Deviled Eggs

 "Deviled eggs," or sometimes simply "Devil eggs," have been around since ancient times, and recipes have varied down through the centuries, as they still do today. "Devil" or "deviled" came from the yolk mixture being "spiced up," although not necessarily to the point of eye-watering heat, as spiced eggs have long been served to party and dinner guests. Out of superstition, some people prefer to call the eggs "stuffed," rather than use the name of that evil caricature with the arrow-shaped tail and the horns projecting from its head. I dare not enter the name, or I might turn into Vladimir Putin.   

 

I like the filling to be a little "mounded" above the egg cavity; so, I boil a dozen eggs, but I only fill 10 eggs, and I add the yolks from the extra two eggs to the other yolks for the filling. You can always vary the amounts of the seasonings; for instance, if you like "heat," add more cayenne pepper, if you like a creamier filling, add a bit more mayonnaise.

 

 

Ingredients (for 10 deviled eggs):

 

12 hard-boiled eggs

5 tablespoons of mayonnaise

3 teaspoons Dijon mustard

4 pitted green olives, drained and then finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground white or black pepper

1 teaspoon celery salt

1/4 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika, for sprinkling on the tops

 

Hard boil the eggs, cool them, and then peel the eggs; cut the eggs in half lengthwise, scoop out the yolks and put them into a bowl; mash the yolks with a fork; and then, add mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, finely chopped olives, cayenne pepper, white or black pepper and celery salt. Mix everything together well. Use a fork or a spoon to fill the egg white cavities with the mixture, and sprinkle some paprika over the tops of each egg half. 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Part (Party)-This word is related to a large number of words using "part" (sometimes with varied spelling) as a portion of the word; such as: "parcel, apartment, compartment, department, partial, portion, particle" and others. This goes back to Indo European "per," which had variants, but the basic notion was "distributing;" and thus the idea of "dividing" and "portioning" comes out. This gave Latin the offshoot noun "pars" meaning "a piece, a share, a portion," and this passed into Latin-based Old French as "part," and this was borrowed into English, circa 1250, with those general meanings. (Note: Old English had its own word "part," borrowed directly from Latin, and meaning "a piece, a portion," but also, "a segment of speech." It is assumed by some (many?), that the Old English form died out before the borrowing from Old French arrived in England, and that the borrowed form from Old French is the actual ancestor of our modern word "part," but it is possible that this French borrowing combined with, and reinforced, the Old English form.) The Latin noun "pars" produced the verb "partire," which meant "to divide up, apportion, split up," which passed into Latin-based Old French as "partir," meaning "to divide, to apportion, to separate," and its past participle was "parti," which was used as a noun, with the spelling "partie," and literally meant "that which is separated or divided," giving it the meaning "a piece, a part, a segment, a portion." English borrowed the word as "partie" circa 1300 with those meanings, which are now obsolete, but are meanings used for the word's close relative "part." "Party" was also used in legal matters with the expression "party of the first (or second) part," which came along with the judicial system established by the Normans in conquered England, and that expression endures to this day, with frequent usage in legal cases and formal agreements. Use for "political party" is from the idea of "a group (a segment, a part) of people advocating for particular laws and governance or for those who represent those ideas." The meaning "people gathered for some celebration or enjoyment" seems to come from circa 1700 (perhaps a little earlier?). Circa 1920 saw the use of "party" as a verb meaning, "to have a party," and "to have frequent parties," both uses referring to "party" meaning "enjoyment or celebration."

Scrambled Eggs & Smoked Salmon Wrap

There are various ways to scramble eggs; so, use your own method. Some people add water, some add milk, some add cream, and some see the addition of any of these liquids as heresy. Then, some people draw in the edges of the cooking eggs, some start in the middle and move them outward, some just start stirring. None of this will end civilization, unless we choose to make it the next silly thing we say we will fight to the death over. Four ounces of cream cheese is simply half of a typical "block" package of cream cheese. In the U.S., smoked salmon is more typically sold in flat small packages with one or more thin slices of smoked salmon per package, but you may also find it in pieces that you can slice yourself. I added the optional red chilies for chili pepper lovers, but if you love the taste of smoked salmon, you should probably leave the chilies out of the recipe, as they will likely overwhelm the other flavors. Finally, if you haven't worked with avocados, once you cut them open and remove the seed, you can the scoop out the flesh in one piece, with a large spoon, and then slice it, but you must squeeze some lemon juice over the avocado, or it will begin to darken.

Ingredients (4 wraps)

1/4 pound smoked salmon, cut or torn into bite size pieces

2 tablespoons butter (more if needed)

4 eggs

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt 

(Optional) 2 to 3 small red chilies, chopped

4 tablespoons evaporated (canned) milk

4 ounces cream cheese, cubed

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 avocado, sliced with some lemon juice squeezed over it

4 slices tomato, chopped (remove the seeds, if you'd like)

hot sauce to taste

4 flour tortillas (8 inch diameter size)

Crack the eggs into a bowl, add the evaporated milk, ground black pepper and salt; then, whisk the egg mixture well, until there is a little foaminess in the eggs, set aside briefly. You can heat the tortillas in the oven, but I run some water onto a paper towel, wring it out, then cover a tortilla with the paper towel on a microwave safe dish, then zap it for about 20 seconds; repeat individually for whatever number of tortillas you are using. In a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter over low heat. Whip the eggs again briefly, and the add the eggs to the skillet and, if using chilies, quickly scatter the chopped chilies around to prevent them from piling up in one or two locations, and creating a flamethrower for the person getting them (of course, if you or others love the heat, pile them on). Then spread around the salmon pieces and cream cheese cubes. While this has only been a few seconds, the eggs will be motoring right along; so, scramble the eggs by your own method, but I begin to draw the edges of the eggs in toward the middle, then keep moving them around (swirling motion, I guess is best to describe it). You can lift the skillet off of the heat while you're moving around the eggs, but if there isn't much "liquidy" egg to be seen, turn off the heat. Remember, the residual heat of the skillet will help cook any remnant of uncooked egg. When finished, divide the cooked eggs and place a portion that runs through the middle of each tortilla. Top the eggs with a little raw onion, a couple of slices of avocado and some chopped tomato. Sprinkle on a few drops of hot sauce (or more than a few, for those who like some sizzle). Fold the tortilla around the filling and you're ready to eat.

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Fawn (Fetus)-"Fawn" is the noun for a baby deer (the verb, often used with 'over,' in 'to fawn over,' is a different and unrelated word). "Fawn" is related to "female" and to "feminine," Latin-derived words borrowed by English from Latin-based French. "Fawn" goes back to Indo European "dhe(i)," which meant "to suck, to suckle." This gave Old Italic "fetos" (the Indo European form rendered as "f" in Italic), which gave Latin "fetus," meaning "an offspring, the production or fruit of a plant" (fruit in the general sense, not the specific classification). This gave Latin the noun "fetonem," with the meaning "young animal." This passed into Old French as "feon," meaning "a young animal," with more of a tendency to usage for "a young deer," and also with the spelling "faon." English borrowed the word in the mid 1300s, with the spellings "foun," "fowne," "fawne," before the modern form, and by which time the usage for deer type animals had become pretty much the exclusive meaning.

Indonesian Tofu Omelettes: Tahu Telur

Sambal oelek is an Indonesian relish or paste of ground red chilies; although some other countries have their own versions, including the U.S. In the U.S., it is easy to find in supermarkets, and likely even in some smaller grocery stores, and especially, of course, in Asian grocery stores, and it is not terribly expensive, although imported brands likely cost somewhat more. 

Tofu has had an increasing popularity in the U.S., and not just in Chinese restaurants, where it is typically listed as "bean curd," but as a distinct product itself, typically sold in rectangular cakes or blocks. Tofu by itself is not an exciting food, but it is good prepared with other flavorful food items, as tofu absorbs the flavors of these foods. In this dish, the tofu gets help by first frying it lightly, including it in an omelette, then adding a tasty peanut sauce. Nowadays, tofu is easily found in supermarkets, and, it isn't expensive. 

 

Ingredients (4 servings): 

 

To make the omelettes: 

 

1/2 of one firm block of tofu, drained and cut into small cubes (about 2/3 inch square)

4 large eggs, beaten

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2/3 teaspoon salt

5 greens onion, chopped

2 tablespoons oil (peanut oil is good for this)

 

To make the sauce:

 

2 teaspoons peanut oil

1/4 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)

1/4 cup finely chopped onion (red or yellow)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 medium Roma tomato, chopped

1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon sambal oelek (according to desired heat level)

1 tablespoon brown sugar (or palm sugar)

3 tablespoons kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1/4 cup water

 

3 or 4 chopped green onions, for garnish

 

In a bowl, beat the eggs, then add the pepper, salt and chopped green onion; mix well. Heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil in a large non-stick skillet (I use a 12 inch skillet) over medium heat. Add the tofu cubes and saute until just lightly browned. Add the egg mixture, pouring it to cover all of the tofu. Brown the omelette on both sides. For the sauce: In a separate pan, add the 2 teaspoons of peanut oil, then add the onion, then after 1 minute add the garlic and chopped tomato and saute everything until softened (use a fork to mash the tomato as it cooks). Lower the heat to low. Add the peanut butter, sambal oelek, brown sugar, kecap manis, soy sauce and water, stir very well to mix everything together. Heat until bubbly (if the sauce is too thick, add more water, a tablespoon at a time, and mix well after each tablespoon, until you get the preferred consistency). Serve each omelette with some of the sauce spooned over the omelette, then top each serving with some chopped green onion as a garnish. 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Sort-This word is related to "assort," "consort," "sorcery" and "desert" (the verb meaning "to leave or abandon a place, position or duty"), all Latin-derived words borrowed by English from French, and to "assert" and "series," also Latin-derived words borrowed directly from that language. "Sort" goes back to Indo European "ser," which had the notion "to put or join in a line;" thus also, "to put one after the other;" thus, "to put together, to connect." This gave Latin "sors," which had a wide range of meanings like: "allotment, lottery, share/portion, category, classification, status/class." This passed into Latin-based Old French as "sorte," meaning "classification. type, kind," and English borrowed the word in the latter part of the 1300s as "sort(e)," with the meaning "a kind or type of something, "originally seemingly used of people and animals, but then expanded. The verb also is from the same ancient origins, and Latin "sors" produced the verb "sortire/sortiri," meaning "to share, to apportion, to divide (up), to draw lots," which passed to Old French as "sortir," meaning "to categorize, to classify, to allot," and English borrowed this verb as "sorten" in the mid 1300s, which was earlier than the noun. Interestingly, German borrowed the word too, as "Sorte," but from two sources; first, from Dutch/Low German, which had it from French; and second, southern German speakers borrowed the word from Italian.       

Madeiran Tomato Soup with Onion: Sopa de Tomate e Cebola

Madeira is a group of four islands in the Atlantic Ocean about 325 miles west of Morocco and about 675 miles from mainland Portugal. The four islands are: "Madeira" and "Porto Santo," both of which are inhabited, and also "Desertas" and "Selvagens," which are uninhabited. Madeira is a constituent part of the Portuguese Republic, commonly simply referred to as "Portugal."

 

While such soup is available on the mainland of Portugal, it is a popular staple in Madeira, and there are varying recipes. I've seen this dish made as more of a "stew," in that it was cooked over low heat for an hour or more, with little or no liquid added, except for that of the tomatoes, and this produced a very thick dish; but on the other hand, I've seen it made as a true soup, with plenty of liquid. You can certainly use all fresh tomatoes, or all canned tomatoes, but I decided to be steadfast (haha) and to use some of both, and if you make this, you'll have no doubt that it is made with tomatoes, as that is the overwhelming taste that dominates. Since tomatoes are very acidic, I list the option of using a little sugar to offset the acidity, but I actually only found one recipe that used some sugar, and I probably looked at a dozen recipes. Just for the record, I use 1/4 teaspoon sugar sprinkled over the soup and then stirred into the other ingredients near the end of cooking.    

 

 

Ingredients (6 to 8 servings):

 

1 to 1 1/4 pounds of ripe tomatoes, blanched and skins removed

1 can of whole peeled tomatoes and juice (28 ounces)

1 baseball size onion, chopped

3 medium cloves garlic, chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 bay leaves

1 heaping tablespoon cilantro (coriander) leaves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/2 to 1 cup chicken broth (depending upon desired thickness)

(optional) 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sugar

eggs

1 slice rustic bread for each egg (on Madeira, many use the flatbread made there*)

Blanch the fresh tomatoes in boiling water briefly and remove the skins, then roughly chop the tomatoes. (Bring enough water to cover the tomatoes to a boil. Before adding the tomatoes, use a sharp knife to cut through the skin of each tomato and make an 'X,' this will make the tomatoes easy to peel.) Add the olive oil and the chopped onion to a heavy-bottom pan over low heat. Let the onion saute for a few minutes until it starts to soften, then add the fresh tomatoes and canned tomatoes with juice. Let the mixture come to a simmer and then add the chicken broth and adjust the heat to low and add the white pepper, garlic and bay leaf, cover and continue to let the soup simmer. When the tomato and onion are well softened, add the chopped cilantro and simmer for another one minute. Remove the bay leaves, then use an immersion blender (stick blender) to "smooth out" the soup, but you can leave about a third of the ingredients in pieces to give the soup some texture. I've seen recipes that poach the eggs in a separate pan, but I've seen recipes that poach the eggs in with the soup; I poach them separately. When serving, add some soup to a bowl, add one of the poached eggs, and serve with a slice of bread. I've also seen some people serve the dish by putting a slice of bread in the bowl first, then adding the poached egg followed by adding the soup. 

 

* For Madeiran sweet potato flatbread, here is the link: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2023/04/madeiran-sweet-potato-flatbread-bolo-do.html 

     

 

WORD HISTORY:

Butcher-This word, used as a noun and a verb, is related to "buck" (a male goat or deer), a word from the Germanic roots of English. The noun "butcher" has an uncertain origin, as both Old Germanic and Old Celtic had similar words, and there is some question as to whether Germanic got its form from Celtic, or if Celtic got its form from Germanic, and Celtic and Germanic did have large amounts of contact back in ancient European history. On the other hand, Old Germanic and Old Celtic are Indo European languages, and for both to have similar forms of a word is hardly astounding.^ Anyway, Indo European had "bhug," meaning "male goat or antelope type animal." This gave Old Germanic "bukkaz" with the same meaning, which then gave Frankish^^ "bukk," with the same general meaning. This was absorbed into Old French as "buc," then as "bouc" meaning "male goat," and this gave Old French the noun "bouchier," meaning "one who slaughters goats," and the word was rendered as "boucher" among the descendants of the Normans in England. English borrowed the word circa 1300 as "boucher" with the meaning "one who slaughters animals and prepares them for sale at market." The mid 1400s saw the borrowed use of "bocherie" (from French "boucherie") as both the name of "a place that slaughtered animals and then prepared and sold them," and as the name for the profession that did such, and it later became "butchery," although the compound "slaughterhouse" rose to become the more common term for the business place itself (both "slaughter" and "house" from the Germanic roots of English). "Butchery (and "slaughter") also later added the meaning "horrendous, barbaric killing(s)." The verb form of "butcher" is from the mid 1500s and meaning "to kill and prepare animals for food," and about a hundred years later the figurative meaning developed, "to mangle or mess up something (usually by incompetence)," as in, "The singer butchered the lyrics to the song." Buck-The Old Germanic form gave Old English "bucca" (male goat) and "buc(c)" (male deer), and these then combined to become "buck," "a male animal of certain species." Circa 1300, the word was also used for "man," then as "young buck," for "a young, energetic and virile man," and later (early 1700s?), "a well dressed man," and also used derogatorily in American English for "young male Indians" and "young black men." Relatives of "buck" in other Germanic languages: German has "Bock," Low German "Buck," Dutch "bok," West Frisian "bok," Danish "buk," Icelandic "bokkur," Norwegian "bukk (?), Swedish "bock," all generally meaning "male animal of certain species like sheep, goats and deer."  

 

^ Keep in mind, it doesn't really matter to the rest of the history of the word if Germanic had the word from its Indo European parent, or if it had borrowed it from Celtic, because Germanic passed it on to its Germanic offspring, including English.

 

^^ Frankish was the language of the Germanic tribe the Franks. The Franks conquered much of what is modern France (then called Gaul), but their language did not overtake the Latin already firmly establish there, but rather, over centuries it was absorbed into what came to be called "French," a word from Frankish (France is another such word).   

Egg & Sausage Sandwich

This is a pretty quick and easy sandwich for breakfast, lunch or for a snack, and it's tasty.

 

As for oil, it will depend upon the type of sausage you use. If you use fatty sausage, you will likely only need a few drops of oil to get it started, and the sausage will then create its own "oil" to finish cooking it. If you use less fatty sausages, you will likely need a little more oil. Whatever you choose, when you finish cooking the sausage or sausages, you can pour off some of the oil/sausage grease to use to fry some potatoes, if you'd like. As for sausages, you certainly can use raw sausages if you have the extra time needed to cook them, but generally this recipe is for already cooked sausages like wieners or cooked bratwurst, so that frying them relatively briefly will brown them a little and heat them through. When I did the photos for this article, I used knockwurst (also spelled knackwurst). I used about 2/3 of a knockwurst per sandwich. I use extra large or jumbo eggs. Typically, I just use sandwich bread, but you could certainly use a little sturdier type of bread, if you'd like.  

 

Ingredients (per sandwich):

 

1/2 to 1 sausage, cut up

1 extra large or jumbo egg

1 tablespoon milk or water

1 slice Swiss cheese

1 tablespoon chopped onion

1 pinch ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt (I actually use seasoned salt)

2 slices of bread

ketchup

(oil to fry the sausage and onions) 

It's best to have the ingredients ready to go before you actually start cooking and I crack the egg into a small bowl first and then mix in the milk, black pepper and salt, then set it aside until needed. To a small skillet over medium heat, add the amount of oil you think you'll need to fry the sausage and onions. Add the sausage pieces and onions and cook until the sausage pieces begin to brown, then flip them over to brown a little on the other side. Always mix the onion around to keep it from burning. After you flip the sausage pieces over, add the egg mixture, trying to evenly distribute it in amongst the sausage slices. Lower the heat to low and cover the skillet briefly to let the top of the egg mixture set. When the egg is set, lay the slice of Swiss cheese on top for just a few seconds, then remove the egg/sausage/cheese piece to the bread, add some ketchup and the other slice of bread. You're ready to eat. 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Entice (Enticement)-The ultimate origin of the main part of this word is unknown, but Latin had the noun "titio," meaning "torch, stick lit at one end, firebrand," which had the prefix "in" (from Indo European "en," meaning "in, into"); thus meaning, "to set in fire" (of course in English we say "set on fire," and "set afire," which does not seem to be said much today, but it was commonly heard when I was a kid). This passed to Latin-based Old French as the figurative "enticier," which meant "to excite, to stir excitement or anger, to incite," or as is sometimes said in American English, "to fire up (emotion)."^ English borrowed the word circa 1300, initially as "intice," with the spelling perhaps from Latin influence, with that same meaning, but also with the religious input of "to stir someone to sin," which helped to move the word to mean "to lure someone to do something by stirring their emotions" (bad intent is usually implied). The noun "enticement" was formed in French and it too was borrowed by English (about 1300) with the French meaning of, "the act of inciting someone to do something;" thus also, "instigation, incitement." 

 

^ I'm not sure if they also say that in England or in other parts of Britain, or in Australia.

Tunisian Poached Eggs in Spicy Tomato Sauce: Chakchouka

Also spelled shakshuka, this is a Tunisian dish, but common in other parts of North Africa and the Middle East, with many variations in recipes. It is eggs poached in a spicy, chunky tomato sauce.
Serve with pita bread or toast.

If you don't have fresh tomatoes, you can use canned tomatoes with their juice.

 

Ingredients (4 servings):

 

2 cans (14 to 15 ounces each) tomato sauce

1/3 cup chopped fresh tomatoes (or halved grape tomatoes)

1 or 2 hot chilies (if you don't like much heat, use just 1/3 teasoon of ground cayenne pepper)
4 eggs

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1/2 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 medium green bell pepper or anaheim pepper, thinly sliced 

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 heaping tablespoon sweet (smoked) Spanish paprika

1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro (also called coriander)

(optional) 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

 

In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat, then add the onion slices and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the garlic and saute for about a minute, stirring or shaking the skillet around. Add the red and green pepper slices and the hot chilies; saute a further 2 minutes. Add the fresh tomatoes and saute a couple of minutes, then add the tomato juice, cumin, sweet smoked paprika and just 1/2 teaspoon salt (at this time; you can add more later if you prefer) and continue cooking and stirring occasionally for a few minutes, then add 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (also known as coriander). Continue cooking until the sauce begins to thicken (don't let it get too thick). Use a spoon to make some depressions in the sauce and crack an egg into each depression. Turn the heat to low and let the eggs poach in the sauce. Optionally, you can sprinkle some crumbled feta cheese over the finished dish. 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Noise (Nausea)-For what has become a common word, the origin of this word is shaky, but I am convinced that this history has the strong possibility of being accurate; in which case, "noise" is related to "nautical," a word of Greek derivation borrowed by Latin and then borrowed by English via French, and to "navy," a word of Latin derivation borrowed by English via French. "Noise" goes back to Indo European "nau(s)," which meant "ship, boat." This gave transliterated Greek "naus," also meaning "ship, boat." This then produced transliterated "nausia/nautia" (by dialect), which meant "seasickness," and this was borrowed by Latin as "nausea," with the "seasickness" meaning, but seemingly also with the more general meaning, "uneasy feeling in the stomach, stomach discomfort;" thus also, "disagreeable situation;" thus, "quarrel, commotion, uproar." This passed into Latin-based Old French as "noise" meaning "fight, brawl, commotion, loud disagreement," but later expanded to "loud sound, generally unpleasant sound," not necessarily from a fight or disagreement; thus, "noise" (Old Occitan, also known as "Old Provençal," had "nauza" meaning "loud sound, quarrel"). English borrowed the word from French circa 1200, as "noice, noyse, noise." The meaning then added "nasty rumor, scandal" in the 1300s, and this was accompanied by a verb form "noisen," meaning "to gossip, to spread rumors," and the more general, "to make noise," but the usage declined along with the general meaning of "to gossip." By the way, "nausea" was borrowed by English directly from Latin in the early 1400s.

Lost Eggs

There are various recipes under the name "Lost Eggs," including in German, in which the name is "Verlorene Eier," which is literally "Lost Eggs." German 'verloren' (the v is pronounced f) is the close cousin of English 'forlorn.' I've seen "Lost Eggs" made with Parmesan cheese, Gouda, cheddar and havarti. Uncooked spinach or other greens always form a mountain in a pan or skillet, but they cook down to the point where you begin to ask yourself, "Am I going to have anything left to eat?" 

 

I generally use one poached egg per serving, but I'm fairly certain the roof won't fall in if you use more than one egg for a serving. (Ah, what's that creaking, cracking sound?) Serve with mashed potatoes.  

 

Ingredients (4 servings): 

 

4 eggs

1 pound fresh spinach

1 cup chopped onion (=1 medium onion)  

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons butter

3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

 

For the sauce:

 

3 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup flour

1 1/2 cans evaporated milk

3/4 cup shredded white cheddar

 

paprika or ground red chili powder to garnish the finished dish 

Begin by heating water in a pan over medium heat to poach the eggs.

For the sauce: Melt butter in a skillet over low heat, stir in the flour to form a roux; cook while stirring constantly for 1 to 2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste. Stir in about a third of the first can of evaporated milk and keep stirring until it is incorporated into the roux, then add another third of the evaporated milk and repeat the process (you may want to change from a spoon to a whisk at some point), then add the final third and repeat, then add the half can of evaporated milk and stir it in well. You should now have a smooth creamy sauce. Get the spinach cooking, then come back to add the shredded white cheddar and stir to incorporate the cheese into the sauce. 

For the spinach: Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat, then add the onion and saute for about 2 minutes, then add the minced garlic and saute the onion and garlic mixture for another minute, then add the spinach. It may look like a lot, but it will cook down. Add a lid or foil over the pan and when the mound of spinach shrinks in size, add the salt and pepper and stir to mix. 

For Serving: Poach the eggs, then put some of the spinach on the plate, then top the spinach with a poached egg, then spoon some of the cheese sauce over the egg/spinach

I spooned the cheese sauce around the egg yolk, so that the egg can be seen in the photo; after all, they don't call it "Lost Eggs" without reason. I put some sauce on the mashed potatoes too.

WORD HISTORY:

Hedge-This word is distantly related to "quay," a word English borrowed from French, which had it from Gaulish (a Celtic language), which had it from its Old Celtic parent, and to the first part of "hawthorn," a word from the Germanic roots of English (German has the closely related "Hagedorn"). "Hedge" goes back to Indo European "kagh," which had the idea of "to enclose, to seize (enclose with claws or fingers);" thus by extension, "fence, wickerwork (both used to enclose something)." This gave Old Germanic "hago," meaning "hedge shrub," which then produced West Germanic "hagjo" meaning "a hedge, a fence,"^ and this gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "hecg" meaning "hedge, fence, enclosure." This then became "hegge/hege," as well as some other spellings, before the modern spelling. "Apparently," the meaning originally didn't necessarily just mean the "shrubs and bushes that enclose some piece of land," although that meaning was there too, but the meaning was rather simply the idea of an enclosed area and the material used to enclose it. The more specific meaning of "shrubs/bushes" finally became the main meaning and the word was used in the Old English compound "hegeræw," the earlier form of modern "hedgerow." The other Germanic languages have: German has "Hecke," and German also has the modern developed compound "Heckenschütze," literally "hedge shooter," from the notion of "a shooter from the hedges;" thus, the German term for "a sniper," Low German has "Hegg" and "Heeg,"^^ Dutch has "heg," West Frisian has "hage." In North Germanic, Danish has "hæk," Norwegian has "hekk" and Swedish has "häck," all "supposedly" borrowed from German in the Middle Ages, while Icelandic has the noun "hekk, which "may" well have been borrowed from Danish or Norwegian. ^^^  The verb form of "hedge" came from the noun in the second half of the 1300s as "heggen," meaning "to put hedges or fencing around an area of land;" thus also a little later, "to hinder with a barrier." The more common meaning in modern times seems to have developed in the latter part of the 1500s, "to protect oneself from loss," from the notion of hedges providing some security from harm.

 

^ The idea for many sources is that Old Germanic had a word, but that it did not survive in North Germanic, but it did pass into West Germanic in a slightly altered form; thus, English has "haw," the berry of the hawthorn tree/shrub, and a type of hedge, and also "hedge." 

 

^^ There is no "standard" Low German language, rather Low German is a collection of dialects which are not necessarily always mutually intelligible; thus, spelling variations (and pronunciations) are common for many words.

^^^ The Danish, Norwegian and Swedish forms all are close to the German form, but the borrowing came at a time when the Low German form in some dialects was "heck/hecke." Just my feeling, but the North Germanic languages were in constant contact with the Germans of northern Germany, where the language back then was Low German. Unfortunately, the German dictionary of the Brothers Grimm doesn't shed any light on this. Icelandic also has "limgerði" (=limgerthi), which means "leafy barrier or fence;" thus, "hedge." The "lim" part is related to English "limb," while the "gerði" part of the word is related to English "yard." 

Mexican-Inspired Egg Salad

Mexican food has long had an influence on the American food scene, especially in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and southern California; all areas with historical ties to Mexico and its food, and also all with significant minorities of their populations made up of people of Mexican descent. Often from these areas, Mexican food influences have spread to other parts of the United States.  

 

This egg salad has some spicy kick to it from the chili pepper, but only as much as you prefer it to have.

 

Ingredients (4 to 5 servings):

 

6 eggs, hard boiled, cooled and peeled

1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper (small chop)

1/3 cup chopped green onions, white and green

1 jalapeno or serrano chili (seeded and finely chopped)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons ancho chili powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 medium avocado, mashed and mixed with 1 tablespoon lime juice

1/2 cup mayonnaise 

1 teaspoon olive oil

crumbled dried oregano (Mexican oregano, if you have it) 

 

Chop the peeled hard boiled eggs and put the chopped egg into a bowl. Add the chopped red bell pepper, chopped green onions, finely chopped chili pepper (jalapeno or serrano), chopped cilantro, ground cumin, ancho chili powder, garlic powder and celery salt; mix briefly to begin distributing the ingredients. In a cup or bowl, mix together the mashed avocado (with the mixed in lime juice), the mayonnaise and the teaspoon of olive oil, then mix this avocado mayo into the egg and seasonings. Refrigerate for at least 90 minutes, but a few hours is better. Make sandwiches using whole wheat bread or flour tortillas; garnish with a sprinkle of dried crumbled oregano.

 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Diverse- This word, meaning "varied in characteristics," is really a compound, with the first part being "di," which goes back to Indo European "dwhis/dwis," which had the meaning "twice, again, two ways;" thus also, "aside (from), away." This gave its Italic/Latin offspring "dis," with the "aside (from)" meaning, as well as some other meanings. The second part of "diverse" is "verse," which is related to "versus," which was borrowed into English from Latin, and to "verse" ('line of writing,' 'line of poetry,' 'song lyrics'), a Latin-derived word borrowed into Germanic and passed to its Old English offspring, then later reinforced by French. It goes back to Indo European "wer," which had the notion of "turn, bend, wind" (with a long 'i' sound), and this gave Latin "vertere," meaning "to turn." The two parts were combined in the compound, "divertere," meaning "to turn in varied directions, go different ways," and from this came "diversus," which meant "different, varied, various." This gave Latin-based Old French "divers," with much the same meaning. English borrowed "divers" (it is NOT related to 'divers' =swimmers) from French in the 1200s, with the meaning "different," but in the 1300s the spelling changed to "diverse," likely under the influence of Latin "diversus."

Homemade Mayonnaise

There is nothing wrong with buying mayonnaise at the supermarket or at your corner store, but if you want to make your own mayonnaise, it is simple to do, but it does require a raw egg. If using raw eggs makes you worry about safety, you can pasteurize the egg or eggs yourself by heating water in a pan to 140 degrees F (and yes, you'll need a thermometer, see further). Add the egg or eggs in a single layer and leave them in the hot water for 3 to 3 1/2 minutes (only add the eggs to the water when it has reached 140 degrees F, and that begins the time keeping). Remove them immediately and put them into cool water. You will need a thermometer, because if the water gets much hotter than 140, the eggs will cook; so, you will need to monitor the temperature the entire time. There are pasteurized eggs sold in supermarkets, and while most of these are pasteurized egg whites, you can find pasteurized whole eggs, and you use them just as regular non-pasteurized eggs. Pasteurized eggs are more expensive, but likely most buyers of these pasteurized eggs aren't using them in large quantity, as you only really need them for things like mayonnaise, some salad dressings, eggnog, certain sauces and meringue; after all, we don't really need pasteurized eggs, since we much more typically fully cook eggs anyhow, either to be eaten in some cooked manner themselves (fried, sauteed, boiled), or as part of some recipe, like custard, or we bake them as part of recipes, like in some breads and cakes. In many parts of the world, eggs are NOT kept refrigerated, but in the U.S., we buy eggs from refrigerated cases in shops and supermarkets and then we put them into our refrigerators at home. When I was a kid, some small markets (like produce markets or what are now called 'farmers' markets') sold eggs that were not refrigerated, as did some truck-based businesses, where a guy traveled the streets and alleyways shouting what items he had for sale, often also shouting out the price or specials he was offering. Many, if not most, of these people were farmers selling their own goods, or they were directly connected with farmers for the items they sold; that is, the farmers directly supplied their products, like eggs, butter, milk or cheese.   

 

As for the oil, there are lots of choices: vegetable oil, corn oil and canola oil are all good, but you can also try avocado oil (I haven't tried this yet myself) or peanut oil. If you like more flavor, you can replace all or some of whatever oil you're using with extra virgin olive oil. 

I use a stick blender to make mayonnaise (also called an immersion blender). If you have a glass jar (like from a large jar of jelly or jam, with a wide enough opening for the stick blender), that should be ideal, or you can use the container that often comes with a stick blender, or a good, sturdy glass measuring cup is another good choice; as a matter of fact, that's what I used when I made the mayonnaise for this article, and I then covered it with plastic wrap. 

 

One other thing, you can add sugar if you'd like, but it is optional. The lemon juice, vinegar and mustard add tartness to the mayonnaise (the lemon juice and vinegar also help in preserving the mayo), but if you want to lessen the sourness, as I commonly do, use the sugar. 

 

For a long time I did what many people do in making mayonnaise; that is, I added the ingredients, BUT I added the oil a little at a time (I also used a small food processor/blender), literally drop by drop. I'm not sure what I thought would happen if I added all of the oil and if I used a stick blender ... maybe the mayonnaise police would get me and as punishment I'd be condemned to eat baloney sandwiches without ketchup for a period of time? (I'd REALLY scream loudly!)    

 

Ingredients (for 1 cup +):

 

1 whole egg, recommended to be room temperature

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons white vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 

good pinch of salt

(optional) 1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup oil 

If you keep eggs in the refrigerator, remove the egg or eggs and let it/them sit out for just a few minutes to come to near room temperature. I sometimes rinse eggs from the refrigerator under some warm (not hot) water to help speed up the process. Add all of the ingredients to the container you are using, including all of the oil, and let everything sit for about 45 seconds. Put the stick blender into the container so that it goes clear to the bottom. Turn the blender on and keep it firmly at the bottom until the ingredients thicken up a great deal, then you can move the stick blender up and down to get all of the ingredients mixed in thoroughly. When the mayo thickens completely, it's done. Understand, blending the ingredients into mayonnaise won't take place in ten seconds, or likely not in 25 seconds, so be prepared to hold the stick blender until the mayo thickens up well. My experience is about 1 minute total, but admittedly, I have an older stick blender, which I bought with economy in mind. (So Randy, you mean it's a cheap stick blender?... Ah, you didn't have to be so blunt, but YES!)

Homemade mayonnaise on some sliced tomato ...

WORD HISTORY:

Prove -"Prove" is closely related to "probe," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English from Latin, and it is related to "probable," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English from French, to "probate" (both the noun and verb forms), both Latin words borrowed directly from Latin, and to "future," another Latin-derived word borrowed from Latin-based French, and it is distantly related to the verb "(to) be," a word from the Germanic roots of English. "Prove" is from a compound Indo European form "per-bhuho," which had the notion "to be to the fore, to be in front." Indo European "per" meant, "before, in front of, forward;" thus also figuratively, "first, main, chief;" thus also, "superior, excellent." The "bhuho" part is a form from Indo European "bheu," which had the notion, "to exist, to be;" thus also, "to grow." This gave Latin the adjective "probus," meaning "superior, worthy, upstanding," and this produced the Latin verb "probare," meaning, "to show (something) to be of value, or to be good;" thus also, "to demonstrate;" that is, "to test in order to show/demonstrate value or goodness in something"),  also, "to commend;" thus, "to approve." This was borrowed by some Germanic languages, including Old English, which had the verb "profian," meaning "to try, to test, to show goodness or benefit of something," but also, "to hold in high regard." Meanwhile, Latin "probare" (see above) passed to Latin-based Old French as "prover" (also as "pruver), meaning, "to prove, to show or demonstrate abilities or capabilities of something;" thus also, "to evaluate." "Apparently" the Old French form influenced changes in the Old English form to produce "proven/pruven," circa 1200, with the same general meanings, and as the conjugation of English verbs changed 250 to 300 years later, the form became "(to) prove."       

Korean Spicy Hard Boiled Eggs: Eggs in Tteokbokki Sauce

I love these eggs and the Koreans have sure hit a home run with this dish! Let the eggs come to room temperature before boiling them. For the broth, you can just use some vegetable stock with a teaspoon of fish sauce stirred in, but if you like to try cooking with some new ingredients, you can make your own Korean stock by simmering some dried anchovies and kelp together for about 10 to 15 minutes (dried anchovies and kelp are both available at Asian grocery stores or online). Adding sesame seeds is purely optional, but they are a common addition to Korean foods. This is a spicy hot dish, although it's not apt to scorch your tongue, but you can leave out the fresh chili pepper for a milder version; on the other hand, you can add a couple more chilies to rev up the heat level. The chili paste and chili flakes can be found at Asian stores, some supermarkets, spice stores and of course, online.

 

Serve with rice ...

Ingredients (4 servings):

 

8 eggs

3 green onions, chopped (for divided use)

1 medium onion, halved, then thinly sliced

1 hot chili (red or green), chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed to release flavor more easily

1 1/4 cups Korean soup broth (or vegetable broth with 1 teaspoon fish sauce)

3 tablespoons gochujang Korean chili paste

3 tablespoons gochugaru Korean chili flakes

4 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 

(optional) 1 or 2 teaspoons sesame seeds

 

In a large sauce pan, boil the eggs 7 1/2 to 8 minutes, then drain and douse them in cold water (if you like firmer egg yolks, cook them 10 to 11 minutes). Peel the eggs and set them aside briefly. In another pan or large skillet (I prefer a skillet), add the broth over medium heat, then add 2 chopped green onions, sliced onion, hot chili pepper, crushed garlic, chili paste, chili flakes, soy sauce, brown sugar and black pepper, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Continue simmering the sauce until it is reduced to the consistency you prefer (I like thick sauces, so I reduce it by half). Carefully add the eggs to the reduced sauce and spoon some of the sauce over the eggs as they warm up. After 2 to 3 minutes, remove the eggs and sauce from the heat. Garnish with the remaining chopped green onion and serve over rice, or with rice as a side dish. 

 

 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Tapestry-The origin of this word is unknown, although some believe it is from an Asian language, while others believe it to be from Persian, which would make it Indo European, with Persian being a relative of English, but further down the family tree. What is known is, the word goes back to transliterated Ancient Greek "tắpes," meaning "carpet," which produced Byzantine Greek "tapetion," a diminutive form meaning "small rug, small carpet," and Latin borrowed this as "tappetium" meaning, "rug, carpet," but also apparently at times, "wall covering of cloth." This passed to Latin-based Old French as "tapiz," with the same meanings, which then became "tapis," with the same meanings, including simply "heavy cloth." This produced French "tapisserie," probably from the verb "tapisser" (which was also from "tapis"), meaning "to cover with heavy decorative cloth or carpet." English borrowed the word in the late 1300s initially as "tapiestre," but why English inserted the "t" near the end is unknown to me, although that additional sound gave us the modern word "tapestry," meaning "heavy cloth with multi-colored decorative patterns."     

Tanzanian French Fry Omelette: Chipsi Mayai

Tanzania is a country in eastern Africa. The region was part of the former German colony of German East Africa, and Britain took control of the area upon Germany's defeat in World War One. The British used the name "Tanganyika" as the name for their mainland colony, while the various islands of Zanzibar were a separate British colony. Independence was granted to each of these colonies in the first part of the 1960s, and the two entities joined together as Tanzania in 1964. Swahili is the main language, but English is known to some degree by many, and it is more commonly used in business circles. While Christianity is in the majority among Tanzanians, Islam is a large minority religion, especially on Zanzibar, which therefore also brings Arabic in as a minority language.      

 

"Chipsi mayai" (pronounced like "chipsee mah-yeye," like 'eye') also known as '"zege" (pronounced 'zay-geh') in part of Tanzania, primarily on the island Zanzibar. This is super easy to make, although some Tanzanians make a more elaborate omelette by adding ingredients like bell pepper, tomatoes, chilies and parsley to it. You can certainly buy some already cooked french fries from your neighborhood fast food outlet, or you can buy frozen french fries, or you can cut up some potatoes and make the fries yourself, the way you like them.  

 

Serve with tomato sauce or ketchup and with a tomato/onion salad (called kachumbari, which often also has some cucumber). If you like hot sauce instead of tomato sauce or ketchup ... GO FOT IT!

 

Ingredients (4 servings):

 

4 large eggs, beaten

1 cup chopped onion

2 potatoes, peeled and cut into fries (British: chips)  

oil for frying

 

Fry the potatoes in a skillet according to your preference (raw or frozen potatoes fried in some particular amount of oil), but then remove the potatoes to a dish and pour off all but a couple of tablespoons of oil. Of course, if you have already bought fries/chips from a restaurant, you won't have to worry about this step, and you can just set the fries aside briefly. Over medium heat, saute the onion until it is soft and lightly browned. Add the cooked potatoes to the skillet and distribute the onions and potatoes evenly over the skillet. Pour in the beaten eggs, again trying to distribute the eggs over the entire skillet. Fry the omelette until lightly browned on the bottom, then (this is the tricky part) flip the omelette to the other side and fry until it is browned. (NOTE: It's best to place a plate over the top of the skillet, then turn the skillet over to turn the omelette out onto the plate. This with leave the cooked part face up on the plate, and the uncooked part will now be on the bottom, although it shouldn't be terribly runny by this point. Then slide the omelette back into the skillet from the plate for the uncooked underside to fully cook and brown. If you have a wide spatula you can likely just turn the omelette over using it.)

WORD HISTORY:

Suave-This adjective is distantly related, through Indo European, to "sweet," a word from the Germanic roots of English. It goes back to Indo European "suwad," which had the notion of "pleasant tasting." This gave Latin "suavis," meaning "pleasant tasting, delightful, sweet," later also used figuratively as, "agreeable, kindly, pleasant." English borrowed the word from Latin as "suave" in the first quarter of the 1400s meaning "kindly, pleasant, gracious," and later also, "smooth in style, sophisticated."

Indonesian Chili Eggs: Sambal Telur

This is easy to make, and if you'd prefer, you don't have to fry the peeled hardboiled eggs. They can be served with rice or try them chilled and served as a salad. I assume most people outside Indonesia do not have kaffir lime leaves, so you can just use lime zest, but if you want to try using the leaves, contact your herb and spice outlets, and the leaves are definitely available online.

Ingredients: 

6 eggs, hardboiled and then shells removed

1/3 cup chopped onion

2 kaffir lime leaves (or 1 teaspoon lime zest)

6 or 8 tablespoons sambal oelek (Indonesian style hot ground chili paste)

2 tablespoons oil

In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the whole peeled hardboiled eggs and keep turning the eggs until they get a little color on them (they will kind of blister), then remove them to a plate with a paper towel. To the same skillet with the oil, add the chopped onion and saute until it softens. As the onion softens, keep stirring to prevent browning and reduce the heat to low. When the onion is soft, add the sambal oelek and stir to mix, then add the kaffir leaves or lime zest and keep stirring (you don't have to stir continuously, but frequently). When the sambal begins to reduce and thicken, add the eggs back to the skillet to warm again in the sauce. Slice the eggs lengthwise, serve with some of the sauce over each serving. 

 

 

WORD HISTORY: 

Stir-This word is actually related to "storm," and it goes back to Indo European "stur," which had the notion of "move, twirl, whirl, turn." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "storjanan," with the same basic meanings, but with figurative meanings of "destroy, disrupt." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "styrian," meaning "incite, agitate, stir." This then became "stiren," before the modern version, and the meanings have remained the same, with the primary emphasis on the meaning "mix together by using a spoon or utensil" (that is, "making it whirl"), but the meanings "incite, agitate," are still very much in use, keeping it close to some of its Germanic cousins which mean "disrupt." The other Germanic languages have: German and Low German Saxon "stören" (bother, disturb), ^ Dutch "storen" (disturb, bother), Danish "styrre" (disturb, disrupt), Norwegian "styrre" (mix), Swedish "störa" (disrupt, disturb). I could not find a form in modern Icelandic, nor in West Frisian. The noun form is from the same Germanic source, but it likely came into use in English in the latter 1300s from Old Norse, which had the noun "styrr," meaning "tumult, commotion, disruption."

^ German also has the prefixed form "zerstören," which means "to destroy," going back to the original figurative Germanic meaning.

German Eggs in Mustard Sauce: Senfeier

While this dish is a common one with Germans at any time of year, it is especially common in the days following Easter, as families have lots of boiled eggs on hand, and this is a good way to use them up. If you like mustard, this is a recipe for you. "Senf" is the standard German word for "mustard," a word that was borrowed by Old Germanic from Latin, which had borrowed it from Greek. "Seemingly," Old English once had "senap" from its Germanic parent, but it's not a well attested word.  

 

Frequently served with boiled potatoes as an accompaniment.

 

Ingredients:

 

6 eggs, hard boiled (or 8 minute eggs) 

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 large clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups half and half

2 tablespoons German hot (scharf) mustard 

1 heaping tablespoon grainy mustard (körniger Senf)

1/2 teaspoon salt 

 

Begin heating water in a pan large enough to hold the eggs and deep enough to hold water to cover the eggs by about an inch. (NOTE: In the U.S. especially, eggs are almost always refrigerated. So if you have refrigerated eggs, place them in a little WARM water, NOT hot, for a few minutes to essentially bring them to room temperature.) In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the finely chopped onion. Saute for about 2 minutes. If the butter begins to brown, lift the skillet from the heat and reduce the heat to low. Add the minced garlic and saute a further minute. Sprinkle the flour over the onion/garlic mixture and stir until it is mixed in to form a roux. If you turned the heat to low earlier, now return the heat to medium and gradually stir in the vegetable broth which should begin to thicken quickly. Now gradually stir in the half and half and continue stirring as the sauce thickens. Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the two types of mustard and the salt. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more half and half (or just milk), until you get a good consistency. When the water begins to boil, lower the room temperature eggs into the water one at a time (I use a large spoon ), and boil the eggs for 11 or 12 minutes for hard boiled, but I prefer 8 minutes for this recipe, which should leave a still moist looking yolk for the eggs. You must immediately plunge the eggs into cold water after 8 minutes to stop the cooking process. The German term for this cooked egg is "wachsweich," literally "wax soft" (the English relative of "weich" developed to be "weak," get it? Soft ... weak?). After the eggs have cooled a bit, peel them and cut them lengthwise. Spoon some of the mustard sauce onto a plate and then lay some of the egg halves on top. Serve with some boiled potatoes on the side of the plate.     

 

 

 "Senfeier," Eggs in Mustard Sauce with boiled potatoes and some arugula ...

WORD HISTORY:

Welt-This word for a raised and inflamed bump on the skin is related to "waltz," a word derived from Germanic that English borrowed from German, to "wallow," a word from the Germanic roots of English, and it is distantly related to the verb "vault" (leap over), a Latin-derived word borrowed via French (which had it from Italian), to the noun "vault" (arched roof), a word from Latin also borrowed via French, and to "revolve," another Latin-derived word borrowed from Latin, with French reinforcement, or the other way around. "Welt" goes back to Indo European "wel," which had the notion "to roll, to turn, to revolve." This gave Old Germanic "waltijanan," meaning, "to roll," and this gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "wyltan/wieltan," meaning "to roll," and this then became "welten," meaning "to roll over;" thus, "to twist, to wind (long 'i')," and the spelling and meaning were likely influenced by the related Old Norse form "velta," which meant "to roll over." By the early decades of the 1400s the noun "welt" had developed from the verb and meant "the twisted seam that joined parts of shoes that was similar to a ridge." By circa 1800, this ridge-like seam was applied to inflamed bumps on the skin that resembled such a ridge. While there are relatives of "welt" in other Germanic languages, from what I can tell, none has developed this meaning.     

Vietnamese Crab Omelette: Trứng Chiên Với Cua

Vietnamese "Trứng Chiên Với Cua" means "Omelette with Crab." This omelette is good served with Vietnamese dipping sauce.

Ingredients (2 servings):

4 large eggs, beaten

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper (or black pepper)

1/2 cup crab meat, in small pieces

3 green onions (scallions), thinly sliced

2 small red chilies, seeded and sliced (I generally prefer not to seed them)

1 teaspoon fish sauce

3 tablespoons peanut oil (divided uses, see below)

Vietnamese dipping sauce to serve (link to the recipe for the dipping sauce: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2020/12/vietnamese-dipping-sauce-nuoc-cham-or.html ) 

 

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in an 8" or 9" skillet (a nonstick skillet is best for this) over medium heat. Add the chopped green onion and the sliced chili pepper, saute for about 90 seconds, then add the crab meat and saute another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring the ingredients around as they cook. Empty the contents onto a dish and set it aside briefly. Heat another tablespoon of oil in the skillet. Beat the eggs with the pepper and the fish sauce in a bowl. Add half the eggs to the skillet and as they cook, keep pulling the edges in toward the middle to allow the still raw egg to fill in the outer edge (tilt the skillet to help with this). Cook until the eggs are almost set, then add half of the crab mixture to top half of the basically cooked eggs, and then fold the other half of the egg over onto the filled half. Press down lightly to secure the filling. Carefully turn the omelette over to the other side and let it cook until it reaches the desired level of doneness (I don't care a lot for well browned omelettes, as can be seen in the photos below, so I don't let them brown much, but many people prefer them well browned, so whatever you prefer; none of this will end civilization any time soon). Repeat the cooking process for the second omelette.

 

Vietnamese nuoc cham dipping sauce on the side ...

 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Tram-The history of this word is obscure, but it seems to be from the Germanic languages along the North Sea (for some strange reason referred to as " North Sea Germanic"... hm, wonder why? And by the way, English is one of those North Sea Germanic languages, although this grouping is generally used for the ancestors of the modern languages, like Old English and Old Saxon). The word seems to have come into English in the late 1400s or early 1500s from Flemish,^ Dutch or Low German, which had forms like "traam(e)," "trame," and where it meant "beam;" thus also, "handle for a (wheel)barrow," then the word began to be used for the carts used to haul coal and ore in mines (the carts had handles). Where the word came from is unknown, and some believe it developed in the Germanic languages and dialects in the northwestern part of Europe from a word now lost to us. By the early part of the 1800s the word was also used for "the track/rail for a cart," and between that usage and the cart meaning, this developed into the use for "tram-car;" that is, "streetcar," and this was then shortened to "tram," and this was also used for cable cars.