Salisbury Steak

Salisbury steak was the invention of James Salisbury in the 1800s. Salisbury believed that many human afflictions were the result of poor diet. He theorized that ground beef was better for a person than large chunks of meat, as it didn't require as much digestive effort. Salisbury was from New York (state), but he lived in Cleveland, Ohio for a number of years after the Civil War; and indeed, he and his wife are buried in Cleveland at Lake View Cemetery, where President James Garfield, federal law officer Eliot Ness and John D. Rockefeller, the super wealthy founder of Standard Oil, are also buried.

Salisbury Steak has long been one of the selections of frozen meals, including the well known "TV Dinners," and that continues right up to the present. The gravy that goes along with Salisbury Steak makes mashed potatoes a common side dish in Mom & Pop diners, as well as in frozen dinners. 

 

Ingredients (4 servings):

 

For the beef patties:

 

1 pound ground beef (85/15 meat to fat)

1/4 cup very finely chopped onion

1/4 cup panko (coarse and somewhat chunky) breadcrumbs

1 egg

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon seasoned salt 

1 tablespoon oil (I use sunflower oil) for frying

 

Put the ingredients into a bowl and then mix them (I use my hands) until everything is mixed together well. Form the meat mixture into 4 patties (traditionalists would likely say the patties should be oval shaped). I use a 10 inch nonstick skillet to fry the "steaks." Add the oil to the skillet over medium heat. Place the patties around the skillet and let them cook for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes on each side. Remove the patties to a plate and make the gravy (the patties will cook further, in just a bit).

For the gravy:

 

2 tablespoons butter 

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups beef broth

1 teaspoon ketchup

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

 

Set the heat to low, then melt the butter in the same skillet, add the minced garlic and the sliced mushrooms. Saute until the mushrooms are softened, then sprinkle the flour over the mushroom/garlic mixture, and mix it in. Add 1/2 cup of broth to the skillet, stirring constantly. When the mixture thickens, add another 1/2 cup of broth, and repeat the process until the beef broth is all mixed in and it has a thickened consistency. Stir in the ketchup, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire and pepper. Now add the patties back into the skillet, cover the skillet with a lid or foil, and let the patties cook in the gravy on low heat for about 6 minutes. Check the patties after about 2 or 3 minutes and stir the gravy as best you can (you want to make sure nothing is sticking to the pan, but if it is, remove the skillet from the heat and turn the heat to very low; put the skillet back on the heat after about one minute). After the patties cook for 6 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat, but keep the lid in place. Let sit for about 2 minutes before serving.   

  Salisbury Steak with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, corn and cottage cheese ...

WORD HISTORY:

Adore-This verb, with derived noun "adoration," and adjectival forms: "adoring," "adorable," is related to "oral," "oration," "orator" and some others. The "ad" part of "adore" is related, through Indo European, to English "at," as they go back to Indo European "ad," meaning "near, at, toward, to," which gave Latin "ad," with the same basic meanings, with the spelling and pronunciation shortened at times in Latin's offspring to simply "a." The origin of the main base of "adore" is disputed. Dutch linguist Michiel de Vaan^ believes the origin is Indo European "os," which meant "mouth," and which gave Latin (via Old Italic) "os" (genitive case: "oris," dative case: "ori"), which then gave Latin "orare," which meant "to speak in public," with the secondary meaning of "to plead, to beg, to pray."^^ The two parts combined to form "adorare," with the meaning "to plead, to beg, to ask for, to pray," and then also, "to worship," which brought the broader meaning, "to honor, to revere," and this sense lessened somewhat in the 1800s to, "to like highly, to hold in high regard." The Latin form passed to Old French as "aorer," meaning "to worship, to give praise," which then became "adorer," which saw the Latin spelling influence. English borrowed the word in the latter part of the 1300s as "aouren," which later became "adouren/adoren" (also with the restored 'd' from Latin spelling), with the French meaning, and with the later meaning "to like highly, to hold in high regard," being applied beyond religious deities or figures; as in, "The couple frequently dined at the seafood restaurant, as they adored Oysters Rockefeller." 

 

^ "Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages," Volume 7 of the Leiden Indo-European Etymological Series, by Michiel de Vaan, Brill (Publishing), Leiden (Netherlands), Boston (U.S.), 2008 

 

^^ Others believe the possible source of origin to be Indo European "or/er," which meant, "to speak a ritual, to speak solemnly," and some believe that this was the basis of the Latin verb "orare."       

Korean Sweet & Spicy Meatballs

Serve with a short grain rice, like "sushi rice," or even "arborio," don't rinse the rice, as you want it to be a little sticky. 

 

Ingredients (4 servings):

 

1 pound ground beef

3 green onions (scallions), chopped

1 heaping teaspoon grated ginger

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt 

1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs 

chopped green onion for garnish

 

(for the sauce)

 

1/2 cup apricot, peach, or mango jam

1 tablespoon soy sauce

3 tablespoons gochujang Korean chili paste

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Add all of the meatball ingredients to a bowl. Mix everything together very well, then form the mixture into about 2 inch meatballs (you should get 11 or 12 meatballs). Put the meatballs onto a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 375F and bake the meatballs on the center rack for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the sauce ingredients together in a microwave safe bowl; microwave 75 seconds, then stir well. When the meat balls are done, add them to the sauce and make sure to coat them all with the sauce. Serve with rice.

 

 

WORD HISTORY: 

Stitch-This word is closely related to "stick" (noun and verb), both from the Germanic roots of English. "Stitch" goes back to Indo European "steyg/steig," with the idea of "to pierce, to stick, to stab," and this gave its Old Germanic offspring the noun "stikniz," with the meaning "a sticking, a piercing." This gave Old English "stice," with the same general meanings, but also, "a sudden piercing pain in one's side," and this later became "stiche," by which time the idea of medical stitching was also one of its meanings (1500s), then the modern form. Through time, the specific use of the word for the sewing of cloth and the making of shoes came to be applied. The saying about "having someone in stitches" was a 20th Century development, seemingly from people laughing so much and so hard that it caused jabbing sensations of pain. The verb form came from Old Germanic "stik(k)janan" (to stick, to stab) and this gave Old English the verb forms "sticcan/sticcian," and it then became "sticcen/stichen," before the modern form. Relatives in the other Germanic languages are at times difficult to sort out between what are English "stitch" and "stick": German has the noun "Stich," meaning "a sting, a stitch (sewing), engraving," and the verb "sticken," meaning "to embroider;" thus also, the noun "Stickerei," meaning "embroidery;" Low German has the noun "Steek," "a stab," and the verb "sticken," "to knit, to embroider;" Dutch has the noun "steek," meaning "a stab, a sting," and the verb "steken," meaning "to stab, to sting;" West Frisian has the verb "stekke," meaning "to stab, to pierce, to sting."     

Scottish Mince & Tatties

I really couldn't find anything much about the history of this Scottish dish, but potatoes came from the New World and they were only introduced to England in the late 1500s, and then from there to Scotland and to the rest of the British Isles. Once potatoes became available in Scotland, the basic ingredients needed for the dish means it could have easily developed at any time. The thing is, whenever "Mince & Tatties" first appeared, it remains a popular dish in Scotland to this day.   

 

Ingredients:

 

1 pound coarsely ground beef

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or sunflower oil)

1 cup chopped onion (relatively small chop)

1 cup chopped carrots (small chop)

2 cups beef broth + 1/2 cup, if needed

1/2 teaspoon Gravy Master or Kitchen Bouquet

1 tablespoon thick ketchup 

2 to 3 tablespoons flour 

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

salt (according to salt amount in broth)

potatoes, boiled, then mashed according to your own method

In a skillet or pan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the finely chopped onion and saute for 1 1/2 minutes, then add the carrots and saute another 1 1/2 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook the meat, breaking up any clumps of ground beef and mixing the vegetables into the beef. Stir in the ketchup, then sprinkle the flour over the ingredients and mix it in. Add the beef broth, ground black pepper and salt, stir well to mix. Lower the heat to low and cover the skillet/pan, either with a lid or foil. Cook the "stew" for 30 to 35 minutes, but at the 20 minute mark, add the Gravy Master or Kitchen Bouquet, stir well and add any more beef broth, if the gravy is too thick. Replace the lid or foil and continue cooking over low heat for another 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in salted water, drain and mash the potatoes according to your own recipe. Serve the stew with some mashed potatoes right on the side. 

WORD HISTORY:

Clan-This word is closely related to "plant," a Latin word borrowed from that language. "Clan" goes back to Indo European "plat," which had the notion "to spread, to broaden, to make flat, to flatten," and adjectivally meaning "flat." This picked up an "n" in Old Italic, which then gave Italic's Latin offspring "planta," meaning "sole of the foot" (the 'flat' part of the foot), which took on the meaning "offshoot, a (plant) shoot," and on the verb side, "to plant" (I will elaborate more on this when I do the history of "plant"). The Latin form spawned lots of borrowings, including into Old Irish, which in ancient times used the harder "k" sound for borrowed words with "p," and this gave Old Irish "cland," meaning "plant," but thus also, "offspring," and this was borrowed by Gaelic as "clann," meaning, "offspring, children, family, family group of the same stock, tribe." This was borrowed by English in the early decades of the 1400s with essentially the same meanings. Since those times, its meaning has broadened to use for some animals, especially for hyenas. In the United States, the word has a strong association with the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist group founded in the post-civil War era and known for using terror tactics to intimidate the group's targets.    

Latvian Meat Patties: Kotletes

There are lots of recipes for meat patties in Latvia, as they are quite popular there, and this is my version. Mushrooms and sour cream are certainly used in the cuisines of numerous countries, and these two food products are often used in eastern Europe, including in Latvia.

With 2 pounds of meat, I got 12 patties; of course, you can make larger patties.

 

Serve with boiled potatoes and dark brown rye bread, if you can find Latvian rye bread, go for it! You can also do a little salad, see further below.

 

Ingredients:

 

For the patties:

 

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground pork

1 cup chopped onion, small chop

3 cloves garlic, minced

oil for frying, divided use (to saute onions and garlic, then for the meatballs/patties)

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

breadcrumbs for coating the patties

For the sauce/gravy:

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup beef stock

1/3 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups chopped mushrooms, small chop

2 tablespoons chopped dill

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

salt (if your beef stock has a lot of salt, you can skip adding salt, or use a small amount)

 

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until the onion begins to soften, then add the garlic and saute another 1 minute, reduce heat to low and saute a further 1 minute then remove the skillet from the heat and let the onion/garlic mix cool down a bit (it doesn't have to be completely cooled). Add the ground pork and ground beef to a bowl, then add the cooled onion and garlic, ground black pepper and salt and mix everything together (best to use your hands). Add the egg and knead it into the meat mixture. Put some breadcrumbs on a plate, take enough meat to roll into the size of a golf ball, then roll it in the breadcrumbs to coat it. Continue this until all of the meat is used. Keep the meatballs on a plate, then heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add some of the rolled meat to the skillet, allowing some space between them, then gently press down on each with a spoon or spatula to just slightly flatten them into something more of meat patties, rather than meatballs. Fry until browned on each side and cooked through. Remove the fried patties to a plate. Drain the oil from the skillet and use a paper towel to wipe any meat bits from the skillet. Over low heat, melt the butter, add the chopped mushrooms to the skillet and saute until softened. Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and mix it into the butter. Cook for about 2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste, then stir in the beef stock and increase the heat to medium until the mixture comes to a simmer. Stir in the black pepper (and salt, if using) and continue to simmer the gravy until it thickens. Reduce the heat to low again and stir in the sour cream until it is well mixed in. Add the dill and stir for about 1 minute, remove from the heat. Serve the patties with some gravy spooned over them and some boiled potatoes. 

For a nice little salad addition: some chopped or torn lettuce leaves, chopped cucumber and chopped tomato with sour cream dressing of 3 parts sour cream to 1 part buttermilk, some minced garlic, some dill and parsley, ground black pepper and salt 

 

 

 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Junior-This word is related to "juvenile" and to the main part of "rejuvenate," both borrowed by English from Latin, and it is distantly related to "young," a word from the Germanic roots of English. "Junior" goes back to the Indo European root "yeu," which had the notion of "vigor, vitality." This gave Old Italic "juvenis," meaning "young," and this passed to its Latin offspring as the adjective "iuvenis," meaning "young" (same noun form seemingly meant "young man"), and the comparative form was "iuvenior," meaning "younger," and it was then contracted to "iunior," and English borrowed the word as "junior" in the last part of the 1200s, meaning "less in age than someone else," often included after a son's name when the son carried the same name as the father, but the abbreviated form "Jr" did not come into usage until the first couple of decades of the 1600s. The noun form was derived from the adjective in the early 1500s meaning, "a son, a younger male in a household," then also, "a common nickname for a son of the same name as his father." Both the adjective and the noun picked up the additional "a person of smaller size," and then a bit later also used for "clothing designed for smaller people, mainly those less than adult age." The late 1800s saw the use of the noun for "the third year of college," followed not long thereafter by its use for students in high school. "Junior high school" seems to be from circa 1910.     

Luxembourg Firestone Salad: Feierstengszalot

This salad seems to have developed in perhaps the 1600s or early 1700s as a way of using leftover beef. Lëtzebuergesch, the German dialect/language of Luxembourg, has "Feiersteng," standard German has "Feuerstein," and English has "firestone," originally as "fyrstan;" that is, "flint." The name of the dish "seems" to come from the slices of cooked beef representing, or looking like, pieces of "firestone." 

You can use leftover roast beef of any type, or you can boil or roast some beef just for this dish. When I made the salad for this article, the beef was so tender, even after being in the refrigerator overnight, that I really couldn't slice it properly, so I tore it into smaller pieces.

Often served with boiled potatoes and baguettes for a great lunch ...

 

Ingredients (4 servings): 

 

1 1/2 cups boiled or roasted beef in bite size pieces

2 to 3 hard boiled eggs, sliced

1/3 cup mild pickles, chopped

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup tomato, chopped or grape tomatoes halved

1/3 cup vegetable oil, regular olive oil or sunflower seed oil

1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons dried tarragon

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt 

4 to 5 tablespoons heavy cream

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped parsley or chives

Cut or tear the beef into bite size pieces and put it into a bowl. Add the chopped onion, chopped pickles and chopped tomato, toss to mix. Distribute into individual salad bowls or onto individual small plates and top each with some hard boiled egg slices, then spoon some of the dressing (see further) over the salad and sprinkle each salad with some chopped chives or parsley. For the dressing: In a bowl, add the oil, mustard, tarragon, pepper, salt and cream. Whisk everything together until it thickens to the desired consistency.  

WORD HISTORY:

Firestone & Flint- Firestone is simply the combination of "fire" and "stone." For the history of the word "fire," here is the link: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2011/07/german-question-part-one-hundred_13.html

For the history of "stone," here is the link: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2010/10/german-question-part-forty-nine_27.html

 

Relatives of "firestone": German has "Feuerstein" (once spelled "fiurstein"), Low German has "Füürsteen," Dutch has "vuursteen," West Frisian "fjoerstienne" (?) 

 

"Flint" is related to "split," a word of Germanic derivation that had a form in Old English, which died out, but then was later borrowed from Low German to give us our modern word. "Flint" goes back to Indo European "splei/spley," which had the notion, "to separate from, to split off from." This produced Indo European "splind," meaning "split, cleave." This gave Old Germanic "flintaz," "seemingly" meaning "very hard stone split from rock." This gave Old English "flint," with the meaning, "hard stone," and then "hard stone that sparks to start a fire;" thus, "flint stone," a meaning that is still with us to this day. German once had "flins," "hard stone," but German used forms of modern German "Feuerstein" (fire stone), and "flins" eventually died out, Low German had "vlint" and "vlintsten;" that is, "flint stone" in the Middle Ages, but apparently these have died out, and the same happened to Dutch "vlint." Danish has "flint," perhaps from Danish (or is it a borrowing from English, or perhaps a refashioning of the Low German form? Danish and Low German have had much interaction over the centuries, including up to the present). Swedish has "flinta," and German borrowed "Flinte" from Swedish in the 1600s as the word for a flintlock musket, where the gunpowder for firing was ignited by flint striking a piece of metal (called a 'frizzen').       

Bacon Jam Cheeseburgers

 

There are commercial brands of bacon jam available in supermarkets and grocery stores, but you can make your own bacon jam, here is the link ... https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2021/04/bacon-jam.html

 

Ingredients (per burger):

 

6 ounces ground chuck

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 pinches ground black pepper (a pinch for each side of the burger)

2 pinches salt (a pinch for each side of the burger)

a little oil for cooking

hamburger bun

1 thick slice of tomato

2 or 3 cucumber slices (medium thickness)

lettuce or arugula 

2 slices sharp American cheese  (one for bottom, one for top)

2 heaping tablespoons bacon jam

 

Mix the Worcestershire into the ground chuck to be used for each burger patty. Form the patty and add the salt and pepper to each side. Use a little oil for the skillet or grill to help the burger get started. Cook the burger to the preferred state of doneness and then remove it to a dish. Add the split bun to the skillet or grill and just very briefly let it soak up some of the drippings and toast a little, about 1 minute. Place the opened bun on the serving plate and add 1 slice of cheese to the bottom, then top this with the burger, and then the other slice of cheese, then the bacon jam (spread it out evenly). Add the pickle slices, the tomato and the lettuce or arugula, then place the top of the bun on and press down a little to set everything in place. Serve with French fries. 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Craft-This word is related to ''crave'' and to "cram," both from Germanic. "Craft" goes back to Indo European "ger," which meant "to pull together, to gather up, to fit or put together, twist, wind (long 'i')." This gave Old Germanic "kraf/kreb," which meant "strength, might;" that is, "the energy or force put together from within, manifested in physical strength." The meaning broadened beyond an individual's physical strength to "tribal might and skill in war." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "cræft," meaning, "strength, might, power, strength in mind, skill;" thus also, "trade, profession," and this then became "craft," with the "strength, might" meaning diminishing over the centuries and becoming obsolete by the 1500s, but with the "skill" meaning becoming more and more prominent over time. The second half of the 1600s saw the word also applied to "a small boat," although exactly why is unclear (skill required to make them? Skill required to operate one? Or perhaps the strength [rowing] or power [wind] required to sail one, which would take the meaning back to the roots of the word? Whatever the case, this meaning remains with us to this day). The verb also dates to Old English "cræftan," which meant, "to build or make (using skill)." Relatives in the other Germanic languages have all stayed with or close to the original meaning: German and Low German have "Kraft" (strength, might, power), in German, "Streitkräfte" means "military forces, armed forces," Dutch "kracht" (force, power, strength), West Frisian "krêft" (force, power), Icelandic "kraftur" (energy, force, might), Norwegian "kraft" (force, power, might), Danish "kraft" (power, energy, might), Swedish "kraft" (force, energy, might, vigor). 

 

Austro-German Boiled Beef: Tafelspitz

This dish has a strong tie to Vienna, but it is well known in other parts of Austria and Germany, especially in Bavaria. In German, "Tafelspitz" literally means "table tip or point," presumably because of its shape (see photos below). "Spitz" means "point or tip" in German, and it is closely related to English "spit," not the saliva meaning, but rather, "a pointed rod used for cooking meat;" that is, a type of "skewer." While in more recent times some may use various cuts of beef, the dish seemingly originated by the use of what in the U.S. is called a tri-tip, or triangle roast, which is still the traditional choice for this dish; in fact, the name "Tafelspitz" is also used for that specific cut of beef in German, although, as in just about all things German having to do with food, there are regional names like, "Hüferschwanz," "Hiefelschwanzl," "Pastorenstück." Because the slow simmering of the beef drains much of the flavor from the vegetables, when the meat is done, it is best to strain the broth and discard the vegetables, then cook fresh vegetables in the broth for serving with the beef. Celeriac (celery root) is pretty easily found these days in many supermarkets or produce shops, or you can use parsnips.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pound beef tri-tip/top round roast
3 large carrots, divided use
1 onion (baseball size)
1 celery root (celeriac, baseball size), peeled, or 1 or 2 parsnips, peeled
2 stalks celery (with leaves)
(optional) beef marrow bones
10 peppercorns, cracked
1 tablespoon salt (or to taste)

Apple/Horseradish Salad
2 apples, peeled and cored
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon sugar (more if needed)
2 to 3 tablespoons horseradish (freshly grated or from a jar, but drained)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Place the roast into a pot, cover it with water, and add one of the carrots (washed, but it needn't be peeled). Halve the onion and peel one of the halves, then roughly chop it and add it to the pot. Add the other onion half, skin on, to the pot, along with the celery stalks (each cut into 3 pieces). If you have a couple of marrow bones, add them to the pot and toss in the peppercorns, but do not add salt at this time. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Remove the meat and strain the broth into another pan or large bowl. Remove the marrow bones, if using, from the strained matter, you can then discard the rest of the strained matter. Return the broth to the pot and add the remaining 2 carrots, but this time you can peel them and slice them into multiple pieces. Peel the celery root or parsnips and cut them into multiple pieces also, then add them to the pot, along with the salt. Bring the broth to a boil again and cook the vegetables until they are tender. For the apple/horseradish: grate the peeled and cored apples into a bowl (sprinkle on some lemon juice as you grate the apples; otherwise, the grated apples will begin to turn brown). When the apples are grated, add any remaining lemon juice, the sugar, the salt and the horseradish, then mix everything together well. Horseradish can lose its "zip" if it sets too long, so it's best to grate it fresh and serve the apple/horseradish alongside the meat immediately.

Slice the meat rather thinly across the grain and serve with the just cooked vegetables and the apple/horseradish salad; additionally, fried potatoes, called "Bratkartoffeln" in German, are a frequent side dish for "Tafelspitz."    

WORD HISTORY:
Claw-This word is related to "clay" and to "cleave" (the verb meaning, "to stick or cling to"), both words from the Germanic roots of English, and to "glue," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English through French. It goes back to Indo European "gleuh/gleyh," which had the notion of "stick together, adhere," with the further sense, "form into a ball." This gave Old Germanic "klawo," with the meaning, "animal foot forming a round shape or appearing to form a round shape." This gave Old English "clea," meaning "claw, nail of a claw," and then the form "clawu," with the same meanings. This then became "clawe/claue," before the modern form. Relatives in the other Germanic languages: German has "Klaue," meaning, "claw," but also secondarily, "hoof," perhaps from the split in a hoof resembling a claw? Low German "Klau" (claw), West Frisian "klau" (claw), Dutch "klauw" (claw), Swedish, Danish, Norwegian "klo" (claw), Icelandic "kló" (claw). The verb form seems to have come from an Old Germanic form like "klaujanan" (?), which gave Old English "clawian" (to claw or scratch), with relative German "klauen" having somewhat more extensive meanings like, "to steal," in the sense, 'to snatch away, to swipe,' seemingly from the notion of birds of prey swooping down and using their claws to snatch up small animals or birds, but also meaning simply, "to seize, to grab," and further, "to crawl (like a crab)," seemingly from the idea of the crab having claws and their moving like a crawl. Verb forms in Low German (klouwen) and Dutch (clouwen) are now archaic. 

German Meat Patties: Frikadellen

These meat patties are much like hamburger patties, but they are not just plain meat, or barely seasoned ground meat, but rather more like meatloaf patties. "Frikadelle" (singular) is a word borrowed by German "seemingly" from both Italian "fritatel(l)a" and French "fricadelle," which come from Latin. "Frikadellen," is the the plural form, and it is widely used and understood in the German speaking regions. Ah, but remember, I said this is a German food term, so that means there are regional names that have become part of the regional dialects. "Frikadellen" in Berlin dialect are more commonly known as "Buletten," a term the Berliners borrowed from French Huguenot immigrants long ago. In the Bavarian dialect of much of Bavaria and Austria, the term is "Fleischpflanzerl," while in some of the Alemannic German dialects of Switzerland, southwestern Germany, Alsace and far western Austria, you might see some form of "Fleischküechle," and in part of eastern Germany you will encounter "Gehacktes," a word closely related to English "hack," and used as a noun to mean, "chopped (hacked) or ground meat." There are more terms... trust me. I've seen these rolled and made into meatballs, too.

You can serve "Frikadellen" warm or cold with some mustard, or if you want to drive traditionalist  Germans crazy, use ketchup. Of course, a good beer is highly recommended.  

Ingredients (about 8 to 10 patties):

1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef (ground chuck is great)
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon marjoram (or you can use oregano)
1 cup raw chopped onion (then softened in hot oil, see below)
1 stale kaiser roll, soaked in a little milk to moisten it, then pressed out
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
oil for frying 

In a skillet, add 1 or 2 teaspoons oil, over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until the onion is just softened (about 3 minutes), let it cool a little. In a bowl, add all of the ingredients, including the softened onion. Mix everything together (best to mix by hand). Take an amount to form a ball a little larger than a golf ball, then press it down to form a patty, not too thin, or too thick. Heat about 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium heat, then fry the patties until well browned on both sides. Some people use enough oil to actually cover the bottom of the skillet, so whatever you prefer. Fry the patties in batches.

A Frikadelle with a little dab of mustard, some creamed green beans (Rahmbohnen), pieces of homemade pickles and some pieces of German barrel pickles... To make "Creamed Green Beans," here is the link: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2019/01/austro-german-creamed-green-beans.html

WORD HISTORY:
Bowl-There is more than one word of this spelling in English, but they are related through Indo European. This is the noun for "a round dish for holding or serving liquid food." "Bowl" is closely related to "boll" (seed pod of cotton or flax; thus, "boll weevil") and to "ball" (round object). Both are from the Germanic roots of English, although the specific form "boll" was borrowed by English from Dutch. "Bowl" goes back to Indo European "bhel," which had the notion of, "to swell, to bulge out, to bloat out," This gave its Old Germanic offspring "balluz," meaning, "bloated object, round object," and the offshoot form "bul(l)," which meant, "round container, round object." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "bolla," meaning, "container/dish for food or drink." This then became "bolle," before the modern spelling. Stadiums with a similar rounded shape came to be called "bowls," and this then transferred to special championship games played in such stadiums (usually American-style football); thus, "Superbowl," "Rose Bowl" and others. The use of large bowls for "punch" (a drink, often with an alcoholic component and fruit juices) led to the term "punch bowl," and German borrowed the word from English in the second half of the 1700s as "Bowle," with the meaning, "punch" (the drink) and also meaning "punch bowl." The closeness in descriptive meanings of the various words in the Germanic languages often makes it hard to separate which words are more closely tied to English "bowl, boll," or to "ball." German, for instance, has "Bohle" (sturdy thick piece of wood, originally cut from a tree trunk, thus round),^ Low German "Boll" (plant bulb, also another word for "onion" because of the bulb meaning), West Frisian "bôle" (bread, apparently originally "loaf of bread," which were round), Dutch "bol" (bulb, bread roll), Icelandic "bolli" (drinking container), Norwegian "bolle" (bowl), Swedish "bulle" (bread roll).

^ German also had "bolle," meaning "a round curved container or dish," and obviously a close relative of "bowl."  

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).       

Aussie & New Zealander Meat Pies

These meat pies are common in Australia and New Zealand, where they are frequently sold at sports events and as a lunch or snack food item. I have several 5 inch pie pans and I got 4 pies from this amount of filling. Also good while watching a "Crocodile Dundee" movie, no matter where you are in the world.  

Ingredients:

1 pound ground chuck
1 medium onion, chopped rather finely
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil (only use 2 tablespoons if the meat is super lean, to prevent sticking)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup beef stock
2/3 cup ketchup
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt (if the beef stock has a high level of salt, you can leave this out)
1 beaten egg (for brushing the crust) 
ketchup for top
store bought pie crust for bottom
store bought puff pastry for the top crust

Heat the oil in a skillet, over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the ground chuck, breaking up the meat into ever smaller pieces as it cooks. Cook until the onion softens and the beef is browning. Sprinkle the cornstarch over the meat/onion mixture, then stir in the beef stock and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in the ketchup and salt, reduce heat to low and let the mixture simmer until it thickens, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. The time on this will vary, but I cooked the mixture on low for about 20 minutes. The mixture needs to be pretty thick. Line each small pie pan with pie crust. Add enough of the meat mixture to fill each pan nearly to the top. Then press the puff pasty onto the upper edges of the pie crust to form the tops of the meat pies (you can brush some of the beaten egg around the edges of the pie crust to help seal the top when you place the puff pastry on). You might want to use a fork to press the pasty into the pie crust edges. Take a knife and make a small opening in the center of each pie for a vent for the steam. Brush some beaten egg onto the tops of each pie to help it brown. It's best to place the pies onto a baking sheet (line it with foil or parchment paper for easy clean up, if the filling spills over onto the tray). Put the pies into a preheated 425 F oven. Bake until the tops are nice and browned, approximately 25 to 35 minutes. (NOTE: You can piece together the pie crust and even the puff pastry topping, if need be. What I mean is, you can put your pie pan on the pie crust as a pattern and then cut around it, but once you fit the dough into the pans, if it needs a little more for a good edge, don't be afraid to use the inevitable pie crust scraps to make the edges. The same can be done with the puff pastry, but all of this will naturally depend upon the size pans you use.) 

A filled pie before I put on the puff pastry top. The yellow around the edge is some beaten egg for sealing 

The beaten egg on the puff pastry top

A finished pie with ketchup surrounding the vent opening... you can use less ketchup, but hey, I'm a ketchup fan...

WORD HISTORY:
Kangaroo-This word for the famous Australian marsupial was borrowed from "ganurru" or "gangurru," from Guugu Yimidhirr, a language of one of the Aboriginal peoples of northeastern Australia. This language is from the Pama-Nyungan language family of Australia. "Kangaroo" began its use in English in 1770, when English explorer Captain James Cook led an expedition, which included scientist/botanist Joseph Banks, that sailed to Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia and Hawaii (where Cook was killed several years later during a return trip), among other places, and where both men made notes, including the use of the word "kangaroo," "seemingly" initially spelled, "kanguru." 

Chimichurri Sauce

"Chimichurri" is a kind of uncooked sauce in Argentina, typically used as an accompaniment for grilled or roasted meat, and at times, used as a marinade for meat. There are all kinds of variations to "chimichurri," although most have to do with the amounts of the basic ingredients, but there are also some variations in the actual ingredients. For instance, not all Argentinians use chili pepper, so if you don't like heat, just leave it out, or just add a pinch of dried chili flakes. The same is true about recipe variations in Uruguay, where chimichurri is also popular, as is beef.

Ingredients:

4 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons chopped onion (white or red onion, or scallion)
1 red chili pepper, seeded
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup cilantro
1/2 cup parsley (Italian parsley is good for this)
2 tablespoons fresh oregano
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Put all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the garlic, onion, chili pepper and herbs are well chopped and blended together. Best if covered and refrigerated for a couple of hours before using.

Roasted beef ribs with chimichurri sauce

WORD HISTORY:
Spit-English has two main words (each with a verb and noun form) of this spelling, but they are from different sources. This is the word meaning, "rod or stick used for roasting meat." The verb form of this word is not commonly used in modern times. The word is somewhat distantly related to "spike." It goes back to the Indo European root "spei,' which meant, "sharp end, pointed." This gave Old Germanic "spitoz," meaning, "sharp rod for skewering meat to be roasted." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "spitu," with the same meaning. This then became "spyte/spytte," before the modern form. Forms in other Germanic languages: German has "Spieß/Spiess," ^ Low German Saxon has "Spitt," Dutch "spit," Danish "spytte," Norwegian "spidd" (dialectal?), Icelandic "spýta," Swedish "spett."

^ Modern spelling forms in German has made "Spieß" the proper spelling, except in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, where "Spiess" was made proper.

Cranberry & Chili Sauce Meatloaf

This was the first time I had ever tried this, but I had seen several recipes for a sauce or glaze of cranberries and chili sauce used with beef or pork, or a combination of the two. If you like "heat," you can add more cayenne pepper, but if you don't like "heat," unless you have super hot cayenne, 1/4 teaspoon won't bother you, but it adds just a little spiciness.

Ingredients:

For the meatloaf:
1 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck
1 package (12 to 16 ounces) ground pork sausage (sage type)
3 slices stale/dried white bread, torn or cut into small pieces (lightly toasted sandwich bread is fine)
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 eggs
2 tablespoons dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried savory
3/4 cup plain bread crumbs

For the sauce:
1  14 ounce can whole cranberry sauce
1/2 cup Heinz chili sauce 
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar (light or dark)
1/4 to 3/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, to your taste 
2 tablespoons cornstarch + 3 tablespoons water

Begin heating oven to 350 F. For the meatloaf: In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients. Mix well by hand, kneading the mixture to make sure the ingredients are dispersed throughout. Form into a loaf and put into a baking pan or casserole with a lid or foil. Make sure there is room for the juices as the meatloaf bakes. Bake at 350 F for 1 hour 45 minutes, uncover. Carefully pour off as much of the juice as is safely possible,* but leaving a little of the liquid will help to keep the sauce from burning. Smear the cranberry/chili sauce over the meatloaf, keeping some of the sauce to spoon over the meatloaf as it bakes further. It's okay for some of the cranberry mixture to fall or run into the pan/baking dish with the little amount of juice left in the pan. Bake uncovered another 35 to 45 minutes. Check every 10 minutes.

As the meatloaf bakes, mix together all of the ingredients for the sauce in a sauce pan, except the cornstarch/water. Bring to a simmer over medium low heat. Mix the cornstarch and water well. With the sauce bubbling lightly, drizzle in some of the cornstarch/water mixture, stirring constantly. Continue gradually adding the cornstarch until the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat. The sauce will thicken even more as it cools.  

* I used the juice over the mashed potatoes, but I first separated out the fat.   

A nice end piece of the meatloaf, with mashed potatoes, cottage cheese and corn ...

WORD HISTORY:
Cranberry-This word was borrowed from the Low German compound "Kraanbere/Kraanbeere" circa 1650. Low German "Kraan" is closely related to English "crane." "Supposedly" some believed the plant to resemble the bird, a crane. Another possibility is, cranberries often grow in and around marshy areas, where cranes live; thus, the possible association. For its history, see the "Word History" at this link: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/01/homemade-liverwurst.html
Of course, Low German and German "Bere/Beere" are close cousins to English "berry." For the history of "berry," here is that link: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2008/10/finance-basics-part-three.html

Indian Lamb Kebabs (Shami)

While many people likely think of "kebabs" (also spelled "kabobs" and "kababs") as being on skewers, they don't really have to be. These are delicate lamb patties with great flavor. Recipes vary somewhat, with the "bean" component sometimes being chickpeas, some type of lentil, or mung beans, with the latter being my choice for this dish. I've seen a recipe or two without any bean component. Beef is also used, but remember, practicing Hindus do not eat beef, but the substantial Muslim population of the Indian subcontinent does eat beef, and from what I understand, these kebabs are often made with beef in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, where they are very popular. Since the ingredients will be put into a food processor, it is not really necessary to finely chop everything. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
1 or 2 tablespoon oil or clarified butter (ghee)
1/2 cup yellow lentils or split mung/gram beans
water for cooking (about 1 1/2 cups, but whatever is needed)
1 cup chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1  2 inch piece of ginger, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2/3 teaspoon turmeric
3 green chilies, chopped (jalapeño or serrano chilies are fine)
1/4 cup mint leaves, roughly torn or chopped
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (also called fresh coriander or green coriander)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 to 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (according to your preference for heat)
2 teaspoons garam masala
lime wedges, onion cut into rings, mint chutney

Soak the beans for 20 to 30 minutes. Rinse. In a pan, add 1 or 2 tablespoons oil or clarified butter and heat over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, saute for 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, stir well, then add the ground cumin, turmeric, green chilies and mint, saute about 1 minute. Add the beans or lentils, and add water to just cover. Turn down heat to medium low and cook at a gentle simmer until the beans/lentils are tender and the water is essentially gone. Let mixture cool a bit, then put it into a food processor. Add lamb, 1/4 cup cilantro, salt, cayenne pepper and garam masala. Process until all is well mixed and fine. Mix in the 2 tablespoons cilantro, but do not use the processor, so that it remains in larger pieces. Heat oven to 350 (F). Form the mixture into patties. Place patties on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake patties for 45 to 55 minutes. If you want the patties a little crisp, pour off any grease and then place them under the broiler for about 45 seconds to a minute on each side. Often served with lime wedges, raw onion rings and/or mint chutney,* but accompaniments vary, often regionally. 

* You can find mint chutney in many supermarkets, but definitely in Indian/Pakistani grocery stores, or you can make your own. Here is the link to my recipe for mint chutney, which is very easy:  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/07/indian-mint-chutney.html

WORD HISTORY: 
-stan-This is the word forming element for geographical entities, like "Pakistan." It goes back to Indo European "sta/steh," which had the notion of "stand, set in place." It is related to a large number of both original English words from Germanic like, "stand" and "stead," as well as borrowed words like, "stay." It is related to German "Stadt," originally meaning, "place," and then "city." The Indo European root produced Indo Iranian "sthanha," which meant, "place where one stands;" thus also, "where one dwells." This passed to Persian as, "stana," and to Sanskrit as "sthana," and eventually was used in Urdu and Hindi in India well before Pakistan and India separated. The meaning came to extend more directly to "place of," "home of" or "homeland of." Exactly when the term started to be added as a suffix to form geographic descriptions is unclear to me, but such are numerous: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Baluchistan (also spelled Balochistan), Uzbekistan, Hindustan and others.

Smothered Steak/Swiss Steak

"Smothered Steak," is a traditional part of the cuisine of the American South, "apparently" having been brought there by colonists from England, where the term is also used. In other parts of the U.S. it is known as "Swiss Steak," which has nothing to do with "Swiss cheese, Swiss army knives, Swiss chard, Swiss bank accounts or Swiss chocolate." In fact, it has nothing to do with Switzerland or with the cuisine of that country. The story is, this term "Swiss" comes from the tenderizing pounding process used for the steak (which was/is called "swissing"), which came from tougher, less expensive cuts of beef. There are variations on the recipe, with some using a heavy proportion of tomatoes, and others using less tomatoes and making the sauce into more of an actual gravy, as I've done here. If you'd like the sauce to be more "tomato-y," you could use a half cup of canned diced tomato, with the juice.    

Ingredients:

2 pounds round steak, sliced into serving pieces, then pounded to about a 1/2 inch thin
3/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon seasoned salt (your favorite brand)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup sliced or chopped button mushrooms
1 cup sliced or chopped baby bella mushrooms
5 tablespoons olive oil (don't be afraid to use more oil, if needed)
2 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned. If canned, you can drain or use the juice, your choice.
1/2 teaspoon savory
2 to 3 tablespoons flour mixed with 3 to 4 tablespoons water

Mix the flour, black pepper and seasoned salt together on a plate. Dredge the pieces of steak in seasoned flour, then place each piece between plastic wrap, and, using a meat mallet or edge of a plate, pound it thinner. The point is to pound the seasoned flour into the steak, while tenderizing the steak at the same time. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. If you use an oven safe skillet, it will be one less thing to wash later. Anyway, brown the seasoned and tenderized steak pieces in batches. Heat the oven to 350 F. To the skillet, if using, or to a baking dish, add the onion, the mushrooms, the tomatoes, the savory, the beef stock and the Worcestershire sauce. Stir to mix. Add the browned steak pieces and cover the skillet or dish. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 300 F and bake about another 90 minutes, or until the steak pieces are very tender. Remove from the oven. If using the skillet, place the steak pieces on a separate plate and put the skillet on a burner at medium heat. It should quickly bubble, then gradually stir in the flour/water mixture until the gravy/sauce reaches the desired thickness. I'm a mashed potatoes guy, but many often serve it with buttered noodles.

I had mine with mashed potatoes, carrots and cottage cheese.

WORD HISTORY:
Smother-This word, distantly related to "smolder" and "smell," "seems" to go back to an Indo European "smur/smul," likely variants of some unknown Indo European root. There are other Indo European relatives to the word outside of Germanic. The notion lying behind the meaning seemingly has to do with "heat, fire, burn," and the results of such; that is, "smoke coming from," and, "smoke covering someone or something." From the Indo European came an Old Germanic offspring like, "smuronan," which meant, "to choke or to choke to death from smoke," which only remained in West Germanic, which gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "smorian," which meant, "to choke, to suffocate." Its third person singular was "smoraþ" (=smorath), which produced the noun "smorther," meaning "heavy or thick smoke;" that is, "smoke so thick as to choke a person." Later the verb became "smortheren," before the word contracted to "smoth(e)ren," and then to "smother." The word also took on the cooking meaning, "to cover and cook slowly," sometimes rendered as "smoren," perhaps by influence of the same spelling in the related Low German, Dutch and Flemish words. Relatives of "smother" in the other Germanic languages: German has "schmoren," meaning, "to braise, to cook meat slowly in a covered pan with liquid," but this was borrowed from Low German in the 1600s. In German it also has the figurative meaning, "to stew," as in the English expression, "to stew in one's own juices;" that is, "to worry over and fret about the consequences of one's own deeds." Further, it means, "to swelter in hot weather." Low German "smoren/smorten," meaning, "to choke;" Dutch "smoren" (to choke, but also the cooking usage "braise").

Swedish Meatballs: Köttbullar

I really first began to eat Swedish Meatballs about four decades ago, as a German-themed restaurant here in Cleveland, Kiefer's, had Swedish meatballs (Swedish: köttbullar) as a special on one weekday, but I forget which day. They were larger than what is likely typically served in Sweden, and remember, I said the restaurant was "German-themed," as it obviously had non German foods on the menu. This is NOT a dish you'll want to make if you are dieting, but you could certainly "lighten" it by using half and half, or even milk, in place of the heavy cream. Of course, if you use the heavy cream, but eat only a little gravy, you'll get the great texture and taste of the gravy, but far fewer calories. I'm a gravy kind of guy, so trying to eat just a small amount of gravy is a losing battle for me.   

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef (80% or 85% lean)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup onion, pretty finely chopped
1 cup breadcrumbs (I use panko breadcrumbs)
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon dried parsley 
2 cups beef stock
3 tablespoons butter + 1 tablespoon (fresh) olive oil + 4 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup heavy cream
fresh parsley for garnish 

lingonberry jam on the side

In a bowl, add the ground beef, the onion, breadcrumbs, egg, milk, salt, nutmeg, ground cloves, pepper and dried parsley, mix well by hand. Heat the oil over medium low heat in a 10 to 12 inch heavy bottomed skillet (cast iron is good, but not necessary). Form the meat mixture into 12 meatballs. Add and melt the butter in the oil, then add the meatballs. If you cannot fit all of the meatballs in at one time, fry them in two batches. Turn the meatballs frequently until they are browned and cooked through. This can take a little time, so be patient. JUST HURRY THE HELL UP! Haha! When the meatballs are done, remove them to a plate/platter. Also, remove any very darkened bits that may have fallen from the meatballs into the skillet during cooking, as they will be cooked even more, and you don't want any burned flavor in the gravy. Add and melt the butter in the drippings from the meatballs, add the fresh oil, then add the flour, stir well to mix in the flour with the butter/oil/drippings. Let it brown lightly. Gradually stir or whisk in the beef stock, maintaining the heat so it will mix with the flour and thicken. Stir in the heavy cream, mix thoroughly. Sprinkle on some freshly chopped parsley. Swedes "often" serve these meatballs with noodles and with lingonberry jam/preserves on the side. This jam is really something of a Swedish specialty, and it is generally available in supermarkets here in the U.S.   

Here I put the meatballs right on top of noodles, with little gravy on the meatballs, and with some chopped tomato and French dressing on the side. Below I served the meatballs right in the gravy, with mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam, a fairly common Swedish accompaniment. Many supermarkets now have lingonberry jam/preserves. 

WORD HISTORY:
Gut(s)-This word, distantly related to "gush," and often used in the plural, goes back to Indo European "gheu," which meant, "to pour, to let water or liquid flow." This gave Old Germanic the noun "guton," the meaning of which came from "a means of pouring or letting water or liquid flow:" that is, "a channel, a drain, a gutter,:" thus also, "intestinal system." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "gutt," and the plural, "guttas," with the "intestinal system" meaning, which later became "gut(s)." The meaning later expanded to "the inside parts of machinery and such." The extended meaning, "nerve, courage," is from the sense of emotions being in the abdomen;^ an idea certainly reinforced by our feeling sick in our stomach when worried. 

^ Courage has long been viewed as an emotion; thus a "mood," and the close German relative of English "mood" is, "Mut," which indeed means, "courage." English "mood" once had "courage" as one of its meanings, too.    

Pljeskavica: Serbian Burgers

These are the SUPERSIZE burgers of supersize burgers, about the size of a salad plate. They come served on special large rolls/buns, called "lepinja" (pronounced as if, "lepeenyah," in Serbian, and they are sort of a flatbread. I bought some extra large rolls to make my "pljeskavica," which is pronounced as if, "pless-kah-veet-sah," but I wouldn't be surprised to find actual "lepinja" here in Cleveland in a couple of areas where fairly large numbers of Serbian and Croatian immigrants settled. Pljeskavica are somewhat spicy, but not terribly so, although you can spice up the meat with extra chili pepper flakes, and by using hot paprika.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground chuck
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 pound ground pork
3 tablespoons water
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons Hungarian paprika, regular (sweet) or hot, your preference
2 teaspoons (or to taste) chili pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
large rolls/buns for serving (+ butter, paprika and chili flakes)

Knead the ingredients together. Cover and refrigerate for 4 or 5 hours, then take it from the refrigerator about 30 to 45 minutes prior to cooking. Form into patties 6 or 7 inches in diameter (or according to the rolls/buns you will use), and about 1/2 inch thick. Grill or fry the patties on a griddle or in a large skillet. Melt some butter in a skillet, add a little paprika and some chili flakes. Season the cut side of the top of each roll/bun by dipping into the butter mixture. If you have fried the burgers on a griddle or in a skillet, you can just gently dip the bun into the already seasoned meat drippings instead of melting the butter. Place each burger onto a roll/bun and serve with cheese or "kajmak" (Serbian/Croatia cheese spread)* and ajvar/ljutenica, ** or your favorite toppings.

* Here is the link to my recipe for "kajmak:" http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/06/serbian-cheese-spread-kajmak.html

** Here is the link to my recipe for "ajvar/ljutenica:"  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/07/red-pepper-relish-serbian-croatian.html

1) Pljeskavice with just grilled red sweet peppers and with tomatoes and onion on the side  2) With ajvar/ljutenica  3) With kajmak and ajvar/ljutenica

WORD HISTORY:
Cravat-The distant origins of this word are uncertain, and its history is a bit shaky, but it goes back to transliterated Serbo-Croatian "Hrvat," which means "Croat" (where this came from is uncertain). During the 1600s some Croatian cavalry served in the French army as mercenaries. These Croatian troops wore a kind of scarf or cloth around there necks, which was called "cravate," by the French, a term which then spread to German, as "Krawatte," and to English, as "cravat," in the mid 1600s. There "seems" to be an alternate idea that the word originally was picked up by German as "Krawatte," and then spread to French. My German sources indicate the word came TO German FROM French; thus, my history above.

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.