What's in a name?

Yes we all know there is no ham in Hamburger and no part of a dog goes into the making of a hot dog. But if you thought those were the only misnomers in the food world, brace yourself. Things get a whole lot weirder when it comes to food names, propelling unsuspecting diners to make wrong choices or give up a perfectly delicious dish. Almost three years ago I had written a story about such dishes for the newspaper I then worked for. I thought it'll be fun adding a few more to the list and sharing them with you. I had real fun compiling this and making those crazy 30 second doodles, can I even call them doodles? I have also included links to a few of the recipes. Anyway I am hoping you'll have fun reading it. If you can think of more dishes with peculiar names, do write to me in the comments section. 

Tiger meat

What you might think 

What is really is 

No you won't be facing criminal charging for having having the meat of an endangered species for evening snack. Tiger meat is actually raw minced beef seasoned with garlic, celery, cayenne pepper and sometimes a hint of Tabasco sauce, spread on crackers and topped with a generous sprinkle of freshly grated cheddar cheese, a great hit in the USA

If you fancy some, HERE is a recipe I quite like

Ants on a log 

What you think it is 

What it really is

No, don't cringe yet. It is ok if you feel repelled by of the idea of picking out those creepy, crawly, six-legged creatures off a fungus infested piece of wood. This dish is anything but that. Ants on a log is the name for peanut butter slathered celery dotted with raisins. It's all about imagination, you see. 

There is not much to this dish, merely slather peanut butter on celery cut in sticks and top it up with raisins. Of course you could substitute raisings with dried black currants, cranberries, etc. Good to chomp on for a midday snack. 

Toad in a hole

What it really is 

 Forget ants, fancy toads do you?  It’s a traditional English recipe in which sausages are baked in a Yorkshire pudding batter and served with boiled vegetables, mashed potatoes and onion gravy. By the way frog's meat is actually very tasty, a lot like chicken, in fact softer. 

You could make a regular toad in the hole or you could try this amazing recipe by Jamie Oliver 

Angels on horseback  

What it really is 

So much for fancy name huh! No there are no winged angels made of sugar paste, and no there is no horse meat either. This absolutely delicious hot appetizer is nothing but oysters wrapped in bacon. Sometimes it is served as a main course, on a bed of rice and topped with a special sauce. 

In Calcutta Mocambo serves this dish, they use chicken instead of oysters and the bacon wrapped chicken come on a bed of rice which has sausages in it, topped with a sauce and potatoes and peas on the side. My absolute favourite. 

Ktzizot Kipod 

What you think it is 

What it really is

The name of this Israeli specialty literally translates to Porcupine meatballs. But again, don't get all squeamish yet. No you won't risk the chance of a porcupine quill punctured tongue. What you are looking at here are meatballs made with meat, rice ad breadcrumbs, in a gravy. The way the rice sicks out from the meatballs, just like the quills of a porcupine, earns the dish its name. 


I found this recipe on a blog about Jewish Food. 

Spaccadenti 

What you think it is 

What it really is 

You might want to pass this one if you came to know what the name of this Italian bite means. Well, it means, 'done to break your teeth'. In reality no one is known to have broken a tooth eating these delicious Italian biscotti made mostly with honey ad hazelnuts. 

Strozza Suocere 

What you think it is 

What it really is

Oh don't get your hopes high. The name might suggest something like designed to kill you mother-in-law but the truth is that it is only an innocuous little Italian cookie, unless you sneak in some rat poison into the cookie dough. Don't get ideas, be nice you. 

Welsh Rabbit  

What you think it is 

What it really is 

You are probably imagining a sumptuous rabbit stew, perhaps invented in the Welsh wilderness by hungry hunter centuries ago. Stop right there. There is no rabbit involved in this dish. And it's not a meaty stew. It is cheese on toast. Albeit delicious, with bechamel sauce and mustard and all, but cheese on toast. It is also called Welsh Rarebit 

You can't go wrong with this one. I particularly like Alton Brown's recipe 

 Gun Powder 

What you think it is 

What it really is 

No, you don't have to run for cover. Yes, there will be fire alright. Gun powder is a fiery mix of spices from the south of India, often had like a chutney on the side. It's red colour gives it the likeness of gun powder, hence the name. It is finger-licking good but be ready to have your mouth set on fire. 

Ask me again...what's in a name? 

Catalan Spinach

One reason why Popeye was one of my favourite cartoon characters was…well spinach. Yes spinach is by far, my favourite vegetable. I crave spinach all year long and come winter I eat spinach every day, well almost. I like it best chopped fine and stir fried in mustard oil, with a little mustard seeds for tempering. It’s a winter staple at my place and I end up having double my usual rice serving. It is usually not a pleasant scene on those rare days when palong shaak bhaja goes missing from the menu. Sometimes, I like it with a generous sprinkling of posto (khus khus). Another delicious dish made in Bengali homes is palong shaker ghonto, a mixed vegetable dish of sorts with spinach playing the protagonist complemented by the liked of potatoes, radish, pumpkin etc. But I am partial towards the simple palong shaak bhaja.

It goes without saying that spinach enjoys a glory spot in Indian cuisine, but today I thought of sharing something different, something from another country and since my Spanish fever is still on, I am sharing a simple and delicious dish from Spain Catalonia region — Catalan spinach. 

Last Sunday, at our Spanish pop up event, while we were busy with our Serrano ham and chorizo and prawns and squid, our hostess for the day, Ria (the friend who was kind enough to lend us her home to turn it into a restaurant for a day), tossed up a beautiful vegetarian dish for a friend who had decided to drop in last minute and he was a vegetarian. And though I was busy making my pan con jamon, my eyes wandered off to her stove top quite a few times because she was making something with…well spinach.

There was olive oil, garlic, raisins, pine nuts and spinach and I knew this was going to be a hit. Catalan Spinach is what she was making and that’s the recipe I’ll share today. The recipe is authentic but with my signature twist.   Now I like to play with textures and that's what I have done. For instance, I have used munakka instead of regular raisins and dollop of butter to romance the olive oil and finally a final addition, to add some more scrunch to the dish, croutons.



By the way, this post is especially for those of you who have asked me to post some vegetarian dishes. In fact, I am sorry that I have not posted too many vegetarian dishes in these months but I promise to balance it out now on. Hope you guys enjoy this dish.

Ingredients

Spinach leaves - 30-35

Chopped garlic - 1 tbsp

Olive oil - 2 tbsp

Butter - 1/2 tbsp

Munakka or regular raisins - a handful

Pine nuts - a handful

Salt to taste

Sugar- a pinch

Croutons  (deep fried bred cubes)

 

Method

 Blanch the spinach leaves in boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes. Drain well and keep aside.

Heat olive oil and butter together and add chopped garlic. 

Once the garlic turns golden add the raisins/munakka and pine nuts and saute for a minute. 

Finally add the spinach and stir fry for a few minutes. Add salt to taste and a pinch of sugar. 

Garnish with croutons and serve.