Succotash

From what is known, succotash is a dish originally given to English settlers by the Native people of what became Massachusetts. Interestingly, while succotash came from New England, the dish found a devoted following in the southern part of the United States, although its cheap ingredients, and the availability of those ingredients, made succotash a "go to dish" in bad economic conditions all over the country, especially during the Great Depression. When I was a kid, succotash was pretty common, but that's not surprising, because those of us who grew up in the 1950s and 1960s were the children and grandchildren of those who survived the Great Depression and the rationing of World War Two; plus, we grew up with Warner Bros cartoon characters (Looney Tunes) saying, "Sufferin' succotash!"

 

Over the centuries, although especially before many foods were processed in ways to make them easier to prepare and consume, "msickquatash," the Algonquin from which English developed "succotash," was much more of a stew prepared by the Native and Colonial people with dried corn, dried beans and squash. Over time, Americans began to use lima beans, besides corn and other vegetables they had on hand, like "bell peppers" (red, yellow or green), and/or tomatoes (during the growing season). Preparation of this stew took more time to cook, but of course, when canned, and then frozen, vegetables became common, the preparation time dropped significantly. To me, from back when I was a kid, up until the time I began checking around about succotash, because I wanted to do an article about it, succotash was simply corn and lima beans. I wouldn't be surprised if other people have had the same belief. I must admit, I don't know of any special seasonings my mother or my grandmothers used, and I think they just used butter or margarine and some salt and pepper. Butter was something used for special occasions, if even then, by many people during the Great Depression; thus, margarine was likely used by average families, which certainly fit in with succotash being popular in hard times. Bacon, salt pork or ham hocks served as the meat part of a meal, as they were all cheap in those times.   

        

Succotash 

1 1/2 cups corn

1 cup dried cranberry beans

2 cups pumpkin, acorn squash or butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 to 2 inch chunks

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons salt (divided use)

1 bay leaf

water

2 tablespoons olive oil + 2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

The evening before cooking: rinse the dried beans under cold water, then put the beans into a bowl or pan and cover with fresh cool water (add enough water to go about 1 inch or so over the beans). Pick out any beans that are bad. Cover the bowl/pan with plastic wrap or a lid and let the beans sit about 15 to 18 hours. The next day, drain the beans and put them into a pan with 4 to 4 1/2 cups of fresh water, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 bay leaf. Bring to beans to a boil, then adjust the heat to maintain a steady simmer and cook for 1 hour; check to determine that the beans are tender. For the pumpkin/squash: put the pumpkin/squash chunks into a pan and cover with fresh water; add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil and then adjust the heat to maintain a steady simmer; simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pumpkin/squash are tender. Remove from the heat and drain.To a pan over medium heat, add the butter and oil. When the butter melts into the oil, add the garlic and let saute for about one minute, then add the corn, beans and pumpkin/squash. Season with pepper. Let cook 3 to 4 minutes, and serve.

 

Succotash and some cottage ham ...

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Thresh (thrash)-"Thresh" is related to "throw" and to "thread," both from the Germanic roots of English, and it is distantly related to "turn" and to "trauma," both words being of Greek origin, then borrowed by Latin, with "turn" borrowed by English from French, and "trauma" borrowed directly from Latin. "Thresh" goes back to Indo European "ter(e)," which had the meanings of "to rub, to twist, to turn." This gave Old Germanic "þreskanan" (þ=th), meaning "to separate seeds/grains from stalks/husks by beating or tramping on them." This gave Old English "þrescan/þerscan," by dialect, and the change of place of the "r" and "e, in the one version (this also happened in some other Germanic languages). These then became "thresshen," "threschen," "thrasschen," before "thresh" and the variant "thrash" (thrash is from the last quarter of the 1500s). The figurative use of the verb (as the "thrash" spelling) for "to beat someone severely," is from circa 1625, and the figurative noun use of "thrashing" for "a terrible beating" is from circa 1845. Relatives in the other Germanic languages: German has "dreschen," Low German "dröschen" and ", döschen," with the 'r' having died out, West Frisian "terskje," Dutch "dorsen" (once spelled "derschen"), Danish "tærske," Norwegian "treskja" and "treske," Swedish "tröska" and Icelandic "þreskja" (þ=th), all with the general meaning of "to thresh grains."

German Pumpkin or Squash in Vinegar: Essigkürbis

Kürbis is the German word for squash, generally, but also for pumpkin, a specific kind of squash, and also for "gourd" (see Word History, below). This preparation is called "Kürbis in Essig" (Pumpkin/Squash in Vinegar), or as is common in German, the two words are simply combined into one as, "Essigkürbis." "Essig" means vinegar, and "Essig" is a word German borrowed from Latin and it is a relative of English "acid," also a borrowing, the older forms of which in English were "æced" and "eced," and like with their German relative, they both meant "vinegar" (vinegar is also a borrowed word in English). This "pumpkin/squash in vinegar" is also termed "eingelegter Kürbis," which means "pickled or preserved pumpkin/squash." *

This pumpkin or squash is typically put into sterilized glass jars or stoneware crocks that can be sealed and kept on the shelf in a cool place for later use, but I didn't do this, as I made just enough to use now and within a short period of time. You can always adjust the recipe for a larger amount, but I kept it for a relatively small amount. The produce stands I buy from were out of actual pumpkin, but they did have acorn squash, so I bought and used a large acorn squash (it gave me about 5 1/2 cups of bite-sized chunks, and it does cook down somewhat). Good as an accompaniment to roasted pork or game, but also good with pork schnitzel and fried potatoes (German: Bratkartoffeln).   

Ingredients:

5 to 6 cups bite-size chunks of pumpkin or squash (acorn or butternut squash)
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup water 
1/2 cup sugar (or to taste)
3 to 4 inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped
5 whole cloves
5 black peppercorns, crushed (not obliterated, just crushed a little so that they release their flavor easily, or use the largest grind setting on a pepper mill)
1 cinnamon stick
peel of 1/2 lemon
(optional, for those who like some 'heat,' 1 or 2 whole hot red chilies, dried or fresh)** 

Peel the pumpkin or squash and remove the seeds. Cut it into bite-size pieces. In a sauce pan over medium heat, bring the squash, white wine vinegar, water, sugar, cloves, crushed black peppercorns, cinnamon stick, lemon peel and ginger (the chilies too, if using) to a simmer. Cook until the squash softens some, but is not mushy. Let the squash cool and then put it and the brine mixture into a non-reactive dish (I used a small glass casserole dish). Remember, vinegar can literally eat into metal containers or pans, releasing the metal into the food, and then making you sick. Give the squash a minimum of a few hours in the refrigerator before serving, but it will be even better the next day.    

* "Eingelegt(er)" is from the compound verb "einlegen," which has a number of meanings, including its literal meaning, "(to) inlay" (legen is a close relative of English "lay," which was once also spelled with a "g," or even a double "g" by some), or "(to) insert," but in this case the meaning likely refers to "infusing with the pickling solution."   

** German foods and "hot and spicy" are not typically used in the same sentence, but I have seen German recipes for this squash with chilies included, so I made it optional. While I like spicy food, I did not include the chilies when I made this squash. 

 The top photo shows actual pumpkin, while the bottom photo is of acorn squash ...

WORD HISTORY:
Gourd-The ultimate origin of this word is unknown, although it is likely related in some way to "cucumber." It's history is a bit shaky. It goes back to Latin "cucurbita," which meant "gourd" (hollowed out gourds were used as containers for liquids), but where Latin got this word is not known, although it has long been "suspected" to have come from some non-Indo European language of the eastern Mediterranean. The ancestor of "cucumber" is Latin "cucumis," and the origin of this word is also unknown, but it is "suspected" to be from the same or related source as "cucurbita," as the similarity of the two words, and the similarity in the plant types and plant fruits sure seem to connect them as relatives. Anyway, Latin "cucurbita," "perhaps" with a shortened spoken Latin form "curbita," gave Old French "coorde," which also meant "gourd." This was "gourde" in the Norman dialect carried to England and it was borrowed by English in the late 1200s. The Latin form "curbita," perhaps in some dialectal form, was borrowed into some West Germanic languages, including Old English (Anglo-Saxon), which had "cyrfet," which meant "gourd." Middle Low German had "körves,"Middle Dutch had "corbes," and Old High German had "kurbiʒ" (the "ʒ" represents the sound "zh" present in a number of English words, including "usual" (uʒual), which became modern German "Kürbis," all meaning "gourd." The German word later came to also be applied to pumpkins and other squash, which came into more widespread use in Europe after they began to arrive from the New World.       

Game Hen with Herbed Rice & Squash

In place of acorn squash, you could also use some cut up pumpkin or butternut squash. Make sure to use a pan or baking dish that is large enough to hold the ingredients, as the rice will naturally expand as it cooks.

Ingredients:

2 Cornish hens, each rubbed with olive oil, sprinkled with salt,  black pepper and dried sage leaves
1 acorn squash, peeled, seeded and chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
4 scallions, chopped (with some of the green)
1 cup rice
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
10 to 12 fresh sage leaves, torn or chopped
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 300 F. In a baking dish or pan, put the rice, the acorn squash, the chopped garlic, the chopped scallions, the sage leaves, the thyme, the black pepper and the vegetable broth. Mix the seasonings in throughout the rice. Rub the olive oil on the Cornish hens and add the seasonings to the hens, as given in the ingredients, above. Place the hens on top of the rice/squash mixture. Place in the oven, uncovered. Bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until the rice and squash are tender. If the liquid is absorbed, but the rice is not quite done, you can add a little more broth, or even a little water. Carefully remove the hens from the top of the rice and squash, then stir the rice a little to mix in the juices from the cooked hens.

Click to enlarge the photo...

WORD HISTORY:
Acre-This word goes back to Indo European "agerh," which had the idea "open land, field," but also, "forest land." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "akraz," which meant, "field." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "æcer," meaning, "field, land sown with seed to produce food, tilled land, a measurement of land that could be tilled in a day." This then became "aker," then "acre" (by influence of the French spelling),^ and eventually it took on the most prominent and specific measurement meaning, "4840 square yards of land." Forms in the other Germanic languages: German and Low German Saxon have "Acker" (field used for farming),^^ West Frisian "eker" (field, land for farming), Dutch "akker" (field for farming), Danish "ager" (field), Icelandic "akur" (field), Norwegian and Swedish "åker" (field typically used for farming).

^ Old French borrowed the word from Old Norse "akr," with reinforcement by Old English "æcer."

^^ Just as its English cousin, German also used the word for a specific measurement of land, although that is not its primary meaning in modern times. 

Acorn or Butternut Squash & Sage Tart

This was my own idea, so if anything goes wrong, blame someone else. That may not sound right, but I'll get Sarah Huckabee Sanders to explain it to you later. I used an acorn squash about the size of a softball. Actually... I checked and found that the diameter of a softball is typically 3.8 inches or 9.65 centimeters. Just before I put the squash mix into the pie shell, I had a brilliant, very brilliant, idea. I'll have Sarah Huckabee Sanders explain how brilliant I am later and she'll tell you with a totally straight face. That girl can lie without batting an eye. Anyway, I added some mushrooms to the ingredients. You can use whatever you have, but use only one portabello (also spelled, "portobello") mushroom, as they are so big. I happened to have a few shiitake mushrooms, so I used those.    


Ingredients:

1 acorn or butternut squash
1  9 inch pie shell
about 10 fresh sage leaves, torn into 3 pieces
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
3 mushroom caps, chopped 
pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 egg, beaten

First, heat the oven to 325 F. Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Place the squash cut side down in a shallow ovenproof pan or on a baking sheet (foil or parchment paper lined makes for easier clean up). Bake for about 1 hour, or until a knife or fork can be easily inserted into each half. Scoop out the flesh of the squash into a bowl and let it cool a bit. Put the pie shell into your preheated 375 F oven for about 6 or 8 minutes, just to firm it up. Mash the squash flesh and then add the sage leaves, the dried sage, the chopped mushrooms, the cayenne, the salt, the pepper, the flour, the cream and the beaten egg. Mix very well with a large spoon. The mixture should be very thick. Fill the pie shell with the squash mixture and bake it for approximately 45 minutes, but check it at the 30 minute mark. The tart can be served warm or cold.

WORD HISTORY: 
Squash-English has more than one word of this spelling, but this is the noun for the general name of the vegetable, of which there are a number of varieties. This is a shortening of a compound word, "askutasquash," from Narragansett, a language of the Algonquian languages of North America.^ The word meant, "thing eaten raw," with the "askut" part meaning, "green;" thus also, "raw," and  "asquash" meaning, "eaten."   

^ Some of the best known other members of this language family are Shawnee, Cheyenne, Cree and Arapaho, but there are many others. 

Spicy Squash Soup

Recently I saw the basic recipe for this dish online, although I don't recall just where, at that time. I later found the original article (see below). The word "spiced," along with a nice picture, really caught my attention, as I tend to like spicy food. While this would typically be thought of as a fall (autumn) dish, soup is really good at any time of year, in my opinion, although butternut squash is not always easily obtained at just any time of year. But with foods now available from all over the globe, produce once limited to certain seasons, can now be enjoyed at other times of year. I found the butternut squash I used for this soup at the supermarket right up the street. This is my adaptation (there are some differences) from the recipe in the Daily Telegraph, London, November 22, 2014, by Stevie Parle: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/11245424/Spiced-squash-soup-with-sage-and-chilli-butter-recipe.html

INGREDIENTS (6 servings)
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium red onions, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
about a 2 to 2/1/2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks (or you could use like acorn squash in the equivalent amount)
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained 
1 habanero chili, seeded and chopped (if you're daring), or 1 serrano chili or jalapeno chili, seeded and chopped *
1 quart (32 fluid oz.) chicken or vegetable stock
6 oz. crème fraiche, sour cream (regular, reduced fat or non fat) or plain yogurt (use half for the soup and divide the other half to provide a dollop for each serving)**

TO SERVE
2 oz. butter
fresh sage leaves, which are also available in supermarkets. Allow about 3 leaves per serving.

Heat the oil in a deep heavy pan over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, garlic and the salt, cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg and pepper and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the squash and tomatoes, stir well. Add the stock, bring to a simmer, and simmer for about 45 minutes until the squash is very tender. Pour into a food processor or use your motor boat motor (immersion stick blender) and process until smooth, or you can leave it a little chunky, if you like. Add the crème fraiche, sour cream or yogurt and stir well. Melt the butter in a small skillet and add the sage leaves. Sauté lightly until a bit on the crisp side. Dish the soup into serving bowls, add a dollop of crème fraiche, add a few of drops of melted butter and place the sage leaves around on top.

* You can make the soup as spicy hot as you want, but remember, it is a good deal of soup, and one jalapeno or serrano chili will not likely give you too much heat. I used one habanero, which gave the soup a nice kick, but it didn't overwhelm the taste with heat.

** I used homemade crème fraiche, which is slightly less tangy than sour cream, and which is easy to make: in a glass jar (with lid), add one cup of heavy cream and 3 tablespoons of buttermilk. Put the lid on and shake the hel... ahh, devil out of it. Remove the lid and place a paper towel on top, even folded is fine. Just sit the lid on top to hold the paper towel in place and let the mixture sit at room temperature, assuming you don't live in an igloo, or in the middle of Death Valley, until the mixture thickens up. Stir, put the lid on and refrigerate until cold, before using.

                                      
WORD HISTORY:
Sage-English has two words of this spelling, which apparently are unrelated. This is the name of the herb plant, which is related to both "safe" and to "solid." It goes back to Indo European "solw," which had the notion, "whole, well, uninjured." This gave its Latin offspring "salvus," which meant "whole, safe;" thus also, "well, healthy." This produced, "salvia," the Latin name for a plant thought to provide "health benefits," and this gave Old French, a Latin-based language, "sauge," which was borrowed into English as "sage" in the 1300s.