is of course made from guavas, a fruit originally from the New World, but the Spanish and Portuguese took guavas back to Europe and elsewhere; for instance, the Spanish took guavas to the Philippines, and the Portuguese introduced the fruit to India.

  

This snack or appetizer was seemingly developed in the Brazilian region of Minas Gerais in the 1700s by Portuguese colonists, as Brazil was then a colony of Portugal. Remember, Brazilians speak Portuguese, not Spanish. Minas Gerais has its own fresh cheese, but it can spoil after a relatively short time, so you're not likely to find it outside of Brazil, but you can use other types of cheese. I've made this with Greek feta cheese, Mexican Cotija, farmer's cheese and fresh mozzarella. The idea is to pair a somewhat "salty, tangy" cheese with the sweet guava paste. Guava paste is often available in Latino grocery stores, and "perhaps" in some supermarkets, but it is easily found online, and guava paste is not typically very expensive. By the way, in spite of its visual resemblance to jellied cranberry sauce, it is much firmer in texture than that easily found (in the U.S., at least) product.      

 

Ingredients:

 

queso fresco/fresh style cheese or other white cheese (see above for suggestions)

guava paste

toothpicks

 

Cut the cheese and guava paste into pieces of "about" 1 to 1 1/2 inches long and about 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick. Put pieces of each onto some toothpicks and you're done. Hey, I said this was a tough recipe! Serve with some crackers, but I've also had it with toast. 

 

 

 

WORD HISTORY: 

Guava-This word seems to go back to the Arawakan language family, which is from the native peoples of Central and parts of South America, as well as some of the Caribbean islands. Arawakan "guayabo" meant "guava tree," but it might well have also referred to the fruit of the tree. Spanish initially borrowed the word as "guayabo" in the early 1500s, which then was altered to "guayaba," and was applied to the fruit. This was then shortened to "guaya," and "guaba." English borrowed the word in the mid 1500s.  

Thai Vegetable Green Curry

 A good curry with lots of vegetables, as well as just a little spiciness to tickle the tongue. Thai or Asian green curry paste is available in supermarkets or Asian markets, and it's not expensive.

Ingredients (about 4 servings):

 

2 tablespoons peanut oil

4 green onions, chopped

1 1/2 inch piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 cup carrot, peeled and chopped or sliced

1 cup asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces

1 hot red chili pepper, split or chopped (add another chili if you like more heat)

1 can coconut milk (about 14 ounces)

1 cup vegetable stock

2 tablespoons brown sugar

10 to 12 medium to large basil leaves, torn or chopped

4 tablespoons green curry paste 

1 tablespoon soy sauce

chopped cilantro to garnish (cilantro is also known as fresh coriander)

In a large skillet, heat the peanut oil over medium heat. Saute the chopped green onions, ginger and garlic for about 2 or 3 minutes, then add the carrots, asparagus, red bell pepper and chili pepper; cook for 7 or 8 minutes, then mix in the green curry paste and cook another 2 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and the vegetable stock, as well as the brown sugar; stir to mix everything. Simmer the mixture for about 10 to 12 minutes (the vegetables should be tender). Stir in the soy sauce and the torn basil leaves. After 2 minutes, remove from the heat. Garnish each serving with chopped cilantro. Serve over rice or with rice on the side.

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Coco-A separate, but scarce word in its own right, mainly known for its use in the compound "coconut." It is not related to "cocoa," but the two words have long been confused in English; thus resulting in the word "cacao" becoming "cocoa" in English from the influence of "coco." Anyway, the ultimate origin of "coco" is unknown, but it is related to "cocoon," and it goes back to the transliterated Greek noun "kókkos," meaning "seed, kernel, berry." Latin borrowed the word as "coccum," with essentially the same meanings. Portuguese sailing expeditions encountered palm trees and their fruit in the Pacific and Indian Ocean areas and they used the word "coco" for the large shaggy looking, shell-encased fruit of the palm tree. The appearance of the coconut brought the comparison to a skull, with the openings and shaggy exterior looking like a face, although a scary face; thus also, "a bogeyman," and also, "monkey face." Spanish explorers also encountered this palm fruit, and seemingly used the same word for the Spanish terminology, although they picked up the "bogeyman" meaning from Portuguese. English borrowed the word in the mid 1500s likely from both Portuguese and Spanish.        

Spicy Mexican Corn Soup

This is a good and spicy soup with no actual meat, although I use chicken broth, and you could certainly use vegetable broth instead. Using 2 chipotle peppers will not likely bring smoke billowing from your ears, but if you like more heat, 4 chipotles will likely do the trick. Be sure to include some of the adobo sauce from the chipotle peppers; it will provide great flavor for the soup. Optionally, if you want to thicken the soup, you can add some cornmeal or corn flour. While both are ground corn, corn flour is finely ground. Queso blanco or other white cheese are great with this. I actually used "Chihuahua" cheese, and if you think this is a "dog cheese," you're barking up the wrong tree... It's a white cheese popular in Mexico which originated in the state of Chihuahua. The little dog of that name is simply named after that state. 

Ingredients (about 6 to 8 servings):

3 cups corn (fresh, but frozen corn is fine)
1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
2 to 4 chipotle peppers with adobo sauce
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
2/3 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter + 2 tablespoons regular olive oil  
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
white cheese in small cubes (queso blanco, Chihuahua cheese, mozzarella or Monterey Jack)
3/4 teaspoon salt (if the broth has a high salt content, you can omit adding salt or just add a pinch)
(Optional) 3 to 4 tablespoons cornmeal or corn flour (or more to your own preference of thickness)

In a heavy-bottomed sauce pan over low heat, melt the butter and heat the olive oil. Add the chopped onion and saute for 4 to 5 minutes, then add the minced garlic and saute another 1 to 2 minutes. Increase the heat to medium and add the chopped tomatoes, oregano, chili powder, chipotle peppers with adobo sauce; saute further until the tomatoes soften. Empty the cooked ingredients into a blender of food processor and process until smooth. Return the smooth mixture to the sauce pan over medium heat and add the chicken broth, mix well and bring to a simmer. Add the corn, the cilantro and any salt you're using (if using corn flour or cornmeal, mix it with some water or broth and stir well to prevent lumps, then stir it into the soup). Maintain a steady simmer and cook for 6 to 8 minutes more. When serving, add 4 or 5 white cheese cubes to each bowl of soup. You can also add a dollop of sour cream to each serving (reduced fat sour cream is fine). Serve with tortilla chips and/or grilled corn cakes. 
     
With tortilla chips and a grilled corn cake on the side ... 

WORD HISTORY:
Gringo-This word is related to "Greek" (the word for the people of Greece and their language), a word of shaky origin that was passed to English from its parent language, Old Germanic, which had borrowed it from Latin. While there is no firm evidence as to why the "Hellenes," the previous name for the Greeks, began to be called the "Greeks," the Romans used the term "Graeci" as the word in Latin, seemingly as a borrowing from Greek "Grakoi." The Latin form was passed down to Latin-based Spanish as "griego," which spawned the Spanish word "gringo" (also passed on to Portuguese as such) with the meaning, "speaker of unintelligible words, speaker of gibberish, speaker of such poor Spanish, so as not to be understood;" thus also, "speaker of a foreign tongue." ^ Later in Spanish speaking Mexico, which had lots of contact with Americans, much of the contact being contentious, the word took on the meaning there of "foreigner, an Anglo-American," but often implying that in a less than flattering way. The word seemingly came into more English use during the "U.S.-Mexican War," in 1846-48.    

^ In English we say, "it's all Greek to me" to convey that we don't understand something written or said. This was either developed by Shakespeare for use in the play "Julius Caesar," or it was taken by him from some unknown source, but the saying remains with us to this day. Further, what is now the name for the country of "Wales," and for the people of Wales, the "Welsh," came from the Germanic words for "foreigners, (usually) Celts," and for, "gibberish, foreign (usually Celtic) speech." The Anglo-Saxon conquerors of Britain used their forms of the words (dialects in those times) for the Celtic speaking people of Britain, especially for those who survived the Germanic invasions in Cornwall and Wales.    

Costa Rican Table Sauce: Salsa Lizano

This is a common brown to reddish brown sauce in Costa Rica and it's made at home by some, but it is also commercially produced and sold in bottles. It is sprinkled onto various foods and it is also used in recipes, especially in Costa Rican style rice and beans, called "Gallo Pinto" (I'll be doing this soon). It is not very spicy hot, although I like to add a hot dried red chili to the recipe for a little "zip."

The ingredients will be processed/blended, so how you chop them is not all that important.

Ingredients:

3 Guajillo or Ancho (dried Poblano) chilies, seeded and stems removed
(optional) 1 dried hot red chili 
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup carrot, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 cup water to cook the chilies, then used in the sauce
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 heaping teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt

Simmer the chilies in a cup of water for 6 or 8 minutes. Add the chilies and water to a blender or processor. Add the other ingredients and blend or process until smooth

WORD HISTORY:
Peon-This word is related to "pedestrian," a Latin derived word borrowed by English, and it is distantly related, through Indo European, to "foot," a word from the Germanic roots of English. It goes back to Indo European "ped/pod," which meant "foot, lower part of the leg." This gave Latin "pes," meaning "foot," with the accusative case being "pedem," and the dative being "pedi," and all plural cases beginning with "ped." This produced Latin "pedonem" meaning, "one who goes on foot," which in the Middle Ages took on the specific meaning, "foot soldier." This gave Portuguese "peon," which later became "peão," with the "foot soldier" meaning. The Portuguese and the English established themselves in India, and in the 1600s, English borrowed the word from Portuguese, but in India, and it meant (specific to India), "a native Indian member of law enforcement," but also "foot soldier" and "one who delivers messages on foot." Meanwhile, Spanish had "peon" from the same Latin source as Portuguese, but it had taken the meaning, "worker." By the first half of the 1800s, American English had picked up the meaning "farm worker working off a debt to a landowner" from Mexican Spanish, and this became the prime meaning in American English, with further development into, "low status worker" (from the idea of working low level jobs to pay debt). This became the main meaning in English.   

Chilean Sangria: Borgoña

"Borgoña" means "Burgundy" in Spanish, and in Chile their "Carménère" red wine is commonly used for this Chilean form of Sangria; so, if you have access to this wine, by all means, use it; otherwise, a Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon will do just fine. While Borgoña is really a common summer drink in Chile, with the Christmas and New Year's holiday season upon us, why not try some now? For those unaware, since Chile is a South American country; and thus, in the Southern Hemisphere, countries in that hemisphere officially enter summer in December, just as we in the Northern Hemisphere officially enter winter in December. Cointreau and triple sec are orange flavored alcoholic products. In Chile, some use their own brandy called "Pisco." 

Ingredients:

1 bottle red wine (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon)
1 1/2 to 2 cups sliced or chopped fresh strawberries
1 to 2 tablespoons sugar (if your strawberries are super sweet, use 1 tablespoon sugar)
1/4 cup Cointreau or Triple Sec or Pisco
ice

Put the sliced/chopped strawberries into a bowl, add the sugar and mix to coat the berries. Add the Cointreau, Triple Sec or Pisco and let the berries sit in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Empty the wine into a pitcher, then stir in the strawberry mixture. Refrigerate the Borgoña for a minimum of 3 hours, but it is better if it is left in the refrigerator until the next day. Add some ice to each serving, especially in warm weather.

WORD HISTORY:
Alligator-The ultimate origin of the main part of this word is unknown. It goes back to Latin "lacertus," meaning "lizard." This gave Spanish "lagarto," with the grammatically masculine definite article being "el," which goes back to Latin "ille," meaning, "that one, he, she, it;" thus also, the definite article "the," which developed from Indo European "hol-no," meaning, "that, beyond this, beyond here, yonder." The Spanish form "el lagarto" was used to describe and to name the lizard like creature of the New World. In the second half of the 1500s, English speakers took the word as the misunderstood form "aligarto," then modified to "alligater," before the form that has endured up to modern times, "alligator," although the pronunciation by most English speakers is as if the ending is "ter," not "tor."   

Chorizo Sloppy Joes

If you don't like "heat," you can leave out the chili pepper, although at least the chorizo should have some heat. The first time I made this, I used a larger amount of ketchup and no sugar, which made it way too sour tasting for me. I'm not much of a fan of "sour." So, I cut down on the ketchup and I added some sugar. I used more like 2 teaspoons of sugar, but I've listed 1 to 3 in the recipe, to give the preparer some option. When I buy chorizo, I get it from a place at the West Side Market here in Cleveland that sells it loose from their meat case, and it does not contain an overly large proportion of fat.   

Ingredients (6 to 8 servings):

2 pounds Mexican-style chorizo*
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 tablespoons olive oil or canola oil
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 or 2 chili peppers, jalapeño or serrano, chopped 
1 can (14 to 16 ounce) tomato sauce
1 cup ketchup (thicker style ketchup)
3 teaspoons dried oregano (Mexican, if you have it)
1 teaspoon adobo seasoning (homemade or commercial brand)** 
1 to 3 teaspoons sugar
hamburger buns or kaiser rolls or hard rolls

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and saute the onion for about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and the chili pepper. Cook until the vegetables are softening. Add the chorizo and cook further, breaking up the chorizo as it cooks. Cook for about 5 minutes or so, then add the tomato sauce, the ketchup, the oregano, the adobo seasoning and one teaspoon of sugar. Mix well and taste the mixture and add more sugar, if needed, and mix well again. Continue cooking until the sauce thickens and coats the meat and there is no "totally runny" liquid.

* "Chorizo" is a type of sausage. In Spain, the chopped sausage meat (typically pork) is blended with smoked paprika and some other seasonings, then put into casings and dry cured for varying periods of time. "Generally," Spanish chorizo does not need to be cooked, although it is not an uncommon ingredient in cooked Spanish dishes, and there is also a fresh version, that requires cooking. In Portugal and in Portuguese influenced cultures, like Brazil, it is called "chouriço." The idea of chorizo passed to many of Spain's (now former) colonies, but with variations. In Mexico, chorizo is more typically a loose or bulk sausage that is not cured. The meat is combined with various seasonings, including some ground chilies of varying heat strength. Since the sausage is not cured, it must be well cooked before being eaten. This is the type of chorizo that is best known to Americans (and probably to Canadians?). 

** For homemade adobo seasoning, here is the link: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/11/adobo-seasoning.html

A "Chorizo Sloppy Joe" with some potato salad and mild pickles...

WORD HISTORY:
Serrate-This word, by far more commonly used in the adjectival form "serrated," is closely related to "sierra" ("Sierra," in proper names), which English borrowed from Spanish. The ultimate origin of "serrate" is unknown, but it goes back to the Latin verb "serrare," which meant, "to cut with a saw." The noun form in Latin was "serra," meaning "saw" (cutting tool). The participle form of the verb "serratus" (long "a"), was used adjectivally to mean, "saw-like," "having jagged teeth." Forms of the Latin noun/verb were borrowed by English with very limited use circa 1600, but the adjective form "serrated" was borrowed in the early 1700s. The Latin verb and noun meanings lie behind the meaning of the closely related Spanish word "Sierra," also derived from Latin, and meaning, "mountains of jagged peaks;" thus also the more general, "mountain range."   

Mojito Cocktail

This drink was invented in Cuba, although exactly where and when in Cuba is disputed, but "possibly" as long ago as the second half of the 1500s. A couple of these and I was speaking Spanish to my neighbors, who are Spanish and English speakers from Puerto Rico. The problem is, I don't speak Spanish, and what's worse, they seemed to understand me! Hm, if I drink Stoli vodka, maybe I'll be able to speak Russian so I can tell Vladimir Putin, "You're a no good pile of horse dung."  

Ingredients:

2 ounces white rum
juice of 4 lime wedges
1 to 2 teaspoons sugar, to your preferred taste
10 mint leaves
club soda to fill
ice

I used a tall glass, but you can certainly use a smaller glass and adjust the amount of the ingredients. If you prefer not to have the ice cubes in the glass, you can use a shaker and strain the cocktail into a glass. Rinse and dry the lime before cutting into wedges. Squeeze the juice from the lime wedges and then mix in the sugar. Rub the mint leaves a bit in your hand to help them release their essence and add them to the lime/sugar mixture. Add the rum, stir briefly and add the ice then fill the remaining glass space with club soda. Mix in the squeezed lime wedges. You can garnish with lime and/or a sprig of mint. 

WORD HISTORY:
Poncho-This word for a "type of cloak that slips over the head" goes back to Araucanian^ "pontho," which meant, "cloth/cloak made of wool." This was borrowed by Spanish as "poncho," which was then borrowed by English in the early 1700s. By the mid 1800s, American English added the meaning, "waterproof garment slipped over the head." 

^  "Araucanian" is an Amerindian language family of South America, primarily in Chile.  

Canary Islands Potatoes: Papas Arrugadas

NOTE: The Canary Islands are a part of Spain and are located about 60 to 65 miles off the coast of Morocco in the Atlantic Ocean

"Papas Arrugadas" means "wrinkled potatoes." The name comes from the tendency of the potato skins to wrinkle during the cooking process. In Spanish, potatoes are primarily called "patatas" in mainland Spain, while they are called "papas" in the Canary Islands and in the large Spanish speaking communities of Central and South America. "Mojo picón" is a sauce often used on the Canary Islands. It can be red ("rojo," as below) or green ("verde," usually made with garlic, cilantro and parsley).

Often dried red peppers are used after first being soaked in water for a period of time. You want to use small potatoes, and the color is not important; in fact, I used a mix of small white potatoes and small red potatoes. Fingerling potatoes, also just called "fingerlings," by some, would also be great.

Ingredients:

1 to 1 1/4 pounds small potatoes
1/3 cup coarse sea salt
water to barely cover

For the mojo picón:

1 1/2 to 2 cups roasted red bell pepper (well drained, if using from a jar)
2 hot red chili peppers (like cayenne peppers)*, stems removed
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 slices white bread (lightly toasted)
1/2 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika 
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt (your preference) 

It is best to make this sauce a few hours before cooking the potatoes. Use a food processor or blender for the sauce. Put all of the ingredients into a blender/food processor. Blend/process until smooth. Best when refrigerated for at least a couple of hours before using. The sauce should have some "heat," but not blazing heat, although you can make it as hot or as mild as you like. For mild, I'd recommend using just 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes. 

Leave the skins on the potatoes. Wash the potatoes well then put them into a pan and barely cover them with cold water. Sprinkle in the sea salt. Bring the potatoes to a boil and cook them until the potatoes are cooked through. Drain the potatoes and return the pan to very low heat until the potatoes are dried. Do not remove the residual salt that is left on the potatoes. Serve the potatoes with some of the sauce drizzled over them.

* While I prefer to use fresh chilies for this sauce, dried chilies, red pepper flakes, or ground cayenne pepper can be used.

You can see some of the salt residue on a few of the potatoes, but there is more salt that is unseen...

With mojo picón... 

WORD HISTORY;
Sherry-This word for a fortified wine from southwestern Spain comes from the name of the Spanish city of Jerez, which had been spelled "Xeres." It was used for "Vino de Xeres" (wine of Xeres), but the Spanish name was mistaken by English speakers to be a plural; thus, "sherry," which was borrowed into English circa 1600. The name of the city is a derivative of "Caesar," a word of unknown origin, although of course it came to be used as a name and ruling title.        

Indian Fish & Chili Curry: Meen Mulakittathu

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

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

Ingredients (about 6 servings):

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The High Chaparral: Excellent Western With a Large Latino Cast

Back when I was a kid in the 1950s and 1960s, westerns were common on television. I could never begin to name all of the western shows, but some of my favorites were: "Mackenzie's Raiders" (Richard Carlson), "The Cisco Kid" (Duncan Renaldo, Leo Carrillo), "Have Gun-Will Travel" (Richard Boone), "Yancy Derringer" (Jock Mahoney), "Rawhide" (Eric Fleming, Clint Eastwood), "Tombstone Territory" (Pat Conway), "Wagon Train" (Ward Bond, then John McIntire), "Gunsmoke" (James Arness), "The Virginian" (James Drury, Lee J. Cobb, then others, including Charles Bickford), "Bonanza" (Lorne Green, Pernell Roberts,* Dan Blocker, Michael Landon). Bonanza was a highly rated NBC western that began in 1959, when black and white shows were the rule, because, while color television sets had been invented, their size and cost made the production of shows in color a major risk and color film was considerably more expensive than black and white film. NBC's decision to film Bonanza in color, and the network's decision to stick with the show to see if it could get Americans interested in color television enough to make them want to buy a color set, eventually worked out for NBC, as Bonanza moved up in the ratings after its first couple of seasons to a position as one of the top rated shows, and in some seasons, it was indeed number one in the ratings.

Then from 1967 to 1971, "The High Chaparral," a great western started by the creator of "Bonanza," David Dortort, had its own run. When "The High Chaparral" began in 1967 color was THE way regular television shows were aired, although many Americans still did NOT own color television sets, but the price spread between color and black and white televisions had shrunk somewhat.** With the show set in Arizona,*** "The High Chaparral" realistically used a number of performers of Latino heritage as regulars on the show: Linda Crystal, Henry Darrow, Frank Silvera, Roberto Contreras, Rudolfo Acosta, and in the final season, Rudy Ramos. Besides these performers, Latino actors like Ricardo Montalban and Ned Romero made guest appearances.**** This was a significant development in the casting of television programs, and a good one, and the reality of America's Latino population was finally acknowledged, although Desi Arnaz (born in Cuba) had been a mainstay as a television actor and producer in the 1950s. For those unaware, Arnaz and his wife, Lucille Ball, starred in the popular "I Love Lucy" on CBS, and the oft quarreling couple founded and owned Desilu Productions, a major producer and developer of television shows.

Main Cast of "The High Chaparral":

Leif Erickson as John Cannon, known as "Big John"
Cameron Mitchell as Buck Cannon, John's brother
Mark Slade as Billy Blue Cannon (also Blue Boy), John's son by his first wife
Henry Darrow (real name: Enrique Delgado) as Manolito Montoya, brother of Victoria
Linda Cristal (born in Argentina) as Victoria Montoya Cannon, John Cannon's second wife

John Cannon, Annalee (John's wife & Billy Blue's mother), Buck and Billy Blue travel to the southern part of the Arizona Territory after John buys a large piece of land there, later called the High Chaparral, after a common bush in the territory. The land is hot and dry, and Apaches are fighting to preserve their land and lifestyle as more settlers arrive. Annalee is killed by the Apaches, but the new ranchers find they have another problem: a wealthy Mexican landowner named Don Sebastian Montoya (played by Frank Silvera) has already claimed the land of the High Chaparral, and he works out a deal for his daughter, Victoria, to marry John in exchange for peace. Don Sebastian also sends his son Manolito along to be sure Victoria is safe. The Cannons hire several ranch hands, with Sam Butler (played by Don Collier) as the ranch foreman, and together with Victoria and Manolito, the stage is set for their struggles to build the High Chaparral into a successful ranch. 

A number of episodes featured one or two cast members at the center of that story, but it was not uncommon for the entire main cast to be heavily involved in some episodes. In a tragic accident, Frank Silvera, who played Don Sebastian, was electrocuted at his home during the show's final season. Mark Slade left the show after the third season and he was replaced; at least in part, by Rudy Ramos in the part of Wind, a man of Indian and white ancestry, and a true element of what the United States was, and is, a mixture of people of various ancestries.        

* Pernell Roberts left the "Bonanza" cast after filming his last episode in the spring of 1965. 

** I did a very quick check and I found black and white televisions (17 inch screen) for about $250, while a color set was about $500 (21 inch screen). The thing to also remember is, the value of the money compared to today, as $250 in 1960 now has the value of about $2100; so, a small color set would have cost you the equivalent of $4200! I found the median American income in 1960 was $5600 a year (Census Bureau figures). You can see, the price of either a black and white or a color television in those times was quite an expense for an average family. By the late 1960s, a black and white (22 inch screen) was about $240 to $260, while a color set (23 inch screen) was about $475. Median American income was $7700 in 1968 (Census Bureau figures).

*** This was actually the Arizona Territory in the time frame of "The High Chaparral," as Arizona did not become a state until 1912.

**** Ned Romero was born in Louisiana of Native American, Spanish and French descent. 

 Photo is from the 2018 Shout Factory Season One (Region 1) DVD release... 

WORD HISTORY:
Don-English has a couple of words of this spelling, but this is the noun meaning, "a term or title of respect for a man of wealth and power," and later, "a leader of the underworld." It is related to "domestic," and distantly related to "danger," both words of Latin derivation, borrowed by English from Latin-based French. It goes back to Indo European "dem," and the derived "domo/domu," which meant, "house, abode, household." The underlying notion may have been, "established tamed or settled place." This gave Latin "domus," meaning, "home, house," and then this produced the broadened "dominium," which meant, "property," and then "dominus," meaning, "lord of the property or estate." This gave Church Latin the shortened form, "dom," a term of honor and respect for monks. This passed into Latin-based Spanish as "don," and the word was used as one of respect for men, usually of great wealth. This was carried to the New World by the Spanish (and also the Portuguese?), and it was often used for men with large estates. English borrowed the word, likely from many Spanish or Portuguese sources during the course of the mid to late 1500s. The "underworld leader" meaning came from the Italian form "don" (from the same Latin source), which came into increasing use in the 1940s among Italian-Americans.  

Refried Beans: Frijoles Refritos

The term "refried beans" is used in English for a common Mexican cooked bean dish (see "Word History," below), although in modern times, the beans and other ingredients are most often simply cooked in water, and only sometimes are the beans cooked and then fried with other ingredients. "Refried beans" is also a dish common in other Latino cultures, including in heavily Latino influenced Texas and in all of the American Southwest, stretching to California. You can buy dried beans and then soak them for several hours, rinse them and then cook them for awhile, before proceeding with the recipe, but to be quite honest, it is far easier to buy cans of beans, rinse them and go from there. To be clear, you open the cans of beans and then rinse the beans. It took me some time to figure that out, because I bought cans of beans and I was told to "rinse them," and so I did; I rinsed the cans, but when I opened cans, the damned beans still had all that yucky liquid on them.   

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon regular olive oil
2 cans (14.5 to 16 ounce each) pinto beans, or red kidney beans, rinsed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
good pinch of ancho chili powder
good pinch of salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup water

Heat the oil in a pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about a minute, then add the garlic. Stir in the cumin, ancho chili powder and salt. Add 1/4 cup water and the beans, mix well. When the beans are well heated, use a masher to mash the beans. If the mixture is too thick, add more water, mixed in a tablespoon at a time, until you reach the consistency you desire. I don't mash every bean, as a few whole beans gives the mixture a nice texture.   

WORD HISTORY:
Refried-This word is partially a bad translation of Spanish "refritos," which is used in "frijoles refritos;" translated into English as "refried beans." The second part of the word is, of course, closely related to "fry," a word of Latin derivation, borrowed by English. ^ The "re-" prefix, often denoting, "to repeat, to redo, to do over again," also is used in some Latin derived words to add emphasis, rather than adding a more specific or detailed meaning; thus, in this case, it is more aptly translated as, "thoroughly (fried)," "completely (fried)," or, "well (fried)." Initially, the beans of the dish were likely always "fried," although the ancestor of "fry" once was a broader cooking term that also meant, "to roast." As time passed, even though many people no longer "fried" the beans, the term was too fixed in Mexican culture, and it remained, even when frying was not the method used to cook the beans.

^ For the history of the word "fry," and the base of the word "refried," here is the link to the article with the "Word History:"  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/12/mexican-egg-sandwich-torta.html

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."

Oysters Kilpatrick/Kirkpatrick

The dish dates from the latter part of the 1800s, "seemingly" acquiring the name "Oysters Kirkpatrick" during the mid 1890s in San Francisco. The general recipe, and variations thereof, spread to Australia as well as to other areas, but often with the altered name, "Oysters Kilpatrick."

Ingredients:

12 large oysters in the shell, shucked, and retain the liquid in the shell
squirt of ketchup per oyster
2 to 3 drops Worcestershire sauce per oyster
4 strips bacon, cut into 3 pieces each
pinch of grated Parmesan per oyster
aluminum foil, crumpled to make places for the oyster half shells
baking sheet

Put the crumpled aluminum foil on a baking sheet (restaurants often use rock salt for this). Nestle the oyster half shells into the crumpled foil to stabilize them and this will prevent them from spilling their liquid and content. Sprinkle 2 or 3 drops of Worcestershire sauce onto each oyster, then put a squeeze of ketchup onto each. Place a piece of the sliced bacon to cover each oyster. Place the baking sheet under the broiler and broil until the bacon starts to crisp. Remove the baking sheet and put a pinch of Parmesan on top of each oyster. Return the sheet to the broiler for about 30 seconds, but be careful not to burn the cheese.   

WORD HISTORY: 
Cargo-This word is closely related to "car" and to "charge," both words borrowed by English from French, which got them from Latin, but derived from Celtic (see below). It goes back to Indo European "kers," which had the notion of "run, move swiftly." This gave its Old Celtic offspring "karros," which meant "chariot, wagon, wheeled vehicle." This gave Gaulish (a Celtic language) "karros," with the same general meaning. This was then borrowed into Latin as "carrus," seemingly with the main original meaning being "chariot," but later also "wagon, cart." This produced the Latin verb "carricare," which meant, "to load (as in, 'load goods onto a wagon,' " but later, "load a weapon"). This passed to Latin-based Spanish as "cargar," meaning, "to load, to add a tax or burden," which produced the Spanish noun, "cargo," meaning, "a load, a burden;" thus also, "freight on a ship." English borrowed the word in the mid 1600s.

Cuban Bul: Refreshing Beer Cocktail

This is a popular refreshing Cuban beer cocktail. It is super easy to make.

Ingredients (4 to 6 servings):

2  12 ounce bottles or cans of light colored beer, like a lager or pilsner
2  12 ounce cans of ginger ale
juice of 3 limes
1/4 cup sugar
ice cubes
pitcher & glasses
lime slices for garnish

Empty the beer and ginger ale into a pitcher. Add the lime juice and sugar and stir well to dissolve the sugar. Fill some glasses with ice cubes and pour in the drink mixture. Garnish with a slice of lime.

WORD HISTORY:
Cinch-This word goes back to Indo European "kenk," which had the notion, "to encircle, to put a ring around something with the intent to bind." This gave Latin "cingere," which meant, "to encircle," which produced the Latin noun, "cingulum," meaning, "belt, girdle, sword belt." This gave Latin-based Spanish "cincha," meaning, "belt, girdle," used in Mexican Spanish for a "a saddle strap or belt for horses." This was borrowed by American English in the 1850s with that meaning. A verb form developed from the noun in the 1860s and meaning, "to fit with a belt or girdle, to tighten with a belt to make secure." By circa 1890, the idea of "securing" produced the verb meaning, "to make certain," and "a certainly, something easily accomplished," for another noun meaning.   

Venezuelan Arepas

Unlike Colombian arepas,* the Venezuelan arepas (pronounced as if, "ah-ray-pahs") are commonly used as a kind of sandwich, filled with any number of fillings, like cheese, black beans or Venezuelan shredded beef.** "Typically," they are made with white arepa flour,*** but I have the yellow arepa flour, so that's what I used. Some Venezuelans grill the arepas, which can give the arepas some blackened spots on them. Others use a griddle to fry the arepas, while still others fry them in a skillet, which is what I did. The cakes will crisp on the outside, but may not completely cook through, so I chose to finish them in the oven, which is also called for in some Venezuelan recipes I read, and they only need about 10 minutes in the oven.     

Ingredients:

2 cups white or yellow arepa flour
2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon corn or canola oil
enough butter and oil (corn, canola or olive, but not extra virgin olive oil) mixture to make a little more than a coating on the bottom of the skillet (the oil helps to keep the butter from easily burning)
pats of butter for serving
filling of your choice 

Gradually stir the arepa flour into the warm water (with the salt added), mix well and let the dough sit for about 10 to 12 minutes. By that time, the dough should have a good consistency for shaping into rounded cakes about 4 to 5 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick. Over medium heat, melt the butter in the oil in a large skillet (cast iron is good, but not really necessary). Fry the cakes on both sides until they are golden brown, about 6 minutes on each side. The outside of the cakes will be crisp. Put the fried cakes onto a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 350 F for about 10 minutes. After the cakes cool slightly, you can slice the cakes in half (use a serrated knife), or you can slice through the cakes, but not clear through the cakes, leaving one side to act as a "hinge" (like a clam or an oyster). Add a small pat of butter and "close" the arepas to let the butter melt. Gently open the cakes and add some filling of your choice. 

* For my article on Colombian arepas, this is the link:  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2018/03/colombian-arepas.html

** For the shredded beef or black beans, here is the link to my article with those recipes: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/05/venezuelan-creole-pavilion.html

*** Arepa flour, which comes in yellow or white, is made from ground, precooked corn meal, and from my readings, people from Venezuela and Colombia adamantly insist there is NO substitute for it. You can find arepa flour in many Latino markets or in some supermarkets (check the Latino food section), and it is available online, but if you have masa harina or polenta/cornmeal, you can use it, but it will not be quite as genuine. Arepa flour is precooked, a bit starchier (because of the way it is processed), and it is finely ground, more so than the aforementioned products, and the cakes come out with a crunchy outside, but a soft and smooth inside.

I deliberately overfilled this arepa for this photo. This is filled with Venezuelan shredded beef. The red pieces are red bell pepper. You can see the browned top of the arepa. 

WORD HISTORY: 
Condor-This word for large types of vultures from the Andes Mountains of South America and from the western United States, primarily California, goes back to Quechua^ "kuntur," the name for the large bird. This was taken by Spanish as "cóndor," and this was borrowed by English (through North American colonists) in the early years of the 1600s.

^ Quechua, pronounced as if, "ketch-oo-wah" (some also say, "ketch-wah"), is a language family in South America best known as the language of the Incas.   

Mexican Breakfast: Chilaquiles

Chilaquiles (pronounced as if, "chee-lah-key-lays") is a common dish in Mexico, especially for breakfast. It can be made with red sauce or green sauce. I've streamlined the process here "a little," as traditionally, Mexicans have used tortillas and chicken leftover from the day before to make this dish. The tortillas were cut into wedges or pieces and then fried until crisp. Store bought tortilla chips cut down on the time needed. You can find cotija cheese in many supermarkets, cheese shops, or most certainly in Latino shops, but you can easily substitute feta cheese. Further, Mexican Crema is commonly used, but again, if you can't find it, the mixture I've listed is a quick and easy substitute.

30 tortilla chip triangles (white or yellow)
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil 
1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce, red or green, homemade* or store bought
1/2 cup crumbled Mexican cotija cheese or feta cheese
1/4 cup Mexican Crema **

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Put the tortilla chips in the skillet and spread them out. Add the enchilada sauce and bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to low. Let tortilla chips soften slightly, remove from heat. Place on serving dishes and add crumbled cheese, then spoon some Mexican Crema over each serving. Serve with fried egg(s), sliced avocado sprinkled with a little lime juice, shredded chicken or bite sized pieces of chicken, or refried beans. 

* For homemade red enchilada sauce:  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/05/red-enchilada-sauce.html

** To make a quick "version" of Mexican Crema, 3/4 cup sour cream thinned with 5 tablespoons of buttermilk and with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt stirred in.

Click to enlarge photo... Chilaquiles with chicken and refried beans

WORD HISTORY:
Corral-This word, distantly related to "car," "carriage" and "course," all of Latin derivation, and borrowed by English, goes back to Indo European "kers," which had the notion of "to run, move swiftly." This gave Latin the verb "currere," meaning, "to run," which produced the noun "currus," which meant, "chariot." Hey, when you've got a chariot, you've got to have a place to park it, and that was a Latin "currale," meaning, "an area for keeping a chariot." This gave Spanish and Portuguese "curral/corral," and it later simply meant, "enclosure, usually for cattle." The word was borrowed by English from Spanish in the late 1500s, with "perhaps" later reinforcement from Dutch/Afrikaans "kraal," in southern Africa, a word Dutch borrowed from Portuguese "curral/corral," as both the Portuguese and the Dutch were involved in southern Africa before heavy British involvement there. "Kraal" meant "a fenced in area for animals."      

Venezuelan Creole Pavilion

Pabellón Criollo Venezolano is the name of this dish in Spanish, the national language of Venezuela. Venezuela was once a colony of Spain. As you will see, there are really several recipes that when done, are then put together to form an entire dinner. The main components show the racial mix in  Venezuela's racial population, with the brown/reddish brown stew, the white rice and the black beans. None of the recipes is hard to do, but the meat just takes time to cook. I checked more than 20 recipes for this dish, many by people at least claiming to be Venezuelan, and there were generally only slight variations, often about tomatoes in the stew part of the dish, with some calling for tomato paste, others calling for tomato sauce and still others using chopped tomatoes. At the other end, a recipe or two did not use ANY tomatoes, in ANY form. Also most recipes used red bell pepper, but a few used green bell pepper, so I liked the idea of using both; thus, my version. For the rice, you can certainly leave out the garlic, but many, not all, of the recipes I saw used garlic in some quantity in the rice, that's why I added it. Almost all of the recipes showed plantains, but there were a couple that did not note their use as an accompaniment. Buen provecho, my friends! 

Ingredients:

To cook the meat:
1 pound of flank steak, cut into three pieces or more, so as to fit into the pot you will use
water + 1 heaping tablespoon beef soup base (also called, "bullion," by some)
1/2 large onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt (the soup base has lots of salt)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

While Venezuelans boil/simmer the meat, I prefer to bake things in such cases. So, you can cook the meat on top of the stove, or in the oven. Cut the steak into 2 or 3 parts, so it will fit easily into a pot. Add some water to the pot and mix in the soup base. Add the meat and half of a large chopped onion, the salt and pepper, then add more water to just cover the meat. If cooking on the stove, heat to boiling over high heat, then cover and reduce heat so that the meat gently simmers. Simmer until the meat is very tender, likely 90 minutes or more. For using the oven, cover and bake at 300 F for one hour, then reduce heat to 275 F. Bake until meat is very tender (I let it bake for 2 3/4 hours, total. Let the meat cool. Use a couple of forks or just use your fingers to pull/tear the meat apart into strands.

For the stew, after the meat is cooked:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 large red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 large green pepper, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoons tomato sauce
4 tablespoons broth from the cooked flank steak
shredded steak

 Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the other half of the large chopped onion, half of the chopped red bell pepper, half of the chopped green bell pepper, saute for a couple of minutes, then add 4 cloves of chopped garlic. Saute a further couple of minutes. Add the cumin, Worcestershire sauce and mix in well. Now add the shredded steak along with the broth and tomato sauce; mix well, then over low heat, cook until the liquid is reduced, stir the meat mixture occasionally.  

For the black beans:
2  15 ounce cans black beans, partially drained (drain off half of the liquid in each can)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 large red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 large green bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion, the chopped red and green pepper and saute a couple of minutes, reduce heat to low and then add the chopped garlic and saute until the onion and peppers are softened. Add the black beans and part of their liquid, the oregano and salt and pepper, stir well. Cook over low heat for about 12 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, to prevent sticking.    
 
For the rice:
1 cup white rice
2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups of water

Follow the instructions provided by the brand of rice you buy, but otherwise, generally, bring the water to a boil, then add the ingredients and stir gently, only once. Reduce the heat so that the liquid just barely simmers. Put the lid on the pan and let the rice cook 20 minutes without removing the lid. 

For the plantains:
2 ripe plantains
1 cup olive oil
salt

Peel and 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 salt to taste.

WORD HISTORY:
Creole-This word, distantly related to "create" and to the "crease" parts of "increase" and "decrease,"^  goes back to Proto-Indo-European "kreh/kerh (“to grow, become bigger”). This gave Latin "creare," which meant, "to make, to produce, to create." This then gave Latin "criar," which meant, "to rear or to raise or to bring up young (that is, to help them grow up)." This then produced "cria," meaning, "a person brought up in one's home, or in a particular region or area." This gave Portuguese "crioulo," which meant, "European or African person born in Brazil" (then a colony of Portugal), which differentiated the Portuguese born in Brazil from those native to Portugal. Spanish either borrowed the term from Portuguese or developed its own version from the Latin, but I'm not certain on this. The Spanish ("criollo") and Portuguese seem both to have influenced French, which had "creole," with likely reinforcement by Latin itself. With Portuguese, Spanish and French all Latin-based languages, with many similar words, it is difficult to separate out all of this. English borrowed the word in the early 1600s, from French. The meaning of the word varies from area to area, as in American English, the word came to mean "person of French ancestry in Louisiana," circa 1800, or perhaps a little before, but in British English it generally now refers to a person of African descent from (that is, born in) the West Indies, and further, it can refer to the mixed language of these people of the West Indies or of Louisiana. 

^ "Create," "increase" and "decrease" are not original English words, but rather, they were borrowed into English.