Scallops & Polenta with Herbs

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

 

Ingredients (4 servings):

 

24 large sea scallops

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

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

1/2 teaspoon sweet Spanish paprika (smoked)

4  tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons lemon juice

For the polenta:

1 cup quick cooking polenta (also called instant)

2 1/2 cups milk

1 1/3 cup water (more if needed)

2 tablespoons butter

3  tablespoons heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1 heaping tablespoon fresh sage leaves, chopped

1 heaping tablespoon parsley or cilantro, chopped

 

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

 

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

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

 

WORD HISTORY:

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

Apple & Celeriac Soup

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

Ingredients:

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

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

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

Scalloped Celeriac & Potatoes

"Celeriac" is also called "celery root" by some, and it looks absolutely awful. If you want to scare someone on Halloween, go out dressed like a bulb of celeriac. Celeriac has a mild taste of celery and it's great in a dish like this. This is a gratin; that is, it has a bit of a crispy topping to it (see "Word History"). 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup celeriac, peeled and sliced or chopped
1 large potato, peeled and sliced
1 medium onion, chopped (don't leave big pieces, they take longer to cook)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons (approximately) butter or oil to grease the dish
1 1/4 cup shredded or chopped cheddar cheese or sharp American cheese
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2/3 cup chicken broth
1 can evaporated milk (12 ounce)
1/2 to 2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 to 3 tablespoons butter to top

In a sauce pan over low heat, add the butter and oil. Melt the butter and then gradually whisk in the flour until it forms a roux or paste. Now gradually add the chicken broth, whisking constantly until the broth has been completely added and it is combined and smooth. Now gradually add the milk in the same way, until it too is combined and smooth. Heat the oven to 400 F. In a bowl, mix together the celeriac, potato, onion, garlic, thyme, celery salt, black pepper and chopped parsley. Use some oil or butter to grease a baking dish, then add about half of the celeriac/potato mixture to the baking dish. Pour half of the milk/chicken broth sauce over the celeriac/potato mixture. Add the rest of the celeriac/potato mixture, and then add the rest of the sauce. Lightly shake the dish to make sure the contents settle. Scatter the cheese over the top, then sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the cheese. Cut the butter into small portions and scatter it over the top. Put the lid or aluminum foil over the dish. Bake at 400 degrees (F) for 45 minutes covered, then about 20 to 30 minutes uncovered, or until the potatoes and celeriac are tender, and the topping is somewhat crispy. (NOTE: You can place the dish under the broiler briefly at the end to crisp up the topping, too, but be careful that it doesn't burn; it will need your constant attention.)

WORD HISTORY:
Grate (Gratin)-These words are closely related, going back to Indo European "gred/gret," with the meaning, "to scratch, to scrape." This gave Old Germanic "krattojanan," also meaning, "to scratch, to scrape," and this gave Frankish, a Germanic dialect of western Europe, "kratton," with the same meaning. This was absorbed by Old French, a Latin-based, but Germanic influenced language, as "grat(t)er," with the meaning, "to scrape, to scratch away, to rub or scrape away;" thus, "eradicate;" thus too, "destroy." This was borrowed by English as "grate" ("to scratch, to rub vigorously") in the latter 1300s.^ French also had "gratin," a noun for "crust" ("that which is scraped onto the top of food to form a top crust;" the word "seemingly" formed in the late 1500s?), which was borrowed by English, or at least popularized in English, circa 1800. "Grate" and "gratin"  are examples of  words of Germanic origin that were borrowed into other Germanic languages from a non Germanic-based language; in this case, French. I could not find a word in Old English that was a relative of "grate," or more precisely, Frankish "kratton," although there may have been one that was unrecorded (the common people usually could not read nor write) or that died out, but it seems strange to me, as other Germanic languages had forms. Back then, English used a number of words to say "scratch" or "scrape," including "screpan," which became modern "scrape."   

^ English also has the noun "grate," used for "a grill, a stove or a fireplace," or "a series of crisscrossed bars or strips (usually metal), used as a covering," but it is from a different source (I'll cover this word soon).    

Beef Heart with Dressing

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

Ingredients:

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

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

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

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


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

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

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. 

Herb Cream Cheese Filled Peppers

These are great as an appetizer, or even as a snack, and they are simple to make, especially if you use store bought "whipped" cream cheese. I buy the one pound packages of multi-colored mini sweet peppers, which have red, orange and yellow peppers.

Ingredients (I use two different filling mixtures, see below):

1 pound package of multi-colored sweet peppers
2 eight ounce containers of "whipped" cream cheese  (reduced fat is fine)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped (coarsely or finely)
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
3 tablespoons fresh sage leaves OR fresh basil leaves (chopped or torn into smaller pieces)
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon seasoned salt (1/2 teaspoon for each mixture)
 
First, rinse the peppers well, then dry them. Cut off the stem tops, cut the peppers in half and remove and discard the seeds. Set the pepper halves aside.
Take one of the 8 ounce containers of whipped cream cheese and stir in 2 cloves of minced garlic, the red onion, the rosemary, the thyme, the white pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of seasoned salt.
Take the other 8 ounce container of whipped cream cheese and stir in 2 cloves of minced garlic, the sage leaves (or basil leaves), the black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of seasoned salt.
Fill some of the sweet pepper halves with the first mixture, then fill the remaining pepper halves with the second mixture. Cover the filled peppers with plastic wrap and chill, or serve them up straight away, but of course, without the plastic wrap. Trust me, I've tried it, and yuk, too chewy.
  

WORD HISTORY:
Full (Fill)-The word "full," as an adjective, seems to be the original word from which the noun "full" and the verb "fill" were derived. It is distantly related to "plenty." It goes back to Indo European "pel/pleh," which had the notion of "sufficient, full, enough, complete." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "fullaz," with the same meanings, and as was often the case, Indo European "p" became an "f" sound in Old Germanic. This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "full," meaning "complete, whole, filled." The Old Germanic form spawned the noun form, "fulli," meaning "full, complete/whole, sufficient." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "fyllu," which meant "filled up, sated." This later became "fulle," before the modern form. The Old Germanic form produced the verb form "fullijanan," meaning, "to fill up, to make full, to make enough/complete." This then gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "fyllan," meaning the same. This then became "fillen," before the modern form "fill." Besides the English forms, forms are common throughout the other Germanic languages:
German has "voll" (adjective, "full," the "v" is pronounced "f"), "gefüllt" (adjective, "filled, stuffed"), "Fülle" (noun, "fullness, abundance, wealth"), "füllen" (verb, "to fill"); Low German Saxon "vull" (adj), vüllen" (verb); West Frisian "fol" (adj), "folje" (verb); Dutch "vol" (adj), vullen (verb); Danish "fuld" (adj), "fylde" (noun, "abundance")  "fylde" (verb, same spelling as noun); Icelandic "fullur" (adj), "fylling" (noun), "fylla" (verb); Norwegian "full" (adj), "fylde" (noun, "fullness"), "fylle" (verb); Swedish "full" (adj), "fylle" (noun), "fylla" (verb).   

Roasted Beets

I had never had roasted beets until I made them recently. I LOVED them! I kind of think, when many people hear the word "beets," they think of pickled beets, with some sort of vinegar brine used. I simply used the recipe below, and that was how I ate the beets (OK, I didn't eat the baking sheet or the aluminum foil, but it wasn't because I didn't try).

Ingredients:

2 large beets, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme
baking sheet and aluminum foil

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Put a large sheet of aluminum foil on the baking sheet. Spread the sliced beets on the foil, drizzle the olive oil over the beets, then work the beets around to coat all slices with the oil. Sprinkle the salt over the beets and lay the thyme sprigs on top. Pull the foil up around the beets to form an enclosed pouch. Roast the beets for about an hour, carefully open the pouch and use a fork to see if the beets are tender, if not, re-close the pouch and allow another 10 to 15 minutes roasting time.

Ready for roasting, with thyme on top ...

After roasting (thyme stems removed) ....

WORD HISTORY:
Beet-This word for the bulbous part of the beet plant taproot, has an uncertain origin, but Latin had "beta." Borrowed by the West Germanic languages from Latin centuries ago, as Old English had "bete," which then later became "beet," where it has remained ever since. Other Germanic languages have: German "Beete/Bete," Low German Saxon "Beet," Dutch "biet," West Frisian "byt," while Norwegian has "bete" and Swedish has "beta," both borrowings, likely from Low German, as they had much contact with Low German in the north of Germany.

The 'Thyme' Of My Life

I love herbs of all kinds, but my favorite is thyme, followed by sage and rosemary. If you aren't much of a gardener, or if you live in a situation where you don't have access to a little plot of soil to plant your own herbs, it has been fairly easy to find fresh herbs for a number of years now, as supermarkets carry them in the produce section in small plastic containers. Of course, dried herbs are good too. For some good recipes using all sorts of herbs, fresh and dried, check out: "Fresh Herb Cooking" by Linda Dannenberg, with photographs by Ellen Silverman, published by Stewart, Tabori and Chang, New York, 2001. Whether the book is still for sale, I have no idea, but it may be available from your local library.

This is my own recipe for herb butter, developed after trying various recipes over the years. It's great on chicken or beef, or just on some good bread.

2 sticks of softened butter, preferably unsalted, but the world won't stop turning if you use salted butter, but with unsalted, you can control how much salt you then want to add
3 tablespoons of fresh thyme, finely chopped
3 tablespoons of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
a pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 teaspoon of salt, if you use unsalted butter, but if you use salted butter, I wouldn't add anymore salt

You simply mix all of the ingredients together, cover the dish and let it sit out for about a half hour, then refrigerate for at least an hour, preferably a couple of hours, to allow the butter to firm up and absorb the flavors. Then, as the great Julia Child used to say, "Bony Aperteef," or whatever the hell she used to say.

Herb butter on a half roll, along side liverwurst on a half roll, some blue cheese stuffed olives (larger) and some anchovy stuffed olives and tomatoes. 

WORD HISTORY:
Thyme-This common herbal plant name, distantly related to the word "fume," goes back to the Indo European root "dhu," which had the notion of "to cause a cloud of smoke, dust, vapor." This gave its Greek offspring "thuein," meaning  "burn, burn as an offering." This produced Greek "thumon" for the plant name, as the Greeks burned it as incense. Latin borrowed the word from Greek as "thymum," and this gave Old French, a Latin based language, "thym." English then borrowed the word in the late 1300s.