Jamaican Jerk Seasoning (Dry)

Jamaica is located some 90 miles or so south of Cuba in the Caribbean Sea. Jamaica gained its independence from Great Britain in the early 1960s, although Queen Elizabeth II is the queen of this island nation, and she is represented there by her appointed governor-general, but Jamaica has its own governing system and prime minister. It is tough to think of Jamaica without thinking of reggae music, musician Bob Marley and Olympic runner Usain Bolt.  

 

Jamaica is famous for "jerk" cooking; that is, foods, usually meat, especially chicken, that is marinated with a spice rub and/or liquid marinade, and then grilled or roasted. Foods prepared this way in Jamaica are spicy hot, as they contain hot chili peppers, including the famous "scotch bonnets," named after their shape, but which might make you flip your bonnet from the intense heat they can produce. I've given my version of the dry spice/herb rub here, and I may soon do a version of the liquid marinade, which uses scotch bonnet chilies. Of course, you can adjust the heat level up or down to your own preference with these types of spice mixtures. 

 

Ingredients:

 

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper

2 teaspoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons dried thyme 

2 teaspoons ground allspice

1 1/2 teaspoons sweet smoked Spanish paprika

2 teaspoons dried parsley

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground red chili pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons dried red pepper flakes

 

Add the ingredients to the container you will use for the seasoning, put the lid on and shake the container until everything is well mixed together. Shake the container again before each usage of the seasoning. 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Felt-This is the noun for the type of fabric, as in "felt-tip or felt-tipped pen." It is related to "filter," a word borrowed by English from Latin (with French influence and reinforcement), with Latin having borrowed the base of the word from Germanic, and it is related to "pelt," the verb form meaning "to hit or beat," plus, "to hit with objects thrown, launched or fired in some way," a word from Latin long ago, going back to Old English, and it is related to the second part of "anvil," a word from the Germanic roots of English. "Felt" goes back to one of the Indo European roots, "pel" (there are several with varied meanings), with the idea of "beat, hit, beat down;" thus also, "compress." This gave Old Germanic "felt(az)," with the same meanings, and this gave the West Germanic branch of Germanic "feltaz/filtiz," meaning "wool or wool combined with other fur beaten until compressed into a fabric." This gave Old English "felt," where it has remained ever since. Relatives in the other Germanic languages: German has "Filz," Low German has "Filt," West Frisian "filt," Dutch "vilt," Danish "filt" (from Low German), Swedish "filt" (also borrowed from Low German, seemingly with the initial meaning of  "felt," but with the wool fabric meaning coming to mean "blanket," although that meaning seems to have also been in Low German).   

Lamb Chops & Herbs

My guess is, when people think of lamb chops, they most often think of lamb rib chops. Rib chops have the rib bone with a relatively small attached segment of meat. They are often "frenched;" that is, the thinnest part of the rib bone is scraped clean of the fat and any meat. Rib chops are tender and delicious, but they are also expensive. Lamb generally tends to be more plentiful in the spring, and because of that, you might well find the best prices for various cuts of lamb at that time. Somewhat less expensive are lamb loin chops, which are much meatier than rib chops. Excellent served with rice. 

 

Ingredients (2 servings):

 

4 lamb chops

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided use)

3 tablespoons lemon juice

strip of lemon peel, about 2 inches long by 1/2 inch wide

5 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons chopped mint leaves

1 tablespoon chopped rosemary 

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/3 cup water 

In a dish or shallow bowl where the chops can fit together to marinate, mix together 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, chopped mint leaves, chopped rosemary and ground black pepper. Place the lamb chops into the marinade mixture and turn to coat them, or spoon some of the mixture onto the tops of the chops. Cover with some plastic wrap and put into the refrigerator to marinate for one or two hours, then remove from the refrigerator, leave covered and marinate a further 30 minutes at room temperature. Heat the 2 remaining tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Sprinkle the lamb chops with salt on both sides and add them to the skillet so they fit and reserve the marinade. Let the chops cook for about 3 minutes until the first side is browned, the turn the lamb chops and cook another 3 minutes, or until the second side is browned and the internal temperature is 130 to 135 F for medium, or 145 F for well done. Remove the skillet from the heat and let the lamb chops sit for 5 minutes. Remove the lamb chops to a platter and put the skillet back on the burner over medium heat. Add the lemon peel and marinade to the cooking juices in the skillet. Saute for about 1 minute, then add 1/3 cup water, stirring to mix, while scraping up any little bits from the bottom of the skillet. Let the mixture come to a simmer for 1 minute, then remove it from the heat.    

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Seat-This word is related to "sit," "set,"^ "settle,"^^ and "saddle," all words from the Germanic roots of English, and it is more distantly related to "sedate," a word borrowed from Latin, and to "siege" and "assess," Latin-derived words borrowed via French. "Seat" goes back to Indo European "sed," which meant "to sit." This gave Old Germanic "sitjanan," meaning "to sit," which produced the Old Germanic noun "sæt" (the 'æ' combination is called an 'ash,' as in "The a told the e after they were combined, 'We just made an ash out of ourselves.' "), "a place where one sits;" thus "seemingly" also by extension, "a place where one is established," as Old English had "sæt," meaning "ambush," a concealed place where one sits and waits to attack," sæte," which meant "house;" that is, "an established place to live," and this meaning extended further to "a place from which one rules," as in, "The archbishopric's seat is about 100 miles from here," or, "The county seat of Crawford County, Pennsylvania is Meadville." "Setl," a relative of "seat," became the main word for "a seat, a place to sit," but the Old Norse noun "sæti,"  which meant "a seat," seems to have combined with the Old English form, emphasizing "seat" ("a place for sitting"), or came into English as a direct borrowing from Old Norse and replaced "setl." Over time, the meaning has expanded to also mean, "seat of one's pants or other clothing covering one's behind" and "backside," but with the old meaning of authority expanded to things like "a seat on city council," "a seat in the legislature," and "seat belt," which was originally a term for "a belt used to strap one into the seat of an airplane," which later expanded to cars and some carnival rides. Note: The old forms of "sit, set and settle" are all so close in meanings and derivation from Germanic, that it can be tough sorting them out; and as such, the modern relatives in the other Germanic languages are tough to pinpoint. German has "Sitz" (seat) and "Gesäß"^^^ (backside, buttocks), Low German has "Sitt" (seat, place to sit), Icelandic "sæti" (seat), Danish has "sæde" (seat), Dutch has "zit" (seat), Norwegian had "sete" (seat, also buttocks), Swedish has "sittplats" (seat, seating, pew), "säte" (seat, but also residence, buttocks).       

 

^ This is for the verb "set," but also for the noun that means "the act of setting;" as in "sunset." There is also the noun "set," which is unrelated to the above form, and it means "part of a group of similar objects or objects in common purpose," as in, "I own a set of four tea cups from the 1700s," or "Our neighbors gave us a nice set of salt and pepper shakers when we moved here."  

^^ This is only for the verb "settle" (and the noun, see further above), meaning "to live, or to come to live, in a place," while the meaning "to make an agreement about something," as in, "The company decided to settle the lawsuit out of court," is likely from a different Germanic word that came to be spelled the same way as the other word "settle."   

^^^ In some High German dialects long ago, a sound shift took place that changed "t" to "s" or double "s." That shift prevailed and, thus, it is very much in evidence in modern times, as for example, whereas English has "kettle," standard German as "Kessel," English has "vat," but German has "Fass," English has white, but German has "weiss."

Homemade Cajun Seasoning & Creole Seasoning

There isn't any one recipe for either Cajun seasoning, or for Creole seasoning; so, it seems to me that over time, the two have sort of grown together in some recipes, but not all. The two are similar, but not the same, with Creole seasoning having more herbs and much more paprika. Many recipes add salt to both, but I don't use it in either recipe; that way, I can use the amount of salt I want in any dish I'm preparing.

 

 

Cajun Seasoning Ingredients:

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

2 teaspoons minced dried onion 

2 tablespoons sweet smoked Spanish paprika

2 tablespoons sweet (non-smoked) paprika

1 tablespoon ground white pepper

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 or 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper (your heat preference)

2 teaspoons dried oregano

Put ingredients together in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Store in a container with a tight fitting lid. 

Creole Seasoning Ingredients:

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried basil

2 teaspoons dried parsley

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon ground white pepper

4 tablespoons sweet paprika

2 tablespoons sweet smoked paprika

1 tablespoon Ancho chili powder

1 or 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper (your heat preference)

Put ingredients together in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Store in a container with a tight fitting lid. 

WORD HISTORY:

Cable-This word is related to quite a number of words, including: "capable," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English from French, to "captive," another Latin-derived word borrowed directly from that language, and it is distantly related to "have" and to "heave," words from the Germanic roots of English. "Cable" goes back to the Indo European root "kahp," which had the notion of "seize, grasp, take." This gave Latin "capere," which meant, "to take, to seize." This produced the Latin noun "capulus," meaning "hilt of a sword, handle, coffin, burial chamber," the accusative form of which was "capulum," which became a word in its own right, initially meaning "hilt of a sword, handle," but then "a halter for cattle and horses," and from that it took the meaning "rope, lasso." This seemingly passed to Old French as "chaable/chable," and this became "cable" in Old Northern French (Norman dialect of French), meaning "strong, thick rope" (seems to have been used regarding strong ropes used on ships), and this was taken to England by the Normans and it was borrowed by English circa 1200. The 1800s saw the word applied to telegraphy and the lines used to transmit messages, and a message transmitted by such was called a "cablegram," which then was simply shortened to "a cable" (mid 1880s?). The word was also used for types of rail cars drawn by or transported along such cables. The mid 20th Century saw the word used for the transmission of television signals not requiring an antenna as "cable television," which then was often shortened to "cable."      

Shrimp Creole

Louisiana Creole food is a mixture of cooking from the people of various backgrounds who settled in Louisiana and who grew together to become an identity in their own right, with foods being part of that  combination of cultures. These people were of French, Spanish, African, American Indian (Native American), German and Anglo-American heritage. The history of Louisiana is rather complex, but generally, the 1500s saw the Spanish explore the territory, but it was in the 1680s that the territory was claimed for France and when it received the name "Louisiana" (French: 'La Louisiane') to honor King Louis XIV, the then king of France. The territory was not really the same as the modern state of Louisiana, but included areas well beyond that. French settlers came, and not long thereafter, German settlers came, but events of the European countries had an impact on the territory, as Spain gained control of part of the territory (including New Orleans) by agreement with France in the 1760s. Britain gained control of much of the French territory east of the Mississippi River as part of the settlement of the "Seven Years' War" in 1763, with the North American part of that war known as the "French and Indian War." The British expelled thousands of French settlers from eastern Canada, then known as "Acadia" (now basically 'Nova Scotia') following the war, and they often went to Louisiana, where they became known as "Cajuns" (a pronunciation of 'Acadians,' and some seem to have also spelled it 'Cajian/Cagian'), and Spanish settlers also came to the area. Slavery brought many Africans to Louisiana, as did immigration from the French part of Haiti. Napoleon made a swap of territories with Spain, bringing Louisiana back to French control in exchange for French controlled territories in Italy going to Spanish control. Napoleon intended to revitalize French colonial holdings in North America, but when that didn't materialize, he sold "the Louisiana territory" to the United States in 1803.

 

This dish is well known in Louisiana, especially in New Orleans. The list of ingredients is pretty long, but these are generally common ingredients, with nothing terribly hard to find, and the dish isn't at all complicated. This is my own version. Serve with rice and salad... NOTE: The dish is also made by some with crayfish (some say 'crawfish'), but they are not always easy to find elsewhere.

 

Ingredients (4 to 6 servings):

 

1 to 1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 bell pepper, stem removed, seeded and finely chopped

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

1 large stalk of celery, finely chopped (or 2 medium stalks)

1 jalapeño chili (about 2 1/2 to 3 inches), chopped

5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or minced

1 heaping teaspoon sweet paprika

1 heaping teaspoon smoked Spanish sweet paprika

1 tablespoon thyme

1 heaping teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 large bay leaf

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 can (14.5 to 15 ounce) tomato sauce

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 cup mild chicken broth

2 teaspoons lemon juice 

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)

2 tablespoons butter + 2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped parsley 

2 or 3 chopped green onions (scallions), including green, for garnish

lemon wedges for serving

 

In a 10 to 12 inch skillet, add the oil and the butter over medium heat, until the butter melts. Add the onion and saute for about a minute, then add the green pepper, celery and jalapeño; saute until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and saute a further minute, stirring the whole time. Stir in the sweet paprika, Spanish smoked paprika, thyme, oregano, cayenne pepper, ground black pepper, chicken broth and bay leaf. Bring the broth to a boil for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce and let come to a simmer, adjusting the heat to maintain a steady gentle simmer until the sauce is reduced to a fairly thick consistency. Stir in the lemon juice and salt, then add the shrimp, and cook until they turn pink, turn off the heat and stir in the chopped parsley. Serve over a bed of rice for each serving and top with some chopped green onions/scallions (which I forgot to add for the photos below ... 30 lashes with a wet noodle!). Add a lemon wedge or two to each plate. 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Fertile-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; it is more closely related to "infer," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English from Latin, and to "defer" and "differ," Latin-derived words borrowed from French, but with Latin reinforcement and influence, or perhaps the other way around.

"Fertile" goes back to 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. This then produced the Latin adjective "fertilis," meaning, "produced in large quantity;" thus, "fruitful, productive." This passed to Latin-based Old French as "fertil/fertile," and English borrowed it in the middle of the 1400s, as both "fertil" and "fertile," with the latter winning out, although the apparent pronunciation of the other form is still used by some, but whether that is a remnant of the old form is doubtful.

Egyptian Potato Salad

Mention Egypt to people and likely several things will pop into their minds: the pyramids, the Nile River, the Suez Canal, the pharaohs of ancient times, and perhaps a few biblical references, especially to Moses. Egypt has long been a fascination to people beyonds it's own area, and this country of about 100 million people is overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim, but with a Christian (usually Coptic) minority of "somewhere around" 10%. Egypt saw more than 300 years of Turkish rule (Ottoman Empire) beginning in the 1500s, which was interrupted for three years by Napoleon's French occupation (1798-1801). The British maintained "a kind of protectorate" with Egypt beginning in the 1880s and many British and French business people invested in the company that helped to build, and then to run, the Suez Canal during much of the last quarter of the 1800s and into the 1900s (Note: the territory of the canal was Egyptian, but the foreign owned company provided money to complete, maintain and operate the canal, with the canal's operation being totally turned over to Egypt in 1956). While some important and famous battles took place in Egypt during World War Two (especially "Tobruk," "El Alamein") "technically" Egypt was a neutral country during the time of those battles, and Egypt did not declare war on any country until 1945, when it declared war on Germany and Japan. I know it was an odd situation, and Egypt had its own armed forces and for a couple of years air raids were fairly common, but the British had long kept military forces stationed in Egypt, especially around the Suez Canal, Cairo and the Mediterranean port of Alexandria. It wasn't until 1956 that Britain, by agreement, withdrew its military forces from Egypt.  

 

There is no mayonnaise or vinegar in this potato salad, rather it is something right out of Egyptian cuisine, with olives, lots of various herbs and lemon juice. The optional use of honey is my own addition, as I'm not a fan of sour tastes, but if Egyptians were to use a sweetener, it likely would be honey, and maybe some do use it. Be sure to use fresh herbs, not dried. Regardless of the type of potatoes you use, you want them more or less cut into bite size pieces. I often prefer to leave the skins on potatoes, as I have done for the photos here, but to be honest, most recipes I've seen use peeled potatoes.

Ingredients:

2 large potatoes (or a dozen small), boiled in their skins, then cooled, peeled, cut into chunks

6 green onions, chopped (with green part)

3 cloves garlic, chopped

10 pitted Kalamata dark olives, halved

10 pitted green olives, halved

1 heaping tablespoon chopped dill

2 tablespoons chopped coriander (also known as cilantro)

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 tablespoons chopped mint

(optional) 1/2 to 1 teaspoon finely chopped red chili

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup olive oil

(optional) 2 to 3 tablespoons honey (mixed into the lemon juice)

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt 

 

In a large bowl, add the potato pieces, chopped green onions, chopped garlic, dark and green olive halves, chopped dill, chopped cilantro (coriander), chopped parsley, chopped mint, optional finely chopped red chili. Mix everything together. In a mixing cup or bowl, mix together the lemon juice, optional honey, olive oil, ground cumin and salt. Mix it well to incorporate the honey, if using. Sprinkle the ground cumin and salt over the salad, then pour the dressing over the salad and mix everything together well. Serve immediately or chill it in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

 

WORD HISTORY: 

Pyramid-There is a theory about the origin of the word "pyramid" and its application to this tomb structure that rests upon the belief that a type of wheat cake was the basis of the name. One of the problems for us in modern times is, how can we confirm what these wheat cakes looked like? Here is why this theory is prevalent to some: transliterated Greek had "puramis" or "pyramis" (plural: "pyramides"), which meant "a pyramid of Egypt," but also, "a cake of wheat grains and honey." The idea is, the Greek word came from transliterated Egyptian "pimar," which apparently meant "pyramid," but may have also been the name for the wheat cake, as the assumption is, the Greeks not only took the word, but also its meanings from Egyptian. The thing is, Ancient Greek "pyrós" or "purós" meant "wheat" (perhaps more specifically "roasted wheat," as the root of the word means "fire"); so in other words in this case, the Greeks may have named the wheat cake, but as for the burial structure, no. Anyway, Latin borrowed Greek "puramis/pyramis" as "pyramis/piramis," and the plural form, which in Greek was "puramides/pyramides," as "pyramides" in Latin. Old French originally took the Latin form as "piramide," which then became "pyramide." English originally borrowed the Latin form as "piram" in the latter part of the 1300s, but then borrowed the form now in use from French "pyramide" circa 1550.

Italian White Beans, Tomatoes & Herbs

Italians have lots of easy but flavorful dishes with common ingredients like beans and tomatoes. Here you make you own tomato sauce for the beans... that's it! Get the best Roma tomatoes you can find, because they are key to this dish.

 

Ingredients (4 to 6 servings):

 

1 can (14.5 to 16 ounce) cannellini beans, drained

4 ripe Roma tomatoes, halved or quartered (any thick stem part cut out)

+ 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped

2 cloves garlic

4 basil leaves

1 tablespoon rosemary

4 sage leaves

1 red chili pepper, chopped (seeded, if you prefer)

1/4 teaspoon sugar (a little more if sauce if too tart) 

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano + more for serving

 

To a blender/food processor add 4 Roma tomatoes, garlic, basil leaves, rosemary, sage leaves, red chili pepper, sugar, salt and 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil. Blend until a smooth sauce. Heat the sauce over low heat for 2 minutes, then add the chopped tomato (this adds some chunky texture to the sauce), and cook until it cooks down to the desired thickness. Stir in the beans and when they have heated, mix in 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano. Serve with more Pecorino Romano on top and crusty bread on the side.

 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Grease-The ultimate origin of this word is unknown. "Grease" is related to "crass," a Latin-derived adjective borrowed by English via French. "Grease" goes back to the Latin adjective "crassus," which meant "fat, thick, dense, solid." This produced the noun "crassia," meaning "fat, animal fat in melted or less than solid form." "Crassia" seems to have later become "grassia" in Latin, as Italian, Spanish, French and Portuguese all have forms spelled with a "g," although Old French may have first had "craisse," then "gresse," which became "grece" in the Anglo-Norman French spoken in England, and this was borrowed by English circa 1300, most commonly as "grese." The verb form developed from the noun in about 1400 and meant "to smear with fat (grease);" thus, "to lubricate." (Note: I'm not sure about the verb's pronunciation in the U.K., but in the U.S. both "greese," like Greece, the country, and "greez," rhymes with "cheese," are heard.)      

South Tyrolean Creamy Herb Soup: Kräutersuppe

The South Tyrol (German: Südtirol) is a region of northern Italy with a complicated demographic history, as Germans settled in part of the region about 1500 years ago. The area later was part of the Holy Roman Empire, a confusing title that was really the name used for the Old German Empire (as French philosopher and writer Voltaire said in the mid 1700s, the Holy Roman Empire was "neither holy, Roman, nor an empire"). The area eventually became part of the Habsburg family lands (the Habsburgs were a German noble family), but after the defeat of Austria-Hungary in World War One, Italy received the South Tyrol for having fought on the Allied side during the war. The northern parts of the region were exclusively German for all practical purposes, but the population was more and more mixed (German and Italian) the further south in the region one went, with some areas having Italian majorities. The whole matter was very contentious, but eventually the region, known in Italian as "Trentino Alto Adige," was granted self-governing rights on local matters, but within Italy. German is the language of every day communication for much of the population, except of course in Italian areas, and the German dialect there is a part of Austro-Bavarian.

 

I love this soup and you can mix up the herbs however you choose. The South Tyroleans use local cheese of their own for garnishing the soup, but such cheeses are not readily available, so I substituted Parmigiano-Reggiano, but you can certainly use non-Italian made parmesan cheese.

 

Ingredients:

 

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup chopped onion

3 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons chopped dill

2 tablespoon snipped chives

1/2 tablespoon thyme leaves

2 tablespoon basil

1/2 tablespoon majoram (or oregano)

2 tablespoon parsley

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 

4 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cream

grated cheese like Parmigiano-Reggiano or parmesan for garnish

mixed chopped herbs for garnish

In a heavy bottom pot or pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the onion and saute until the onion is softened, then reduce the heat to low and quickly mix in the flour, stirring constantly, to make a roux. Slowly add one cup of the broth, stirring constantly, until the broth begins to thicken; then continue adding broth a little at a time, stirring constantly until the broth is gone. It is not supposed to be thick, just slightly thicker. Stir in the herbs and let the soup just begin to simmer. Pour the soup in a blender (or you could use a stick blender), blend until smooth. Return the soup to the pan mix in the nutmeg, ground black pepper, salt and cream. Let the soup heat up, but do not boil. Top with some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Fiddle-The origin of this word is unclear. There is a case for it being from Latin, but there is also a case that Latin got it from Germanic. First there is the Medieval Latin word for a stringed instument, "vitula," which is the source of the words "viola" and "violin." Latin already had a word "vitula," which meant "a female calf" (it is in the ancestral line of "veal"), but how a word for calf came to be a word for a stringed musical instrument is a major question ... although perhaps the Latin word of that meaning was borrowed, and the rendered spelling of the borrowed word coincidentally matched the other Latin word for "calf," and the ancestry of the Latin word for the musical instrument is uncertain, although some have attempted to tie it to Latin "vitularia," which meant, "to celebrate in a happy manner," apparently derived from, or related to, the Roman goddess "Vitula," supposedly a goddess of celebration and victory, but with a very sketchy history. On the other hand, forms of "fiddle" abound in the Germanic languages, with Old English having had "fiðele" (equivalent to "fithele"), which then became "fedele/fydyll/fydel," before the modern form. Old High German had "fidula," the ancestor of modern German "Fiedel;" Low German has "Fiddel," Dutch has "vedel," Old Norse had "fiðla" (=fithla), with Icelandic having that same word, Swedish has the contracted form "fela" and Norwegian has the contracted form "fele." (NOTE: Some suggest Old Germanic had a form like "fiþlo" (=fithlo), but that is far from agreed upon.)     

English Oxford Sausages

Oxford sausages date to the 1720s in Oxford, England (where did you think it would be, Edinburgh, Scotland? haha). The usually skinless sausage became much more popular by the mid 1800s because of recipes included in various cookbooks. 

 

Ingredients:

 

1 pound ground pork

1 pound ground veal

1/4 cup shredded beef suet 

2 1/2 cups breadcrumbs

1 heaping tablespoon grated lemon peel

1/2 teaspoon ground mace

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon well crumbled dried sage leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram, crushed in the palm of your hand

1/2 teaspoon dried savory, crushed in the palm of your hand 

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1 teaspoon salt

flour to coat the sausages

 

Put all of the ingredients, except the flour, into a large bowl and mix everything together well. Let the sausage mixture sit for about 10 to 15 minutes. It's best to use a little flour on your hands, then form the the mixture into sausages (roll them between the palms of your hands). Put the sausages on a plate, cover them with some plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least six hours, but 12 hours is better. Before cooking the sausages, roll them in a little flour to coat them (shake off excess flour). You can fry, bake or grill the sausages.  

 

I had Oxford sausages with mashed potatoes ...

WORD HISTORY:

Tallow-The origins of this word are uncertain, but Old Germanic had "talga(z)," which seems to have meant not just "fat," but "firm or solidified fat," with the "firm, solidified" meaning perhaps having been the original meaning of the word, as Gothic, an ancient Germanic language of the East Germanic branch of the Germanic languages had "tulgus," meaning "firm, solid, steady." (Gothic died out completely in the 1700s, but it had been very much reduced in usage long before that.) The Old Germanic form gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "tælg," which meant "dye" (perhaps from the idea that 'dye' becomes fast in materials?). By the mid 1300s the form became a number of spellings/pronunciations, like "talugh, talgh, talwugh," and the meaning fell in line with its Germanic relatives of being "hard or solid animal fat," with the meaning "seemingly" taken from its close cousin Low German. Eventually English settled on "tallow." The verb form came about in the 1400s from the noun and meaning, "to use tallow to grease or lubicrate." Forms in the other Germanic languages: German has "Talg" (borrowed from Low German "talch" in the first part of the 1500s), Low German has "Talg" (previously "talch"), Dutch has "talk" (not pronounced as the English word of the same spelling, but more like as if, "tall-k"), West Frisian "talk," Old Norse had "tolg/talg," but this may have been borrowed from Low German. Old Norse speakers had lots of contact with Low German speakers, and influences went in both directions, and Danish, Norwegian and Swedish all have "talg," while Icelandic has "tólg/tólgur."       

Scallops & Polenta with Herbs

Like many types of seafood, scallops are pretty expensive, with sea scallops being larger and more expensive than bay scallops. Sea scallops are able to stand up to the hot oil and cooking process better than the small, more tender and sweeter tasting bay scallops. The cooking process is done to sear the sea scallops a bit, but without overdoing it, and the amount of ground red pepper should not leave your mouth smoking like a furnace; rather, the red pepper and the paprika should just provide a tad of seasoning, later topped by a sprinkle of fresh lemon juice. If you prefer, you can replace the red pepper with ground black pepper.

 

Ingredients (4 servings):

 

24 large sea scallops

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground red pepper (like cayenne) to dust the scallops (or ground black pepper)

1/2 teaspoon sweet Spanish paprika (smoked)

4  tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons lemon juice

For the polenta:

1 cup quick cooking polenta (also called instant)

2 1/2 cups milk

1 1/3 cup water (more if needed)

2 tablespoons butter

3  tablespoons heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1 heaping tablespoon fresh sage leaves, chopped

1 heaping tablespoon parsley or cilantro, chopped

 

Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spread the scallops out on a plate or platter. (If the scallops are particularly moist, dab them lightly with a paper towel to remove any heavy amount of moisture). Lightly sprinkle the scallops with ground red pepper (or ground black pepper) and sweet paprika, then place the scallops in the skillet, seasoned side down. Now add the butter and let it melt as you season the top side of the scallops (you may have to do all of this in two batches). Turn the scallops over (after about 2 1/2 minutes, and they and the red pepper/paprika should be lightly browned) and cook them on the other side for about another two minutes, but allow whatever time is needed to cook the scallops through. When the scallops are cooked through, remove the skillet from the heat and sprinkle on the lemon juice.

 

Meanwhile, in a heavy bottom sauce pan over medium heat, heat the milk and water until it just starts to boil, then stir in the polenta little by little (initially using a whisk is recommended; it will help to prevent lumps), then continue stirring (I usually change to a spoon) until the polenta is nice and thick (4 to 6 minutes?). Stir in the butter and cream, then add the thyme, sage and parsley/cilantro. Mix together well. 

To serve: add some polenta to a shallow bowl or to a plate, then top with some scallops and a little of the butter/oil from the pan, along with a little chopped parsley or cilantro. Add a lemon wedge for those who want more lemony flavor.

 

WORD HISTORY:

Scallop-This word is related to "shell," "scale" (patches of skin), "scale" (weighing device), all from Germanic, but only "shell" is an original English word from its Germanic roots, as "scale" (patches of skin) was borrowed from French, which had it from Germanic Frankish, the word "scale" meaning "weighing device" is really simply from the Old Norse form of "shell," but this specific meaning came to English from Old Norse. "Scallop" goes back to Indo European "skel," which had the notion "to cut, to split, to chip." This gave Old Germanic the root "skal/skel," with the meaning, "to split, to divide," which gave Frankish, a Germanic dialect/language, "skala," with the meaning, "husk, shell," and this was absorbed into Old French as "escale, meaning, "shell," which then produced "escalope," meaning, "the shell of a nut." English borrowed the word in the later 1300s or very early 1400s, initially as "scalop," but the second 'l' was added not long thereafter. Originally it meant "shell of the sea creature (a scallop)," but that designation quickly transferred to the sea creature itself, and thus, to the creature's interior flesh (abductor muscle). The larger shells of the scallops were used as baking dishes, and the bright colored wavy shells were also used to pattern decorative designs. These brought about the verb usage beginning in the late 1600s for the idea of "designing something to look like the curves of a scallop shell," and then a few decades later to mean "to cook in a scallop-shaped dish." English had borrowed French "escalope" (see above) circa 1500, meaning, "the edge of something shaped like a scallop shell." The French word had developed the meaning, "the way to cut veal into pieces" in circa 1690, perhaps from the idea of cutting the veal into pieces resembling scallop pieces, then later, "to cut meat or fish into thin slices," but why this meaning developed is uncertain (perhaps just a further development of cutting the meat?). "Escalope" is not a terribly common word in the United States, where you are more likely to see it on a menu in an upscale restaurant, but the average American is likely not all that familiar with the word, although they might well connect it with "scallop." How commonly it is used in England or in other English speaking countries or regions, I don't know.     

French Remoulade Sauce

Remoulade sauce seems to have started in France, but exactly when it started is a difficult question to answer, as I've seen references to the 1600s, the 1700s and the 1800s. The base of remoulade sauce is mayonnaise, and the French version has spawned a variety of remoulade sauces, including two very distinctive types, one in Denmark, and one in the United States, more precisely in Louisiana,* a state that has French influences, owing to the fact that it was once a possession of France; and indeed, it was named after French King Louis XIV.

Ingredients (1 cup +):

1 cup mayonnaise

1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon chopped chervil or parsley

1 tablespoon chopped tarragon

1 tablespoon chopped capers

1 heaping tablespoon chopped cornichons (small pickles)

1 anchovy fillet, finely chopped

1 teaspoon lemon juice

pinch of ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients together very well in a bowl, cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours before using.

* For my recipe for Louisiana style remoulade, here is the link: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2020/08/louisiana-remoulade-sauce.html

 

WORD HISTORY:
Session-This word is related, through Indo European, to "sit," "seat" and "settle," all from the Germanic roots of English, and it is more closely related to "siege," a Latin based word borrowed by English from French. It goes back to Indo European "sed," which meant, "to sit." This gave Latin "sedere," which also meant "to sit, to calm down, to settle down in a place." Its past participle base, "sess," gave Latin the noun "sessio," meaning, "the act of sitting," "a seat;" thus also, "the act of sitting for a meeting to discuss matters." Its dative, accusative, ablative and genitive case forms, as well as it plural form in all cases had the base "session," with various endings. It passed into Latin-based Old French as "session," with the meaning, "a sitting for court, a sitting for a discussion meeting;" thus, "a sitting for an assembly or a committee." English borrowed the word in the latter part of the 1300s with much the same meanings; that is, "a sitting for a regular or periodic court or a sitting to discuss and, or, to legislate on some issue or issues." 

Stuffed Zucchini Boats Part 2/Bacon: Gefüllte Zucchiniboote

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

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

Ingredients:

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

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


With a side salad ....

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

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

Swabian German Potato Salad: Schwäbischer Kartoffelsalat

Potatoes came from South America and they originally were taken to Europe by the Spanish in the 1500s, when Spain was in the process of colonizing the potato growing areas of South America. Lots of stories I've heard over the years indicate that some Europeans of those times thought potatoes were poisonous. Obviously, many doctors still work under this assumption, since they say that a baked potato with several pats of butter and a half cup of sour cream can be bad for you. Geez, how bad can one potato be for you? So I guess potatoes can be dangerous (PLEASE don't take me seriously here). 

In the United States, potato salad is often associated with warm weather, picnics or outdoor parties, and the most common form is made with mayonnaise, which means the potato salad is usually refrigerated for some period of time before serving to keep it from spoiling. This mayonnaise-based potato salad came to the United States with immigrants from northern areas of Germany, where potato salad was and still is often made with mayonnaise. Further south in Germany, however, that is not often the case. Swabia has long been a traditional German region the boundaries of which have transcended various political boundaries at any given time. As in more modern times, it is not a governmental unit with specific boundaries, although for several hundred years in the Old German Empire it was a duchy. The dialect there and in neighboring areas of Germany, Switzerland and France is Alemannic German. In this part of southwestern Germany, potato salad is made with a marinade using beef broth as its basis. As you can see, the potato salad has no actual meat in it, but further east, in parts of Bavaria, there is a tendency to add bacon to the potato salad, and it is this bacon seasoned version that I would say most Americans think of as "German potato salad," and there are commercial brands of this "general recipe" available in cans or deli containers here in the United States.      

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds potatoes, red or Yukon Gold potatoes are good for this
1 cup chopped white or yellow onion
1 cup hearty beef broth, hot
1 tablespoon mild German mustard
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 to 3 teaspoons salt (you can use less if the broth has high salt content)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon (or 1 heaping teaspoon crumbled dry tarragon)
1 or 2 tablespoons chopped chives 

Cook the potatoes in their skins until they are tender, but still firm and NOT mushy. Let the potatoes cool somewhat, so that you can handle them, then peel and slice them (they should be warm and slice them about 1/3 of an inch thick). Heat the beef broth, chopped onion, mustard, white wine vinegar and sugar until it just begins to bubble, then remove it from the heat (the onion should still have lots of "crunch"; also taste the mixture and see if it needs a little more sugar for your preference). Pour the hot beef broth mixture over the warm potato slices and let the potatoes sit for an hour in the broth, but give it a careful (so as not to break up the potato slices) stir about every 15 to 20 minutes, so that all of the potato slices get a good chance to absorb the flavors. Add the olive oil, ground white pepper, salt, chopped tarragon and chopped chives. Slowly and carefully (again, you don't want to break up the potato slices) mix everything. You can serve the potato salad right away, or refrigerate it, but remove it from the refrigerator 20 to 30 minutes before serving.   

Served with roasted smoked pork shank ...

WORD HISTORY:
Tidings-This word, closely related to "tide" and "time," both from Germanic, goes back to Indo European "di/da," which had the notion of "divide, separate into pieces." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "tidiz," meaning "period of time." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "tid" (long "i"), meaning "period of time, season, feast or festival time/hour," and later, "religious hour, time of prayer." "Christmastide" still shows the word with one of its original meanings. The word later became "tide," but the ending "e" was pronounced as "eh/ah," as this was before the final "e" was used to show that the interior vowel was long. (In the 1300s, the word came to be used for "rising and falling of the seas," a meaning which seems to have come from close relative Low German "tit/getide," later "Tide," which meant "time," but also had the "rise and fall of the the seas" meaning.) Meanwhile, the meaning "festival and religious time" took on the more general sense, "a happening, an event," and this "seems" to have spawned the verb "tidan,"^ meaning, "to happen." This produced the noun "tidung," meaning, "a happening;" thus also, "news." This seems to have been reinforced and influenced by Old Norse "tiðendi" (=tithendi), its relative, and meaning, "happenings, news," in the true plural sense, and "apparently" that is why English uses "tidings," not just "tiding," anymore. Some relatives in other Germanic languages: German "Zeitung" (newspaper, long ago as "zidunge" meaning "message, announcement"), Low German had "tidinge" (event, message), but it has been replaced in the last couple of centuries by the related "Tieden" (news, newspaper), Dutch has "tijding" (announcement, message), West Frisian "tynge" (message, communication), Icelandic has "tíðindi" (=tithindi, news), Danish/Norwegian "tidende" (newspaper, now an older form), Swedish "tidning" (newspaper).    

^ "Tidan" may well have already existed, and I suspect that it did, but I'm just not sure. 

Garlic Soup

I've seen some claims that garlic soups (various recipes) can "help" prevent some illnesses, like colds and influenza. Whether there is actually scientific evidence to support this line of claims, I don't really know, but if you like garlic, or if you have beliefs in garlic as a health supplement, this is a soup for you. Of course, since the garlic is cooked, the sharp taste of raw garlic isn't present, but you'll still get your garlic "fix," if that's one of your taste cravings. I've found that letting the soup cool, then refrigerating it until the next day gives it a more developed flavor. So all you have to do is to reheat the soup, which you can even easily do for just a bowl or two in your microwave. Note: You can use your own homemade chicken stock, or buy some form of canned or packaged chicken broth, some of which are available in reduced salt versions, and there are some powdered forms that are no salt, to which you simply add water. Unless you are on a severely restricted salt diet, if you use the no salt version, you will likely want to add at least some salt to the soup. I've suggested 1/2 teaspoon in the recipe, but I use chicken broth with salt, so I do not add this extra salt. I only add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the garlic when sauteing it (see below).   

Ingredients:

30 to 35 whole cloves of garlic, skins removed, then slightly crushed
6 cups chicken stock/broth (homemade, canned, bouillon, or packaged)
1/4 cup white wine
2 large potatoes, peeled, chopped (naturally, the smaller you chop them, the faster they'll cook)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt, for sauteing the garlic
(optional) 1/2 teaspoon salt for the soup, but remember the chicken broth likely has salt, perhaps a lot
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup cream or evaporated milk
garnish with chopped chives and croutons

In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over low heat. Add the whole slightly crushed cloves of garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt, then saute the garlic until it starts to lightly brown, stirring to keep it from burning or becoming too dark. This can take a little time. In a large sauce pan, add the chicken stock, wine, thyme, oregano, potatoes (also salt, if using), and the lightly browned garlic and the oil used for sauteing; bring to a good simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender. Either transfer to a blender or use a stick blender (also called an immersion blender). Blend until smooth, then, if using a regular blender, pour the soup back into the pan over low heat, then add the black pepper, and stir in the cream or milk. Let the soup heat up briefly, but do not boil. Serve with croutons and some chopped chives on top. 

WORD HISTORY:
Beaker-Although this word's origin is uncertain, it is related to "pitcher," a word borrowed by English from French and which has the rest of its known history matching that of "beaker." Its origin is thought by some to be Middle Eastern, as there are similar words from that area meaning, "vase, jug, container." The idea for supporters of this origin is that Ancient Greek borrowed the word as transliterated "bîkos," for "earthenware jug or container." Then Latin borrowed this term in a diminutive form as "bicarium," meaning, "wine jug or container." This was borrowed by some Germanic language, and passed to some other Germanic languages, but the exact process is unclear. Old High German has the word circa 1000, as "behhari," and meaning, "cup, wine goblet, jug, pitcher," and this then became "becher," and then modern "Becher" (cup, mug, tub) with a capital "B," as in modern German all nouns are capitalized. The thing is, other Germanic languages had forms around the same time as Old High German, and it's important to remember, the Germanic dialects that formed English, collectively called "Anglo-Saxon," had already left northwestern Europe by that time, and the Anglo-Saxons had long before firmly established themselves in the part of Britain named after the Angles, "England." So a form of the word was not taken with the Anglo-Saxons to Britain. English seems to have borrowed the word in the mid 1300s either from Old Norse "bikarr" (cup, drinking vessel), or from Dutch "beker" (cup, goblet). The most common meaning in modern English, "a round open mouthed glass container, without handles, used in science laboratories," developed in the second half of the 1800s.   

Gnocchi With Herbs & Tomato Sauce

Ready made gnocchi are generally available in supermarkets and in any Italian grocery store. Here in the Cleveland area, gnocchi are available from "Ohio City Pasta," which has a stand at the "West Side Market," located on W. 25th Street in Cleveland, and their products are also available in some supermarkets. You can also use penne pasta for this. 

Ingredients:

1 pound potato gnocchi
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can (28 ounce) crushed tomatoes, or diced tomatoes in juice
1/2 chili pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons rosemary 
1 tablespoon sage
1/2 pound Gorgonzola cheese cut into pea-sized pieces*
3 tablespoons heavy cream, half and half or canned milk 
fresh basil, chopped (garnish)

Heat the oil in a skillet or a sauce pan over low heat. Add the onion and saute for a couple of minutes, then add the garlic, rosemary, sage and chili pepper. Saute until the onion and garlic are just softened. Add the tomatoes and let the sauce gently cook over low heat until it thickens from reduction.** Now add the cream or milk and stir to mix. Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi in some salted simmering water, drain it, add it the sauce and gently mix it into the sauce. Top with the small bits of Gorgonzola, which will melt somewhat. Sprinkle some fresh chopped basil leaves over the gnocchi.      

* Gorgonzola is an Italian blue cheese, which is sold as "dulce;" that is, sweet and creamy, or as "piccante," which is sharper in taste and firmer in texture, as it is aged longer. I tend to like stronger flavors, so I use piccante. 

** Use a splatter screen to keep from having tomato sauce all over your stove, your walls, your floor, your ceiling, and maybe even your front porch. I swear, cooking tomato sauce is messy, but the screen allows the sauce to properly reduce, while containing the bubbling sauce. 

WORD HISTORY:
Gnocchi-This word is the plural of Italian "gnocco," which is a type of small dumpling. It is related to a number of words from Germanic including, "knuckle," "gnarl," "knoll," "knurl," "knock," "knot." Old Germanic had variant forms that produced the words I've listed above.^ Lombardic, a Germanic dialect/language of the Germanic Lombards who settled in northern Italy (the region of Lombardia/Lombardy is named for them), had "knocha," which meant, "bone, joint, bump," which was borrowed by Latin/early Italian and became Italian "nocchio," meaning, "a bump on a tree;" thus, "a knot on a tree." From this came Italian "gnocco" ("a bump, a lump"), which was then used for the small lump of dough used for dumplings. German has dialectal "Nock," meaning, "a small hill," which then came to be used in parts of Bavaria and Austria for a type of "flour dumpling," with its more common diminutive form, "Nockerl," literally meaning, "little dumpling."     

^ There is a theory that these words all go back to an Indo European form of, "gn/kn/gen/ken," which had the notion of "press, pinch into a compressed form or a ball." 

Apple & Celeriac Soup

This is a good soup for this time of year. It's best if you can use a blender, but a stick (immersion) blender could work too, although it might take a little time to get the soup to a smooth consistency. If you use tart apples, and you find the soup to be too sour, just add a little honey or sugar, but I doubt it will be a problem.  

Ingredients:

4 to 5 green onions, with some green, chopped
2 apples, cored, peeled or unpeeled, chopped (I leave the peel on)
2 1/2 cups celeriac, peeled and chopped
2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
2 cups apple cider (or apple juice)
5 to 6 sage leaves chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tablespoons butter + 1 1/2 tablespoons oil
1 cup milk (I prefer canned milk in cooking, but it's certainly not mandatory)
plain yogurt or low fat sour cream for garnish

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil and melt the butter over medium low heat. Cook the onion, apple, celeriac and ginger until the celeriac, especially, is just softening (this will take a little time). Stir it occasionally to prevent any major browning of the ingredients. Then add the apple cider/juice. Let the cider come to a gentle simmer. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes until everything is tender.  Pour the mixture into the blender and blend until smooth. Pour the blended mixture back into the pan. Add chopped sage, thyme, salt. Bring the soup to a bare simmer. Gradually stir in the milk until it is all mixed in. When the soup has returned to a bare simmer, that's it. Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt or low fat sour cream on top of each serving. 

WORD HISTORY:
Slit/Slice-These closely related words go back to Indo European "skel," which meant, "to cut, to cut off," which then produced "skleid," which meant, "to tear off, to tear apart, to cut off, to split apart;" and thus also, "to use up" (likely from the notion of "cutting or breaking off parts until used up"). This gave Old Germanic "slitan(an)," meaning, "to tear off, to tear apart, to split," as well as the figurative "use up" meaning. This gave Old English "slitan," with the same main meanings, but also, "to cut into pieces." This then became "sliten," which kept many of the same meanings, but also, "to wear out or wear down," which likely had been retained in some areas of England as a meaning for the original English form "slitan." This then became "slit." The noun was derived from the verb in the 1200s, with the meaning, "a generally long cut or tear in clothing, which is purely an opening and doesn't detach any part from the main object," but also then, "a long cut in general." The Old Germanic form also gave Frankish, a Germanic dialect, akin to English, "slitan," which also meant, "to split, to split into pieces." This was absorbed into Old French as "esclicier," meaning initially, "to split," and the more figurative "to break or smash into pieces." French also had the noun "escliz/esclis," meaning, "a fragment, a splinter, a piece." English borrowed the noun as "slice" in the early 1400s, and it borrowed the verb, also as "slice," in the second half of the 1400s. The noun and the verb are both examples of Germanic based words being borrowed into Latin-based French, and then borrowed by English, itself a Germanic language. English had its own form in what is modern "slit" (above), but German had "slizan," in Old High German, which then became the more modern (but now not in every day use) "schleissen," pronounced kind of like "shlice-n," and properly spelled "schleißen" and meaning "to split, to wear down, to wear off, to peel off." It is spelled with the double "s" in the Swiss and Liechtenstein spelling systems, but with the "ß" in German spelling elsewhere. Dutch has "slijten," meaning, "to use up, to wear down or away," Icelandic has the noun "slita" (a tear), Danish "slide" (work very hard; that is, wear down or wear out with work), Swedish "slita" (wear out, wear out with hard work).

Beef Heart with Dressing

In times now past, I would make this as "Stuffed Beef Heart," where I put the "dressing" ("stuffing")* inside and then tied it to hold it closed, but because this was a relatively small beef heart, I just decided to cut the heart open, and cook it that way, with the "dressing" on top. It turned out GREAT!

Ingredients:

1 beef heart
2 teaspoons olive or canola oil
2 cups stale bread, cut or torn into bite size pieces
1/4 cup bread crumbs (I use panko)
2/3 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons rubbed sage
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1/3 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 cup beef stock

Trim off the fat from the beef heart and rinse the heart well, then cut the heart open and trim away any vessels. In a pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 1 minute, then add the garlic and mushrooms. After about another minute or two, add the thyme, the fresh sage and the parsley. Add the bread pieces and sprinkle on the rubbed sage. Mix everything together and then gradually add the beef stock, allowing the bread to absorb the liquid as much as possible. When the beef stock has been added, add the bread crumbs a little at a time and mix them into the other ingredients to see how wet the mixture is. You may not need to use all of the bread crumbs, because they are really only used to help sop up excess liquid, but you also don't want the mixture to be too dry. Remember too, you needn't cook the dressing until the onion and other ingredients are totally softened, because it will be subject to more cooking. In a baking dish or a deep sided pan, spread out the open beef heart and spoon on the dressing to form a nice smooth layer. I put just a little water in the bottom of the pan, like about 1/4 cup, but by no means should the water be anywhere near high enough to touch the dressing layer. The steam produced by the small amount of water will keep everything moist. Cover with lid or foil and bake at 325 degrees F for 2 1/2 hours. Let the heart sit for about 5 to 10 minutes after removing it from the oven. You can slice servings off with the dressing right on them (see photo below).  

* In the U.S. it likely depends upon the place where you grew up as to whether you say, "dressing" or "stuffing." In much of the southern US, "dressing" is most often used, while in much of the northern areas, "stuffing" is the preferred word, while many other areas are mixed in their usage. Some requiring more order in their lives, like the Sheldon Cooper character of television's "Big Bang Theory," have tried to apply the logic of, "if it is cooked inside a bird or part of another animal, it is 'stuffing,' but if it is cooked in a pan or dish separate from the meat, it is then called 'dressing.' " The thing is, logic does not always prevail in our regional terminology, and, to be quite honest, that keeps things interesting (see note **, below). Well, when I was a kid, it was called "dressing" in my area, but in the early 1970s a version with dried bread and packets of seasoning in a box was heavily marketed in television ads as, "Stove Top Stuffing," and that term came to at least be recognized nationally, but it didn't stop "dressing" users from the use of their term.

** In my neighborhood when I grew up, the name for a "sweet, flavored fizzy non alcoholic drink" was "pop," a shortening of the term, "soda pop," but as I got older and I met people outside of my own little world, I found some others called it, "soda," another shortening of the same term mentioned above. Now to me, "soda" was a powdered substance that came in a box with a picture of an arm with a hammer in hand on the box. Some powder was mixed with water and drank to help with heartburn or a stomach ache, an idea that these people didn't find very amusing, bringing them to often tell me to "stuff it," a term I never figured out, but which I assumed meant they used "stuffing" instead of "dressing." Hm?


Click on photo to enlarge it... I had the beef heart topped with dressing and some gravy, as well as with some mashed potatoes and gravy and fresh corn, which I had just cut off of the cob.

WORD HISTORY:
Dress-This word traces back to a compound form, with the first part having been a prefix. The main body of the word is related to a number of other words, including Latin-derived "direct," and also to "right," a word from the Germanic roots of English. The original prefix goes back to Indo European "dwhis/dwis," which had the meaning "twice, again, two ways;" thus also, "aside (from), away." This gave Latin "dis," which meant, "apart, in two separate parts, asunder." The main body of the original word goes back to Indo European "reg," which had the idea of "move in a straight line;" thus also, "direct in a proper way." This gave its Latin offspring "regere," which meant "to guide, to direct;" thus, "to rule/govern." Together these forms gave Latin "directus" (straight, direct), the participle form of Latin "dirigere" (to direct, to arrange, to set in order). This produced an "assumed" Latin form "directiare" (to make or set straight). This was passed to Latin-based Old French as "drecier" (straighten, direct, to serve food, to arrange, to prepare;" thus also, "to put on clothing" (to prepare/arrange oneself), and also, "to decorate." This then became "dresser." English borrowed the word in the first part of the 1300s as, "dressen," with essentially the same meanings, which also expanded to "add seasonings to food." The noun was derived from the verb circa 1600 with the general meaning, "clothing," and the more specific meaning, "woman's apparel," came about in the mid 1600s. The noun "dressing" came from the verb in the mid to late 1300s and was applied to "the process of preparing;" thus then to, "putting on clothing," then in the 1500s to, "season food," then in the first half of the 1700s to, "put a bandage onto a wound." The "seasoning process for food" meaning led to, "seasoning elements put inside fowl and animal parts," but also later to, "seasonings or sauces used for salads."