Indian (Goan) Pork Vindaloo

What a great dish! First, it is best to plan on preparing the base of this dish the day before you actually will be cooking and serving it, as you'll need to let the meat and seasoning paste sit in the refrigerator for 8 to 12, or even 15 hours. 

 

"Vindaloo" is the Indian rendering of Portuguese "vinha d'alhos;" that is, "wine and garlic," a dish the Portuguese took to India when they had colonial holdings there from the 1500s until 1961. I've simplified the seasonings for this dish by using already ground spices. But, if you want to make your own seasoning paste totally from scratch, to a food processor, add 10 dried Kashmiri chilies (seeded), 2 inch piece of peeled fresh ginger, 6 medium garlic cloves (peeled), 4 teaspoons whole cumin seeds, 8 black peppercorns, 10 green cardamom pods, a 2 to 2 1/2 inch cinnamon stick, 4 whole cloves, 2 teaspoons black, brown or yellow mustard seeds. Process these ingredients together with the red wine vinegar, salt and brown sugar, until smooth, then continue with the instructions below.  

Naturally there are some variations in recipes for Vindaloo, but I've not found many huge differences in recipes among people from the Indian Subcontinent; although I've seen a small number of recipes that use tomatoes or tomato paste, which, from my understanding, is not typical of Vindaloo in India. Also, the Goan rendering of this Portuguese-based dish uses "aloo" at the end, and that is the word (in various transliterated spellings) on much of the Subcontinent for "potato," and so some Indian recipes use potatoes in the recipe; although in this case, the ending does not mean "potato." Just from what I've heard and read at times, Vindaloo was taken back to Britain in the days when much of the Subcontinent was a British colony (but the Portuguese still had Goa as a colony there). People in Britain seemingly expected the dish to be spicy hot, and so when people in the UK made their interpretations of Vindaloo, they made it hot, a reputation that the British-style Vindaloo served in Indian or Indian-themed restaurants still carries to this day. Remember, people of the Subcontinent eat spicy hot food on a regular basis, so some of the things people from elsewhere might call "hot," may not cause so much as a twitch in a native of the Subcontinent. 

Ingredients (4 to 6 servings):

 

2 pounds fresh pork shoulder, cut into bite-size pieces 

(optional) 2 whole dried red chilies

2 inch piece ginger, peeled and grated

6 medium garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons Kashmiri chili powder, if you have it,* or substitute 1 tablespoon ground red pepper (cayenne) + 2 tablespoons sweet paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper 

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

2 teaspoons dry mustard  

2 teaspoons salt

1 red onion (baseball size), peeled and finely chopped 

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon brown sugar (light or dark)

4 tablespoons oil (vegetable, canola, sunflower or peanut are good)

1 cup water (more, if needed)

 

Make sure to cut the pork into bite-size pieces of about the same size, so that the meat cooks evenly. Put the grated ginger and the minced garlic into a bowl. Mash the ginger and garlic into a combined paste (a mortar and pestle is great for this). Into a bowl, add the ginger/garlic paste, Kashmiri chili powder (or the cayenne/sweet paprika substitute), ground cumin, ground black pepper, ground cardamom, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground mustard, salt, red wine vinegar and brown sugar; mix it all together very well into a kind of paste. Into another large dish (non-reactive), add the pork pieces and the seasoning paste. Mix to coat all of the pork pieces with the paste, cover and put it into the refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours. Remove the meat from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you begin cooking. To a heavy-bottomed pan or skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and saute for about five minutes (it's okay for the onions to get lightly browned, don't let them get dark), then add the paste coated meat to the pan/skillet, the whole dried chilies (if using), along with one cup of water (add it carefully, the oil in the pan will spatter), stir minimally, and let it come to a simmer, and stir a bit. Turn the heat to low (it should gently simmer) and cover. Check occasionally and stir, add a little more water, if the dish is too thick (2 or 3 tablespoons at a time, up to 1/3 cup, but you don't want the sauce to be watery). Let simmer and continue to stir occasionally until the meat is very tender. Serve with rice, and don't forget the naan bread to sop up the wonderful sauce, usually called "gravy" by people of the Subcontinent. 

* If you go to Indian/Pakistani restaurants and you see dishes that are more than a little red in color, it is likely from the use of Kashmiri chili powder, as it gives dishes their very red color; but in spite of its fiery red color, Kashmiri chili powder is not terribly hot like regular Indian chili powder, which is like cayenne pepper.

 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Ail (ailment)-"Ail" is apparently related to "awe" (thus also to awful and awesome),^ but the actual origin of "ail" is shaky, although it certainly seems to be a Germanic word, and it might have eventually come from a couple of Germanic words with "shaded" meanings, perhaps with the same Germanic source, but then consolidated into what is now "ail." "Ail" goes back to Indo European "agh," and its suffixed form "aghlo/eghlo," which meant, "to be afraid, to be distraught, to be unsettled." This gave Old Germanic "aglijanan," meaning "to cause pain (of living things), to damage (of inanimate things)," and this gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "eglan" meaning "to cause pain, to afflict, to trouble," and this then became "eilen," and "ailen," before the modern form. "Ail" has always carried not only the sense of physical pain, but also of mental anguish; thus, "What ails him," can just as well be in reference to what's bothering or troubling him in a mental anguish sense, as something that's physically wrong. The noun ailment was derived from the verb, in the 1600s or 1700s (? sources conflict). German has "ekeln," a verb meaning "to be disgusted, to feel disgust (about or toward)," but it seems to have been taken on from Low German, which has had various forms over the years like: "eglen," "ekelen," "eichelen," meaning "to be irritated/angered, to feel displeasure, to be disgusted" (German and Low German also have the noun "Ekel," meaning "disgust").

^ "Awe" is a Germanic-based word, but it was borrowed by English from Old Norse.

Latvian Meat Patties: Kotletes

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

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

 

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

 

Ingredients:

 

For the patties:

 

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground pork

1 cup chopped onion, small chop

3 cloves garlic, minced

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

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

breadcrumbs for coating the patties

For the sauce/gravy:

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup beef stock

1/3 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups chopped mushrooms, small chop

2 tablespoons chopped dill

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

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

 

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

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

 

 

 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

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

Cape Verde Islands Bean & Hominy Stew: Cachupa

Cape Verde is a country made up of several islands (an archipelago) in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 350 miles off the western coast of Africa. Cape Verde's official language is Portuguese, and the name is "Cabo Verde" in Portuguese. The Portuguese were great explorers and Cape Verde was discovered by the Portuguese in the mid 1400s, and it became a colony of Portugal in the late 1400s, and Cape Verde gained its independence in 1975. The population is nearly a half million, with people of Portuguese ancestry being common, but with some of other European ancestry too, as well as people of Middle Eastern and Sub-Sahara African background. The capital is Praia, and it is located on the island of Santiago, the largest island of the archipelago.

 

"Cachupa" is the national dish of Cape Verde, and as with popular dishes, there are variations, with even a vegetarian style prepared. Most of the variations have to do with the types of meat used, as well as the mix of beans used; and yes, the dish typically includes more than one type of bean. Cape Verdeans generally use dried hominy and dried beans, so the preparation time is naturally longer, but I use canned hominy and canned beans, everything rinsed, to shorten the overall time needed to enjoy this stew, and it is a good one! 

 

Chouriço is traditionally a smoked Portuguese sausage, typically flavored with garlic, red wine and some smoked paprika. While it is akin to Spanish chorizo, it is not really the same, as the Spanish sausage is typically not smoked, but rather it is cured by drying over a period of time and it has more paprika as a seasoning. Neither of these sausages is the same as Mexican chorizo, as the Mexican version is generally fresh and needs to be thoroughly cooked. The Mexican version is the most common chorizo in the U.S. and "likely" also in Canada, although Spanish chorizo can be found in the U.S., but it "may" take a bit of effort. I'm in Cleveland, and the Greater Cleveland area is quite diverse, with people from all over the world. A few years ago, I wanted to do a Spanish recipe* that needs Spanish chorizo, so I went to our West Side Market, but no vendor there had Spanish chorizo, and not only that, one or two of the vendors weren't quite sure what I meant by "Spanish" chorizo, so strong is the influence of Mexican chorizo. If you like trying to find ethnic foods, see if your community has Portuguese chouriço or Spanish chorizo, but if not, you can easily find either online, or you can use some pepperoni, although it won't be the same. "Blood sausage" is commonly called "blood pudding" in Britain, and in Portuguese it is "morcela." Blood sausage is "generally" sold in delis, and again, if you live in an area with a number of people of Portuguese heritage, you'll likely find "morcela," but it can also be found online, and you can substitute other blood sausage, like Spanish (morcilla) or British (blood pudding).           

 

This stew is commonly served with piri piri sauce on the side. Piri piri is Portuguese hot sauce, and it is my understanding that people in Cape Verde do not add the pepper sauce to the dish itself, but rather piri piri is put on the table for each person to season their stew to their own heat level preference.  

 

Ingredients (6 to 8 servings):

 

1 1/2 pounds pork ribs

1 pound chouriço, sliced into about 2/3 to 1 inch pieces

2/3 to 1 pound blood sausage, sliced about 2/3 to 1 inch thick

8 cups water

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 slices bacon, chopped 

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 1/4 to 1 1/3 cups chopped onion 

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced

1 cup chopped yam

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (or just white vinegar)

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika

1 tablespoon tomato paste (or thick ketchup) 

1 can (14.5 to 16 ounces) yellow hominy, rinsed

1 can (14.5 to 16 ounces) butter beans, rinsed

1 can (14.5 to 16 ounces) red kidney beans, rinsed

3 cups chopped kale 

In a pot, add the pork ribs and 8 cups of water, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer. Cook until the ribs are tender, remove them to a plate and let them cool down, and then take the meat off the bones. Skim off the foam from the cooking water, then strain the water into another pan or other container (just in case there are any bone or gristle bits), then add it back to the pot. In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat, then add the bacon, followed about 2 minutes later by the onions, followed about 2 minutes later by the garlic. Saute for a few minutes until the onion begins to soften, then add the contents to the pot (oil, bacon grease and all), along with the the chouriço, blood sausage, chopped yams, bay leaves, vinegar, ground white pepper, smoked paprika, tomato paste/ketchup, rinsed hominy, rinsed butter beans and rinsed kidney beans. Bring to a light boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a steady gentle simmer. Use a lid or foil and cover and cook for 45 minutes to one hour, periodically checking the pot and stirring. Remove the lid/cover and add the chopped kale and stir it into the stew. Cook uncovered for another 10 to 15 minutes. Stir well before serving in shallow bowls with some crusty bread and hot sauce on the side. 

* The dish was "Spanish Butter Bean & Chorizo Stew," known in Spanish as "Fabada Asturiana." Here is the link to the recipe: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/04/spanish-butter-bean-chorizo-stew-fabada.html 

 

WORD HISTORY:     

Yam-This word technically is used incorrectly in English as another name for a sweet potato, a vegetable to which scientists say true yams are not related. I'll skip the technicalities, since "yam" IS used in English for a sweet potato, but the word's origin lies in West Africa from one of the Niger-Congo languages of that region,^ perhaps Fulani, which has "nyami," a word that actually means "to eat," but true yams are a main source of food in some cultures in Africa; thus, a form of the word is applied to "yams." Both the Spanish and Portuguese were involved in the slave trade in West Africa during the 1500/1600s where they borrowed a form of the word; Spanish has "ñame" (pronounced like "nyahmay") and Portuguese has "inhame" (seemingly pronounced both "in-yah-mi" or "in-yah-meh"). "Perhaps" English picked up the word in Jamaica, once a Spanish possession with numerous West African slaves, but taken over by England in the mid 1600s.    
 
^ The Niger-Congo family of languages includes many African languages and dialects, including Zulu, Swahili and Fulani. Niger-Congo is to these languages what Indo European is to English, German, Italian, Hindustani or Persian (and many others).

Barbecue Pork Pie with Potatoes

This is my own recipe and I use pork shoulder steak because it tends to remain moist (if you don't eat pork, you can certainly use boneless chicken white meat, dark meat or mixed, although I haven't actually used chicken for this specific recipe). You can make your own pie crusts, but it's much easier to use store bought pie crusts, the type you have to unroll, as you will need 2 crusts for each pie. You can cook the pork on the stove top in a skillet, or on the grill or in the oven, but I prefer to bake it for a longer period of time at relatively low heat (started at 325F, but after 20 minutes, turned down to 275 F) until it is nice and tender (the time naturally depends upon how thick the pork steak is). Regardless of the way you choose to cook the pork, first season it with (dry) adobo seasoning, a common dry seasoning mix in some Latino cultures, especially in that of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States,* and it is easily available in supermarkets and grocery stores and it is not expensive. This is an excellent dish, but it requires balance in getting the filling to a proper thickness; too little and it will be runny, too much and it won't have a good texture. It took me a couple of times making this to get it fine-tuned, but then again, I was a senior in high school before I could recite the alphabet beyond just "A-B-C."

 

Ingredients (for 10 inch pie):

1 to 1 1/4 pound cooked chopped pork shoulder steak (seasoned with adobo seasoning before cooking)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

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

2 tablespoons butter + 1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons flour mixed with water

1 to 1 1/4 cups barbecue sauce (your preference)

1 1/2 cups potato, peeled and diced into small pieces

1 can (15 to 16 ounces) corn kernels, well drained

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon adobo seasoning

2 pie crusts 

 

First, season both sides of the pork steak with adobo seasoning. In a skillet over medium heat, add the butter and olive oil. Fry the pork steak until done and nice and brown; remove to a plate. In the same hot skillet, add the onion and garlic and saute until softened (it doesn't have to be totally cooked, as it will cook further in the oven with the pie). Slice the pork into bite size pieces and set it and the onion/garlic aside. Simmer the diced potatoes in some lightly salted water until they are just done (you don't want to overcook them and make them mushy, and again, they will cook a little more in the pie), then remove them from the heat, drain them and add them back into the pan. Add the pork pieces, drained corn kernels, pepper, adobo seasoning, barbecue sauce and stir carefully to mix well (you don't want to break up the potatoes). Cook until bubbling, then gradually add the flour/water mixture to thicken the sauce (you may not need all of the flour mixture, or you may need to add a little more, but the sauce needs to be thick, or when you later slice the pie the filling will run out and you'll have to chase it down the street; on the other hand, you don't want the finished pie to be so set, that you need a hammer and chisel to eat it; it requires some balancing here). Heat the oven to 400 F. Put the bottom crust into the pie pan or dish and cover the crust with parchment paper or foil, then fill with dried beans or rice. Bake for 7 or 8 minutes, remove, empty out the beans or rice and carefully remove the parchment or foil. Alternatively, poke numerous holes in the crust with a fork and bake for 7 or 8 minutes until it firms up a good deal, but it doesn't have to be completely baked. (NOTE: If you don't prebake the crust somewhat, the bottom will become soggy when you add the filling and bake it. Poking holes in the crust allows the steam from the baking crust to escape, thus keeping the crust from puffing up. If you use the other method, using parchment/foil and then filling with beans or rice weighs down the crust to prevent puffing up, and it also helps prevent the sides from sagging. Pies like apple or cherry generally don't need to have the bottom crust prebaked, but cream pies or pies with a good deal of liquid will not allow the crust to bake properly and it will be soggy.) Fill the pie crust with the thick barbecue pork mixture (you may have a little left over) and then add the top crust and crimp the edges to seal it to the bottom crust. Cut a few slits in the top crust and bake at 375 F until the top is golden brown (about 60 to 80 minutes, so you need to keep checking once the baking time reaches 45 minutes). Remove the pie from the oven and let it sit for about 20 to 30 minutes, or let it cool and then refrigerate it (you can then slice it and briefly microwave slices for about 30 seconds before serving). 

* To make your own adobo seasoning, here is the link to the recipe: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/11/adobo-seasoning.html

WORD HISTORY:

Fair (1)-English has two words of this spelling, and this is the noun for a "place or an event where people gather to buy, sell or trade goods, or to promote products." "Fair" is related to "feast" and "festival," both words of Latin derivation borrowed by English via Latin-based French, and to "fest," a word borrowed from German, which had gotten it from Latin (note: the noun is not related to the adjective/adverb;^ which is from a different source). "Fair" goes back to Indo European "dhes," meaning, "holy, sacred, of a deity or deities." This gave Latin "feriae," with "dhes" taking on an "f" sound in Italic and the derived Latin. "Feriae" meant "religious days;" thus, "holidays," ^^ as seen from the perspective of such days recurring, but then the singular form developed as "feria." The religious holidays brought people together to celebrate with food, drink and entertainment, and the meaning was expanded to include such. The word passed into Latin-based Old French as "feire/faire/foire," and in the increasingly Anglicized French dialect in England as "feyre" (also "fayre?), and English borrowed the word, initially as "feyre/fayre," before the modern form. The idea of places, usually outdoors, that marketed food and drink for special occasions added this element to the meaning of the word, which still continues today, although the products marketed have since expanded beyond food and drink to all sorts of things, like: books, paintings, sculptures, etc, and these are sometimes held indoors (example: "The university is sponsoring an art fair next week"). 

 

^ "Fair" the adjective/adverb has many meanings, including: "relating to pretty and clear or light features" (usually of face and/or complexion and/or hair), "clear" (of weather conditions), "just, imparital" (usually of someone's judgment), and "proper, fitting, not foul" (often of batted baseballs, of certain American-style football catches, points in a debate, then as 'fair game').   

 

^^ German borrowed the word from Latin in the 1400s with the "religious holiday" meaning, but by the 1700s, the idea of being off from work to celebrate the holidays broadened the meaning and gave modern German "Ferien," which means "holiday, vacation." 

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."       

Portuguese Pork & Clams: Carne de Porco à Alentejana

This wonderful representative of Portuguese cuisine is really not hard to make, although it is not typically a dish to be made if you are in a hurry, as it "should" marinate for a number of hours before cooking. In her book, "Portuguese Homestyle Cooking," Ana Patuleia Ortins writes that the name of the dish implies its origin was in Alentejo, but that some believe it actually originated in the Algarve region, which is the southernmost region of mainland Portugal; and thus, bordering on the Atlantic Ocean, which makes seafood plentiful and a large part of the regional cuisine. Alentejo is just above the Algarve region, but Ana Patuleia Ortins does not give her opinion as to where this dish started. There are a number of variations to this dish and crisply fried diced potatoes are a common accompaniment, with some even adding potatoes to the dish itself. Traditionally it is made with lard, but some have switched over to making it with olive oil, so I compromised and made it with olive oil and some rendered pork fat. 

Ingredients:

1 to 1 1/4 pound pork, cut into bite size pieces
about 15 to 18 small fresh clams, shells cleaned.
3 to 4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil (not extra virgin)
1 tablespoon rendered pork fat or lard
1/2 to 2/3 cup white wine
2 teaspoons sweet paprika (Spanish sweet paprika, if you have it; it's smoky)
1 large tomato, chopped
3 tablespoons piri piri Portuguese chili sauce (you can substitute Tabasco or Franks pepper sauce)*  
2/3 teaspoon white pepper (or black pepper)
1/2 teaspoon salt (later can add more to taste, if desired)

In a large bowl, add the pork pieces, sliced garlic, paprika, chili sauce, white pepper and salt. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 3 or 4 hours, although 8 to 10 hours is better, if possible. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and pork fat or lard. Add the ingredients from the bowl and saute the pork, stirring and turning the pork pieces to lightly brown them. Add the chopped tomato pieces and white wine, reduce the heat to low and cover the skillet with a lid or aluminum foil; cook, stirring and turning the meat occasionally, until the pork is tender. Add the clams and cover the skillet again. Check after about 5 or 6 minutes. The clams should have opened; if not, give them another minute or two, and tap lightly on any that haven't opened, if they still do not open, then discard them. Serve with extra chili sauce on the side.  

* Long ago Portuguese explorers led to Portugal's involvement in parts of Africa, such as in what are modern Angola and Mozambique, for example. This brought about their attachment to a small African chili pepper commonly called "piri piri," which they then used to make a hot pepper sauce bearing the same name. It is a common condiment in Portuguese homes and restaurants, and also used as an ingredient in some Portuguese recipes. It is "similar" to Tabasco sauce or Frank's Red Hot Sauce. It is available in "some" parts of the United States where Portuguese immigrants established communities.    

I put the fried diced potatoes on the left side of the plate, but some serve the port and clams on top of the potatoes.

WORD HISTORY:  

Cuspidor-The main part of this word is distantly related to "spew" and to "spit," both words from the Germanic roots of English. It goes back to Indo European "spyu," which meant "to spit, to discharge fluid from the mouth." This gave Latin "spuere," which meant, "to spit." The first part of "cuspidor" goes back to Indo European "kom," which had the notion "by, with, near, beside." This gave Latin "com," and its variant form, "con," both meaning, "together, with," which were common prefixes, and at times used as prefixes of emphasis (intensification). Together the two parts gave Latin "conspuere," meaning, "to spit, to spit at or upon." This passed into Latin-based Portuguese as "cuspir," meaning, "to spit," and this produced the Portuguese noun "cuspideira," meaning, "a container for spitting;" thus, "a spittoon." This was borrowed by English in the 1700s, although it seems to have taken until the late 1700s to become more firmly established. 

German Meat Patties: Frikadellen

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

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

Ingredients (about 8 to 10 patties):

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

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

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

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

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

Country Pâté (Pâté de Campagne)

"Pâté" is simply the modern French word for "paste," and the old form of the French word was also spelled "paste." The word provided the basis for a dish of chopped or ground seasoned meat. Some pâté is spreadable, and other pâté is firmer and better suited for slicing, as in this recipe here, but whatever the texture, pâté is not a fat free food. When you get right down to it, this is actually a kind of meatloaf. It is "typically" served with some Dijon mustard, bread (sometimes toasted) and cornichons (small pickles). 

Ingredients:

1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 pounds ground pork
1/2 pound slab bacon, chopped
1/2 pound pork liver, coarsely chopped (or chicken livers)
1/2 pound smoked ham, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup Cognac
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound sliced bacon
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground mace
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream 
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used panko)

Melt the butter in a skillet over low heat. Add the onion and cook until softened; let cool. Mix together the ground pork, the chopped slab bacon, the chopped pork liver, the chopped ham, garlic, softened onion, white pepper, salt, cayenne pepper, cloves, mace, thyme, Cognac, eggs, cream and bread crumbs. Mix very well. Cover and refrigerate for about 12 hours.

Line a loaf pan or terrine with parchment paper or foil, then line the dish with bacon strips, leaving any length of bacon slices to be folded over the top, once the meat is smoothed out in the pan/dish. Leave up to an inch of space between the top of the meat and the top of the pan.* Cover and top the meat with the folded over bacon and finish covering the top with lengthwise slices of bacon. Cover the pan/dish with a lid (if using a terrine) or foil. Put the loaf pan or terrine into a somewhat larger pan and add warm or hot water about 2/3 of the way up the loaf pan. If you are using a metal or heavy crock ware loaf pan or terrine, you can use hot tap water, but I used a glass loaf type dish, so I used just "warm" tap water, as hot water could crack the dish filled with the cold mixture. Put this all into a 350 F oven and let bake for 2 hours. Let the pâté cool, then place the loaf pan/terrine into the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.** Because I had the glass dish, I put a couple inches of warm water into the sink and I let the dish sit in the barely warm water for about 3 minutes, just to loosen it. You want the pâté to remain cold, not only for serving, but if it warms up, you will have fat running everywhere. You should be able to grasp the parchment paper or foil to make sure the pâté is loosened. Turn it out onto a plate/platter, cover with plastic wrap or foil and put it back into the refrigerator for about 20 to 30 minutes. Slice and enjoy. 

* I had just a little of the mixture left over and I just fixed it separately. 

** Some put a piece of foil or plastic wrapped cardboard over the top of the pâté and then they put canned food or other such things on the cardboard to act as a weight to compress the pâté while it is refrigerated. This step does help to firm the pâté even more, but it's up to you, as it isn't totally necessary.          


After the wrapping was removed, I returned the meat to the loaf dish for this photo. Say "Cheese!"

Served with some Dijon mustard, slices of baguette and some cornichons (small pickles)

WORD HISTORY:
Grind-This word has a somewhat difficult history, but it is distantly related to Latin "frendere," which meant, "to rub, to gnash the teeth." It is related to "ground," the noun meaning, "the Earth's surface, the soil making up the Earth's surface." It goes back to Indo European "ghrendh," which had the notion, "to rub, to rub together to break a substance down," with the extended meaning, "to crush." This gave Old Germanic "grindanan," with the same meaning. This then gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "grindan" (as well as a couple of compounds) meaning "to crush, to mill." This then became "grinden," before the modern form. The noun form was derived from the verb (circa 1000?), originally with the meaning, "a grinding or gnashing with the teeth." Until more recent times, if water power was not available, grinding grain required animal or human power to move the stones to crush the grain. This likely gave rise to the expression "the grind;" that is, "hard and boring work." Many of the modern Germanic languages use forms of "mill" and "to mill" for their words related to "grinding grain," but Dutch has the noun "grind" for "grit;" thus also, "gravel." I found a form in West Frisian, but whether this is a borrowing from Dutch or English, or an original form, is unclear. Swedish has "grand," meaning, "particle, dust particle, atom." German once had "grint," a noun meaning "skin ailment of flaky skin," which later progressed to mean, "crusty sore or wound," and also, "skin ailment of the scalp, ringworm (Kopfgrind)." Low German once had "grint," meaning "sand, grit," and Old Norse had "grand," meaning, "particles, grains, grit, pebbles," which also might have been borrowed by Low German as "Grand," but meaning "wheat bran." As can be seen, all forms tie in with "small items, particles of something."    

Savory Hungarian Stuffed Pancakes: Hortobágyi Palacsinta

Slight update to "Word History" 8-14-22

This crepe-like stuffed pancake dish is called "Hortobágyi Palacsinta," in Hungarian. It is often made with veal, but other meat is not uncommonly used, especially ground pork, which is what I often use. Chicken is also commonly used, but it is not always ground chicken, but rather pieces of chicken are cooked as part of the stew, then the meat is taken off of the bones and chopped to the desired size. Of course, you can make the pancakes using a smaller skillet (like 6 inch) up to a large skillet (like 12 inch skillet), or something in between, which is what I do, as I generally use a 9 inch skillet. 

Ingredients:

Stew:

1 pound ground pork (or ground veal)
1 medium onion, chopped (smaller type pieces)
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes, with some of the juice
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
2/3 to 1 teaspoon salt
2/3 teaspoon pepper
2 1/2 tablespoons sweet paprika (preferably Hungarian, but use what you have)
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons olive oil

sauce:

1 cup sour cream
1 cup broth from the meat preparation
3 to 4 tablespoons flour

for the crepes:

1 cup flour
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
oil or butter for frying

In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and let cook for a couple of minutes, then add the ground meat. Keep breaking up the meat as it cooks with the onion, as you don't want large chunks of meat in the filling. When the onions are softened, add the tomatoes, the caraway, salt, pepper and paprika, and mix well. Add the broth and continue to simmer the stew for about 20 to 25 minutes. Strain the stew using a sieve.

Put the strained broth into a pan over medium low heat. Mix the flour with a little water and whisk it into the broth. Let the mixture cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the thickened broth from the heat and let it sit for a few minutes, then whisk in the sour cream.

In a skillet (preferably non-stick), add a little oil or melt some butter over low heat. In a bowl, mix together the flour, eggs, milk and salt. Add enough batter to the heated skillet to form a thin crepe-like pancake. Let the crepe cook until the liquid is no longer runny on top, then turn the crepe over. Both sides of the crepe should be lightly browned.  

Put a couple of tablespoons of the meat mixture into each pancake (crepe). Tuck in the sides and roll up the palacsinta around the filling. Serve the palacsinta with the sour cream sauce over them, or put the filled pancakes into a baking dish, pour the sour cream sauce over them and bake at 350 F for about 12 to 15 minutes, then serve.

 Served with a small green salad of kale, tomato and red onion ....

WORD HISTORY:
Hinder-The ultimate origin of this verb (and sometime adjective) is uncertain, "perhaps" going back to Indo European "kom," which meant, "beside, near, together, by;" but I'm not totally convinced of this. Whatever the source, "hinder" does go back to Old Germanic "hindronan," which meant, "to put to the back, to keep back, to keep to the rear." This gave Old English the verb "hindrian," which meant, "to hold back, to obstruct, to impede or prevent advance." Later condensed to "hinder." The adjective use shows reference to "behind, in the rear, in the back." Other Germanic relatives (verb forms): German has "hindern" (prevent, hamper, impede), Low German Saxon "hinnern" (stop, hold in, hold back), Dutch "hinderen" (hamper, hold back, keep back from), Swedish "hindra" (prevent, keep back, hold in). This was all I could find, but Old Norse seems to have had "hindra" and Frisian once had "hinderia." By the way, German has the derived noun, "Hindernis," meaning, "barrier, obstacle," with the obvious tie to the verb, and English has the noun, "hindrance," originally spelled "hinderance," which dates to the mid 1400s. It is one of those mixed words, with "hinder," an English word derived from Germanic, with the "ance" suffix from French, from Latin "antia/entia." 

Cranberry & Chili Sauce Meatloaf

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

Ingredients:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pork With Plum and Chili Glaze

You can make your own plum preserves/jam for this recipe, as it's easy to do.

Ingredients:

6 boneless pork chops
4 black or red plums, washed, seeded and chopped
1/3 cup to 1/2 cup sugar, depending upon the sweetness of the plums and your personal taste
(or store bought plum preserves)
1/2 habanero chili
1/2 serrano chili* 
about 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt, to season the pork, both sides (I use adobo seasoning)

To make your own fresh plum chili sauce for this dish, put the chopped plums and chilies into a sauce pan with 1/3 cup sugar, mix in well. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Taste the mixture to see if it is sweet and hot enough. When I made this the last time, the plums were very ripe and sweet, and thus they required less sugar, but I've also made it with plums that were tart, so the amount of sugar is simply a base guideline, and you just adjust it according to your own preference. Cook until the mixture thickens well, remove from heat (it will thicken even more). If using store bought preserves, add about 6 to 8 ounces of plum preserves to a pan and then add the chilies (continue as for making your own preserves). Season the pork on both sides with seasoned salt. Heat oven to 325 F. Bake pork on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, or on a rack in a baking pan/dish, until essentially tender (but it will be baked for a while longer). In a bowl, add the preserves and use a fork or tongs to then coat each pork chop with the plum/chili mixture. Return the pork to the oven for about 10 to 12 minutes. Serve extra plum/chili sauce on the side.   

* As I've noted here before, chilies vary in heat, even among the same type of peppers. When can always adjust the amount of chili pepper you add, according to the heat of the chili used and for your own personal heat preference.   

WORD HISTORY:
Glaze-This word, related to "glass," "gloss" (the form meaning "sheen, beauty") and "glow," goes back to Indo European "ghel," which had the notion, "to shine, to be bright." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "glaza/glasa," which seems to have originally meant, "amber," for the light and shiny fossil resin used for jewelry and decorative purposes. This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "glæsen," which was an adjectival form, "made of glass, shiny like glass." This then was used to form the verb, "glasen/glazen," "to be like glass, to shine like glass," and these then produced the noun form, but not until the 1700s, "material used to make something shiny." This then became modern "glaze," which broadened the meaning to cooking and "shiny" sauces to coat food. German has the closely related adjective "gläsern," "glassy, glass-like" (Low German also uses the same word, but whether it came by way of standard German, or gave the word TO standard German, I'm not sure).

Pljeskavica: Serbian Burgers

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

Ingredients:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spanish Butter Bean & Chorizo Stew (Fabada Asturiana)

The Spanish name for this dish is "Fabada Asturiana," as it originated in the Asturias region (capital: Oviedo) of northwestern Spain, but the dish is not uncommon in other parts of Spain. I looked at so many recipes for this dish, I lost count, but 25 would be a good guess. Some used smoked pork belly or smoked pork hock or salt pork, but I chose, as I saw in some recipes, raw pork belly, but I added a small smoked pork hock, just to add a slight smoky flavor to the smokiness of the Spanish paprika. I used dried, and thus firm, Spanish chorizo,* which is also seasoned with paprika. I like to bake many dishes that others cook on the stove top, and this recipe was no exception. It would also be a good dish to fix in a crock pot. Frequently served in Spain with hard cider or red wine and good crusty bread. 

1 pound white beans (fabada beans, butter beans or cannellini/white kidney beans)
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 medium tomato, chopped 
3/4 pound raw pork belly (you can trim off some of the fat)
1/2 pound firm chorizo, cut into about 1/4 inch slices 
1/2 pound Spanish morcilla blood sausage (also called, "blood pudding"), cut into two inch pieces
1 small smoked pork hock (also called "ham hock")
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon sweet paprika, preferably Spanish, or Spanish-style
2 tablespoons olive oil
a good "pinch" of saffron threads (saffron is an expensive spice derived from the crocus flower. Many supermarkets or spice shops have it. The spice is a common addition to dishes in Spain; thus, I have used it in the Word History, below)
water

You can soak the dried beans overnight, or put them into a pot, cover them with water and bring the water to a boil. Add no salt to the water. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and let the beans soak in the hot water for 60 to 75 minutes. Drain. Heat the oven to 325 F. In a pot or casserole, put the beans, the onion, the garlic, the salt, the pepper, the paprika, the tomato, the olive oil and the saffron. Stir to mix the ingredients a bit. Add the bay leaf, and snuggle in the pork belly, the chorizo slices, the morcilla and the pork hock. Add enough water to almost cover everything. Cover and bake for 75 minutes. Check to see if the dish needs water added (the beans won't cook properly if they don't have water). Bake until the beans and the pork belly are tender. The paprika from the chorizo and the loose paprika, along with the saffron, will give a reddish color to the stew. You can further slice down the morcilla blood sausage before serving.  

* Americans and Canadians are much more familiar with the soft chorizo which is common in Mexico, but most Spanish chorizo is more the texture of salami or pepperoni. 

WORD HISTORY:
Saffron-The ultimate origin of this word for the expensive thread-like spice taken from the crocus flower is unknown, although an Indo European or a Semitic origin seems likely, due to the plant's history in the general area of the Middle East, where people speaking Indo European and Semitic languages interacted, sometimes peacefully, but sometimes violently. Arabic, a language from the Semitic family of languages,^ had the transliterated "zafaran," as the word for the spice. Latin borrowed the word as "safranum," and this became "safran," in Latin-based Old French. English borrowed the word in the early 1200s. Spanish has azafrán.

^  The most common modern Semitic languages are Arabic, Amharic, Hebrew and Tigrinya. Arabic and Hebrew are commonly known in much of Europe and North America, but Amharic is spoken in a large part of Ethiopia. Tigrinya is also spoken in parts of Ethiopia and Eritrea, another East African nation. 

Meatloaf & Meatloaf-Mushroom Gravy

Meatloaf is filling and a great comfort food; on the other hand, it does typically have a good number of calories and fat, but hey, "two out three ain't bad." Hmm, where have I heard that before? Meatloaf and gravy are a natural to be served with mashed potatoes. And leftover cold meatloaf is great for sandwiches on some good bread with a slice of onion and some ketchup.

Ingredients for the meatloaf:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck
1 pound ground pork sausage (regular or sage)
3 slices stale/dried white bread, torn or cut into small pieces (lightly toasted sandwich bread is fine)
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 eggs
2 tablespoons dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried savory
3/4 cup plain bread crumbs
3/4 cup ketchup

Ingredients for the gravy:
1/2 cup drippings (you can skim off the fat, or use a separator)
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup green pepper, diced
1/2 teaspoon white or black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 1/2 cups beef stock
2/3 cup chopped mushrooms
3 tablespoons flour mixed with 4 tablespoons water
You will not need added salt, as the drippings and the beef stock will provide the salt.

For the meatloaf: In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients, except the ketchup. Mix well by hand, kneading the mixture to make sure the ingredients are dispersed throughout. Form into a loaf and put into a baking pan or casserole with a lid or foil. Make sure there is room for the juices as the meatloaf bakes. Bake covered at 350 F for 80 minutes. Remove the lid/cover and apply the ketchup to the top of the meatloaf. Bake a further 30 to 40 minutes, uncovered. Remove the meatloaf to a platter and pour off the juices. For the gravy: add all of the ingredients to a sauce pan, except the mushrooms and flour/water. Bring to a steady simmer for 20 minutes. Mix 3 tablespoons flour and 4 tablespoons water, mix very well. With the gravy simmering, gradually add the flour mix, stirring constantly, until all the flour is incorporated and the gravy thickens. Add the chopped mushrooms, stirring to mix. Cook another 3 to 4 minutes, stirring to avoid sticking.

Meatloaf with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes and corn ...

Meatloaf with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes and cottage cheese

WORD HISTORY:
Fourth-Of course derived from "four," this form traces back to Indo European "kwetwor/kwetwer," which meant "four." This then gave the Old Germanic offshoot, "fetwor/petwor," meaning "four," and also "feurtho," for "fourth," which gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "feórþa" (=feortha), meaning "fourth." This then became "ferthe," then "fourthe," before the modern version. The other Germanic languages have: German "vierte," Low German Saxon "veerde," Dutch "vierde," West Frisian "fjirde," Danish and Norwegian "fjerde," Icelandic "fjórða/fjórði," and Swedish "fjärde."

Rumanian Meatballs (Chiftele)

The Rumanian word "chiftele" (pronounced as if, "keef-tehlay"), means "meatball," and it is the Rumanian rendering of Turkish "Köfte," the Turkish word for "meatball." * While the words may be similar, the Rumanian and Turkish meatball recipes have little in common. The Turks (as the Ottoman Empire) ruled Rumania for quite some time, although most of the day to day governance was done by Rumanian princes, with the approval of the Ottoman Turks, to whom the princes paid a fee.

Ingredients:

1 pound of ground pork
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 medium potato, grated, then squeezed of liquid
1/2 carrot, grated
3 tablespoons dill, chopped
3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup breadcrumbs, I use panko, or use 1 stale white roll, coarsely ground
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
flour (for coating the meatballs)
vegetable oil or canola oil for frying

In a large heavy bottomed skillet, over medium heat, heat enough oil to provide a small layer of oil over the bottom of the skillet. In a bowl, mix all of the ingredients, except the flour. Roll amounts of the mixture into meatballs about the size of a ping pong ball. Roll the meatballs in flour to coat them, shaking off the excess flour. Put the meatballs into the hot oil, but don't overcrowd the pan, and you can fry the meatballs in batches. Fry the meatballs, turning them to brown them on all sides and to thoroughly cook them. They are often served with mustard, and fried or grilled peppers are sometimes served on the side.   

* For my recipe for Turkish meatballs, here is the link:  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/01/turkish-meatballs-yogurt-sauce-kofte.html

I had my chiftele with mustard and fried peppers

WORD HISTORY:
Crumb-This word goes back to Indo European "ger," which had the notion, "to bend, to turn, to wind" (long "i"). This then produced "grumho," with the meaning, "that which is scraped up or scratched up together" ("perhaps" from the idea of "bent fingers or tools used to scratch or scrape?"). This gave Old Germanic "krumon," meaning, "things scraped or scratched up," especially in reference to "soil," then to "bread." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "cruma," which meant, fragment, crumb, piece." This then became "crumme," before the insertion of the ending "b," in the 1500s, which likely was pronounced in those times. The other Germanic languages have: German "Krume" (also the diminutive, "Krümel"), Low German Saxon "Kroom" (also the diminutive, "Krömel"), Dutch "kruim" (also the diminutive, "kruimel"), Danish "krumme," Swedish has the compound, "inkråm," which means, "the inside ('the crumb') of a loaf of bread;" thus also the figurative, "giblets, guts." I did not find verifiable forms in Frisian or in Icelandic. 

Frankfurt-Style Pickled Pork Chops & Sauerkraut

This is a specialty dish of Frankfurt am Main, also known as just Frankfurt, in the German state of Hessen in western Germany, and it is the "financial capital" of Germany. The "am Main" means "on the Main (River)," and it is used to distinguish this Frankfurt from another German city of Frankfurt, which is about 50 to 60 miles east of Berlin on the Oder River; thus, this city is referred to as "Frankfurt an der Oder," and it is much smaller than the Frankfurt in Hessen. The dish is generally called, "Frankfurter Rippchen mit Sauerkraut" (the "Ripp" part is closely related to English "rib"). The first part of the recipe is for making the the pickled pork, as in Frankfurt cuisine, the pork chops are not smoked. In English, the word "pickle" also carried the meaning of "curing" by the use of salt in some way, and it wasn't until vinegar became a popular ingredient for "pickling," that the word often took on the connection to vinegar in English. Plus, the word "cure" had come to be used in the mid 1700s for treating meat with salt and spices to preserve and flavor it, leaving "pickle" to be used more with vegetables, especially cucumbers, in vinegar laced brine.   

Ingredients:

(to pickle the pork)
48 ounces water (more if needed to cover the meat)
5 tablespoons pickling or kosher salt + 1 tablespoon separate
1 tablespoon sugar
1 bay leaf
6 peppercorns
4 fresh loin pork chops

Bring the water with everything, except the pork chops and the separate tablespoon of pickling salt, to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. It must be considerably cooled to use over the pork. In a dish or non reactive pan, place the pork chops, then sprinkle the extra tablespoon of salt over them. Pour the brine over them. If you need to add a little more water, do so. Make sure the pork is fully covered by the brine. If you are using a dish/pan with a lid, put it on, or put plastic wrap over the top to fit tightly. Place in the refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours.   

(for the dish)
1  2 pound bag of refrigerated sauerkraut, drained and rinsed
2 cloves
2 onions, chopped (divided use, so keep each separate)
1 Granny Smith apple (I leave the peel on, but you can peel it, chopped)
4 juniper berries, crushed a little
5 whole peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil (or lard, which was used in the past)
4 pickled pork chops
1 cup hard apple cider or apple juice or regular apple cider, no spices added**

Almost all Germans would fix this dish on top of the stove, but I prefer to bake it, and I think you'll love the results. A casserole dish with a lid is good, but a non reactive pan is fine too. In a separate pan, heat some water, add the cloves, one chopped onion and the peppercorns. Add the pork chops and simmer for about 20 minutes, remove the pork and discard the liquid (don't get that backwards).

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet, add the other chopped onion. Saute briefly to just begin to soften the onion. Add the apple and cook for just another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring a little. Drain and rinse the sauerkraut, put into the dish you will be using. Add the onion/apple and juniper berries and mix well. Nestle the two bay leaves into different parts of the dish. Add the pork chops, pressing them down into the kraut a bit, but you need not cover them completely. Pour in the cider, cover the dish and place in a 300 degree (F) oven. Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the meat is tender. 

* "Culinaria, European Specialities" (Volume 1), chief editors: Joachim Römer and Michael Ditter, editor: Christine Westphal, published by Könemann Publishing, Cologne 1995

** For those unaware, "hard cider" means it is fermented and has an alcohol content.

Cured pork chop, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes ... what a great dinner!

WORD HISTORY:
Sift-This word, closely related to "sieve," goes back to Indo European "seip," which had the notion, "to flow through, to drip, to trickle." This gave the West Germanic branch of Old Germanic, "sibp," which meant, "sieve." ^ This then gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) the verb "siftan," meaning, "to put something through a sieve." This then became "siften," before the modern form. The close relationship between forms of "sieve" and "sift" in the Germanic languages makes it rather difficult to separate the words, but words in other Germanic languages more or less mirroring their English cousin: German has "sichten" (perhaps borrowed from Low German? Not nearly as common as the closely related "sieben," literally "to sieve, to sift"), Low German Saxon has "sichten," Dutch has "ziften" (also "zichten," which is antiquated).

^ For the history of the word "sieve," here is the link to that article:  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/12/liptauer-cheese-spread.html