Frankfurters with Cheese & Bacon: Berner Würstel

This is a food item to have for a snack on its own, or as the centerpiece for lunch or even for dinner. While pretty common in Austria and parts of southern Germany (Bavaria), these are likely not unknown in Liechtenstein and parts of Switzerland, although they actually come from the Salzburg area of Austria. Understand, the "Berner" part of the name has nothing to do with the Swiss city of Bern, but rather it is the family name of the man credited with the recipe.      

Often served with mustard on the side, some people use ketchup or seasoned tomato sauce, and others are a bit more elaborate by serving chopped onions or freshly grated horseradish alongside, as well as accompaniments like potato salad, fried potatoes and/or some type of garden salad. In the U.S., what we call "Swiss Cheese" is based upon Swiss Emmentaler cheese, which indeed originated in Switzerland, but which is also produced by U.S. cheese companies with their own recipes. Emmentaler is also produced in Germany, specifically in Bavaria, and in France, where it is termed Emmental, and in some other countries too. Gouda originated in the Netherlands, but it too is imitated elsewhere.   

Ingredients (for each Frankfurter, see photo below):

1 Frankfurter
1 or 2 strips of Swiss Cheese (Emmentaler) or Gouda, cut from a slice
1 or 2 thin slices smoked bacon
small amount of oil for frying

Cut the frankfurter lengthwise from one end to the other, but do NOT cut completely through the sausage (although some do just that, and I've made them both ways; the bacon will bind around the Frankfurter either way). Put the cheese into the cut part of the frankfurter then press lightly to close. Wrap the bacon around the frankfurter to completely enclose the frankfurter. These are sometimes grilled, but I put just a few drops of oil into a skillet over medium heat and I fry the bacon-wrapped frankfurters on all sides until browned. The oil will help to prevent sticking as the frankfurter(s) begin to cook and the fat from the bacon will gradually be rendered to help even more.

For one Berner Würstel: a Frankfurter, strips of Swiss cheese or Gouda and 1 or 2 slices of bacon (thinly sliced)

2 Berner Würstel with some fried potatoes, chopped onion and tomato slices

WORD HISTORY:
Cripple-This word is related to "creep," a word from the Germanic roots of English. It goes back to Indo European "grewb/greub," which meant, "to turn, twist, to wind." This gave Old Germanic "krupilaz," meaning, "one who is bent and walks haltingly." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "crypel" meaning "a cripple," but also used adjectivally and meaning, "crippled." This then became "crepel," then "cripel," before the modern form. The noun form is considered by some to be offensive and, while it is still around, it has largely been replaced by "disabled person" and "handicapped person" (this is also largely true of the adjective, but mainly when applied to people, and of course "lame" is still used at times). The verb form developed from the noun/adjective in the 1200s and meant, "to walk haltingly," a meaning now seldom, if ever, used as a verb. In the 1300s came the further meaning "to make someone or something lame or otherwise handicapped," with the figurative use expanding further to "hinder someone or something"^ (example: "The heavy rains are crippling our effort to have a backyard barbecue"), and these are the meanings still today. Relatives in the other Germanic languages (I'm giving noun forms, unless noted): German has "Krüppel" (the exact history of the standard German form is unclear to me, but the word seems to have been at least influenced by Low German), Low German has "Kröpel," West Frisian "krepel" (?), Dutch "kreupel" (this is an adjective) and "kreupele" (noun), Danish "krøbling" (?), Norwegian "krøpling," Swedish "krympling," Icelandic "krymppill" (I'm uncertain of this, but Old Norse had the same/similar, and Icelandic is still remarkably close to its ancestor).  

^ "Hinder" is a good word to use in the meaning, and the tie can be easily seen with "hinder," as in German, a "Behinderung" is "a disability, a handicap," although it can also mean, "a hindrance, an obstruction."

Stuffed Zucchini Boats Part 2/Bacon: Gefüllte Zucchiniboote

This is another recipe for "Zucchini boats" ... In "Part One" I used smoked salmon as the key ingredient for the filling. This is the link to that recipe: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2020/02/stuffed-zucchini-boats-part-1-gefullte.html

This recipe uses cheese and bacon for the main toppings, but with a little "lemony" taste. 

Ingredients:

4 zucchini, each about 5 to 6 inches long, halved lengthwise, seeds removed
3/4 cup dry cottage cheese
2/3 cup canned milk (divided use)
1 "good" tablespoon dried thyme leaves
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2/3 teaspoon black pepper
4 to 6 slices bacon, cut into about 1 inch pieces
3 or 4 Swiss cheese (Emmentaler) slices, halved
2 eggs
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Heat oven to 375 F. Blanch the zucchini halves in boiling water for about 90 seconds and then drain them well. In a small skillet, fry the bacon pieces until some of the fat melts and they begin to brown (you don't want the bacon to be crisp, and remember it will cook more in the oven). Remove the bacon to some paper towels to drain off the grease. Mix together the dry cottage cheese, 1/3 cup milk, thyme leaves, chopped parsley and pepper; set aside for a minute or two. Whisk or beat together the eggs and the other 1/3 cup milk and the lemon juice. Butter a baking pan lightly. Fill each "zucchini boat" with the cottage cheese mixture, then top that with a half slice of cheese and then add 3 to 5 pieces of bacon on top of the cheese. Add each zucchini boat to the buttered pan. Pour or spoon some of the egg/milk/lemon mixture over each "boat." Bake the "boats" for about 45 minutes, or until they are tender (a fork easily pierces them).  


With a side salad ....

WORD HISTORY:
Pool-English has more than one word of this spelling, and this is the one with the general meaning, "a small body of water." The more distant history of this word is shaky, and a direct Old Germanic form is uncertain; however, the West Germanic branch had "pol/pola," meaning, "a small body of water." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "pol," essentially with the same meaning and this then became "pool," with the word denoting "a body of generally still water, standing water," rather than of flowing water. The West Germanic form "may" be from a similar Old Germanic form, as Old English also had "pyll/pull," meaning, "pool," but also, "bay, inlet," and Old Norse, from the North Germanic branch, had "pollr," meaning, "pond," but also, "bay." I have to believe these words are all connected, and that they likely share a common Old Germanic ancestor with a meaning having to do with "water collected off to itself from a main body of water." Further, Lithuanian, a Baltic language that has long had contact with Germanic languages has "bala," meaning, "swampy ground, quagmire." A change from a "b" to a "p," or vice versa, is not uncommon, and whether this connects the Germanic form to an Indo European form is possible, although a borrowing by Lithuanian is also very possible. Old English "pol" later became "pole," then "pool." Old English "pyll/pull" later became "pill" (nothing to do with 'pill,' a medication tablet), a word now confined to dialect in Britain for "an inlet of water from the sea." Other forms in the Germanic languages: German has "Pfuhl" ("puddle, pool, murky water"^), Low German Saxon "Pohl" ("pool, pond"), Dutch and West Frisian "poel" ("pool," also "basin??"). Danish "pøl" ("puddle"), Norwegian "pøl" ("sewage pool, cesspool"), Swedish "pöl" ("pool, puddle") are all borrowings from Low German from a few hundred years ago; however, seemingly with more modern influence from German, especially for Norwegian and Swedish. Icelandic has "pollur" ("puddle") from Old the Norse form "pollr."  

^ The idea of such water has also given German offshoot and figurative meanings like, "cesspool, sewage water, 'sin.' "      

Farmer's Salad With Yogurt Dressing

"Farmer salads" have been often and naturally thought of as mainly having ingredients many farming households might well have on hand: cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, garlic, bell peppers and eggs. In addition though, some farming families made their own head cheese, as well as their own cheese, and these could be used to make a salad more substantial. In German areas of Europe, the homemade cheese was/is called by a variety of names, but in Hessen, it is called "Handkäse," * literally "hand cheese," because the whitish/light yellowish cheese was shaped by hand, while in the region of the Harz Mountains it is called "Harzer (Käse)," and in Austria it is often called "Quargel," a word "I believe" German derived from Slavic. In modern times head cheese and cheese (by whatever name) are more often commercially produced, but that doesn't mean that some individuals or families have abandoned making them at home. "Souse" is an American term for head cheese made with vinegar. In Britain, head cheese, with or without vinegar, is called "brawn."  
   
I "patterned" this recipe after Bavarian/Austrian salad recipes, and in Austria and Bavaria such salads are often served with rolls called "Salzstangen" or "Salzstangerl," which are rolls coated with coarse salt and (usually) caraway seeds. Certainly in the past, such a dressing for the salad would have been more likely to have been made with sour cream; again, a product readily available to farmers.   

Ingredients (5 or 6 servings):

1/2 medium red onion, chopped
1 seeded or seedless cucumber, peel on, or peeled, or partially peeled (your preference)
4 chopped Roma tomatoes (also called 'plum tomatoes'), or 20 to 25 grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 chopped red or green pepper
1/4 cup pitted black olives (Kalamata or niçoise), halved
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Toss all ingredients together well. 

For each serving:
1 or 2 thin slices of souse, cut into small pieces
1 or 2 thin slices Emmentaler cheese (Swiss cheese),** cut or torn into small pieces
1 hard boiled egg, halved 

For the yogurt dressing:

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons oil (olive, canola, vegetable or even give extra virgin olive oil a try)
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons rosemary, chopped   
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients together well. If the dressing is too thick for you, add a little more oil. If you add more vinegar, you may have to consider adding more honey, but that depends upon your own taste.

* "Handkäse" ("Handkäs" is the common form in Hessen) is one of the specialty dishes of Frankfurt-am-Main in Hessen, where it is served in a dressing of cider vinegar, oil, hard apple cider, pepper, caraway seed and chopped onion, and called, "Handkäs mit Musik" (Hand Cheese with Music). It is "traditionally" accompanied with a glass of hard apple cider (in standard German called "Apfelwein," but called "Ebbelwoi" in the Hessian dialect of Frankfurt). "Handkäse" is not exclusive to Frankfurt, but rather it is common in other parts of Hessen as well. And I'm sure you're hanging by your thumbs wondering what the "with music" means. Well, there are two stories tied to the meaning, the most prominent of the two, but perhaps not originally the meaning, has to do with the onions causing intestinal gas; thus, "music," if you get my drift. This led to a little joke when people from outside of Frankfurt or Hessen would ask, "What and where is the music?" The standard answer became, "Die Musik kommt später" (The music comes later). The other story is that the oil and vinegar were kept in glass bottles for the person to pour on the desired amount of each. The bottles clinked together; thus, "music." When I've had "Handkäs mit Musik" in Frankfurt, it was always served that way, with the oil and vinegar bottles brought to the table with the onion topped hand cheese.

** In the U.S., "Swiss cheese" is the type of cheese in Switzerland and German cultural areas in Europe called "Emmentaler," after the area of its origin; the Emme River Valley (German: Emmental), near the city of Bern.

WORD HISTORY:
Shift-This word is distantly related to the verb "shed" ("to give off something, to get rid of something"), a word from the Germanic roots of English. It goes back to Indo European "skei(t)," which had the notion, "to cut, to cut off, to separate (from)." This gave Old Germanic "skiftjanan," meaning, "to put into order by separating, to arrange." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "sciftan," meaning, "to separate, to divide up, to arrange, to place in order." This then became "schiften," then "shiften," before the modern version. The meaning, "to move from one place to another," as in, "The corporation will shift its headquarters from Dallas to Denver," came from the idea of "arranging, allotting" (but actually "rearranging, reallocating"). It also took on the meaning, "to be able to take care of oneself," as in the expression, "shift for oneself," perhaps from the idea of "to keep one's life in order?" The noun developed from the verb circa 1300 and with numerous meanings, including "a set time for work;" as in, "I work the day shift from 7 until 3," and this meaning seems to date back in time, as it is also in some other Germanic languages, and it remains as a primary noun meaning in English, along with "movement, change," as in "a shift in public opinion." Relatives in the other Germanic languages: German has the verb "schichten" (to stack, to layer), which was borrowed from Low German and the noun "Schicht" (a level, a layer, and also, a group of people doing the same general work during a given period of time, also sometimes rendered as "Schichtarbeit;" that is, "shift work"), Low German has the verb "opschichten" (to stack up, to build up; the base word was once spelled "schiften"^), West Frisian has the noun "skift" (classification, category), Dutch has the verb "schiften" (to divide or stratify), Danish has the noun "skifte" (a change over) and the verb "skifte" (to alternate, to exchange), Norwegian has the noun "skifte" (a change or turn) and the verb "skifte" (to switch or change), Icelandic has the verb "skipta" (to divide up, to switch or exchange), Swedish has the verb "skifta" (to change, to shift, to divide) and the noun "skift" (set working period).  

^ While I'm uncertain of this, when German borrowed the word from Low German, it "seems" the standard German spelling and pronunciation as "schichten" may have eventually transferred to Low German; thus, no "f" in modern Low German and modern standard German. 

Beef & French Onion Sauce

The key to this dish is to get the onions nicely browned and caramelized, as this will give the sauce a great taste. You can cook the steaks as rare, or as well done, as you'd like.

Serve with toasted slices of French baguette 

Ingredients:

4 beef tenderloin steaks, 4 ounces each
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1 bay leaf
2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms 
1 cup beef stock
1/3 cup white wine
1 heaping teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons butter (divided use)
2 tablespoons oil (olive, vegetable or canola)
1 to 2 tablespoons flour
1 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (divided use)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, to taste (if the beef stock is salty, you can certainly cut down of the amount of salt)
1/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Heat a large heavy bottomed skillet or pan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil, then add the sliced onions. Toss the onions in the oil and let them cook until they soften and begin to brown. Sprinkle the sugar over the onions, stir and continue to cook the onions until they are browned and sweetened by caramelization. Add one tablespoon of butter and the mushrooms. Add the thyme and sprinkle the flour over the onion and mushroom mixture, then stir to mix. Add the bay leaf and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Gradually stir in the beef stock and then the white wine. Turn the heat to low and let the mixture simmer and thicken a little. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat (you can always add more butter or even oil, if needed). Season the steaks on both sides with salt and pepper. Add steaks to the skillet and cook about 3 to 6 minutes per side, depending on how well done you want each steak, then add each steak to the simmering sauce, and turn off the heat (remove the bay leaf). Toast some slices of good bread (baguettes are good for this) and place a steak and some sauce on serving plates, followed with a piece of toast on top of each steak, and sprinkle a little shredded cheese over the toast, followed by a little of the sauce on the cheese.  

WORD HISTORY:
Loin-This word is related to "lumbar" and to "lumbago," both of which are Latin-derived words borrowed by English. "Loin" goes back to Indo European "lendh," which meant, "area of the waist, loin, kidney." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "lendi," with the same meanings. This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "lenden," meaning, "loin" ("lendenu"=plural, "loins"), and this then became "lende." Latin had "lumbus" (loin, hip), but it is unclear if this came from a form of Latin's immediate ancestor "Italic," with that form presumed to have been "londwos," or whether Latin may have rendered their own form from another language group, with Germanic being a prime possibility. Old French, a Latin-based language, had the word passed on as "loigne/lombes," ("loin, hip, lower back, lower torso/loins"). English borrowed the word, initially as "loyne/loine," and it overtook the native word, "lende," as the main word, although "lende" became "lend" (nothing to do with the more common word of that spelling), and it remains as a dialect word in parts of England and Scotland. Its Germanic relatives are German "Lende/Lenden" (loin/loins), Low German "Lenn/Lennen" (body area around the hip/hips), Dutch "lende/lenden" (loin, lower back/loins), Swedish "länd/länder" (lower back/loins), Icelandic "lendir" (loins), Danish "lænd(e)/lænder" (loin/loins), Norwegian "lend" (loins).       

Croque Monsieur/Croque Madame

Apparently invented in Paris in the years before World War One, the original sandwich was the "Croque Monsieur." "Croque" is from the French verb "croquer," which has several meanings to do with eating, like: to munch, to bite, to crunch." The idea seems to have been a "man's," or "gentleman's," crunchy bite, as the toasted sandwich is crunchy. Decades later an egg was added to make the female version, "Croque Madame," supposedly because the egg was like a lady's hat topping off the sandwich. While these are sandwiches, they are not the kind of sandwiches you make while there are commercial breaks during your favorite television show. You need to make the sauce, you then need to make the basic sandwiches, then you need to fry (toast) those sandwiches, then you need to add the sauce, then you need to brown the top under the broiler, then you need to fry or poach the eggs and to add them, if you choose to use them. Nothing here is terribly difficult to do, although it does take a little time, but the result is well worth it, as the sandwiches are great.  

Ingredients (4 sandwiches):

Bechamel Sauce (actually a Mornay Sauce):

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk, with a pinch of thyme and a bay leaf, well heated, but not boiled/scalded
1/2 cup shredded Swiss or Gruyère cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

8 slices of white bread
ham, thinly sliced, but not paper thin
4 slices Swiss cheese (Emmentaler or Gruyère cheese) + about 1/3 to 1/2 cup shredded  
"about" 3 to 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
butter for frying the sandwiches (+ more if frying eggs)
4 eggs (if using) 

Heat the milk, pinch of thyme and the bay leaf over low heat. Remove the milk from the heat if it is heated before you finish making the roux (butter and flour). Melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat (do not brown the butter). Stir in the flour to form a paste and cook just about 90 seconds (do not let the roux brown), and turn down the heat if need be. Remove the bay leaf from the milk. Gradually whisk the heated milk into the roux, and let the milk come to a bare simmer, whisking constantly as the mix thickens. Season with salt and pepper and stir/whisk well again, turn off the heat. Heat a griddle or large skillet (cast iron is good for this) over medium heat. While the skillet or griddle is heating, on four slices of the bread, spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard. Top this with some thin ham slices and then some thinly sliced or shredded Swiss or Gruyère cheese. Butter one side of the other slices of bread and place them on top of the sandwiches. Place the sandwiches, buttered side down, onto to the skillet/griddle. Now lightly butter the top slice of the bread in the skillet (on the griddle). When the bottom of the sandwiches are nicely browned, turn the sandwiches over to brown the other side. Turn on your broiler, spread about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the bechamel sauce on top of each sandwich (the bechamel sauce should be nice and thick, but still fluid). Put the sandwiches on a baking sheet (bechamel side up) and let the sauce brown a bit under the broiler. Do not put the sandwiches too close to the broiler (I put my sandwiches about 10 inches below the broiler) and keep a close watch, as the bechamel sauce will likely brown pretty quickly. If you are making the "Madame" version, fry the eggs lightly in butter (they should not have crisp edges), or poach the eggs, if you'd like, and the yolks should be runny. Serve the sandwiches with the eggs on top and bon appétit! Or, as Charles Boyer would have said, "Bon appétit!" Ah... something wrong there?  

 A Croque Monsieur

A Croque Madame

WORD HISTORY: 
Bechamel-This word for the famous French white sauce comes from the Marquis Louis de Béchamel, an aide to King Louis XIV of France. While the sauce is very much associated with French cuisine, it actually "seems" to have been taken to France from Italy in the 1530s by the cooking staff of Catherine de Medici of Florence, who married Henry, who later became King Henry II of France. It was only later in the 1600s, during Louis XIV's rule, that the sauce was popularized with the Béchamel name. The term was borrowed into English circa 1770.

Chorizo Burgers

"Chorizo" is a Spanish sausage, usually made with smoked paprika. The sausages are put into casings and dried. Generally, these sausages do not have to be cooked, and they can be eaten after the curing process, although they may be cooked when added to recipes. Spain's former colonies also adopted "chorizo," although at times with variations. In the case of Mexico, chorizo tends to be an uncured "bulk" ground sausage, with various seasonings, including some "heat," and the sausage needs to be cooked. The influences of Mexican cuisine on Texas and the southwestern United States has made this type of chorizo the more predominant type in the U.S., in general. For this recipe, you can make the chorizo patties whatever size you like. Piquillo peppers are generally sweet red peppers about 2 1/2 inches or so long (7 cm). They are often from Spain, or from a few areas in South America. They have a "slightly" different taste from other types of roasted red peppers, but if you can't find "piquillo peppers," you can certainly substitute regular roasted red peppers. Piquillo peppers can be found in many supermarkets, either in the section with jars of peppers and pickles, or perhaps in the "Latino" section. 

Ingredients:

sandwich buns or rolls
Mexican (bulk) chorizo
onion, chopped
piquillo peppers, or red bell pepper
avocado
mayonnaise
adobo seasoning (homemade or commercial) *
Swiss cheese slices

You can vary the amounts for each ingredient, as you choose. Form the chorizo into patties and fry them, along with the chopped onion, over medium or medium low heat. I generally choose medium low heat to try to prevent a hard crust from forming on the patties. Move the onions around to prevent them from burning. Remember, this is raw meat, so it must be cooked thoroughly. On sandwich/hamburger buns or the bread rolls of your choice, spread some mayonnaise on the top portion, and put some sliced avocado on the bottom part. You can add the Swiss cheese slices to the chorizo patties right near the end of cooking to melt the cheese a bit. When done, place the cheese-topped chorizo burgers onto the buns. Add some of the softened fried onions on top of each, as well as some piquillo pepper. Sprinkle a little adobo seasoning on each sandwich to finish.

* For homemade adobo: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/11/adobo-seasoning.html

WORD HISTORY:
Bulk-This word, distantly related to "belly," ^ goes back to Indo European "bhel," which meant, "to swell," from which a derivative developed, "bhelg," with the same meaning. This gave Old Germanic "buka," meaning, "main part of the body, the trunk, the torso;" but with that part of the body having the abdomen, it also came to be used for, "belly." Old Norse, from the North Germanic branch of Germanic, had "bulki," which was used in reference to "the main body of cargo on a ship;" thus then also gradually applied to "large number of items, large volume of something," in general, as well as to the storage area/cargo hold. English borrowed the word in the 1400s as "bolke," which then became "bulk," with the primary meaning, "a large number of items, large volume of something," and the secondary meaning being, "the main body of something" (example: "A few sprinkles of rain came, but the bulk of the storm was still 50 miles away.")   

^ Also distantly related to a word now only used in parts of Britain as a dialect term, "bouk," which means, "main part of the body, torso," but also means, "belly." Close relative German still has "Bauch," meaning "belly." Like its German cousin, the English word once was limited to the "belly" meaning, but it seems to have taken the "torso" or "trunk of the body" meaning from Old Norse, which had both meanings, "torso" and "belly." Low German Saxon has "Buuk," Dutch has "buik," West Frisian has "búk," Danish has "bug," Swedish and Norwegian have "buk," all of which mean "belly."