English Oxford Sausages

Oxford sausages date to the 1720s in Oxford, England (where did you think it would be, Edinburgh, Scotland? haha). The usually skinless sausage became much more popular by the mid 1800s because of recipes included in various cookbooks. 

 

Ingredients:

 

1 pound ground pork

1 pound ground veal

1/4 cup shredded beef suet 

2 1/2 cups breadcrumbs

1 heaping tablespoon grated lemon peel

1/2 teaspoon ground mace

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon well crumbled dried sage leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram, crushed in the palm of your hand

1/2 teaspoon dried savory, crushed in the palm of your hand 

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1 teaspoon salt

flour to coat the sausages

 

Put all of the ingredients, except the flour, into a large bowl and mix everything together well. Let the sausage mixture sit for about 10 to 15 minutes. It's best to use a little flour on your hands, then form the the mixture into sausages (roll them between the palms of your hands). Put the sausages on a plate, cover them with some plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least six hours, but 12 hours is better. Before cooking the sausages, roll them in a little flour to coat them (shake off excess flour). You can fry, bake or grill the sausages.  

 

I had Oxford sausages with mashed potatoes ...

WORD HISTORY:

Tallow-The origins of this word are uncertain, but Old Germanic had "talga(z)," which seems to have meant not just "fat," but "firm or solidified fat," with the "firm, solidified" meaning perhaps having been the original meaning of the word, as Gothic, an ancient Germanic language of the East Germanic branch of the Germanic languages had "tulgus," meaning "firm, solid, steady." (Gothic died out completely in the 1700s, but it had been very much reduced in usage long before that.) The Old Germanic form gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "tælg," which meant "dye" (perhaps from the idea that 'dye' becomes fast in materials?). By the mid 1300s the form became a number of spellings/pronunciations, like "talugh, talgh, talwugh," and the meaning fell in line with its Germanic relatives of being "hard or solid animal fat," with the meaning "seemingly" taken from its close cousin Low German. Eventually English settled on "tallow." The verb form came about in the 1400s from the noun and meaning, "to use tallow to grease or lubicrate." Forms in the other Germanic languages: German has "Talg" (borrowed from Low German "talch" in the first part of the 1500s), Low German has "Talg" (previously "talch"), Dutch has "talk" (not pronounced as the English word of the same spelling, but more like as if, "tall-k"), West Frisian "talk," Old Norse had "tolg/talg," but this may have been borrowed from Low German. Old Norse speakers had lots of contact with Low German speakers, and influences went in both directions, and Danish, Norwegian and Swedish all have "talg," while Icelandic has "tólg/tólgur."       

Creamy Zurich Veal Pieces: Zürcher Geschnetzeltes

 Totally new "Word History" 8-24-22

Known in German as "Zürcher Geschnetzeltes,"* this dish is Swiss German, but it is far from uncommon in other German areas, including, of course, Austria and Germany. It is traditionally made with veal (usually from a hind leg), but boneless, skinless chicken breast or turkey breast and boneless pork are often used nowadays. Veal is an expensive meat, and the leg meat is commonly $15 to $20 a pound. There are some recipe variations, as for instance, some people do not use mushrooms, and others do not use paprika. "Geschnetzeltes" is traditionally served with "Rösti," Swiss fried potatoes, which Americans know as "hash browns," ** but "Spätzle" (English: "spaetzle"), common German little dumplings/pasta bits, are also a good choice.***  NOTE ON COOKING: If you use a cheaper cut of veal, you may need to cook it longer to get it tender. Making sure to cut it into thin strips certainly helps, but you can also simmer the veal separately in a pan with some oil or butter and with the chicken broth, with a lid, over low heat. Just keep checking it for tenderness. When tender, add the veal to the skillet, and reserve the cooking broth until called for in the instructions. I've done this before myself when I've used veal stew meat. Chicken breast, turkey breast or boneless pork should not pose any such similar problem.

Ingredients:

1 to 1 1/4 pound boneless veal cut into strips (or use chicken, turkey or pork)
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons flour
1/3 cup white wine
1/3 cup chicken broth 
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 cup sliced mushrooms, crimini or button 
1/2 teaspoon pepper
pinch to 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika (use Hungarian paprika for authenticity)
lemon juice/lemon slices

In a skillet, melt the butter over low heat (or you can certainly use a mixture of butter and olive oil or canola oil). Add the onion and cook for about two minutes, then add the veal. Add the mushrooms, paprika, pepper, and sprinkle the flour over the skillet ingredients and stir to mix. Cook for another couple of minutes, then gradually add the white wine and chicken broth, stirring to mix everything, which should thicken somewhat. Add the salt and stir to mix. Gradually stir in the cream until it is all mixed in. You can let everything gently simmer to cook down, if you'd like. The sauce should be somewhat thickened (if too thick, add a little more broth or wine). Serve with lemon slices on the side. 

* In the German dialect of Zurich it is "Züri Gschnätzlets."

** In the United States the potato dish is called "hash browns," and it is typically served as a "fried block of shredded potato," whereas in Switzerland, the dish is usually a round portion, from the shape of the pan. The Swiss have variations on the basic potato dish, like the addition of cheese, or onion, or other items. I often ordered Rösti at a restaurant in Wiesbaden, Germany years ago. Rösti is usually a side dish. By the way the word "Rösti" (noun) is simply a dialect form of standard German "rösten" (verb); and it is, therefore, related to English "roast." 

*** Spaetzle are also called "Knöpfle" in some German regions. To make your own "spaetzle," this article has the recipe:  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/02/spatzle-in-sour-sauce-sauer-spatzle.html
 
I made a nice big serving of "Rösti," and a kale and tomato salad for my "Zürcher Geschnetzeltes"

WORD HISTORY:   

Otter-This name for a sleek weasel-like animal that lives in or near water is related to "wet," "water" and "wash," all words from the Germanic roots of English, and it is distantly related to "vodka," a word English borrowed from Russian, and to "hydro," a word English borrowed from Greek. "Otter" goes back to Indo European "wed," meaning "water," which spawned the adjective "udros," which meant "of or relating to water," and from this came the noun "udra/udro" meaning "water animal, water creature." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "utraz" (then "otraz" in the West Germanic branch?), meaning "otter," and this gave Old English "otr/otor," which then became "otir/oter," before the modern form. The other Germanic languages have: German and Low German "Otter," West Frisian and Dutch "otter," Danish "odder," Icelandic "otur," Norwegian "oter," Swedish "utter."  

Hunter's Schnitzel (Jägerschnitzel)

This is something of a classic German dish. I've had it many times in Germany, where I would also have a "Jägermeister" * with it, ahh, for digestive purposes only, bringing the waiter or waitress to always say, "Jägerschnitzel, Jägermeister" (Hey, they thought it was funny, but I wasn't terribly impressed until my third Jägermeister, then I'd laugh like hell! hahaha)
 
Ingredients:

4 veal or pork cutlets, pounded relatively thin
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 lb mushrooms, chopped
2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil for frying
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup broth (veal or chicken)
3 strips bacon, cut into about 1 inch pieces**
1/2 cup of cream or half and half
3 tablespoons of flour + flour to coat the cutlets
salt and pepper
parsley, for garnish

Heat the oil and butter over medium heat. Season each cutlet with a little salt and pepper, then lightly flour each. Fry the cutlets until cooked through and browned on both sides. Keep the cutlets warm while you prepare the sauce in the same skillet. Reduce the heat to medium low and sauté the bacon for about 90 seconds, then add the onion and mushrooms, cook until the onion is softened. I sprinkle the flour over the bacon, onion, mushroom mixture, a little at a time, using a fork to thoroughly and quickly mix in the flour, but you can whisk the flour with the wine or broth, then add it to the skillet, stirring constantly. You can always adjust the amount of flour you add, according to how thick you like the sauce. If you sprinkle and mix the flour, then add the wine, stirring constantly, then add the broth, also stirring constantly. Add the cream or half and half, stirring well. Serve each schnitzel with sauce over it, or partially covering it, or even to the side of the schnitzel, then add a little parsley on top. Don't forget the Jägermeister, just for digestive purposes, of course.

* Jägermeister is a German "herbal" alcoholic drink, called a "digestif" (digestive), likely its original purpose, but from the 1980s on it developed an increasing popularity in the United States as a regular bar drink, often by the shot. It also became a mainstay at many parties, even spawning "Jägermeister parties." It is usually served cold. It is made from over 50 herbs and roots.

** There are a variety of recipes for Jägerschnitzel, and some people do not use bacon.

Jägerschnitzel with sliced tomatoes and Rösti, a fried potato dish from the Germans of Switzerland (about 70% of Switzerland is German), although the dish is not completely unheard of in the French and Italian parts of the country. In the United States the potato dish is called "hash browns," and is typically served as a "fried block of shredded potato," whereas in Switzerland, the dish is usually a round portion, from the shape of the pan. The Swiss have variations on the basic potato dish, like the addition of cheese, or onion, or other items. I often ordered Rösti at a restaurant in Wiesbaden, Germany years ago. Rösti is usually a side dish. By the way the word "Rösti" (noun) is simply a dialect form of standard German "rösten" (verb); and therefore related to English "roast." (See Word History below)

WORD HISTORY:
Roast-The history of this word is a bit sketchy, but it "seemingly" goes back to Indo European "reus/rews," which had the notion of "sizzle, crackle." The actual form derived from the Indo European "may" have developed in the West Germanic dialects, with a form meaning  "to cook by the fire," or  "to cook on a metal sheet or grate." That form gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "rostian," with the same basic meaning. Whether the word died out, or remained in use only among the common people in England is unclear, but French, a Latin-based language, but with much Germanic vocabulary, especially centuries ago, had "rostir" from Germanic Frankish. This certainly reinforced any such existing English word, and brought it into broader use, but it may well have reintroduced it to English in the 1300s, when the word was "rosten,'' prior to the modern form. Other forms in the Germanic languages: German "rösten" (also in limited use by Low German Saxon, but apparently a borrowing from standard German. Previously Low German had "rost"), Dutch "roosteren." I could not find a form in Frisian, nor in any of the North Germanic languages (primarily Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Swedish), thus the "possibility" of the word developing in West Germanic.

Schnitzel Holstein

Now, there is a special Schnitzel with added serving items called "Schnitzel Holstein," named after Friedrich von Holstein, a member of the German diplomatic corps in the late 1800s and very early 1900s. He was known for being a man in a hurry, and he frequented a Berlin restaurant where he had schnitzel with various appetizers. Eventually, in order to speed up the process, he had the restaurant put the appetizers right on the schnitzel and on the same plate, thus the dish was named after him. I've had Schnitzel Holstein (also known as "Schnitzel a la Holstein") numerous times, including in Germany. When I've ordered in the U.S., it was always Wiener Schnitzel with the added toppings and sides, but in Germany, I seem to recall that restaurants did not fix the veal for the dish with breadcrumbs, only lightly coating the veal in flour before frying. Anyway, I fix it by flouring the veal. Top the schnitzel with a fried egg (traditionally fried sunny side up in butter) and some capers in butter.* In addition, each plate gets two anchovy filets (often placed on top of the egg), white bread toast wedges, with one topped with smoked salmon, and one topped with a sardine in oil. In addition to the toppings and sides, it is traditionally served with fried potatoes, beets and mild dill pickles.

Ingredients:

4 veal cutlets, 4 to 5 oz. each
flour for lightly coating the cutlets
4 eggs, to be fried slowly in butter, to keep them tender
butter, for frying the veal, for frying the eggs and for the capers, about 5 tablespoons total
2 slices of white bread, toasted, then cut into quartered wedges
8 anchovy filets
4 pieces of smoked salmon
4 sardines, traditionally in oil, but in water is fine
2 tablespoons capers
2 tablespoons of oil to mix with butter for frying

It is probably best to heat your oven to about 200 degrees and use a couple of platters to keep the finished cutlets and eggs warm while the others cook (you don't want the eggs to cook further to harden the yolks, so be careful). Pound the cutlets between wax paper or plastic wrap to tenderize and thin them. Coat them lightly with flour. Heat the oil and melt two tablespoons of butter in a skillet that can hold two schnitzels at a time. Fry over medium heat until nice and brown on both sides. Meanwhile, fry the eggs in butter, over low heat, sunny side up. As the schnitzels and eggs near completion, put the bread into the toaster. Each schnitzel will get some buttered capers and an egg on top, plus two anchovies laid across the eggs. Place a sardine on 4 of the bread wedges and some smoked salmon or other smoked fish on the other 4 wedges. If that's not enough, you can always serve those fried potatoes, beets and dill pickles. That von Holstein must have had quite an appetite.

* For the capers (for 4 servings), 2 tablespoons of capers (drained), 1 tablespoon of butter. Heat ingredients together in a small skillet or pan. Spoon an equal amount over each piece of fried schnitzel.

(Photo) Schnitzel Holstein: I trimmed a bit of the egg away to show the veal schnitzel and I added a couple of capers on the egg, but the anchovy filets are clearly visible. I did not have smoked salmon, so I substituted smoked herring, and the sardine (on lower toast wedge) is in water, not oil. That is a fresh spinach salad, with warm bacon, onion and mushroom dressing. I put the salad on the plate, simply to get it into the picture easily, as it should be on a separate plate.

WORD HISTORY:
Veal-This word, distantly related to English "wether," ^ goes back to Indo European "wet," which meant "year." This gave Latin "vitulus," meaning "calf, yearling." This spawned Latin "vitellus," meaning "small or young calf." This gave Old French, a Latin-based language, "veel," which had come to mean "the meat from a calf," from the name of the animal. The word was carried to England by the Norman invaders, but it wasn't until about 1400 that it was borrowed by English as the word for "meat from a calf."

^ For the history of "wether:" http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2012/06/erased-wealth-for-some-gains-for-guess.html

Schnitzel with Creamy Mushroom Gravy (Rahmschnitzel)

German "Rahmschnitzel" is veal cutlet (or pork, or turkey) served with a cream-based mushroom gravy. "Rahm" is one of the words for "cream" in German (see the Word History, below, for the English version of the word).

Ingredients (4 servings):

4 veal cutlets, pounded relatively thin (each can be cut into a few smaller pieces if you'd like)
salt
pepper
1/4 to 1/2 cup flour
1/4 lb Crimini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered, or smaller ones halved
1/4 lb white button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered, or smaller ones halved
2 tablespoons butter + 2 tablespoons canola oil, for frying
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter, for the gravy
2 tablespoons flour, mixed with 2 tablespoons of water
1/2 cup dry white wine ( or if you prefer, veal broth)
3/4 cup heavy cream (or half and half)
parsley for garnish

Melt the butter with the oil over medium heat in a skillet. Hopefully you have a skillet which can fit two cutlets at a time, but if not, that's OK, just remove each fried cutlet to a platter in your oven, which you will need to do anyway, while you fix the remaining cutlets and then the gravy. The oven should be set at 200 degrees or a little less. Salt and pepper the cutlets, then lightly flour them on both sides. Fry the cutlets until lightly browned on both sides. When the cutlets are done, keep them warm in the oven. With the heat at medium low, add the tablespoon of butter to the skillet. Add the onion and cook for about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, stir and cook for one more minute. Stir in the flour and water mixture, stirring very well to prevent lumps. Cook another minute. Add the wine, stirring to loosen any browned bits from the skillet, and to mix all ingredients together. Add the mushrooms and cook until they are softened. Add the cream and stir well. Cook for a couple of minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened. Serve each cutlet with gravy over it, and sprinkle with a little parsley. Serve with noodles, spätzle, or my favorite, mashed potatoes, any of which should also get a dose of gravy.

Rahmschnitzel with mashed potatoes, fresh spinach and tomato, and a brown ale! WOW!

WORD HISTORY:

Ream-English has more than one word of this spelling, this word for "cream" is pretty much out of use in what I'll call "standard" English, but it is still used in some dialects of northern England and southern Scotland. To my knowledge it is not used in the U.S. at all, and "likely" not in Canada. Its ultimate origin is somewhat questionable, although it "seemingly" goes back to Indo European "reugh," which had a notion of "fatty, thickened liquid." This then gave Old Germanic "raumaz," which meant "cream." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "ream," also meaning "cream," and it then became "reme/ream," but English borrowed a form of the word that became modern "cream" from French in the 1300s, and this eventually pushed out the native word, except for some dialectal remnants today. Some forms remain in other, but not all, Germanic languages: German "Rahm," ^ Low German Saxon "Rohm," Dutch "room," Icelandic "rjómi," Norwegian "rømme" (sour cream).

^  In more modern times, "Rahm" (all German nouns are capitalized) is primarily used in Switzerland, Bavaria and Austria. The standard German word for "cream" is "Sahne," a word borrowed from French, and tracing back to Latin. There is also the word "Schmand," which means "cream" or "sour cream" in some dialects. It has an uncertain history, either coming from the Old Germanic form that gave modern English "smooth" (thus a form of which later developed a notion in German of "smooth=creamy," and then the noun form), or it was borrowed from a Slavic language or languages, a belief I tend to share. Then there is also the word "Obers" used in Bavaria and Austria, and also meaning cream. It comes from the same general Germanic roots that produced English "over," and indeed, German "ober" means "above, over, upper." The use for cream comes from the idea of "the cream rising to the top; so in the upper part of a container."

Wiener Schnitzel, Fried Veal Cutlet

Wiener Schnitzel (pronounced as if, "vee-ner shnit-zel"), is a famous fried breaded veal dish. "Wiener" is simply the German word for "Viennese," and "Schnitzel" means cutlet of meat. The Austrians likely took the recipe from Italian "Veal Milanese," although some Austrians apparently dispute that, but for whatever reason, "Wiener Schnitzel," generally speaking, became far better known internationally than the Italian version. The Habsburg rulers of Austria also controlled large areas of northern Italy for quite some time. The dish spread throughout many of the other German states, and it is a staple on many restaurant menus throughout Austria and Germany to this day. Real Wiener Schnitzel is made with veal, but it can also be made from the far less expensive pork or turkey, but it is then referred to as "Schnitzel nach Wiener Art" (Schnitzel, Viennese style). Many years ago a German friend of mine told me that in Germany the dish is always referred to as "nach Wiener Art" (Viennese style) out of respect for the famous cutlet from Vienna. Whether that is true, I really don't know, but I've had the dish in Germany many times, and I do believe it was always on the menu as "Viennese style," so perhaps he was right. For those unaware, Vienna was long the de facto capital of the old German empire, until its dissolution in 1806. The German word "Schnitzel" is not just used for "Wiener Schnitzel," as there are a number of other dishes of meat cutlets in Germany and Austria, and in other German-speaking areas. I plan to be doing recipe articles on two or three more Schnitzel recipes shortly. While the recipe for Wiener Schnitzel is simple, the high cost of veal has always made it a bit of a luxury food or special occasion dish for many. Getting the schnitzel cooked properly is the main challenge, as the meat should only be breaded right before it is fried, as once cooked, the coating should be able to be easily pulled away from the cutlet, and the meat should be cooked through and tender. Controlling the temperature of the oil/butter is essential to keep the breading from burning or darkening too much if the oil is too high, but on the other hand, if the oil temperature is too low, the breading will absorb the oil and become greasy.

Ingredients:

4 thinly sliced 4 oz. veal steaks, pounded even thinner using a kitchen mallet
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons milk (I use evaporated milk, known as "canned milk," to some, but just regular milk is fine)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups breadcrumbs (regular finely ground bread crumbs is traditional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons butter
lemon wedges

First, place some paper towels onto a platter or baking sheet. Heat your oven to no more than 200 degrees. As you fry the schnitzels, you will remove each to the platter to drain off any excess oil and to keep the schnitzels warm. Spread the flour onto a large plate, lightly beat the eggs and milk together in a shallow dish (one large enough to fit the individual pieces of schnitzel), and put the breadcrumbs into another large plate. The three dishes should be close to one another and also close to the stove. In a heavy duty skillet, heat the oil/butter mixture over medium heat for about 60 to 90 seconds. Meanwhile, lightly salt each cutlet (hey, a 1/2 teaspoon of salt isn't going to go too far). Dredge the first cutlet in the flour on both sides, shaking off any excess flour. Dip the cutlet into the egg, then into the breadcrumbs, making sure there is a coating on both sides. Gently shake off any excess breadcrumbs to minimize their falling off in the grease and smoking/burning. Put the schnitzel into the hot oil/butter and fry about a minute to a minute and a half per side, until nice and brown. Remove the schnitzel to the oven platter, then repeat the same process with each of the other three remaining schnitzels. When the last piece is finished, remove the platter from the oven, and serve each with a wedge of lemon, the juice of which is to be squeezed onto the schnitzels. In Germany, I believe they always served Wiener Schnitzel with fried potatoes ("home fries" to many Americans)* in the places I ordered it, but I could be wrong. Further a side salad was served.

* In German, "fried potatoes"= "Bratkartoffeln"

I had Wiener Schnitzel with fried potatoes (Bratkartoffeln) and a salad...

WORD HISTORY:
To/Too- This word traces back to Indo European "do" (long "o"), with the notion of "toward," with the further extension, "for the reason of." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "ta," with the same meanings. This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "to," still with the long 'o' sound, which later altered to the "u" sound that we still use today, but of course, the old spelling was retained (probably just to confuse people trying to learn English, hahaha!). The form "too," with the same "u" pronunciation, meaning "besides, in addition, also, more," was simply the same word, "to," with the notion, "further on (extending 'toward');" thus, "also, besides, in addition," and meaning "more" or "in excess," when used for emphasis. The spelling "to" was used until the 1500s, when the second "o" was added, differentiating the two words. Relatives in the other Germanic languages are confined to the West Germanic languages (English is West Germanic), as the North Germanic languages (Danish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish, being the primary languages) use a form of English "til" (in "until") in the same way. German has "zu" (pronounced "tsoo," rhymes with "too"), Low German Saxon has "to," Dutch has both "tot" and "toe," ^ West Frisian has "ta."

^ Dutch "tot" means "to, at, until," while "toe" (pronounced similarly to English "to") means "to," in the sense, "the door is to;" that is, "shut, pulled to."