Punjabi Potatoes in Onion & Tomato Gravy: Dum Aloo

"Dum Aloo," also called "Aloo Dum" and other terms, has some regional variations, with this recipe here being based upon the style prepared in Punjab. Punjab is a region with parts in northern India and Pakistan. The part of Punjab in India is one of India's states, while the part in Pakistan is a province of Pakistan. The Indian state of Punjab has a majority Sikh population, the only Indian state with such, and in Pakistani Punjab, Sikhs are also part of the population, but they are far from a majority there.     

 

This Punjabi style potato dish is not terribly spicy hot, and it is thickened with ground cashews.

 

Ingredients:

 

1 1/2 pounds of small white or small Yukon Gold potatoes

water for cooking the potatoes, seasoned with 1/2 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons vegetable oil or peanut oil

3 tablespoons yogurt, stirred so that it's smooth

1/2 cup chopped tomato, seeded (small chop)

1/3 cup chopped red onion (small chop)

1 1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

(optional) 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida 

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

3 teaspoons Kashmiri ground red pepper (or 1 teaspoon cayenne and 2 teaspoons sweet paprika)

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 inch piece cinnamon stick

2 whole cloves

2 green cardamom pods, slit or cracked 

3 whole black peppercorns

1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 cup water

15 cashews, ground into meal

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped

 

Rinse the potatoes, then in a pan cover the potatoes with water and add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Boil the potatoes over medium heat. Cook until the potatoes are just cooked through, they should not be mushy at all. Drain the potatoes well, let them cool a little, then peel them (the peels/skins should come off pretty easily). In a skillet, add the 5 tablespoons of oil over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the potatoes and let them fry, turning them often, until they are lightly browned. Remove the potatoes to a dish and set aside. Drain oil from the skillet to leave only about 2 tablespoons in the skillet over medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick, whole cloves, cardamom pods and peppercorns, stir often and let them fry for about 1 1/2 minutes, then add the onion and saute another 2 minutes before adding the chopped tomato, ginger and garlic, stir and keep breaking up the tomatoes. Continue cooking the ingredients until the onion softens, then add the asafoetida (if using), turmeric, Kashmiri chili powder (or cayenne/paprika substitute), ground coriander and ground cumin, stir well to mix. Cook for another 2 minutes, then add the fenugreek leaves, yogurt and sugar and stir to mix them in, then add 1 cup water and stir to mix everything well. Let the mixture come to a steady simmer (adjust heat to maintain the simmer), add the potatoes to the skillet, cover the skillet (lid or foil) and let everything simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, then gradually stir in the ground cashews and salt; continue simmering everything without a cover. When the gravy (sauce) begins to thicken, stir in the chopped cilantro (coriander). Serve with naan, roti or rice.

 

WORD HISTORY:

Kin-"Kin" is related to "kind," both the noun (meaning "type, classification") and the adjective (meaning "friendly, helpful"), and it is related, through Indo European, to "gender," a Latin-based word borrowed by English from French. It goes back to Indo European "gen/gn," which meant "produce, beget, give birth." The Old Germanic offspring was "kunjan/kunjam," which gave Old English "cynn," with the meaning "family," but also meaning "race, kind (as in, "what kind of plant is that?")." As for the other Germanic languages, it also gave German "Kind," (pronounced with a short "i," and the "d" is pronounced "t") obviously related to the English words of that spelling, but it means "child" in German, as it also does in Dutch; Norwegian has "kjønn," Danish has "køn," Swedish has "kön," and Icelandic has "kynlíf," but all of these mean "sex," in the sense "gender." In the 1100s, English also developed "kindred" from the base word, with the "red" suffix from Germanic meaning "condition, state (of)."

Kashmiri Potatoes with Yogurt Gravy: Kashmiri Dum Aloo

Unlike many regions of India, in Kashmir, rather than fresh ginger, they use ground ginger (also known to some as ginger powder) in many recipes.

 

There are some distinct recipes for Dum Aloo (a potato dish); that is, the recipes aren't just slight variations of one another, but rather quite different. This Kashmiri version is a bit tart and somewhat spicy, but generally it is less spicy hot than many dishes from the Indian Subcontinent, as it uses Kashmiri chili powder, which isn't nearly as hot as regular Indian chili powder. I included some optional sugar for the recipe, which is based upon my own lukewarm reception for sour/tart tastes in food. Use small potatoes no bigger than a golf ball, and as you can see in the photos below, the dish actually looks like meatballs. You can use regular plain yogurt or Greek yogurt or Indian yogurt (called "curd" by people from the Indian Subcontinent). It is the yogurt that gives the Kashmiri Dum Aloo its tart flavor. Serve with naan or rice or both

 

 

Ingredients (3 to 4 servings): 

1 1/2 pounds small white or golden potatoes

1/4 cup vegetable oil + 2 tablespoons (if needed)

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard + 1 pinch

3/4 cup plain yogurt

1 tablespoon Kashmiri chili powder (or 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper and 2 teaspoons sweet paprika)

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (store bought or freshly ground)

(optional) pinch of asafoetida*

1 teaspoon ground fennel

2/3 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups water (in divided use, if needed)

(optional) up to 1/2 teaspoon sugar

green chilies, chopped, for garnish

Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water; cook them only until they are just cooked through, they should not be mushy at all. Drain the potatoes and allow them to cool to room temperature. Peel the potatoes and use a fork to poke some holes in the potatoes, then set them aside briefly. In a cup, add the Kashmiri chili powder (or the cayenne/paprika substitute), the pinch of asafoetida (if using), the ground fennel, the ground ginger, the salt and 3 tablespoons water; mix together very well, set it aside for a little while. In a bowl, add the yogurt and stir it (best to actually whisk it), until it is smooth; then, add the spice mixture to the yogurt and mix it all together well, set it aside. Add a quarter cup of oil to a skillet over medium heat, then stir in the dry mustard. When the oil is hot, add the potatoes and fry them, turning them often, until they are lightly browned (a bit of a crust around the outside). Remove the potatoes to a plate covered with paper towels to drain excess oil. There should still be a couple of tablespoons of oil in the skillet (add more oil if needed). Add the spice/yogurt mixture and lower heat to low. Stir constantly (again, a whisk is good) and add 1/4 cup water, and after that water is incorporated, add 1/2 cup water and continue stirring/whisking. Add the little potatoes into the skillet and now use a spoon to move and turn the potatoes in the gravy. (Add the sugar, if using) Cover the skillet with a lid or aluminum foil and keep the heat low or even very low. Let the potatoes cook for 5 to 6 minutes. If the gravy is too thick, definitely add more water, up to 1/2 cup, and stir with a spoon to mix it in; let cook another 2 to 3 minutes. If when you remove the lid the first time, the gravy is the consistency you want, remove the skillet from the heat. Serve with rice or naan bread, or both.

 

* Asafoetida is a powdered spice pretty common to the cooking of the Indian Subcontinent and other parts of southern Asia. It is "typically" available in a jar with an opening in the lid to dispense the spice, and there is an airtight lid that closes off the opening to contain the smell. It is also called "hing." Asafoetida is known for its bad smell, but its mellow taste when cooked. When I was a kid, some people still used what were called "asafidity bags" to protect their children from various illnesses, mainly colds and influenza. The bag was worn on a string around the neck, and it contained various foul smelling ingredients, including garlic and asafoetida, which was available from drugstores in those times. It was all superstition from the Middle Ages, and my family didn't believe in it. My people believed an eye of a newt and the toe of a frog would cure you; otherwise, your days were numbered. Ah, or was that your days were numbered because of the eye of a newt and the toe of a frog? Hm...

 

 

Kashmiri Dum Aloo with green chili garnish and rice and naan bread in first two photos  

WORD HISTORY:

Knife-This word's ancient ancestor, Indo European "gen," meant ''pinch, press together, compact;'' thus, it is related to words like "knead," "knot" and "knuckle," all words from the Germanic roots of English, and to "nip" ("a small amount of something," from the idea of "a pinch or something pinched off"), another word from Germanic, but a word English likely borrowed from its close cousin Low German. Indo European "gen" produced the extended form "gneibh/gnaibh," which meant "to pinch." The Indo European form spawned "knibaz" (pinched or pressed together) in its Old Germanic offspring. This then gave Old Norse "knifr" meaning "dagger, knife, short sword," perhaps developed from the idea of "folding knives," what in modern times we call "pocketknives" or "penknives," but such knives have been around dating back to BCE times; after all, they could be easily and safely carried by individuals, or perhaps from the idea of "pressing a blade into wood to make a handle." Obviously, the meaning expanded to be a general word for knives. English borrowed the word from Old Norse (circa 1000?) as "cnif," which then became "knif, before the modern form. The verb form came from the noun in the mid 1800s. Exactly when the 'k' became silent isn't really known; after all, there are no audio recordings from long ago, but it likely took a little time to become common and it "probably" took place beginning in the 1400s and extending well into the 1500s, and perhaps even into the early part of the 1600s. Relatives in the other Germanic languages: German has the noun "Kneipe," meaning "pub, tavern." It was seemingly taken into standard German from "student lingo" of the 1700s (in dialect from Saxony?^), from the idea of "people gathering together in close proximity to drink and socialize," and dialectal "Kneip" (shoemaker's knife), and "Knifte," originally "long bladed knife," but also, "a slice of bread;" that is, "something that is cut with a knife." German has the verb "kneifen," meaning "to pinch," but also "to shirk, evade or back out of a duty or some action,"^^ but "kneifen" is a borrowing from Middle Low German "knipen," which initially was taken by German as "kneipen," then subsequently given the High German replacement of "p" with "f." Low German has the verb "kniepen" (yes, the modern form is spelled with 'ie'), meaning "to pinch, to squeeze," and also a noun "Knief" (knife), which is seemingly now a secondary word, West Frisian has the verb "knipe" (to pinch, to squeeze) and the noun "knyp," "a pinch," perhaps a bit old fashioned nowadays, Dutch has "knijf," originally as "cnif" and meaning "long bladed knife," but in modern usage seemingly confined to dialect as "pocketknife," Icelandic has "hnifur" (knife), Danish, Norwegian and Swedish "kniv" (all mean 'knife'). Note: French has "canif," which was originally "knif" in Old French, a word absorbed from Germanic Frankish "knif." French also has the related word "canivet" (originally as "kenif") meaning "dagger, short knife," from the same Frankish source, but perhaps with reinforcement from Norse and English (the term seems to have come from Normandy, and the Normans were originally Norse speakers who settled there. 

 

^ Saxony is one of the German states in the eastern part of Germany bordering on the Czech Republic. Its capital is Leipzig. A few hundred years ago, the dialect there, which was also spoken in what is now the separate German state of "Saxon-Anhalt," and which is closely related to the dialect of Thuringia, a neighboring state, had major influences on what became standard German, with one of the major  reasons being that Martin Luther was from that region, and he used much of this general dialect to translate the Bible into German. 

 

^^ This meaning comes from the idea of "being fast and able to escape from a tight or pressing situation." In English we often express it as "I got out of a jam."

Lebanese Spicy Potatoes: Batata Harra

"Batata Harra, or "Spicy Potatoes," is a fairly common dish from Lebanon, which is also eaten in Syria, and I "believe" that it's not totally uncommon in some other Middle Eastern areas, like Jordan. It is a dish in its own right, or it can be served as a side dish. 

 

If you like lemony flavor, you can certainly use 3 or 4 tablespoons of lemon juice. Harissa is a Tunisian chili pepper paste made with olive oil and typically seasoned with some spices. Its use goes well beyond Tunisia across North Africa and into the Middle East. It is available in many supermarkets, and most certainly in Middle Eastern grocery stores or food shops. Commonly pronounced "ha-riss-ah" or "hu-riss-ah" in English, but more like "ha-ree-zah" in Arabic.  

 

 

Ingredients (4 to 6 servings):

 

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and diced (1 inch dice)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 to 3 teaspoons harissa, depending upon desired heat level (or chopped chili pepper)

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup chopped cilantro (also known as fresh coriander to some)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil (for the sauce)

vegetable oil or olive oil for frying, enough to give about 1/4 inch depth of oil in your skillet (or use about 3 tablespoons of olive oil to drizzle on the potatoes if you are roasting them)

 

You can roast the diced potatoes, or you can fry them. To roast: put the diced potatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle on about 3 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle on 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; put into a preheated 400 F oven for about 45 minutes, turning the potatoes one time after 25 minutes. The potatoes are done when they have a crispy exterior, but the centers can be easily pierced by a fork. To fry: add enough oil to a skillet to give about 1/3 inch of oil; heat the oil over medium heat and fry the potatoes to achieve the same as just mentioned above; or, you can boil the diced potatoes first, drain them VERY well, and then fry them. For the seasoning: In a skillet or a pan, add 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic, and saute for 30 to 45 seconds, then add the harissa and saute a further 30 seconds, mixing everything around constantly. Remove the potatoes from the oil (or from the baking sheet) and add them to the harissa/garlic mixture; add the lemon juice, chopped cilantro (fresh coriander), salt and ground black pepper; mix everything.  

 

 

 

Kith-This word, in more recent times most commonly used in the expression "kith and kin," is related to "ken" (knowledge, understanding, comprehension), "know," "can" (the verb, initially meaning 'to be able to do something through knowledge,' later expanded beyond that) and "couth/uncouth," all words going back to the Germanic roots of English, and to "cognizance," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English from French. "Kith" goes back to Indo European "gnoh/gneh," meaning "to know," and this gave Old Germanic the verb "kunnanan," with the same general meaning. This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "cunnan," meaning, "to know, to be able to do something (by having knowledge of), to be familiar with," and the base of the past tense forms being "cuþ" (=cuth), with the meaning "known." This gave Old English the noun "cyðð" (=cythth) meaning "kinfolk, relatives, kinship;" thus also, "homeland," all with the underlying idea of "people or places well known to someone or to a group." There were spelling variations way back, but the spelling finally settled on "kith," meaning "family, relatives, kinfolk," with the broader meanings of "fellow countrymen, home region." The word's relatives in the other Germanic languages all remained somewhat more directly centered around the meaning "know," with German, for instance, having the nouns "(die) Kunde" (message, news; that is, "information made known") and "(der) Kunde" (originally, "someone known to a person, an acquaintance;" thus later, "a customer (initially, "someone who buys wares from someone on a regular basis," but later, more general in meaning). German also has the noun "Kundschafter," "a reconnaissance person or scout;" that is, "one who gets knowledge of others or of places." Low German has the noun "Künn" meaning "knowledge."       

French Rustic Home Fries: Pommes Persillade

This dish is most often used as a side dish. I prefer to use fresh parsley, rather than dried, especially as fresh parsley is easily available (of course, the affects of the pandemic have made the availability of many products less reliable). This is such a tasty and easy dish to make. The idea is to fry the potato pieces so that they develop a somewhat crispy outer layer that surrounds a soft and creamy inner texture. I used the term "French Rustic Home Fries" in the title, because if I used "French Fried Potatoes," readers would likely assume the potatoes to be "French fries," but these aren't really typical home fries either, because they aren't potato slices, but rather they are traditionally diced potato pieces.    

Ingredients (4 servings)

1 pound potatoes, peeled, cut into about 1 inch dice (keep the pieces close in size to cook evenly)

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 heaping tablespoons chopped parsley 

1/3 cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese

2/3 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt (remember, the cheese has salt)

3 tablespoons butter 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

Boil the potato pieces in lightly salted water; maintain a steady boil until the potato pieces are cooked through, but NOT mushy (this is important). Drain the potatoes VERY well, so they will get a crispy layer around them. Heat the olive oil in a skillet (cast iron is good for this, but not necessary) over medium high heat; then fry the potatoes in the hot oil, turning them to brown them on all sides (that crispy outer layer will develop). The idea is to brown the outside of the potatoes, but to keep the inside soft and creamy; so, frying the potatoes does require your close attention until the potatoes are browned. Add the butter to the skillet and as it melts, add the garlic and parsley, stirring everything around for 60 to 90 seconds. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir the potatoes to make sure they are all coated with the seasoned butter. Sprinkle on the salt and pepper and the shredded or grated cheese. I put the cheese in the hot skillet with the potatoes (remember, the skillet is off of the heat), so that it just starts to melt and/or brown a little, but you can wait to add the cheese until you serve the potatoes.  

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Sum-This word is related to "superior" and "summit," both Latin-derived words borrowed by English from Latin-based French, to "soprano," another Latin-derived word, but in this case English borrowed it from Italian, and to "summary," another Latin-derived word borrowed from that language, and it is distantly related to "over," a word from the Germanic roots of English. "Sum" goes back to the Indo European root "upo," with the notion of "from under" or "from below," "to go over/above." This then provided the base of a comparative form, "uper," and from this came the extended form adjective "sup-mos," meaning "uppermost, highest, top." This gave Latin the adjective "summus" with the same basic meaning, the feminine form of which was "summa" with those same basic meanings, as well as the figurative meanings "main" and "highest rank." This passed to Latin-based Old French as "somme," which became "summe/sume" in the French spoken by the descendants of the Normans in England, and English borrowed the word in the early 1300s as "summe," with one of its primary meanings being "an amount of money," and later the meaning "the total of numbers added together," apparently dating to the Roman math system of adding numbers from the bottom of a column upward, then listing the amount at the top; thus, "the summe," taken from the Latin "summa totalis;" that is, "the sum total," with "summe" contracted to "sum." The idea of an expression like, "the sum of the article," comes from the notion of "the main point," or "the sum of important parts" of an article (book, speech, movie). The verb came from French "sommer," meaning "to add up numbers/amounts," with the French form also from Latin "summa."         

Swiss Potato and Cheese Soufflé: Kartoffel und Käse Auflauf

German "Auflauf" means "casserole," in general, but it can also mean the more specific "soufflé," a type of casserole; and indeed, the dish uses egg whites to be "puffed up." It is often accompanied by watercress or garden cress. There are variations to the general recipe in Germany and Austria, where the potatoes aren't usually mashed, but rather sliced or diced, and other ingredients are often layered in as another type of casserole.

Ingredients:

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and chopped, then cooked in salted water
4 tablespoons flour
4 egg yolks
1 cup Gruyère, shredded
1 cup Pecorino Romano, grated or shredded (the Swiss often use "Sbrinz"*)
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
4 egg whites, whipped to peaks
2 tablespoons butter
oil or butter for the casserole/baking dish

Simmer the potatoes until tender. Drain the potatoes and mash with a potato masher or use a hand mixer. In a bowl, mix together the egg yolks, flour, cheeses, nutmeg, salt, milk. When mixed, add the potatoes to the mixture and mix everything together, then fold in the egg whites. Butter or oil a casserole or baking dish, then add the potato mixture and smooth it out. Flake the 2 tablespoons of butter and top the casserole with the butter flakes. Bake at 325 F for 70 to 90 minutes, until set in the middle.

* "Sbrinz" is a hard cheese produced in central Switzerland from cow's milk. It is frequently used in place of Parmesan or Pecorino Romano by the Swiss, either of which can usually be more easily found in stores outside of Switzerland than Sbrinz. I use Pecorino. 

 

Swiss Potato and Cheese Soufflé with watercress ...

WORD HISTORY:

Wipe-This word is closely related to "whip," a word derived from the same Germanic source as "wipe," but seemingly borrowed by English from Dutch and Low German, and it is more distantly related to "waive" (to forgo legal claim or right to something), a word borrowed from French, which had it from Germanic, and to "vibrate," a Latin word borrowed by English from that language. "Wipe" goes back to Indo European "weip/weyp," which had the notion "to turn, to wind (long 'i'), to rotate, to shake." This gave Old Germanic "wipjan(an)," meaning "to move back and forth quickly," which gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "wipian" meaning "to clean by rubbing with a back and forth or rotating motion." This then became "wipen," before the modern form. "Wipe" and "whip" are so closely related, it can be difficult to separate some other Germanic forms, but here are some relatives in some other Germanic languages: German has "wippen" (to move up and down; thus also, "bob, seesaw"), which was borrowed from Low German in the 1500s, but earlier, German had "wifan,"^ then "wifen," which meant "to move back and forth," but then also, "to rotate, to swing," Low German has "wippen," meaning "to move up and down," Dutch has "wippen" with the same meanings as German, except it also means "whip." 

^ A common difference between Low German, English, Frisian and Dutch versus German has been the change of "p" in those first languages to an "f" or "pf" in German; thus, English has "pipe," but German has "Pfeife," which shows both changes in one word. 

West Bengali Potatoes in Gravy: Darjeeling Aloo Dum

Darjeeling is a city in West Bengal in northeastern India. The city is best known for the tea grown and processed there, mysteriously called "Darjeeling tea," and how they came up with that name is well beyond my level of comprehension, as I haven't figured out where Black Forest Cake got its name.   

 

I already did Nepali aloo dum,* but this style here is more associated with the city of Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal, and you do need a special ingredient for this curry, and that is "black cumin," also known as "nigella" or "kalonji," which are black seeds from a plant of the buttercup family. Black cumin is available in many spice shops and certainly in Indian/Pakistani grocery stores (perhaps in some Middle Eastern stores, too). This version of "Aloo Dum" uses more "gravy;" that is, the curry sauce for the potatoes, but the recipe and the preparation is quite simple. I love this dish!

 

Ingredients (4 to 5 servings):

 

1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 can (14.5 to 15 ounces) tomato sauce** + 1 medium ripe Roma tomato, chopped

2 teaspoons black cumin seeds

1 or 2 whole fresh green chilies (jalapeno, serrano or unripened cayenne peppers are fine)

1 fresh red chili (or dried red chili)

1 heaping teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (not to be confused with black cumin) 

2 to 3 tablespoons fresh coriander (also known as cilantro), chopped

(if needed) 1/4 to 1/2 cup water

Peel the potatoes and cut them into pieces of "about" 1 inch long and 1/2 inch wide (this is just to give you the idea and this needn't be precise, so please, no measuring tape required). Boil the potatoes in some salted water until just cooked through, not until they are soft and mushy. While the potatoes cook, in a skillet over medium heat, add the oil. When the oil is heated, add the green chilies and saute for a minute or two, then add the tomato sauce and the one chopped tomato. While the sauce heats up, mash the tomato pieces a little (the tomato is to give the sauce some texture, so don't obliterate it), add the red chili, black cumin, salt, turmeric, ground coriander and ground cumin. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 or 6 minutes, stirring occasionally (you can cover the skillet to prevent spattering, if you'd like, just be sure to keep checking the sauce and giving it a stir). If the gravy is too thick, use some water to thin it out (of the many times I've prepared this dish, only once did I feel the need to add water to thin the sauce). Stir in the chopped cilantro. Serve with naan or chapati bread to dip in the sauce.

 

* For the recipe for Nepalese Aloo Dum, here is the link: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2019/08/nepalese-spicy-potatoes-aloo-dum.html  (Note: In recent years, I've had neighbors who are immigrants from Nepal; very nice people, and our neighborhood now has a Nepali/Indian restaurant. LOVE IT!) 

** I'm streamlining this by using tomato sauce, as in India fresh or canned tomatoes would more typically be used and then blended to make tomato sauce.  

 

WORD HISTORY:

Migrate/Migration-These closely related words are related to "permute" and "mutation," words of Latin derivation borrowed from Latin with French reinforcement, or the other way around, and to "permeate," another Latin word borrowed directly from that language. The basic form goes back to the Indo European root "mey/mei," with the notion of "change, change location." This then seems to have had an expanded form like "migwro/migwra," which gave Old Italic "migro," which gave Latin the verb "migrare,"  meaning "to move around, to leave one place for another." One of the participle forms was "migratus," and this was the basis of the English borrowing in the latter part of the 1600s for "migrate." In Latin, the noun had been formed as "migratio," with the meaning "a change of living location," seemingly more in the sense with a longer distance of travel involved. English borrowed the word as "migration" in the early 1600s from Latin with French reinforcement.

Welsh Stew: Tatws Pum Munud

While the Welsh name of this dish, "Tatws Pum Munud," means "five minute potatoes," the dish takes longer than that to prepare. Original recipes for the dish call for long thin flat slices of potato, carrot, onion and bacon, so with the preparation of the ingredients this way, likely the dish cooked quickly in a hot pan over a fire, earning it the name it still bears, but this is just a guess on my part. Understand, in more modern times, not everyone cuts the ingredients this way, but rather they cut the ingredients into various shapes and sizes, according to their own preferences. Some prefer to cook the stew in the oven. In researching this dish, I found that some people sprinkle a little flour into the skillet early on, which then helps to thicken the broth into a gravy, and this type of Welsh Stew is often served on a plate, while others keep the broth to a minimum, or some others serve a small amount of broth over the meat and vegetables in shallow bowls (see photos, below).

 

Serve with crusty bread with butter and baked beans as a side dish; plus, Worcestershire sauce to sprinkle on for those who desire to do so (it's my understanding that this is pretty common ... I didn't say EVERYBODY does so).

 

 Ingredients:

 

1 large potato, sliced into long slices about 1/3 inch thick

1 carrot, sliced into long slices about 1/3 inch thick

4 to 6 thick slices of smoked bacon, cut into 2 inch long pieces

1 large onion, peeled, halved, and cut into half rings

1 tablespoon vegetable oil or olive oil

2 1/2 cups beef stock

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt (remember, the beef stock has salt, so you may not even need this)

(optional for thickening) 1 1/2 tablespoons flour mixed with 3 tablespoons water

Worcestershire sauce for serving 

 

In a large skillet, add the tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Fry the bacon pieces for about 2 minutes, then turn the bacon pieces over. Now add the onion and let the bacon and onion cook for about 2 more minutes, then add the carrot and potato pieces and sprinkle on the pepper and salt. Add the broth and let the broth come to a boil, then adjust the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Cook until the carrots and potatoes are tender ("about" 25 minutes), and optionally you can thicken the broth with flour and water.

 

  

 

WORD HISTORY:

Vassal-"Vassal" is closely related to "valet," a word with much the same history of "vassal," and it is distantly related to "up," a word from the Germanic roots of English, and it is related to the prefix "sub" and to the "supp" part of words like "supply" and "supple" ("supp" is from "sub"), forms of Latin derivation, and English words with "sub" or "supp" are borrowings from Latin or Latin-based languages, commonly from French. "Vassal" goes back to the Indo European root "upo," with the notion of "from under" or "from below;" thus in terms of direction, "to go over/above." This gave Old Celtic "wasso" (perhaps actually 'wassos'?) meaning, "young male servant, squire"^ (thus, "one who is 'subservient' to another"), from the notion of "man who stands below another." This was borrowed by Latin as "vassus," meaning "a servant," which later produced the more extended form of Latin "vassallus," meaning "male servant, domestic servant," and this passed to Latin-based Old French as "vassal," meaning "subordinate, servant, subject (person under the authority of another)." This was borrowed by English in the early part of the 1300s, with the more specific meaning "tenant of a feudal lord to whom he has pledged fealty;" thus, "a subject of the feudal lord." The more general meaning, "servant, one under the control of another," has continued into modern times.

^ "Squire" once simply meant "young man who is an attendant/servant to a knight," and it wasn't until later that it acquired the meaning "landowning country gentleman."

English French Fries Sandwich: Chip Butty

This sandwich originated in England, but it is not uncommon in other parts of Britain and Ireland. "Chip" comes from the name of the fried potato pieces,* and "butty" comes from the butter slathered over the bread slices. The word "chips" should not be confused with the American word used in reference to very thin slices of potato that are fried (sometimes baked) until crisp, and which are then called "potato chips," as these are called "(potato) crisps" in Britain. You can use bread or rolls for the sandwich, and you can toast the bread a little, which will cut down on sogginess, as a chip butty is likely to require a good number of napkins. You can fry your own potatoes (some prefer to bake them), or you can buy some french fries, steak fries or chips to take home from a restaurant (then keep them in a warm oven, like 225F, until you are ready to place them into the sandwiches), although this may cause your personal invitation to Buckingham Palace to be canceled, IF you have one). You can top the sandwich with ketchup, or you can add some mayonnaise and some chopped herbs like rosemary, thyme or parsley, or you can add British brown sauce, which is very similar to some types of American steak sauce,** or you can give the sandwich a dose of some malt vinegar.

Ingredients (per sandwich): 

2 slices of bread or a split bread roll

butter

potatoes, peeled or unpeeled, cut into slices about 3 inches long and 1/2 inch thick

salt

Let the butter soften somewhat to make it easy to spread. For each sandwich, butter one side of two slices of bread (or the inside parts of a split bread roll) with a good amount of butter. Fry or bake the potato pieces (then salt them to taste, but I use salted butter, so you can skip lots of extra salt if you so choose), or keep restaurant fries/chips warm in the oven until right before you put them into the sandwiches. Put a double layer of warm/hot fries/chips onto the bread or roll. If using a topping, top with ketchup or mayonnaise and herbs or brown sauce or steak sauce or malt vinegar, then place the other slice of bread on top (or close the bread roll) and press down a bit to secure the sandwich. The heat from the potatoes will begin to melt the butter, coating the potatoes in yummy, buttery delight. Have plenty of napkins handy.   

 

* British "chips" are not necessarily the same as American french fries, which are often a thinner cut of potato, sometimes referred to as "shoestring fries," although I'm not certain what the guideline is for the shoestring terminology, if there even is a guideline. British "chips" and American "steak fries" are more similar. The term "chips" of the British usage is not completely unheard of in the U.S., especially in reference to "fish and chips," as some American restaurants market this common combo under that name, while many use "fish and fries," or "fish and french fries."   

** To my knowledge (I know, that's a low standard), there is no mandatory list of ingredients for "steak sauce," but when I hear the term used, I think of "A-1 Steak Sauce," long a popular brand in the U.S., and which is now marketed as "A-1 Sauce," which can trace its roots to the 1800s in England; thus, its similarity to British brown sauce.  

WORD HISTORY:

Bare-This word goes back to Indo European "bhosos," which meant "barefoot, unshod, uncovered." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "bazaz" meaning "naked, uncovered," which gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "bær" meaning "naked, not hidden."^ This then became "bar," before the ending 'e' was added to show the interior vowel was long. Some Germanic relatives also use forms to mean "pure;" often applied to "immediately usable money;" that is, "cash." The verb form was "likely" from the adjective and was "barian" in Old English, and meant, "to make bare, to uncover." Note: Some people believe there was an Old Germanic verb form that was passed down in various forms to its descendants and that's possible. Relatives of "bare" in the other Germanic languages: German has "bar," in modern times Low German uses forms in compounds for "barefoot" as "barft," "boorfoot" and "barfs" (Low German is not a standard language, but rather a number of dialects), and for "cash," as "Boorgeld," Dutch has "baar" ("seemingly" not used much, but used in reference to "cash" (baar geld) and to "gold ingots" (pure gold), Frisian once had "ber," but it apparently no longer uses a form of the word, Danish has "bar," Norwegian has "bar," Icelandic has "ber," Swedish (not standard, dialects only) has "bär."  

 

^ The change of 'z' to 'r' is called "rhotacism," and it was common in Germanic, although for whatever reason, some Germanic dialects did not always follow suit.   

Tanzanian French Fry Omelette: Chipsi Mayai

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

 

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

 

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

 

Ingredients (4 servings):

 

4 large eggs, beaten

1 cup chopped onion

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

oil for frying

 

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

WORD HISTORY:

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

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." 

Fried Paneer & Fried Potatoes In Hot Chili Sauce

Paneer is a rather bland cheese that needs the help of seasonings to give it a boost, and chilies can help it a good deal, but you don't have to use enough chilies to sear your tongue. 

This is totally my own recipe, but here is the link to a "similar" recipe, but certainly not the same: 

https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2020/05/indian-fried-cheese-in-chili-gravy.html

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1 cup paneer, cut into cubes

2 cups peeled and diced potatoes

2 hot chilies, chopped (if you like very hot food, use 4 hot chilies)

1/4 cup onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups thick ketchup

water (to thin the sauce, up to about 1/4 cup)

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon sugar

1/3 cup regular olive oil for frying

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat, then fry the diced potatoes, turning them often, until lightly browned. Remove the potatoes to a plate or bowl with some paper towels to drain some of the oil, but add a little salt. To the oil in the skillet add the onion and chilies and saute until the onion is softened and begins to brown. Add the finely chopped garlic and saute another minute. Reduce the heat to low and add the thick ketchup; stir well. Add the potatoes and paneer to the sauce. Add a little water to thin the sauce if it's too thick. Add the sugar and continue to cook on low heat for about 3 or 4 minutes, stirring often. Serve on toast. 

  

WORD HISTORY:

Schedule-This word is a bit distantly related to the verb "shed" (to part with, to give up something, to give off something like skin, shell, hair, horns), a word from the Germanic roots of English, but it is more closely related to "schism," a word of Greek derivation borrowed by Latin and then borrowed by English via Latin-based French. "Schedule" goes back to Indo European "skei(t)," which had the notion, "to cut, to cut off, to separate (from)." This gave transliterated Ancient Greek "skhĭzein," which meant "to divide, to split, to cleave." This produced the Greek noun "schéde," meaning, "a strip or a part from a sheet of papyrus." This was borrowed by Latin as "scheda," with the same meaning, but thus also, "a piece of paper." The later diminutive form was "schedula," meaning, "a piece or strip of paper;" thus also, "a note, a piece of paper with writing, leaflet." This passed into Latin-based Old French as "cedule" (also by some as "sedule?") with the same meanings. English borrowed the word in the latter part of the 1300s as "sedule/cedule," but about a hundred years later Latin influence made the spelling "schedule," later followed by the pronunciation as if "shed-yule," but then in the 1800s, the influence of Noah Webster in the United States saw American pronunciation change to as if "sked-yule," which took the pronunciation back to its Greek roots. The main modern meaning of "a timetable" originated in the mid 1800s for trains, but broadened in meaning thereafter. Also, the idea of "slips or strips of paper with writing" provided the basis of such pieces of paper being attached to official documents, now mainly used in U.S. income tax documents. The mid 1800s saw the development of the verb form from the noun and meaning, "to make a travel plan," "to set up an appointment." By the way, German also borrowed the word, which is now "Zettel," largely from Italian "cedola," but my guess is also with some French influence. In German it means "a small piece or slip of paper, a note or message, a label," and in some cases, "a publicly posted notice or leaflet."     

Spanish Poor Man's Potatoes: Patatas a lo Pobre

This Spanish dish is from the Andalusia region of southern Spain. The capital of the region is Seville. You can use two medium to large potatoes or 6 small potatoes. When I made the potatoes for this article, I used 6 small red skin potatoes, which I washed well and then dried; thus, I left the skins on. You don't want to really "fry" the potatoes in the olive oil, in the sense of making them crispy, but rather you are cooking the potatoes through and thus softening them, and lightly browning some of them. The Spanish name of the dish literally means "potatoes of the poor," but the common English translation is "poor man's potatoes," because the ingredients are basic, although in more modern times the dish is eaten by Spanish people from all income levels of society. Add a fried egg or two and the dish is a great lunch, and don't forget some good bread.  

 

Ingredients:

 

2 large/medium potatoes, peeled and sliced into about 1/4 inch thick slices (you can leave the skins on, if you've washed the potatoes well)

1/2 cup chopped onion (red or white)

1/2 green bell pepper, cut into strips

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips

3 garlic cloves, peeled and "crushed"

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt

1/2 to 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

garnish with cilantro, parsley or chives  

In a skillet (nonstick or cast iron, about 10 inch diameter) over medium heat, add enough extra virgin olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan by about 1/4 inch. When the oil is hot, add the potato slices. Use a turner or a spatula to turn and to move the potatoes around, as the object here is not to make crispy fried potatoes. When the potatoes are about half cooked (softening, but still very firm), add the onion, green and red bell pepper and garlic. Keep turning and moving the ingredients regularly until everything softens. Season with salt and pepper. Use a slotted spoon or turner to remove the ingredients from the skillet and to allow the oil to drain off, although I must admit I like to leave some of the oil and to then use some good bread to sop up the flavorful extra virgin olive oil (see photos below). Garnish with some chopped cilantro, parsley or chives. Serve as an appetizer or a side dish, or fry an egg or two and serve as a lunch dish.

 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Sup (Super)-English has more than one word of this spelling, although they are related; indeed, the various relatives in English and in the other Germanic languages are rather difficult to separate out from one another. First, "sup," a verb form meaning, "to take food or drink into the mouth in small amounts." It is related to "sip," a word from Germanic, and likely an original English word (there were close forms in Old English/Anglo-Saxon), although "perhaps" borrowed in "sip's" form and meaning from close English relative, Low German. It is also related to "soak," "suck" and "sop," all words from the Germanic roots of English. Further, it is related to "soup," with Latin having borrowed a basic form from Germanic, and eventually borrowed by English via Latin-based French (keep reading). "Sup" goes back to Indo European "su/sewe," which meant, "to take in liquid," which developed the extended form "sub/sup." This gave Old Germanic the verb "supanan," meaning, "to drink, to take in liquid, to sip, to gulp." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "supan" ("suppan" Northumbrian dialect?) meaning, "to take in liquid, to drink, to taste." This then became "suppen" (then "supp?") before the modern version. Other Germanic relatives: German "saufen" ^ ("to drink," used properly of animals, but also, "to drink alcohol in excess;" that is, "to guzzle;" not uncommon to hear something jokingly like, "Trinkt dein Onkel Alkohol?" Then the answer: "Nein, er trinkt nicht, er säuft." ("Does your uncle drink alcohol?" "No, he doesn't drink, he guzzles." Low German Saxon has "supen" ("to drink lots of alcohol"), Dutch "zuipen" ("to booze, to guzzle alcohol"), Icelandic "súpa" ("to drink," seems little used now?), Swedish "supa" ("to drink alcohol to excess"). Remember, in most cases the original meaning was, as in English, "to drink or take in liquid," but the "drink alcohol to excess" meaning later became the dominant meaning in the Germanic languages, and often the original meaning grew to be little used. The other verb "sup," meaning, "to eat the evening meal," is closely related to "soup." It goes back to the same Indo European and Old Germanic forms as the first verb "sup." Latin borrowed a form from one of the Germanic tribes (Lombardic? Gothic?) as "suppa," meaning, "broth, bread soaked in broth." This passed to Latin-based French as "sope," then "soupe." Broth was a common nighttime food, and the word "sope" provided the basis for "soper," which meant "late evening meal." Unclear to me if "soper," the noun, came first, and provided the basis for "soper," the verb, "to eat a late evening meal," or rather the other way around; in which case, the noun is likely simply the use of the infinitive as a noun. In any case, the form "super" was the form among the Normans and their descendants in England and English borrowed the word in the mid 1200s and it became "supper," "the last meal of the day," and the verb form "to eat the last meal of the day." This was shortened to become the verb "sup." Not everyone in English speaking areas will likely agree to exactly what "supper" means. When I was growing up, people in our neighborhood would have defined "supper" as "a relatively large serving of food eaten in the late afternoon or early evening," after the arrival of the family worker or workers (certainly in those times typically seen as the husband/father). "Dinner" was not a common term in my neighborhood in that same sense. Other Americans, however, called such a meal "dinner," and they rarely use the word "supper." Some perhaps see "dinner" as being at least a little more formal meal. In the famous television comedy series "All In The Family," when Archie Bunker would get home from work, he was always after his wife Edith to, "get supper on the table." In the 1962 British film "The Phantom of the Opera," in this film set in London,^^ one of the characters says something to the effect of having "dinner," and "then later, we may have some supper."           

^ A sound shift in the high dialects of German brought a change to "f" from "p." Modern standard German "saufen" was once spelled "sufan," and then "sufen." By the way, in German, a "Säufer" is "a drunk, an alcoholic."

^^ For the article about this film, here is the link: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-phantom-of-opera-1962.html

Indian Potato and Cheese Patties: Aloo Paneer Tikki

Paneer is a fresh white cheese common in the regions of the Indian subcontinent. It is relatively dry and compressed, and it doesn't melt. Paneer is also referred to as "cottage cheese" by some people from the Indian subcontinent. Paneer looks a lot like feta cheese, and indeed, it is often crumbled for use, as is feta cheese. It can easily be found in Indian/Pakistani grocery stores, and also it is sold in many cheese shops. As with many food items from around the world, paneer was once a rarity, but it is now a product much more easily found, although it's been pretty well known in the UK for a longer period of time, because of the relationship between the UK and some of the countries of the Indian subcontinent having been part of India when it was a British colony. You can certainly use dry cottage cheese as a substitute, although it isn't quite as available as it once was. It usually comes in containers just like regular cottage cheese (some may also come compressed into cakes, just like feta and paneer), but it is "dry;" that is, it doesn't have the milky liquid that regular cottage cheese has. The potato and cheese patties are easy to make, with the only possible "hitch" being the spice blends. Spice mixes, like garam masala, have become pretty easily available in the U.S. and other parts of the world. Garam masala is simply a spice mixture, and in the Indian subcontinent there isn't just one recipe for garam masala, but rather many families have their own homemade versions. It is not really the same as curry powder, another type of spice mixture, but with turmeric being a prominent ingredient. You can easily find garam masala in supermarkets, spice shops and Indian/Pakistani grocery stores. Chaat masala is another spice blend and it may well be a little more difficult to find, although if you live near an Indian/Pakistani grocery, you should have have no trouble. Also some supermarkets may have it; otherwise, you can use the spices I've listed in the recipe below, although you likely don't have dried mango powder, which adds tartness, but there is such a small amount in chaat masala, it's best just to skip the dried mango powder. Just a note, if you use the individual spices in of the garam masala and chaat masala spice mixtures, be sure to use all of the spices I've listed for both (except the dried mango powder, as noted above), even though you'll need to use some spices twice, as they are in both. So there is no confusion here, in the Indian subcontinent, "chili powder" means types of hot red chilies ground into powder, and it is always hot to some degree, but in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and perhaps countries influenced by these countries, "chili powder" typically is ground chilies, but it is not especially "hot," unless stated as such. In the U.S., the main use for chili powder is to make the famous stew called "chili/chile (con carne)." When I was a kid, the term "chili con carne" was often heard, but then it was often shortened to just "chili/chile," and you may well see both spellings, although in the UK you'll likely see it spelled "chilli." While chili powder in the Indian subcontinent always has a degree of heat, some people use Kashmiri chili powder for these patties, and it is less intense with the heat, but it is nice and red; so, if you have Kashmiri chili powder, give it a try in these patties, or you can use some cayenne pepper mixed with sweet paprika as a substitute (bright red paprika, if you have it).     

You can do these patties one of two ways: first, you can make the potato mixture, and then make the paneer filling. Form the potato mixture into golf ball sized rounds and then flatten the rounds into patties. Then put a "depression" in the middle of the patties and take small amounts of the paneer filling and roll them into rounds of about 1/4 to 1/3 the size of the potato patties. Put the fillings into the depressions and then close and seal the fillings by again forming rounds and then once again press the rounds lightly to form patties. Second, and much easier, and the recipe below, you can mix the paneer and all of the ingredients together, and then simply form patties for frying. These potato and cheese patties can be habit forming!  

 

Ingredients:  

1 very large potato or 2 medium potatoes

1 or 2 green chilies (fresh jalapeños are good), finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground ginger

3 1/2 teaspoons garam masala, or substitute: good pinch black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, pinch ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, pinch nutmeg

1 teaspoon chaat masala, or substitute: 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, pinch of dried ground mango powder

1 teaspoon ground red pepper (like cayenne, or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne + 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika)

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 pound paneer 

1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons cornstarch (called "cornflour" in India)

(optional) good pinch black salt*

3/4 to 1 teaspoon salt

2 or 3 tablespoons chopped coriander

3 or 4 tablespoons vegetable oil + more if needed

 

Boil the potatoes in their skins until just tender (not totally soft and mushy!), drain them and let them cool until you can handle them. Remove the skins and grate the potatoes into a bowl. Then grate or finely chopped the paneer into the bowl. Add the finely chopped chili pepper(s), ground ginger, the spice mixes or the individual spices, the ground red pepper, ground turmeric, cornstarch, black salt (if using), regular salt and chopped coriander. Mix very well, preferably by hand. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Roll the mixture into golf ball size rounds, then press them into patties. Fry the patties until golden brown on both sides (they should be somewhat crispy on the outside, but still soft inside). Serve with ketchup, mint chutney** or coriander chutney.***  

* Indian black salt, which tends to be more pink or purplish in color, has a sulfur (British English: sulphur) content. It is fairly commonly used in the cooking of the Indian subcontinent. Indian black salt is available in "some" supermarkets, "some" herb and spice shops, Asian shops or Indian/Pakistani product shops, as well as online, but it is becoming more available in many markets and supermarkets. Hawaiian black salt has charcoal mixed in. Both Hawaiian and Indian black salts are believed by some to have health benefits.

 

** This is the link to my recipe for mint chutney: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/07/indian-mint-chutney.html 

 

*** This is the link to my recipe for coriander chutney:  https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2018/10/indian-coriander-chutney.html

 

WORD HISTORY:

Stack-This word is related to "stake," the noun meaning "pointed piece of wood," a word from the Germanic roots of English, and it is also related to both "attach" and "attack," with "attach" being borrowed by English from French, after French had gotten the basic word from Germanic Frankish. "Attack" is from the same Old Germanic source, and it too was borrowed by English from French, but French seems to have gotten it from Italian.^ "Stack" goes back to Indo European "steg/stek," which meant "pole, stake, stick, post." The Old Germanic offshoot was "stakon," with the same meaning, and its Old Norse offspring was "stakkr," which meant "haystack," a meaning "perhaps" derived from the idea of stakes being used as measuring devices?^^ English borrowed the word from Old Norse^^^ circa 1300 as "stacke," but the ending 'e' was later dropped, and the meaning expanded beyond hay to include just about any items placed in a pile or heap, with more common usage for objects that easily fit one on top of the other, like books or dinner plates. The verb was derived from the noun about one hundred years later, initially meaning, "to put hay into a heap," then expanded "to pile items one atop the other." The first half of the 1800s seems to have seen the first usage of "stack the deck in card games," meaning "to deliberately arrange the cards of a deck improperly to benefit one player" (later expanded beyond card games). Relatives in some other Germanic languages: Danish has "stak," meaning, "stack, line or row of items;" Norwegian has "stakk," as part of "høystakk" ("haystack"), and also "stakk," a computer data storage term; Swedish has "stack" meaning, "pile or heap of something," also, "an anthill;" and Icelandic has "stakkur," meaning, "stack, pile."  

 

^ The somewhat confusing history of the closely related words "attach" and "attack" are in the "Word History" of this article: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2011/03/german-question-part-eighty-six.html   

 

^^ There are also forms in Slavic languages, as for example, transliterated Russian has "stog" ("haystack") and Polish has "stóg" (stack, haystack).    

 

^^^ Old Norse was a language from the North Germanic branch of the Germanic languages. Its most prominent descendants are Danish, Faroese, Icelandic, Norwegian and Swedish.