FISH ON MY DISH

NATALIA GROSNER is the slick hand behind
these hip hop inspired prints.
Each one features a sweet rhyme about food.



click on the image to see more of her prints

I love Natalia's stuff because it's clean and bright, something I strive for when I'm cooking and writing. She uses a few dominant colours and refuses to overcrowd the design with multiple fonts. She brings all the elements together to produce both simplicity and depth.

I've learned that the main mistake in cooking or writing is to over-spice or to over-word. Too many ornate words can bog down a description. I want vividness. I want balance. When I first started cooking, I used too many conflicting spices and ingredients. All the flavours got lost. I've learned that each flavour needs integrity, all the while tightening up with the rest of the ingredients to play together in a solid jam.

SOUPE DU SUD

I love southern France-- the dry heat, the breeze, the ocean, the flavours. It is nothing like the north of France. It's like another part of the world.

This soup is inspired by the traditional southern French dish, bouillabaisse, which is a tomato-y fish broth with several different types of seafood served on the side.

It's also served with rouille, a home-made mayonnaise flavoured with cayenne and coloured with paprika. On the side you'll also find little crunchy baguette toasts topped with gruyere cheese. Instead of gruyere, I wanted to try another swiss cheese called "Diabolo-Gourmet".






This is what you need:

1 medium onion, diced
5 very ripe tomatoes, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
4 cloves of garlic, diced
4 cups water
2 large filets of white fish (like sole or halibut), cubed
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp savoury
1 tsp cayenne
2 tbsp paprika
pinch saffron
salt and pepper to taste
juice of half a lemon

Sauté the first four ingredients in 2 tbsp of olive oil until the onions are somewhat transparent. Add the savoury, bay leaves, lemon juice, one filet of fish and water. Let simmer for 25 minutes. Purée the mixture with a hand blender or regular blender. Add the tomato paste, paprika, saffron, cayenne, salt, pepper and the rest of the fish. Simmer again for 20 minutes. Serve with a drizzle of quality olive oil on top.

PS. The soup is waaaaay better the next day when the flavours have had a chance to hang out together and find some harmony.



RUBY JANE SNACK MIX

Here's a 20-minute bite of mellow funk
featuring DJs Alkaline and Ruby Jane

right-click the goldfish for listening options!



1. Pass the Peas intro
2. Sharon Jones - fish in my dish
2. Orgone - lone ranger
3. Gil-Scott Heron - angel dust
4. The Headhunters - god made me funky
5. The Blackbyrds - funkie junkie
6. Ann Winley - watch dog
7. Brother Jack McDuff - hunk o' funk