Fresh Tomato Salad

Easy to make, with pretty easily obtainable ingredients, and with a variety of tomato types used.

Ingredients (multiple servings):

 

3 fresh and ripe Roma tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces

2 ripe medium tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces

12 ripe grape tomatoes, halved

1 medium heirloom tomato, cut into bite-size pieces

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

6 medium to large basil leaves, torn or cut into pieces

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

(optional) 1 heaping tablespoon capers

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne) or 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika 

In a bowl, add all of the ingredients and mix together well. Cover and refrigerate a minimum of 2 hours.

Fresh tomato salad, here with pieces of some salt stick rolls ...

WORD HISTORY:

Locate (location)-"Locate" is distantly related, through Indo European, to "stall" (noun for pen for animals) and "stall" (verb for "loss of power to move forward, come to a standstill, to delay," a word that goes back to the Germanic roots of English, but later with some French influence, which was derived from Germanic Frankish, and to "lieu" (commonly used in the phrase "in lieu of"), "local/locale," Latin-derived words borrowed by English from French, and to the "loco-" part of "locomotive" and "locomotion" borrowed from Latin (although the actual word "locomotive" is a borrowing from French). "Locate" goes back to Indo European "stel," meaning "to place, to set into a place, to put into a place," and this gave Latin the noun "locus" (via Italic "stlocos" and early Latin "stlocus"), meaning "a place, a spot, an area, a position," and from this developed the verb "locare" meaning "to put, to place, to set into position or into a place," one of the participle forms of which was "locatus," and from this English formed the verb "locate" in the early part of the 1500s, originally meaning "to settle into a place to live, to set up a business in a place," later also, "to find someone's or something's place (location)." "Location" was borrowed from Latin in the second half of the 1500s from "locatio" (accusative: "locationem"), meaning "a place, the state of being in a certain place," later adding, "an occupied place, a place available to be occupied for living or business, a leased place."      

Black-Eyed Pea Spread

Dips and spreads made with ground beans, peas, nuts and seeds have been eaten by humans for many hundreds of years, and likely longer; after all, the ingredients for these dishes were all around long, long before anything like modern times, and just because they didn't have a Cuisinart food processor, didn't mean they they didn't know how to process food without such a device. By the way, Cuisinart food processors didn't go public until the early 1970s, although some electric blenders, the forerunners of actual food processors, began to make their public appearances not long after the end of World War One, and blenders gradually began to be enabled by add-on accessories to make them more like food processors, especially after World War Two.  

 

Black-eyed peas are really a type of bean originally from Africa and brought to the New World by African slaves. They are commonly eaten in several African countries like Senegal, Nigeria and some others, as well as on many of the Caribbean islands, in India and Pakistan, and they are popular in the American South and in parts of Brazil, especially in the Bahia region there. The Portuguese likely took black-eyed peas back to Portugal from Africa and also from Brazil, which was a colony of Portugal for over 300 years until the 1820s. This spread is "similar" to hummus.   

 

Serve with lightly toasted sliced baguettes, crackers, flatbread (pita or naan) and sliced vegetables. Certainly using the toaster is quick and easy, but sometimes I like to toast bread in a skillet, either dry, or with a little oil or butter. The baguette slices in the photos below were dry toasted in a skillet, as was the naan bread. The small amount of ground red pepper won't set your mouth afire; in fact, if you like "heat," you can toss a fresh chili pepper into the mixture before processing.  

 

Ingredients:

 

1 can black eyed peas (15 ounce), drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (after processing, if it's too thick add another tablespoon oil)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 inch piece of fresh lemon zest

2 large cloves garlic

1 slice (1/4 inch thick) from a medium red or white onion

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (like cayenne)

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves (needles)

1/2 to 1 teaspoon teaspoon salt (per your preference)

(optional) if you like heat, 1 fresh whole chili pepper, like serrano

(optional) you can top the finished spread with a teaspoon or two of extra virgin olive oil   

 

Put all ingredients into a food processor/blender and process until smooth.

 

 

Black-eyed pea spread with some toasted baguette and cut up Indian naan flatbread ...

WORD HISTORY:

Furnish-"Furnish" is related to "from" and "frame," both from the Germanic roots of English, and it is distantly related to many of the words with the prefix "per," like "perform" and "permit," for example, and also distantly related to words like "proceed" and "produce," with all of these distantly related words being of Latin derivation and with "produce" borrowed by English directly from Latin, and "proceed" likely borrowed from Latin, but with French influence and reinforcement, "permit" a borrowing from French, but with Latin influence, and "perform" a borrowing from French. "Furnish" goes back to Indo European "per," which had the idea of "forward, before, in front;" thus also, "main, chief, first." This had the variant form "pro" meaning "to or toward the front, forward," and this had the suffixed version of "promo," with the same meaning. This gave Old Germanic "frumjanan" meaning, "to advance, to go forward" (Germanic rendered Indo European "p" as "f"). The Germanic form was borrowed by Latin as "fromire," and then altered to "fornire," which passed to Latin-based Old French as "furnir" (meaning "to carry out, to accomplish;" thus also, "to provide, to equip," all from the idea of "going forward, advancing"), which then became "fornir," the stem of a participle form of which was "furniss/forniss." English borrowed this in the middle 1400s as the verb "fornisshen/furnysshen," meaning "to provide, to equip," and when English began to conjugate verbs differently, the "en" ending was dropped and the spelling became the modern form "furnish," and the infinitive form "to furnish." 

French Tuna Salad Sandwich: Pan Bagnat

French "Pan Bagnat" is considered one of the supreme picnic foods by many people in France, especially in its home region of southern France around Nice and vicinity. The meaning of the French name is "bathed bread," because the bread is bathed in olive oil and some vinaigrette. It is a combination of the famous French salad, "Salad Niçoise,"* although not everyone uses all of the varied salad ingredients in this sandwich; in fact, some do not even use tuna, but rather sardines and/or anchovies. The foundation of this sandwich is the bread and the olive oil. "Traditionally" small crusty loaves of bread are used, or crusty rolls, typically a day or two old, as the crust will stand up to the oil and vinaigrette and soak it in, but not fall apart. Baguettes are also used and then sliced into sections. The thing is, not everyone can bite into and chew crusty bread, including me, so I use somewhat softer bread or rolls, although I give them just a little toasting first. You also want to use tuna packed in olive oil, and then use good extra virgin olive oil for the sandwich. The small dark Niçoise olives are traditional for this sandwich (and for the salad), but they may be difficult to find, and Kalamata olives or other dark olives are fine. I'm not very fond of the common canned black olives sold in U.S., but if you like them, hey, who am I to condemn you to being chopped like a "Salad Niçoise?" While certainly not traditional, if you like some "heat," add some chopped chili pepper, or a couple of small whole chilies to the sandwich. I've actually seen this sandwich made with green beans added! One more thing, if you find these sandwiches somewhat messy, do not despair, you've likely succeeded, as they are meant to be almost dripping with olive oil and the juices from the sandwich. 

Ingredients:

 

2 cans (6 ounce cans) tuna in olive oil

2/3 of a sliced red bell pepper (thinly sliced into about 2 inch slices)

1/3 cup chopped red onion (small chop)

1 large garlic clove, minced

2 or 3 small tomatoes (Romas are good for this, but if you don't have them, say "Arrivederci Roma"), thinly sliced

1/3 cup halved Niçoise olives (or Kalamata olives)

5 to 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided use

1 or 1+ tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon honey

6 to 8 basil leaves

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

baguettes, kaiser rolls or small loaves of ciabatta bread 

serve with some cornichons on the side

 

Cut each piece of bread or roll in half lengthwise. You can take out a little of the inside of both halves of the bread/rolls to make a little room for the filling. In a bowl mix together the tuna (with its olive oil), red bell pepper slices, red onion, garlic, olive halves, ground black pepper, salt and 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. In a cup, mix together 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar and 1teaspoon honey (taste the mixture and you can add more vinegar if that suits your taste). Put a few of the thinly sliced tomato pieces on the bread/rolls (if you've removed some of the bottom of the bread, put the tomato slices there). Spoon some of the tuna salad onto the tomato slices and smooth it out. Drizzle on some of the dressing and then add a couple of basil leaves. Place the tops on the sandwiches and press down a bit, then wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap. Put a tray or plate on top of the sandwiches with some fairly heavy item, like a skillet, to weigh them down, and put them into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, but 8 or 10 hours is better. 

 

* For "Salad Niçoise," here is the link:  https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/07/salad-nicoise-sort-of.html

 

I added a few cornichons on the side ...

WORD HISTORY:

Scald-This word is likely distantly related to "callus," a word borrowed by English from Latin, but it is related to "chowder," "cauldron," and "calorie," all Latin words borrowed via Latin-based French. "Scald" goes back to Indo European "kel(he)," which meant, "warm, hot." This gave Latin the verb "caldere," meaning, "to be warm/hot" (with other meanings over time). Latin added the prefix "ex" ("out, out from, away from") from Indo European "eghs," which had those meanings and many similar ones. This gave Latin "excaldere," meaning, "to make warm or hot by putting into warm/hot water;" thus also, "to bathe in warm/hot water." This gave Old French "eschalder" meaning, "to rinse or bathe with warm or hot water," with the northern French dialects (rendered as "escalder") meaning, "to burn with hot water or other hot liquid." This was borrowed by English in the first half of the 1200s as "scalden," with that same meaning, "seemingly" a little later adding the meaning, "to heat liquid to near boiling." As English verb conjugation changed, the "en" ending was dropped.  

Cold Buttermilk Cucumber Soup

This is a great refreshing cold soup for the hot days of summer. The chili pepper or cayenne pepper is purely optional, but these kinds of soups often developed in the American South, where hot sauce or chilies are common additions to many foods. The extra virgin olive oil adds a wonderful finish. The shredded cucumber garnish adds a little texture, but it certainly isn't necessary, if you choose not to use it.

Ingredients (about 6 servings):

3 cups buttermilk
3 cups seedless cucumbers, peeled and chopped (or regular cucumbers, seeded)
3 inch piece peeled cucumber, shredded, for garnish
2 stalks celery 
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes (or 1/2 to 1 jalapeño or serrano pepper)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon celery salt
extra virgin olive oil for serving 
  
Add all but the shredded cucumber to a blender/food processor. Blend/process until smooth. Refrigerate for a few hours, until well chilled. Garnish each serving with some shredded cucumber and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
  

WORD HISTORY:
Nebulous-This word, meaning "cloudy, hazy;" thus also, "unclear, vague," goes back to Indo European "nebhos," which meant, "mist, vapor, cloud, the heavens." This gave Latin the noun "nebula," meaning, "vapor, fog," which produced the adjective "nebulosus," meaning, "foggy, cloudy, misty." This was borrowed by English in the second half of the 1300s with the meaning, "misty, hazy, smoky." There may have been reinforcement from French "nébuleux," the French form from the Latin word "nebulosus." NOTE: The original Indo European form gave its Old Germanic offspring "nebulo," meaning, "fog, darkness." This gave Old English "nifol," meaning, "dark, gloomy." The same Germanic source gave German "Nebel" (fog, haze, smoke), Low German "Nevel" (mist), Dutch "nevel" (mist), Frisian once had "nevel" (fog, haze, mist) and Old Norse had "njola" (fog, mist, darkness) and Icelandic has (antiquated?) "nifl" (darkness). 

Visit the Riviera at Home: Socca/Farinata

"Socca," also called, "farinata" in Italian, is a flatbread made from chickpea flour and it is a specialty of the Liguria region in northwestern Italy and also across the Franco-Italian border into the city of Nice in France. "Nice" in French, and "Nizza" in Italian, the area was part of Italy (actually the Kingdom of Sardinia, the forerunner of the modern united Italian nation) after Napoleon's defeat until 1860, when a treaty allowed it to be annexed to France, then under Napoleon III. The modern Italian border lies a little less than 25 miles away. This flatbread has its roots in the Liguria region of Italy, the coastal area of northwestern Italy, also known as the "Italian Riviera," which has Genoa as its most prominent city, as well as its capital, but it is also a specialty of Nice. The outside is crisp, but the inside should be soft and kind of creamy. You can eat the bread with a little salt and olive oil, or you can use any number of toppings on it, even making it into a pizza, which if you use the Italian form of Nice, you could call, "a Nizza pizza," and you could say, "Give me a piece o' Nizza pizza."

Ingredients:

1 cup chickpea flour
1 cup barely lukewarm water
1/2 tablespoon olive oil (more for pan & topping)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2/3 teaspoon salt

Mix together the ingredients (a whisk is good to use), slowly adding the water while whisking, taking care to eliminate any lumps. Cover the batter and let it stand for about 45 minutes. Turn on the broiler of your oven. Also turn on the large burner of your stove top to medium high. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a 9 inch to 10 inch cast iron skillet.* Heat the skillet on the stove top until it just begins to smoke. Swirl the hot oil around in the pan, so that it coats part way up the sides of the skillet. Add the batter into the hot skillet, swirling the batter to form an even layer over the entire bottom of the skillet. Once the batter is "set" in the skillet and the edges begin to sizzle, remove the skillet from the stove top and place it on the oven rack about 6 inches from the broiler. Broil until the top is brown and it has some dark brown to even blackened spots on it. Serving: cut into wedges, sprinkle each with a little salt and pepper, then add a few drops of extra virgin olive oil onto each wedge.   

* In the Riviera region they have special pans for making socca/farinata, which are typically cast iron pizza pans. 

WORD HISTORY:
River/Riviera-These words are distantly related to "riven" and "rift," both of North Germanic origin from the Germanic form from Indo European. "River" goes back to Indo European "reip," which had the notion, "to tear, to tear through, to tear apart, to cut into." This gave Latin "ripa," meaning, "seashore, embankment/bank of a river," both from the idea of "land forms made by water 'cutting' through or into land." This then produced the Latin adjective, "riparius," meaning, "of or from a (river)bank (and also, 'a seashore?')," which then produced the noun  "riparia," meaning, "a riverbank, a seashore," but also the idea of "riverbank" began to be applied to the "flowing water that formed the banks;" thus, the meaning, "river." This passed into Latin-based Old French as "riviere," meaning, "river, riverbank." This was taken to England by the Normans as "rivere," meaning, "river," and this was borrowed into English in the first part of the 1200s. The Old French word was taken by Italian as "riviera," with the idea of "embankment/bank," taking the meaning, "shore, coast" in Italian, "seemingly" especially applied to the coast of the Genoa area by the mid 1600s, including in English, but then expanded to mean the coastline in northwestern Italy and into southern France in the 1800s, as this overall general area was a retreat many well to do Europeans used in winter.  

A Little Bit of Malta: White Beans With Garlic & Parsley

Malta is actually a group of islands (archipelago) in the Mediterranean Sea, with the island of Malta being the largest island of this nation, once a colony of Britain. The islands of Gozo and Comino are the other two main islands, but there are smaller islands that are uninhabited. The capital is Valletta, located on the island of Malta. The little island nation has a population of nearly half a million and it lies south of Italy and north of Libya. Maltese is the official language of Malta,* but English is also an official language, and Italian is also widely spoken or understood by more than half of the population. During World War Two, Malta, then a colony of Britain, became a major thorn in the side of the German and Italian forces in North Africa, as British air units and naval forces (particularly submarines) stationed in Malta posed a formidable problem for the Axis Mediterranean supply line from Italy to Libya. The islands were severely bombed by both the German and Italian air forces and a joint Italian and German plan to invade the islands was never carried out. Malta gained independence in the mid 1960s, and became a republic in the mid 1970s.**  

The name of this dish in Maltese is, "Fażola bajda bit-tewm u t-tursin." It is great as an appetizer, side dish or as part of a light lunch. 

Ingredients:

2 cans large white beans (butter beans or cannellini beans, 15 to 16 ounce cans), drained
3 green onions (scallions), chopped, along with some of the green
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2/3 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt

For serving:
olives 
Italian or other crusty bread

Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl, cover it with some plastic wrap and let it sit for about 15 or 20 minutes. Serve with some olives and Italian bread on the side.  

* Maltese is a language from the Semitic languages, with relatives like Arabic and Hebrew. It is the only Semitic language using the Latin alphabet and its vocabulary has been heavily influenced by Italian, English and Sicilian. Sicilian, while perhaps thought of as an Italian dialect by many, is actually classified as a language in its own right. It is spoken on the large Italian island of Sicily and also in parts of the southern Italian mainland. In more modern times Sicilian has certainly been influenced by standard Italian, which is taught in all schools in Italy.

** Initially, the British monarch remained as the head of state, but by the mid 1970s, Malta changed its law and elected its own president to serve as head of state, although Malta still has ties to Britain as a  member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

I had my beans with some Kalamata olives and anchovy stuffed green olives, along with some Italian bread, which I had the bakery slice.

WORD HISTORY:
Extra-This is both a word forming part and a word in its own right, used as an adjective, adverb and even as a noun. Many of the uses began in English in the 1600s as an abbreviation of the word "extraordinary," a word borrowed from Latin "extraordinarius" in the first half of the 1400s, and which meant, "out of regular or usual order." "Extra," in all of its meanings, goes back to Indo European, "eghs/ekhs," which had the notion of, "out from." This gave Latin "ex," with the meanings, "out from, from the inside, out of, from or since a period of time." Its comparative was "exterus," meaning, "outside, outward." "Extra" was derived from its ablative form "extera."

Greek Farmer's Salad: Horiatiki

This is a common salad with some regional variations in Greece, among which are: some add capers and some use red wine vinegar to dress the salad instead of lemon; often too, the olives are not always pitted and in some areas they peel the cucumber. I've had Greek salads in the U.S. and in Germany, and they had red or yellow bell peppers  and the cheese was crumbled over the salad.

Ingredients (about 6 good servings):

4 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, I partially peeled the cucumber, making it sort of "striped," chopped
1 medium red onion, sliced into rings, then quarter the rings
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into about 1 inch strips
15 to 20 Kalamata olives, I used pitted olives
about 2 to 3 inch long by 2 inch wide by 1/2 inch thick slices of Feta cheese, per serving
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves (pretty easily found in markets or supermarkets)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano per serving
1 to 2 tablespoons drained capers
salt to taste, but remember the cheese, olives and capers have salt, so you may not need ANY salt
6 to 8 lemon wedges

Into a large bowl put the chopped tomato, the chopped cucumber, the red onion, the green pepper strips and the olives. Add the olive oil, the lemon juice the fresh oregano leaves, the capers and the salt (if using), mix together well. Place a small "block" of cheese on top of each serving and nestle a couple of lemon wedges into the side of each serving too. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano over each serving. 

WORD HISTORY:
Brine-This word for salty water used for pickling; and thus, preserving some foods, has an unknown ancient history, although there have been attempts to connect it with forms in Indo European, but I'm not terribly convinced by these connections. Further, while "brine" has forms in Dutch (brijn) and Flemish (brijne),^ there seem to be no other connections in the Germanic languages. It is an old word, as Old English (Anglo-Saxon) had "bryne," but whether the word was taken along with the Anglo-Saxons from the Continent to Briton, or whether it was acquired after they established themselves in what became England is unclear. With the Germanic dialects that became Dutch/Flemish right across from Anglo-Saxon England, did one provide the word to the other? If so, there is still the question of where it came from originally. The spelling "brine" has been in English for hundreds of years. Of course too, the idea of sea water being salty gave the word the slang meaning for water from the sea.

^ Modern linguists classify Flemish as a dialect of Dutch, but in the past, Flemish was usually seen as a separate language, likely because Belgium and the Netherlands became separate countries, and before that, there was a "general" religious divide during the Reformation times, where Dutch was associated more with Protestantism and Flemish was associated with Catholicism. English, Dutch and Flemish are all close cousins. 

Aioli, Is It Garlic Mayonnaise?

"Aioli," and there are variations in the term by language or dialect ("allioli" in some areas of Spain, for instance),* is a general term for a sauce common in the western Mediterranean area of eastern Spain, southern France and northwestern Italy. There are "generally" two types of aioli; one of olive oil combined with garlic, which "seems" to be the traditional sauce, and the other, a combination of olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and egg (either whole eggs or just yolks), now often simply with prepared mayonnaise substituted for the raw egg. The traditional aioli method involved crushing cloves of garlic with a mortar and pestle, then gradually adding olive oil while stirring the mixture until it formed a sauce, with some adding a little lemon juice, others omitting it. Nowadays a blender or food processor is used to make the sauce. The "egg type" seems to have developed, or at least to have become popular, in southern France. The blended egg and ingredients made a garlic mayonnaise, and this type has become the best known, with even two of my Spanish cookbooks giving recipes for this type, with only scant mention of the traditional aioli, which is still used in parts of Spain. Of course, for the egg style aioli, the use of store bought mayonnaise is both convenient and safer than using raw egg. Aioli is commonly served with fish or other seafood, steamed vegetables, as well as with other foods.     

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise (reduced fat style is fine)
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil 
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch pepper

In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients until smooth. Chill the aioli.  
 
* One of my Spanish cookbooks spells it, "ali oli" (two words), and it also notes that in some parts of Spain it is called "ajiaceite" and "ajoaceite." 

WORD HISTORY:
Ball (#2)-This is the noun (related to "ballet") meaning, "dance (usually a formal dance)," and it is a totally different word from "ball," with the meaning, "rounded object." It goes back to Indo European "gwele/gwela," with the notion of, "bubble up, rise up, overflow, throw outward or upward," and it is distantly related to Old English "cwylla," which meant "a spring;" that is, "a source of water" ("water that rises out of the ground," and German still uses "Quelle," with this meaning, as well as, more commonly, the general meaning "source"). The Indo European form gave transliterated Greek "ballizein," with the meaning, "to jump about in dance" (literally, "to throw oneself about"). Latin borrowed the term from Greek as "ballare," also meaning, "to dance." This passed to Latin-based Old French as, "baller," with the same meaning, and which produced the noun, "bal," meaning, "a dance." English borrowed the word from French, circa 1650.

Spanish Romesco Salsa

This salsa (sauce) is from the region of Catalonia (capital: Barcelona), in northeastern Spain. Besides Spanish, Catalan is the regional language. While Catalan is closely related to Spanish, it is a separate language. Spaniards often use this sauce with fish and seafood, but also with chicken, roasted vegetables or hard boiled eggs.

There are variations to this sauce within Spain, let alone outside of its homeland, with varying degrees of spiciness being one of the major differences.   

Ingredients:

1 cup diced canned tomatoes, drained, or seeded and chopped fresh Roma tomatoes
3/4 cup red peppers, preferably roasted, from a jar is fine, lightly rinsed
1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon sweet Spanish paprika (Spanish paprika has a smoky flavor)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
1 slice toasted Italian white bread, cubed or torn
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

You can use a food processor, blender or a stick blender. Blend all ingredients until smooth, which can take a little time, so be patient.

Very good with large shrimp broiled or baked with olive oil and garlic.

WORD HISTORY: 
Seed-This word goes back to Indo European "se," which meant, "to sow;" (pronounced the same as "so," and not to be confused with the word of the same spelling that rhymes with "how," and means "female swine") that is, "to scatter by throwing." This then produced the Indo European noun, "seti," meaning, "sowing." This gave Old Germanic "sediz," meaning "seed" ("that which is sown"), also the more specific, "sperm." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "sæd," then "sed," which then became "sede," before the modern version. The other Germanic languages have: German "Saat," Low German "Saad" (some Low German dialects, influenced by standard German, now use, "Saat"), Dutch "zaad," West Frisian "sied," Danish and Norwegian "sæd," Icelandic "sæði" (ð=th), Swedish "säd." All mean "seed, sperm," although in Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic and Swedish the emphasis is more on the meaning seed="sperm." 

Greek Style Baked Lima Beans (Gigantes Plaki)

This is a vegetarian Greek dish, often served as an appetizer. The Greek name, "Gigantes Plaki," means "giant or large beans."

Ingredients:

1 pound dried lima beans
2 onions, chopped
1/2 carrot, chopped
 2 stalks celery, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup mint, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons oregano
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
2 cups tomatoes (chopped or diced with juice)
15 grape tomatoes, halved
2/3 to 1 cup water
 
Put the dried beans into 7 cups of hot unsalted water, bring the water to a rolling boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pan and let sit for 1 hour. Rinse the beans. Put the beans into a casserole dish or baking pan. In a pan, use some of the olive oil to saute the onion, carrot and celery, then after a few minutes, add the garlic. Saute just another couple of minutes. Keeping the pan on the heat, now add the mint, oregano, parsley, salt, pepper and the rest of the olive oil. Stir well. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, then stir in the tomatoes and the grape tomato halves. Add 2/3 cup water, mix well. Bring the mixture to a simmer for just a couple of minutes. Heat the oven to 350 (F). Add the sauce mixture to the beans and stir well. Bake for one hour, stir the beans. Bake another 35 minutes, stir lightly and see if more water is needed; if so, add 1/3 cup water and stir. Bake another 35 minutes, check to see if the beans are tender. Much, but not all, of the liquid should be absorbed. If the beans need more time, do so; otherwise, remove beans from oven for about 10 minutes before serving. You can drizzle a little olive oil over each serving.

You can click on the photo to enlarge it...

WORD HISTORY:
Kudos-This word goes back to Indo European "(s)keue," which had the notion, "be alert to, to pay attention, to recognize." This gave Ancient Greek the transliterated "kydos," then "kudos," meaning "fame." English borrowed the word in the very late 1700s, and the meaning gradually changed from "fame" to "the praise given to make someone famous, or to those already famous." While likely thought by most English speakers to be a plural form, the "s" ending is singular and is just a typical Greek word ending.

Greek White Bean Soup (Fasolάda)

This Greek bean soup, made without meat, is traditionally made from dried white beans, but you use canned white beans, drained and rinsed.* Serve with some Kalamata olives on the side, as well as crusty bread.

Ingredients:

1 pound of dried white beans (or 4 cans of drained and rinsed white beans)
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tomato, diced
2 carrots, shredded or chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 large stalk of celery, with top leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup chicken stock + water to cover ingredients (see instructions)
parsley for garnish

If using dried beans, soak them in cold water overnight. Drain and put the beans into a pot with fresh cold water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook for 20 to 25 minutes. Drain again, add fresh cold water and chicken stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to keep a full simmer, cook the beans for 10 minutes, then add the onion, carrot and celery, stir well. Continue simmering the soup for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the diced tomato and tomato paste, stirring well. Cook until the beans are nice and soft. Don't be afraid to add more water, if the soup is too thick. When the beans are soft, then stir in the olive oil, salt and pepper. Garnish each serving with parsley. If using canned beans, bring chicken stock, some water, onion, carrot, celery, tomato and tomato paste to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans and more water to cover, stir well, return soup to simmer for about 10 minutes, or until carrot is definitely tender. Stir in salt, pepper and olive oil. Garnish servings with parsley.

* I looked over numerous recipes for this soup, and some used navy beans, some used great northern beans, and still others used cannellini beans.

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