Cream of Carrot Soup

This is such a nice soup and an easy way to enjoy the naturally sweet taste of carrots. When using chicken broth mix, I've given 3 tablespoons in the recipe, but follow the instructions on the brand of mix you use. By using the water you used to cook the vegetables to make the broth, you're not just tossing out any of the nutrients from the process. If you use your own homemade broth, just cook the vegetables in that broth; thus, retaining the nutrients. I use a chicken broth mix, so I don't add salt to this recipe at all, as the broth mix has salt. 

Ingredients (about 5 servings):

2 cups sliced carrots

1 cup roughly chopped onion 

2 cloves garlic, sliced

2 inch piece peeled ginger, sliced

3 1/4 cups water for cooking the vegetables, then for making the broth

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons chicken broth mix (or use your own homemade chicken broth)

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1 cup heavy cream or half and half*

To a thick bottomed pan, add the carrot slices, onion, garlic and ginger, over medium high heat until the water begins to boil; then, reduce the heat to maintain a gentle steady simmer until the vegetables are cooked, but still somewhat firm, and definitely not mushy. Add the vegetables to a blender/food processor. Add the chicken mix to the water used to cook the vegetables and stir until the mix is dissolved (or use your own homemade chicken broth to cook the vegetables), and add the ground turmeric, ground cumin, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, dry mustard and ground cinnamon, then blend/process until smooth (or leave somewhat "chunky," if you like that texture). Pour the blended soup back into the pan over medium heat. Stir in the cream or 1/2 & 1/2 and let the soup heat up, but do not boil.   

 

* Half and half is 50% milk and 50% cream, but that can be deceiving, as some people use lower fat cream (like about 20% fat), while others use heavy cream (about 36% to 40% fat).

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Easter-This religious holiday name is related to "east," a word from the Germanic roots of English, and further, it is related to "Australia," a word (name) from Latin "Terra Australis" (long a in 'tralis'), and "Austria," a Latinized form from Old High German "Ostarrihhi" (modern German "Österreich"). English and German are the only two Germanic languages to retain "Easter" as their main word for the Christian holiday.^ "Easter" goes back to Indo European "aus," which meant "to dawn, to give light, to shine." This gave Old Germanic "austro," meaning "toward the light, toward the dawn;" thus also, "east." This gave Old English "Eastre," which was the name given to a Germanic goddess of spring; perhaps, from the notion of increasing daylight at that time of year and the "renewal" of plant and animal life. This fits into Christian belief and the former pagan holiday celebrating the goddess in the spring, simply transferred to Christianity. The modern German form of "Easter" is "Ostern." Low German has "Oostern" as a secondary and a somewhat antiquated word for Easter (common Low German forms for Easter: "Paasch" and "Paaschen"). Low German is not a standardized language, but rather a collection of dialects. Dutch has "Pasen."

 

^ Other European languages use forms of Latin "pasha" as their word for "Easter." The word goes back to Greek and Greek got it from Hebrew, where it meant "Passover."  

Carrot & Raisin Salad, American Style

In the United States, carrot and raisin salad often is a dish more associated with the southern part of the country. I'm often an "overkill" guy on sauces, gravies and salad dressings; and what I mean is, I don't skimp on those things in recipes, but that's not for everyone, and some people just barely coat this salad with dressing.  

 

Ingredients (5 servings): 

 

2 1/2 cups shredded carrot

3/4 cup raisins (dark or golden or mixed)

1/3 cup pineapple bits 

2 tablespoons pineapple juice 

1 heaping tablespoon finely chopped green onion (mainly white part)

1/3 cup mayonnaise (reduced fat type is fine)

1/4 cup sour cream (or thick yogurt)

1 or 2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/3 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoons sunflower seeds (1/2 teaspoon for each serving), garnish 

In a bowl, add the mayonnaise, sour cream (or yogurt), honey, lemon juice, pineapple juice and salt; mix together very well. Add the shredded carrot, raisins, pineapple bits and green onion; keep folding to coat all of the ingredients with the dressing. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. Top each serving with some sunflower seeds.  

 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Monkey-This has become a well known word for smaller primates in the English language, but its history is not easy; therefore, I'm going to work backwards. (NOTE: "Ape" had been the common word for primates, regardless of size, and it remains the word for larger primates to this day.^) The word "monkey" came into English circa 1530 as a noun. It is "likely" a borrowing from Low German "Moneke," the name of the son of Martin the Ape in "Reynard the Fox," a story from the Middle Ages. Low German likely got its form from a French diminutive, as French had "monne" (ape), likely borrowed from either Spanish "mona" or Old Italian "monna," with the later Italian diminutive being "monnicchio;" thus, "small ape, monkey." The story character name was rendered in Old French as "Monequin" and "Monnekin" 1300s (?). The source of these words is unknown, although some have suggested transliterated Arabic "maimum" (small ape), seemingly a euphemistic, indirect form actually meaning "highly favorable, advantageous, auspicious," as many Arabic speakers thought monkeys to be a bad omen and unlucky. The mid 1600s saw the verb develop from the noun, initially with the meaning, "to imitate," from a monkey's tendency to mimic actions of others, and later, with the imitations often being comic to humans; thus also, "to mock," and "to spend time with no particularly big purpose" ("monkey around"), but also, "to tease or taunt someone" ("to monkey with someone"), "to interfere with, to tamper with," after a monkey's curiosity to inspect, touch or bother things" ("to monkey with something").  

^ The history of the word "ape" is here at the end of the article at this link: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2022/05/crab-louie.html

Vietnamese Pickles: Đồ Chua

"Đồ Chua" means "pickled things" or "pickled items." This is an easy recipe and you want to use non reactive containers, like glass jars; otherwise, the vinegar can cause other materials, especially most metals, to begin to break down and to seep into the brine and this will add an off taste to the pickles, which then can even cause illness.

You can adjust the amount of sugar for the pickling solution to make it as sour or as sweet as you like. There really aren't set amounts of ingredients for the pickling solution. Regular readers know I frequently mention that I'm not a big fan of sour foods, so I tend to use modest amounts of vinegar or lemon juice in recipes. I like dill pickles, but if they are really sour, I likely will not eat them. On the other hand, some people like sour foods, so this is a recipe you can do to your own preference. Further, you can cut the daikon and carrots into the size strips you want. They can be very thin (like matchsticks) or they can have a "little more" body to them, but you don't want them too thick.   

 

Ingredients (for about two 16 ounce jars):

1 large carrot or 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into pretty thin strips about 2 to 3 inches long 

same amount of daikon radish, peeled and sliced the same way

3 to 4 tablespoons salt, divided use (2 tablespoons for initial salting, then 1 or 2 tablespoons for the brine) 

2/3 cup water, just slightly warm

1/3 cup white vinegar

4 to 6 tablespoons sugar 

 

In a bowl, add salt to the carrot and daikon pieces and mix in well. Cover the bowl lightly with a towel or some plastic wrap and let the salted vegetables sit for 30 to 40 minutes, then pour off the excess liquid that has accumulated. Rinse the veggies. In another bowl, add the slightly warm water, then stir in some of the sugar and 1 tablespoon of salt to dissolve it. Then add the vinegar. Take a little taste to see if you want to adjust the amount of sugar, salt or vinegar. Now add the veggies to a jar or a bowl and pour the vinegar mixture over the veggies to cover. Put a lid or other cover (plastic wrap is fine) over the jar or bowl and refrigerate the pickles for a minimum of 24 hours, but 2 or 3 days is better.    

 

WORD HISTORY:

Infer-This word is distantly related to "bear," the verb meaning, "to carry, to carry or transport a burden; thus also, "to be pregnant;" thus also, "to produce," and it is also distantly related to "burden," and these words are from the Germanic roots of English; and "infer" is more closely related to "differ," "defer," and "fertile," all Latin derived words borrowed by English via French (although likely with Latin reinforcement, or perhaps originally borrowed from Latin, then spread and reinforced heavily by French). "Infer" goes back to Indo European "en," that meant "in" (also the source of English 'in,' a word from the Germanic roots of English), and also Indo European "bher," with the notion, "to carry, to tote or bear a burden." The 'bh' was rendered as "f" in Italic and it's Latin offspring, giving Latin "ferre," with the same basic meaning. Together Latin had "inferre," meaning, "to carry into, to carry forward, to bring forward;" thus also, "to bring forward or draw a conclusion." English borrowed the word circa 1530 (from use by Sir Thomas More?), but the meaning shifted around between the receiver of information and the supplier of information doing the 'inferring.' The 20th Century saw some learned people (who? don't ask me) begin to press for 'infer' to be used only for the receiver of information, and 'imply' to be used for the supplier of information, but to this day not everyone uses 'infer' in that way; rather, the meaning is still used by some to be applied to the provider of information. Example: Many, and probably most, English scholars would now say the verb 'infer' is for the receiver of information, as in, "The weatherman said the temperature is expected to drop and the winds will become brisk. From this I inferred that I had better wear warmer clothing to go outside today." So, the weatherman is providing the information, and another person has heard the information and has drawn a conclusion about what type of clothing to wear, based upon the weatherman's information. But some people still use 'infer' this way: "I'm sure the weatherman didn't mean to infer that the weather would be super cold tomorrow," with scholars likely to favor (or insist) upon, "I'm sure the weatherman didn't mean to 'imply' that the weather would be super cold tomorrow, but I mistakenly 'inferred' that." 

Punjabi Carrot Pudding: Gajar Halwa

"Halwa," also rendered as "halva" and "halvah," is a word from Arabic (maybe also Hebrew? Or did Hebrew get it from Arabic?) that was borrowed by Turkish. The Turks took over the area of what is now Romania; thus, the word was borrowed by Romanian and then taken on by Yiddish speakers in Romania. English borrowed the word in the mid 1800s via Yiddish speaking immigrants. While the term has stayed near its basic meaning of "sweet dish," it does not mean the same exact thing everywhere. In Punjab, in northern India, it usually means "a sweetened pudding of vegetables," while in the greater Middle East it is often a dish of compressed sesame seeds and honey, along with some spices. In Punjab, where the carrot type halwa is common, it is called "gajrela" in Punjabi,* and it is typically served warm in the winter, when temperatures in Punjab are usually in the 30s and 40s F, in contrast to summer temperatures which commonly exceed 100 F.

Ingredients:

 

4 cups grated (peeled) carrot (you can use a food processor)

3 1/4 cups milk 

4 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter, but regular butter can be substituted) 

1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar (to your own preferred level of sweetness)

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup chopped cashews

(optional) cream or extra butter for serving

 

You want to use a thick bottomed pan. Mix together the grated carrot and the milk in the pan. You can use medium heat briefly to warm up the mixture, but you need to reduce the heat to low well before it boils. Let the mixture boil, then adjust the temperature even further downward to just a slight simmer. Give the mixture a frequent stir. Between the carrots and evaporation, the milk will reduce and the mixture will thicken, but this can take some time, during which the main thing is to try to prevent sticking or burning. When the mixture is thicker, but still liquid, add the sugar and the ground cardamon, stir well, then add the butter. Continue to let the mixture simmer and thicken, still stirring frequently. Now add the raisins and chopped cashews. You may have to turn the heat even lower, if possible, but continue to cook the mixture until the milk is absorbed. Can be served warm or cold, with some extra butter, some cream or even with some extra dried fruit and nuts on top. 

   

* The Punjabi language is from the Indo Aryan branch of the Indo Iranian language branch of the Indo European language family. This makes it a relative of English, but further down the family tree.  

 

 

Topped with some cream ...

WORD HISTORY: 

Worsted-This word for a type of wool fabric is also used adjectively. It comes from about 1300 from the village of Worstead, in the county of Norfolk in eastern England, where the wool was first processed into such fabric. The Old English rendering of the village was "Wurþestede" ('þ' is essentially equivalent to 'th'), which then became "Worsted(e)," before the modern form. "Apparently" the town's name in Old English came from its location being considered to be a "worth(y) stead."

Carrot Cake & Cream Cheese Frosting

Just briefly, carrot cake is seen as having evolved out of carrot puddings of medieval times.* Recently I did a recipe article about "Brazilian Carrot Cake," which is considerably different from this recipe here on this page. Here is the link to that article:  https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2020/08/brazilian-carrot-cake-with-chocolate.html

Ingredients (1 round layer, 9 1/2 inch diameter):

1 large carrot, peeled and grated or use a food processor
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Heat the oven to 350 F. I grated the carrot for some texture, but if you prefer really smooth cake, use a food processor. Put all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix well (I use a hand mixer). Lightly oil a 91/2 inch baking pan/dish, then dust it with a little flour. Pour the carrot cake batter into the dish and let it settle to even out before putting it into the oven. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean ("about" 45 minutes, but I want to emphasize, it could be a little shorter, but it could also take somewhat longer, up to 60 minutes). While your oven is hot, you can dry roast the hazelnuts on a baking sheet or on some aluminum foil (about 12 to 15 minutes at 350 F). You can also dry roast them in a skillet on top of the stove (about 5 to 6 minutes over medium heat; shake the skillet about every 30 seconds so the hazelnuts don't burn). If you want the skins of the hazelnuts removed, after roasting, put the nuts on a dish towel and let them sit for 1 to 2 minutes, then rub the hazelnuts together with the towel.  

 Cream Cheese Frosting

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 to 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar (also called confectioner's sugar)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 teaspoons milk
1/4 cup toasted chopped hazelnuts (also known as "filberts," to some) for topping

Add the cream cheese and butter to a bowl. Use a hand mixer to blend the two ingredients together, then add the vanilla, 1 teaspoon milk and 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar at a time (when mixing in the sugar, if the frosting is becoming too thick, you can add more milk, 1/2 teaspoon at a time; the frosting should be smooth and spreadable). You can leave the cake in the baking dish, in which case you only need to spread on the frosting, or you can run a knife around the perimeter of the cake to loosen it, then gradually and carefully remove the cake to a serving dish to be frosted. Whichever way you prefer, after frosting the cake, chop the roasted hazelnuts and sprinkle them over the frosting. 
 
* For more on the history of carrot cake, here is a link to a great website: http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/carrotcake.html
 

WORD HISTORY:
Cord-This word is distantly related to "yarn," a word from the Germanic roots of English, and to "hernia," a word borrowed by English from Latin. "Cord" goes back to Indo European "gher(e)," which meant, "gut, intestine." This gave transliterated Ancient Greek "khordḗ," which meant "string made of animal intestine, catgut, intestine." This was borrowed by Latin as "chorda," meaning, "string, intestine, catgut," and this passed into Latin-based Old French as "corde," meaning, "string, cord." English borrowed the word in about 1300, initially as "corde," meaning, "rope made of strands of material twisted together, string on a musical instrument, executioner's rope for hanging." "Cord of wood" is from the 1600s, as rope was used to measure off the collected wood. The second half of the 1700s saw the additional meaning, "raised decoration on cloth material, often on military uniforms."  

Brazilian Carrot Cake With Chocolate Frosting

The popularity of this cake has spread the recipe to other parts of the world well beyond Brazil. My friend in Brazil, Gustavo, also known by his "secret name," "G," which is now NOT so secret, made me aware of this cake a few months ago, and I later came across recipes for it from places like Australia and Indonesia. Usually served along with a cup of coffee in Brazil, but hey, you can always have a glass of milk! 

Ingredients (1 single layer cake):

For the cake:
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into pieces
3 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour + 1 tablespoon baking powder, sifted together
1 1/4 cups sugar

For the frosting:
1 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter

Heat the oven to 350 F. Meanwhile, add the carrot pieces, eggs, oil and sugar to a food processor or a blender. Process until smooth. In a bowl, add the sifted flour, baking powder and sugar; mix the dry ingredients briefly with a spoon or a fork. Add the carrot mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well until smooth. Lightly oil/grease a cake pan, then lightly dust it with some flour. Pour the batter into the pan and bake in the preheated oven until a knife or a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Spread the frosting in a layer onto the top of the cake, or use a knife to go around the outside of the cake in the baking pan and then turn the cake out onto a dish, then take the dish you plan to use for the cake and turn the cake onto it, then add the frosting. One more thing... EAT! Frosting: To a heavy-bottomed pan add the sugar, cocoa powder, milk and butter. Over low heat, cook the mixture, stirring often (almost constantly, as these are ingredients that love to stick to the pan) until it comes to a boil for about a minute or so, then remove the pan from the heat.

WORD HISTORY:
Tenure-This word is related to a great number of words, including, "tenacity" and "tension," words of Latin derivation borrowed by English through French, and to "tendon," a word borrowed by English from Latin, which had gotten it from Greek, and to the "tain" part of both "sustain" and "abstain," words of Latin derivation borrowed by English via French. "Tenure" goes back to Indo European "ten," which had the notion "to stretch, to extend out, to draw out." This gave Latin "tenere," meaning "to hold, to have;" thus also, "to have control over, to keep in possession, to maintain a situation or status." This then became "tenire" in Vulgar Latin and passed into Latin-based Old French as "tenir," with the same general meanings, and then produced the Old French noun "tenure," meaning, "the legal possession or holding of land;" thus, "an estate in the time of feudalism," which also expanded secondarily to "legal holding, right of possession in a more general sense." English borrowed the word in the first part of the 1400s from the French still spoken in England at the time (Anglo-French, that had developed from the Norman dialect), and its application to "holding an employment position, or holding a particular status within a profession" was being used by the late 1500s. This later developed into the extended, "guarantee of employment status/position."     

Veggie Fritters with Basil Cream

I found making these fritters with adobo seasoning gives them a little more flavor, rather than just using plain salt. These are very easy to make, but you want to be sure to grate or very finely chop the vegetables so that they will cook relatively quickly. You also may find you want a "little more" flour (either whole wheat or all purpose), but I would add it just a tablespoon at a time. You can always make one fritter and fry it to see how the texture is, before proceeding with the rest of the fritters. Myself, I don't like the fritters if they have too much flour; just a coating of flour mixture on the vegetables is sufficient for me. Of course, you may like the fritters to be more like vegetable pancakes. Rather than just using sour cream with the fritters, the basil cream adds a nice touch with its mild basil taste.   

Ingredients (approx. 8 fritters):

1/2 cup grated zucchini
1/4 cup grated yellow squash
1/4 cup grated carrot
1/4 cup kale, thinly sliced
1/3 cup grated or finely chopped red onion (or white onion)
2 teaspoons marjoram (or oregano)
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons adobo seasoning* (for those controlling salt intake, this is about 1 teaspoon of salt)
oil for frying

To a bowl, add the vegetables, the marjoram and the adobo seasoning; mix everything together. In a cup or small bowl, mix together the whole wheat flour and the all purpose flour. Add the flour to the vegetables, then add the beaten eggs and the oil. Mix well. Over medium heat, heat enough olive oil to just about thinly cover the bottom of a frying pan. Take enough of the vegetable dough to make about a golf ball size round, then flatten the ball into a patty. Add some patties to the hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides. Serve with a dollop of basil cream** on each fritter.

* "Adobo" seasoning is available in many supermarkets or Latino markets in commercial brands, or you can make you own. Here's the recipe:  https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/11/adobo-seasoning.html  

** For the easy recipe for "basil cream," here is the link: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2019/06/basil-cream.html

WORD HISTORY:
Crust-This word is related to "crystal," a word borrowed long ago from Latin (reinforced by French?), which Latin had borrowed from Greek. "Crust" goes back to Indo European "krus/kreus," which had the notion, "to form a crust, to begin to solidify, harden or freeze." This gave Latin "crusta" which meant, "crust, tree bark, scab, shell." English borrowed the word circa 1300 from Latin, reinforced by French "crouste" (the form taken by Latin-based French from Latin), or perhaps the other way around; it's difficult to say. German has "Kruste," borrowed way back in the 800s from Latin, which perhaps gives some support to English having borrowed the word directly from Latin.   

Kenyan Curried Cabbage

Kenya is a country in eastern Africa. It has a pretty diverse population and its official languages are Swahili* and English. Kenyans have much Indian influence in their cooking, with "chapati,"** a type of flatbread, being one of those influences. In the first couple of decades of the 20th Century, thousands of Indians went to Kenya when both countries were under British colonial rule. This curry is another of the Indian influences on Kenya. This is not a spicy "hot" dish, but if you like spicy heat, you could add a chili pepper or two to the recipe.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups shredded cabbage
1 carrot, shredded
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon salt 

In a large skillet, heat the oil over low heat, then add the onion. Cook for about 2 minutes, then add the cabbage and carrot (it will look like a mountain, but it will cook down). Cook over low heat until the vegetables soften. Combine the milk, curry powder and flour, mix well, then add it to the cabbage/carrot and stir it in well. Cook for a couple of minutes, then season with salt and white pepper. 

* Swahili is a language of the Bantu family of languages, a branch of the broader Niger/Congo family of languages.  

** "Chapati" is easy to make:  https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2018/10/easy-flatbread-of-indian-subcontinent.html

WORD HISTORY:
Bwana-This word is distantly related to "abbot," a word borrowed by English from Latin long ago, but "abbot" is a word which traces back to the Middle East. While in modern times "bwana" has often been used in a comical or disparaging way in English, because of racism, its heritage is anything but comical or disparaging. It goes back to transliterated Semitic^ "ab," meaning "father," and "bna," meaning "our;" thus, "our father," "head of the family," and by extension, "leader." This gave its transliterated Arabic offspring "abuna," with the same meanings. This was borrowed by Swahili (see note * above) as "bwana," meaning, "leader, master." With European colonization of Africa and the exploration of remote areas of the large continent, English came into contact with the word "bwana" through Swahili, and it often came to be used by the African workers for the "white" leader of a safari. The word was borrowed by English in the last quarter of the 1800s.

^  The Semitic languages are a group of related languages "centered" in the Middle East and eastern Africa, but also spoken beyond those areas. The most common modern Semitic languages are Arabic, Amharic, Hebrew and Tigrinya, but in ancient times Semitic included Assyrian and Phoenician, which was spoken in the Middle East and in North Africa by the Carthaginians.    

Gujarati Carrot Salad

This is a quick and easy salad/side dish. It is almost always served warm, but it can be chilled before serving. Gujarat is one of the states of India and it is located in western India. The state capital city is Gandhinagar, although its best known city is Ahmedabad.

Ingredients:

2 carrots, peeled and grated (medium grate)
2 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons black mustard seeds * (you can use the more easily available yellow mustard seeds, but try to get the black type)
1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeño chili peppers
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel (aka, "rind," see Word History)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric **
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and wait until they begin to pop (a few seconds). Reduce heat to low and add the carrot and chili pepper, then add the turmeric, lemon peel, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cook for just 2 to 3 minutes, as the carrot and chili pepper should still have some "crunch" to them.

* Black mustard seeds are available in some supermarkets and Asian food shops.

** Turmeric is readily available in the spice section of supermarkets. Turmeric has been touted for its heath benefits, especially its anti-inflammatory benefits, but research continues as to the total validity of turmeric's overall benefit. Many nutritionists note to use turmeric with black pepper to help its absorption rate. Remember too, moderation on herbs and spices, as just because a small amount may be good for you, that doesn't mean a lot is necessarily better, unless of course, you're talking about chocolate cream pie. Damn, I hope nutritionists don't see this!

WORD HISTORY: 
Rind-The origins of this word are unknown, and it could be a West Germanic invention. It goes back to West Germanic "rindo," which meant, "crust, outer surface." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "rinde," likely pronounced "rind (short 'i')-eh," meaning, "bark of a tree, crust;" thus also, "tough skin of fruit," later also used for "tough outer skin of bacon," and "the hardened surface of some cheeses." The spelling with the ending "e," which was pronounced "eh," lasted for centuries, but gradually "rind" took over. German has "Rinde" (tree bark, outer layer of cheese, outer part of the brain or kidney), Low German Saxon has "Rinn" (tree bark), Dutch has "run" (tree bark).