Greek Fried Feta Cheese & Honey Sauce

Greek feta cheese is often made from sheep's milk, but sometimes it is made in combination with some goat's milk. It is stored in brine, but there are also prepackaged containers of about 7ounces to about 10 ounces, also with the brine included. Greek honey, if you have access to it, "often" has a bit of a thyme flavor to it. If you like buying things online, you'll definitely find Greek honey there, at varying prices, from modest to expensive. 

It seems the basic idea for this dish originated on the Greek island of Crete, the largest of the Greek islands and one of the largest islands in the Mediterranean. The fried cheese will have a slightly crispy, crunchy crust.

 

Ingredients (about 4 servings as appetizers):

 

7 to 9 ounces Greek feta 

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup honey

pinch of dried oregano leaves

1/2 teaspoon orange juice

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

 

On a plate or in a shallow bowl, mix the pepper into the flour. Leave the cheese slightly damp and put it into the flour to coat the cheese; shake off any loose excess. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a skillet, then fry the cheese for about 2 minutes per side until lightly browned (you don't want it too dark or burned) and a slightly crisp "shell" develops. Add the honey to a microwave safe cup or bowl, add the pinch of dried oregano leaves, 1/2 teaspoon orange juice and 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice; microwave for 20 seconds. Serve the just fried feta with the warm honey sauce drizzled over it. 

 

 

The whole slice of fried feta ...

 

WORD HISTORY:

Acrobat-This word is related to several words, with the first part related to "acme," a word borrowed by English from Greek, to "acne," a word borrowed from Latin, which had it from Greek. The second part is distantly related to "come," a word from the Germanic roots of English. The first part of "acrobat" goes back to Indo European "ak," which had the notion, "be pointed, be sharp." This gave transliterated Ancient Greek "akros," meaning "at the top point" (noun: "akron," "the highest point, the peak"). The second part goes back to Indo European "gwa" and its extended form "gwem," which meant "to walk, to go." The Indo European "gw" was rendered in Greek as 'b,' thus giving Greek the verb "bainein," also meaning "to walk, to tread, to step, to go." These parts gave Greek "akrobátis" (also transliterated as "akrovátis"?), which meant "rope walker, one who walks on tiptoes;" thus also, "tightrope walker." "Apparently" borrowed directly from Greek by French as "acrobate." English borrowed the word from French in the first half of the 1800s (circa 1830?). 

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail: Cóctel de Camarones

This is so good and refreshing on a hot summer day, but actually for any time of year, in my opinion. And it's super easy to make. I use 36/40 size shrimp and then I halve them, but you can certainly use 41/50 size. I love serrano chilies, so that's what I typically use, but you can use jalapeño chilies, and for heat shy people, the recipe below won't numb your tongue. Of course, for those who love the heat, you can use habanero chilies and add Mexican hot sauce until your little heart is content. It's a good idea to put a bottle of hot sauce out for people who want to add more.

 

Ingredients: 

 

1 pound 36/40 cooked shrimp, peeled and cleaned

1 cup tomato juice

1/2 cup clam broth (not heated)

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon celery salt

2 to 3 tablespoons Mexican hot sauce (I use Tapatio)

1 cup chopped seedless cucumber (small chop, peeled, unpeeled or partially peeled, your choice)

1 or 2 serrano chilies, chopped

1 cup chopped roma tomatoes

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 medium avocado, chopped

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro (also known as fresh coriander)

 

Add 5 or 6 cups of water to a pan, add 1 teaspoon salt and the juice of 1/2 lime. Bring to a boil and add the shrimp, cook for about 3 minutes or until tender. Drain the shrimp immediately and run cold water over them. Let them sit and you'll be back to them shortly. Add the tomato juice, clam broth, ketchup, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, ground black pepper, celery salt and Mexican hot sauce to a bowl (a glass bowl with a lid is great, and definitely NOT a bowl of aluminum or other metals that react to acidic elements like tomato juice and lime juice). Mix well, especially to get the ketchup mixed in. Add the chopped cucumber, chopped chilies, chopped roma tomatoes, finely chopped onion, chopped avocado and chopped cilantro and mix everything together very well. Cut the 36/40 shrimp in half, then add the shrimp to the bowl and mix again. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but 5 hours is better. Serve with saltines and don't forget to make extra hot sauce available for those who like more heat.  

WORD HISTORY:

False-This word is closely related to "faux," a word derived from the roots of "false," but with an inconsistent history in English since the latter part of the 1600s up to the present, but it was borrowed by English from French, and it is also related to "fail," a Latin-derived word borrowed via French. The origin of "false" is uncertain, although Dutch linguist and etymologist Michiel de Vaan has proposed an Indo European form, like "sgwhel," that meant "stumble," as the original source, but I'm not sold. What is known is that Latin had "fallere," meaning "to deceive," but also, "to disappoint." One of its participle forms was "falsus," meaning "deceived, cheated;" thus also, "mistaken" (adjectivally: "deceitful, deceptive;" noun use: "cheater, deceiver"). Latin-based Old French had it as "faus" and "fals," meaning, "not genuine, untrue, incorrect, deceitful, fraudulent," and English initially borrowed both forms between like 1050 and 1100, reinforced by the Latin "falsus." Later the forms became "fals," before the modern version, the primary meanings of which are: "untrue, fake, incorrect, deceitful." The other Germanic languages have forms of the word, as it was borrowed by Low German as "fals/vals" and then passed on to the North Germanic languages, and it was borrowed by Dutch (from Latin? from French?) as "valsch," then as "vals," and it was passed on to German, which has "falsch" (to simplify things, German originally borrowed a form as "fals" and then "vals"  from Old French "fals," but later the spelling was influenced (borrowed in that sense) by Dutch (from the spelling "valsch," with 'v' being pronounced as 'f', and it became "falsch," the spelling that has continued into the present).    

Ivory Coast Avocado Boats: Bateaux d'Avocat de Côte d'Ivoire aux Crevettes

In the latter part of the 1400s, the Portuguese seem to have been the first known Europeans to land in the area that is now Côte d'Ivoire, but the French and Dutch soon made appearances too. Over time the French established trading posts and even had a military presence in the overall region of that part of West Africa; and indeed, Ivory Coast became an official French colony in the late 1880s, but in the early part of the 1900s, the French colonial possessions in West Africa were combined into a large French colonial entity called the "Federation of French West Africa," but commonly just called "French West Africa." It wasn't until the summer of 1960 that Côte d'Ivoire became an independent nation with French being the official language, although numerous African languages are spoken there in every day life.

 

You want ripe, and thus, somewhat softened avocados (not mushy), so that they will be nice and creamy. Avocados are a pretty commonly grown food product in Côte d'Ivoire, and they are used in various types of recipes. Further, I garnished this dish here with cashew halves, because Côte d'Ivoire also grows and exports lots of cashews. 

Ingredients (6 appetizers or light lunches):

3 ripe avocados, halved and pitted

1 to 2 tablespoons lime juice

8 to 10 medium cleaned cooked shrimp, cut into halves or thirds

1/2 cup chopped fresh pineapple

1 teaspoon hot sauce + 1 teaspoon ketchup

3 to 4 tablespoons mayonnaise (low fat type is fine)  

good pinch of ground black pepper

good pinch of salt

garnish each serving with a few cashew halves

Either buy cooked shrimp, or cook the shrimp yourself. I simply sauteed raw cleaned/peeled shrimp in some butter and olive oil. If you cook the shrimp yourself, let the shrimp cool, then cut them in half or thirds, then put them into a bowl along with the chopped fresh pineapple, mayonnaise, hot sauce/ketchup, a good sprinkle of lime juice, black pepper and salt. Mix well to coat the shrimp and pineapple with the dressing. Cover the dish and refrigerate the shrimp for a couple of hours, then ... Rinse the avocados, dry them, cut them in half and pit them. Rub the cut side of the halves with some of the lime juice to prevent the avocados from browning (oxidizing; that is, browning from exposure to oxygen). Top the avocado halves with the shrimp/pineapple mixture and after you have plated the halves for serving, you can add a little more of the shrimp mixture on the side of the avocado, if you'd like (I didn't do that for the photos below). Garnish with a few cashews. 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Quaint-This adjective is related to "cognizance" and "acquaint," Latin derived words borrowed by English from French, and to "know" and "can" (the verb), words from the Germanic roots of English. "Quaint" goes back to Indo European "gnoh," which meant, "to have knowledge;" thus, "to know." This gave Latin "gnoscere" ("to know"), which had the prefix form "co" (meaning "with, together")^ attached, providing Latin with "cognocere," which meant, "to get to know;" thus, "to recognize, to get or to become acquainted with." One of the participle forms was "cognitus," meaning, "known, recognized, approved, acknowledged," and this passed into Latin-based Old French as "cointe," but also as, "queinte," meaning, "knowledgeable, clever, highly informed;" thus also used to mean "proud, gracious," which then was used figuratively to mean "arrogant." English borrowed the word around 1200 as "cwoynte/quoynte/cwointe," which then became "queynte," before the modern spelling. The word's meanings have changed numerous times, perhaps not surprisingly because of its positive and negative meanings at times, as like with "proud" and "arrogant," but also "knowledgeable" and "cunningly deceitful." The idea of "knowledge" gave it the meaning of "skillful and well made," but later "unusual," and then "unusually old fashioned" in the 1700s, which eventually graduated to "having old fashioned charm," where it has remained to this day, with the other meanings having become archaic, at best.     

^ Depending upon the spelling of the Latin word to which it was attached as a prefix, the spelling could be "co, con, com," all of which go back to Indo European "kom," with nuanced meanings like "with, along, together, nearby, beside"). The form in Germanic was "ga/ge," a form that began to morph and then "pretty much" die out in its English form in the late Middle English period into the modern era (I say "pretty much" to give myself some wiggle room for some words that might still be around with that form, although they may be little used). A previous example in English was "gebeorg" (a mountain, a hill) and its German cousin "Gebirge" ("a mountain range," in the singular sense, but also the same spelling is used for plural; so, "mountain ranges"), a form still in use in German, which has retained a lot of nouns with the "Ge" prefix.

Salmon Mousse

This can be a high fat dish, but you can lighten it considerably, as I note in the ingredient list. For parties or get togethers, some people prepare it in molds of various shapes, often of salmon (I can't imagine where they got that idea).

Serve with toast, sliced baguettes, sliced bread rolls, pumpernickel or rye bread, sliced cucumber, sliced radishes, crackers.

Ingredients:

 

1 pound salmon, skin and bones removed, or you can use canned salmon

8 ounces cream cheese (low fat is fine)

2 to 4 tablespoons cream (you can omit this, or use just a little 2% milk to help thin the mixture)

1/3 cup mayonnaise (low fat is fine)

1/4 cup onion, chopped

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped dill

1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or hot sauce 

1 teaspoon ground white pepper 

 

If using fresh salmon, you can bake it until tender (this is what I do), then let it cool. Use a food processor and add the cream cheese, process for a few seconds to begin to smooth it out, then add cream, mayonnaise, onion, salmon, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and white pepper. Process the mixture until smooth, then stir in the chopped dill (this way the mousse will have some flecks of dill visible). Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours (if you're molding the mousse, you'll likely need several hours of refrigeration for the mousse to really set).  

 

 

 

WORD HISTORY: 

Fine-English has more than one word of this spelling, all connected, but this is the noun meaning, "a monetary penalty, a payment implemented as punishment," also the verb, meaning, "to issue a penalty requiring payment of a specific amount (as in, "There is a fine of $25 for littering"), sometimes issued along with other forms of punishment (as in, "Your punishment is a fine of $250 and you must also serve 10 days in jail for dumping trash on your neighbor's property"), or as a penalty to avoid further punishment (as in, "You can pay a fine of $100 or serve 48 hours in jail." "Fine" is related to "finish," but the origin of these words is more than a little uncertain. Latin "figere" and "findere" have been suggested, with "figere" meaning "to fasten, to fix (in place)," with the idea being of "fixing a boundary or limit," tying the words to the meaning "end;" thus, "finish." "Findere" means "to split, to divide, to separate," with this then tied into "separating into boundaries;" that is, "limits" (ends); thus also, "finish." Latin "figere" is from Indo European "dheigw," which meant, "to pierce, to stick (in or through), with the beginning rendered in Latin as "f." If "fine" is from this source, it is related to "fix," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English via French, and it is distantly related to "ditch," a word from the Germanic roots of English. "Findere" is from Indo European "bheid," which meant, "to split," with the beginning rendered in Latin as "f." If "findere" is the source of "fine," then it is related to "bite," a word from the Germanic roots of English. ANYWAY... Latin had "finis," meaning "end, boundary (also, "death")."  This was taken by Latin-based Old French as "fin," meaning, "end, boundary," and later also, "fee or tax paid at the end of a settlement," thus signifying "the end of proceedings," a meaning also found in Latin, so did French get this meaning from Latin or did Latin get it from French? English borrowed the word from French, circa 1200, as "fine/fyn(e)," seemingly at first meaning, "end," but also, "death, the end of life," but by the mid 1300s, the legal meaning of "amount paid as a penalty or a punishment" had been taken on. Both Latin and French were used in the English legal system that developed after the Normans began ruling England; so, at least for me, it's not always easy to say from which language a particular word or meaning came, and it's likely there was reinforcement of such words and terms from both Latin and French.         

Fried Camembert

I first tried this dish about 40 years ago in Frankfurt, Germany, at the "Dippegucker Restaurant am Hauptbahnhof." * It is called "Gebackener Camembert" in German.** Camembert is a cheese made from cow's milk, with a creamy inside and a relatively soft edible rind, which is grayish or off white in color. Camembert is from Normandy in northwestern France, a region famous as the location of the Allied invasion of Nazi occupied France in June of 1944. Cherbourg and Caen are two of Normandy's important cities. It is also famous for William, Duke of Normandy, who sailed with an army from there across the English Channel to England in the latter part of 1066. England's King Harold was killed at the decisive battle of Hastings, thus making William the king of England.
 
Fried Camembert is used as an appetizer or even for a light lunch. In Germany and Austria it is often served with "Preiselbeeren;" that is, "lingonberries," which come in jars as a jam, but Americans can certainly use whole berry cranberry sauce, although lingonberry jam is not uncommon in stores anymore (it's often from Sweden).

Ingredients:

1  8 to 10 ounce round of Camembert, cut into 8 wedges   
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs 
1 cup fine bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Put the flour, the beaten eggs and the breadcrumbs into separate shallow bowls. Whisk the salt, pepper and paprika into the egg. Dip each cheese wedge into flour, then into the egg to coat, and then roll each in the bread crumbs. Repeat the process, flour, egg, breadcrumbs, so that the cheese is double coated. Heat about an inch or so of oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Drop in a small piece of bread. If the bread is golden brown within about 15 seconds, the oil is ready. Put 4 coated Camembert wedges into the hot oil. You must watch the cheese carefully. In about 30 to 45 seconds, the wedges should be browned and ready to turn. Let it fry on the other side for about 15 to 25 seconds, or until nicely browned, which should not take more than 30 seconds, and likely no more than a 15 to 25 second range. Remove the cheese pieces to a plate with paper towels to drain excess oil. Fry the next four pieces. Serve hot, as the inside will be filled with creamy, runny, melted, delicious cheese. Serve with lingonberry jam or cranberry sauce on the side. A slice of toasted bread is another common  accompaniment. 

* For a little more information about my memories of the "Dippegucker Restaurant" and Frankfurt, here is the link to another article:  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2018/03/memories-am-hauptbahnhof-frankfurt.html

** In this case, "gebacken" is the adjectival use of the participle form of the verb, "backen," the close relative of English "bake." Most often "backen" also means, "to bake," but it can mean "to fry," at times, "more so" in the southern German speaking regions. In order to clarify the meaning of "bake," German speakers may use, "im Ofen backen" (to bake in the oven, and yes, "Ofen" is the close relative of English "oven.").

WORD HISTORY:
Heart-This word is related through Indo European to "core," a word of Latin derivation borrowed by English from French. It goes back to Indo European "ker(d)," which meant, "heart." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "herton," with the same meaning. This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "heorte," which meant, "heart," and figuratively, "will, spirit, courage." This then became "herte," before the modern spelling. Forms are common throughout the Germanic languages as: German "Herz," Low German Saxon "Hart," West Frisian "hert," Dutch "hart," Danish "hjerte," Norwegian "hjerte," Icelandic "hjarta," Swedish "hjärta." By the way, the expression, "to know or learn something by heart," comes from the idea long ago that the heart was the center of intelligence and, thus, memory and emotion, with the emotion part still expressed to this day by "hearts" signifying love and, usually, good thoughts and deeds, as in, "John donated his pay this week to the family who lost everything in the fire. He has a big heart."  

Breaded Asparagus With Tartar Sauce

This is great as an appetizer or just as a snack. Asparagus is a common vegetable in the German speaking regions of Europe, where this dish is usually called, "Gebackener Spargel." 

1 pound asparagus
1/3 cup flour
2 beaten eggs
3/4 cup breadcrumbs (Panko style, if you like really crunchy)
1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese 
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika 
1/2 teaspoon salt (the cheese will have plenty of salt)

Tartar Sauce*

Cut or break off the tough ends of the asparagus stalks. Put the flour on a plate, mix in the pepper and salt. In a shallow dish, beat the eggs. On another plate, mix the breadcrumbs, the Pecorino Romano and the paprika. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Heat the oven to 400 F. Rinse the asparagus and leave the stalks a bit damp. Roll each piece of asparagus in the seasoned flour. Then dip each piece into the beaten egg and then roll them in the breadcrumbs. Place the breaded asparagus spears on the baking sheet and bake for about 15 to 17 minutes. Serve the asparagus with tartar sauce.

* This is the link to my recipe for homemade tartar sauce: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/09/homemade-tartar-sauce.html

WORD HISTORY: 
Asparagus-This word for the plant used as a vegetable goes back to Indo European "speregh," which had the notion, "move or hasten upwards." It is related to "spring" (move upward). This gave Greek "aspáragos" for the name of the plant, from the idea, "shoots of the plant moving upward so prominently from the ground." This was borrowed by Latin as "asparagus," but often rendered also in the clipped form, "sparagus." This was borrowed into the latter period of Old English as "sparage," which then became "sparagi." Close English relative, German, also borrowed the clipped form, which has carried into modern times as "Spargel." The English form was altered to "asparagus" from the proper Latin form in the second half of the 1300s.

Rumaki Liverwurst

Rumaki is "typically" an appetizer or hors d'oeuvre with marinated chicken livers and water chestnuts wrapped in bacon and held together with a toothpick. Exactly where this dish originated is something I could not find, but it has been "tied" to Polynesian-themed bars and restaurants since the post World War Two era. I've chosen to make this recipe into a type of liverwurst or pâté.

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken livers, washed and trimmed of most fat
5 slices smoked bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 inch piece of peeled ginger, roughly chopped
1/4 onion, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar (light or dark)
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon brandy
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes or 1/2 to 1 teaspoon fresh chili, finely chopped

Use a food processor. Since you will be processing the mixture, it isn't necessarily important to uniformly chop some of the ingredients, but I would not leave them whole, as you want the flavors spread throughout the liverwurst. Put all ingredients into the processor and process until well blended. If you like "chunkiness" for this, withhold a few livers from processing, chop them to whatever texture you wish, then add the pieces to the mixture, before baking. I line a loaf baking pan with parchment paper, then I add the mixture and make sure it settles. Bake at 350 F for 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool, and it is better to cool it and then refrigerate it. It will be somewhat crumbly. If you want it to be less crumbly, you can add butter or margarine (there are margarines with various types of fat used, so whatever suits you), but you will be adding extra calories and/or cholesterol, as adding just a tablespoon or so will not really do much to reduce the crumbly texture.

Rumaki liverwurst on a half roll, also herb butter on a half roll, blue cheese stuffed olives (larger) and anchovy stuffed olives and tomato pieces

 

WORD HISTORY:
Butter-This word goes back to some ancient Iranian language, ^ likely with the general meaning of "cow cheese, curds." This was a compound which was then borrowed into Greek as "bouturon" (transliterated form from the Greek alphabet), with the meaning "cow milk cheese," from Indo European "gous/bous," which meant "cattle, oxen," and Indo European "turos," which meant "cheese, curds." Latin picked up the term from Greek as "butyrum," where it took on the more specific meaning, "butter." The word was then borrowed long ago by the West Germanic branch of Old Germanic as "butero," which gave it to its offspring as Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "butere," which then became "butter." The other West Germanic languages also have: German "Butter," Low German "Botter," Dutch "boter," and West Frisian "buter."

^ Iranian is from the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo European languages and is thus related to English, but further down the family tree.

Shrimp with Chilies and Wine

So simple! Great appetizer or even the basis of a light lunch.


INGREDIENTS:

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, or tail on
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh chopped chili pepper or chili flakes, or dried chilies (to taste) *
1 tablespoon dark chili powder + more to garnish
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/4 cup white wine (dry or medium dry)
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chili pepper or flakes and cook for 45 seconds. Add the garlic, cook for one minute, then add the wine. Add the shrimp and sprinkle in the chili powder, stir. Turn the shrimp as needed to cook them through, which should only take a couple of minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan when the shrimp are cooked, or they will become tough. Serve the "broth" on the side as a dipping sauce. Sprinkle on a little chili powder for garnish.

* If you don't like much "heat," just use a teaspoon of chili flakes

WORD HISTORY: 
Shell-This word is distantly related to "skill," as the underlying meaning of "skill" is, "capability that distinguishes; that is, separates, it from others." "Shell" goes back to the Old Germanic root "skal/skel," meaning "to separate, divide." This came from the Indo European root "skel," which meant "to cut, cleave" (you get the notion: "cut, cleave," to "separate, divide."). The Germanic form gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "sciell/scill," and the Anglian dialect had "scell," all meaning "seashell and eggshell." Old English also had the related "scealu," which meant "shell or husk." The idea in all cases was, "a covering that splits off or separates." The word then became "schelle/shelle," before the modern version. The verb form, meaning, "to remove the shell from nuts," came from the noun, but it did not become common until the mid 1500s! The other Germanic languages have various forms, often with a variety of meanings, so it is difficult to sort them out; after all, the word "scale" (from a fish) is also closely related, and the use for the word "shell" for some drinking glasses shows the complex nature of the word. So, just some examples in the other Germanic languages: German "Schale" (verb form: "schälen," meaning "to peel or to skin"), Low German Saxon "Schell" (verb: "schellen"), Dutch "schil" and "schaal." Swedish "skål" (meaning "bowl," from the shape of a half shell), Icelandic "skel." "Apparently," West Frisian "skyl," which meant "peel of a fruit or vegetable," is now obsolete. 

Herb Cream Cheese Filled Peppers

These are great as an appetizer, or even as a snack, and they are simple to make, especially if you use store bought "whipped" cream cheese. I buy the one pound packages of multi-colored mini sweet peppers, which have red, orange and yellow peppers.

Ingredients (I use two different filling mixtures, see below):

1 pound package of multi-colored sweet peppers
2 eight ounce containers of "whipped" cream cheese  (reduced fat is fine)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped (coarsely or finely)
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
3 tablespoons fresh sage leaves OR fresh basil leaves (chopped or torn into smaller pieces)
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon seasoned salt (1/2 teaspoon for each mixture)
 
First, rinse the peppers well, then dry them. Cut off the stem tops, cut the peppers in half and remove and discard the seeds. Set the pepper halves aside.
Take one of the 8 ounce containers of whipped cream cheese and stir in 2 cloves of minced garlic, the red onion, the rosemary, the thyme, the white pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of seasoned salt.
Take the other 8 ounce container of whipped cream cheese and stir in 2 cloves of minced garlic, the sage leaves (or basil leaves), the black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of seasoned salt.
Fill some of the sweet pepper halves with the first mixture, then fill the remaining pepper halves with the second mixture. Cover the filled peppers with plastic wrap and chill, or serve them up straight away, but of course, without the plastic wrap. Trust me, I've tried it, and yuk, too chewy.
  

WORD HISTORY:
Full (Fill)-The word "full," as an adjective, seems to be the original word from which the noun "full" and the verb "fill" were derived. It is distantly related to "plenty." It goes back to Indo European "pel/pleh," which had the notion of "sufficient, full, enough, complete." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "fullaz," with the same meanings, and as was often the case, Indo European "p" became an "f" sound in Old Germanic. This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "full," meaning "complete, whole, filled." The Old Germanic form spawned the noun form, "fulli," meaning "full, complete/whole, sufficient." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "fyllu," which meant "filled up, sated." This later became "fulle," before the modern form. The Old Germanic form produced the verb form "fullijanan," meaning, "to fill up, to make full, to make enough/complete." This then gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "fyllan," meaning the same. This then became "fillen," before the modern form "fill." Besides the English forms, forms are common throughout the other Germanic languages:
German has "voll" (adjective, "full," the "v" is pronounced "f"), "gefüllt" (adjective, "filled, stuffed"), "Fülle" (noun, "fullness, abundance, wealth"), "füllen" (verb, "to fill"); Low German Saxon "vull" (adj), vüllen" (verb); West Frisian "fol" (adj), "folje" (verb); Dutch "vol" (adj), vullen (verb); Danish "fuld" (adj), "fylde" (noun, "abundance")  "fylde" (verb, same spelling as noun); Icelandic "fullur" (adj), "fylling" (noun), "fylla" (verb); Norwegian "full" (adj), "fylde" (noun, "fullness"), "fylle" (verb); Swedish "full" (adj), "fylle" (noun), "fylla" (verb).   

Caponata Crostini, Sicilian Eggplant Appetizer

Caponata is an eggplant based dish from the Italian island of Sicily. It can be used as a topping for bruschetta, or as I've done here, for crostini, or it can be used as a side dish, and it can be served warm or at room temperature. There are a lot of variations in recipes, so as always, this is my version. Crostini are small slices of bread, brushed with olive oil, then toasted by grilling, in the oven, or in a skillet, and then topped with any variety of vegetables, cheeses, meats, or some combination thereof.

Ingredients (using just one eggplant):

1 medium eggplant, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon salt
1 stalk celery, chopped
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
3 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
6 to 8 medium to large pitted green olives, roughly chopped
2 plum tomatoes, chopped

1 small onion, chopped 

1 large garlic clove, minced or finely chopped 

1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 

Small Italian bread slices, brushed with olive oil, toasted, then halved

Cut the eggplant into bite-sized pieces, then spread it out on a large plate covered with a paper towel. Sprinkle salt over the eggplant, then cover with another paper towel. You can also place another plate or two on top to add weight. Let the eggplant sit for 30 to 45 minutes. This will draw out some of the liquid from the eggplant. In the meantime, heat 1/2 cup oil in a heavy-duty skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook about 5 or 6 minutes, the until onion and celery are softened. Add the garlic, olives, anchovies, chili flakes and tomatoes and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle in the sugar and then stir in vinegar. Reduce heat to medium low and continue cooking for another couple of minutes. In another skillet, heat the remaining oil over medium heat. Wash off the eggplant pieces (you can discard the rendered liquid). Squeeze the eggplant by hand to remove water and other juices and then add it to the fresh skillet. Cook until lightly browned. Remove to a plate with a paper towel and allow excess oil to drain. Add the eggplant to the other mixture and stir well. Spoon some of the caponata onto the crostini (the plural form of "crostino").

Great as an appetizer, or add a salad for a nice light lunch.

WORD HISTORY:
Isle-First, in spite of the similarity in spelling and meaning, this word is NOT related to the word "island," which is a Germanic word essentially meaning, "water land," or "land on the water," although the spelling of "island" with an "s" (which had not been part of its spelling), was definitely influenced by the Latin spelling (see below). On the other hand, the ancient origin of "isle" is uncertain, but it "may" be related to "salt," with the general notion being "(land) in the salt water (sea)," but this is far from certain. Latin had "insula," meaning "island" ("insula" is indeed the second part of the word "peninsula"). "Seemingly" a later Latin variant spelling "isula" gave Old French the greatly contracted form "isle," which was contracted further to "ile." This was borrowed into English in "about" 1290. The influence of the Latin spelling, however, had French restore, and English add, the "s" to the word circa 1500, although modern French spells it "île," with the "^", called a circumflex, indicating there was once an "s" in the spelling. Close English relative German uses "Insel" as its primary word for "island;" a borrowing long ago directly from Latin "insula," although it also has "Eiland," pronounced "I-lahnt" (long "I" sound), the close form to English "island," but it is stylistically very high sounding, used more in grand writing and poetry in modern times.