Chunky. Unusual. Creamy. Moreish.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm oil on linen. The idea of using corn cobs as stamps, similar to how I'd used apples as stamps in Apple and Barley Soup, did not go according to plan as the corn stamps were so indistinct. No matter, this didn't stop me creating the bright, bold and dreamy ode to corn in a once-was-seafood dish, that I'd had in mind.


 





Original paintings for you.

Like the artwork? Tell a friend! And if you already have, THANK YOU.

Original artwork can be purchased in the Official Art Store. This particular piece is currently drying and will be available shortly for $AU150. To find out exactly when that is, get on the mailing list, yellow box top left, or email me (fi at wherefishsing dot com) to express your interest.

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The meatless meals recipe

Chowder is a very American dish (from the New England area), surprisingly uncommon here in Australia. Luckily, there is was a terrific cafe not far from me, run by an American chef, called the Chowder House. Guess what they serve? So it was there that I was introduced to this versatile and satisfying meal in a bowl. After being so impressed with chowder, I voraciously read up on ingredients and variations and methods and got all experimental in the kitchen. Most chowders are seafood based, even the corn ones. Not this one, the synthesis of all that cerebral and experimental research. 

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
2 3/4 cups HOT stock
kernals from 2 corn cobs (200-240g corn kernals)
around 120g sweet potato or pumpkin cut into bite size chunks
2 small capsicums, in small pieces or chunks
1/2 large carrot, in small pieces or chunks
around 300g potato, cut into bite size chunks
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 pinches turmeric
3 pinches white pepper
1 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh finely chopped dill
chilli, to taste

Melt butter in a big pot.
Cook the onion on low heat in the butter until softened and clear.
Add flour and cook until the flour is brown, stirring frequently. This takes about 10 minutes.
Gradually add the HOT stock, stirring to prevent lumps (using hot stock makes it MUCH easier to avoid lumps than using cold).
Add in everything else except chilli.
Put the lid on the pot to keep the liquid from evaporating. Cook at a simmer for at least 30 minutes until the potato is done. If this boils it will boil over - lid or no lid. Be careful.
Add the chilli, take the lid off and cook for another 5 minutes.

Makes a meal for 2.

Delicate. Easy. Quick. Creamy.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm oil and graphite on linen. I have a soft spot for Victorian era or olde worlde looking botannical illustrations. Now this painting is not strictly in that vintage style as I've aimed to loosen it up a bit with watercolour inspired brushwork. The result is rightly a bit more modern, while harking back to an older era where cucumbers were routinely eaten as a sole sandwich filling, and held in much higher regard than they seem to be today.

Did you know that all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store?  If you want to get your mitts on the original, it is drying and awaiting it's professional photoshoot before being allowed in the shop.

To be kept updated on available paintings, get on the mailing list, yellow box top left.

***

The meatless meals recipe

It can be somewhat odd making soups in high summer, but sometimes that's exactly what you want to eat. Some people enjoy cold soups at this time of year. I don't enjoy cold soup at any time of year. I did, however, try this soup both cold and warm and I can say that it works either way. So if chilled soup is your thing then you can make this and put it in the fridge. If warm (not hot) soup is your preference, this is delightful. It also uses a good quantity of cucumber which I have discovered grows as prolifically as zucchini. Just so you know, not deseeding or peeling the cucumbers turns this into an entirely different and rather ordinary dish. I am generally not in favour of peeling and deseeding vegetables or of creating extra work in the kitchen. In this recipe it is essential. Peel, deseed then weigh your cucumber. It is absolutely worth it.

1 Tbl olive oil

700g cucumber that has already been peeled and deseeded (about 1.4kg whole cucumber), sliced or grated

4 spring onions, chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 cups stock

2 teaspoons fresh chopped dill

2 avocados

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

black pepper to taste

Soften the spring onion in oil.
Add grated/sliced cucumber, lemon juice, stock and dill.
Heat until the cucumber is warmed through and softened. It doesn't need to be 'cooked'.
Add avocado and white wine vinegar and puree until velvety smooth.
Serve and garnish with more dill.
Add salt and pepper to taste. A generous amount of pepper works well.

Serves 4.

Creamy. Satisfying. Versatile. Chunky.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm impasto acrylic on paper. The paper is no ordinary paper, it is textured Hahnemuhle 300 gsm 100% alpha cellulose which is acid-free fibre of vegetable origin.

This detailed cauliflower was painstakingly painted by hand and is not a flat design. The paint is raised off the surface of the paper (impasto), adding depth and texture especially when seen from an angle.

In India, as part of the pre-wedding preparations, intricate henna designs are painted onto the hands and feet of the bride. There are elements of tradition and auspiciousness associated with the designs, known as mehndi. Having mehndi painted on is meant to signify the transition from virgin to temptress.

This mehndi inspired design has nothing to do with marriage, henna or hands. It does, however, obviously nod to the source of this dish which can be found all over India.  It also celebrates the humble cauliflower being transformed into a dazzling tempting meal.

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store.

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The meatless meals recipe

Serves 4-6 with rice.

Thrifty. Creamy. Hearty. Easy.

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Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm oil on linen. Inspired by a Twitter comment by the design minded @reese on the innocent quality of blind contour drawing. What's that? It's a drawing practice where you keep your eye on the subject and your pencil moving and you never look at what's appearing on the page. It improves hand-eye coordination and confidence.

I hooked on the idea of using that innocent quality of simple lines and shapes on the completely weird brussel sprout plant. And so we ended up with high brow oil painting meets low brow pencil cartooning. I'm liking this hybrid. For the unaware, the brussel sprout plant is the alien of the vegetable world. When harvested, they look like this (the leaves have been cut off those spikey stalks):

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store.

***

The meatless meals recipe

In the spirit of finding tasty, easy and hearty things to do with the blander winter veg, I challenged myself to ‘do something’ with brussels sprouts that wasn’t just a side dish. You would not believe how many different incarnations this concept went through before landing here. The original idea was to use chestnuts as they go so well with brussels. 

But. 

After shelling, about half of our chestnuts were rotten and they can be such a time consuming pain in the behind to prepare, that they were dumped. I know when I’m cold and hungry the last thing I want to do is sit down and peel an ingredient for half an hour before I can even get started on making the meal. I am quite sure I am not alone in this sentiment. What we have here is the exact opposite. Quick to prepare and made of humble ingredients. Filling and tasty.

Bingo. 

Oh, and it’s not actually a casserole as it never gets near the oven. Casserole just sounded tastier than stew, which rhymes with ‘ew’. Point taken?

1 tablespoon butter

1 onion, roughly diced

1 ½ green apples, chopped fine but rough

2 cups stock, possibly three

¼ cup split peas

¼ cup lentils

¼ cup rice

1 cup cooked mixed beans

125g mushrooms, chopped

350g brussel sprouts (in quarters) or cabbage (finely sliced)

½ teaspoon dried sage

300ml cream

375g potato in bite size pieces

Saute onion in butter until golden.

Add apple and a little stock, put the lid on the pot and cook the apple until it’s mashable.

Mash into a rough sauce.

Then add everything else and simmer, lid off, until all the ingredients are done. This will be around 30 minutes. Keep an eye on the amount of liquid and add extra stock to prevent sticking if necessary.

Serves 4. 

A generous amount of cracked black pepper works well on top.

Easy. Satisfying. Creamy. Delicate.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm acrylic on canvas. Inspiration? Stroganoff is meant to originally hail from Russia. While perusing all things Russian for clues to drop into the idea pot, I predictably came across pictures of the very photogenic Saint Basil's Cathedral (1555-61). Apparently it is a showcase of medieval Russian architecture. So they say, but try and tell me that this famous building does not resemble a clump of brightly coloured fairytale mushrooms? Go on. Is it just me?

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store.

***

The meatless meals recipe

My Russian friend is adamant that her country's cuisine is meat only. That does seem to be true for genuine and authentic Russian recipes. For dishes like this one and the Borscht of a few weeks months ago, that are in the spirit of Russian cuisine but with not a scrap of meat in sight, I say stand back and let the Russian flavours into the land of the vegetarians.


1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/2 onion, diced
375g assorted mushrooms, in slices or chunks. Go wild & have fun with your mushroom varieties, or not, as you prefer
1 teaspoon flour
30ml red wine
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup thick cream
1/4 cup strong stock
3/4 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
2 tablespoons fresh chopped coriander - optional
In autumn while there is still fresh dill around, skip the coriander and use 3/4 tablespoon fresh chopped dill. It's quite special if you like the flavour of dill.

Melt the butter and saute the onion until soft.
Add the mushrooms and cook gently for 20 minutes to caramelise, stirring often.
Sprinkle flour on and keep stirring and cooking for a minute or three.
Add stock, red wine, cream, sour cream and mustard.
Simmer on low to meld the flavours and thicken for 5 minutes.
Stir in the herbs and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Serve over pasta, rice, mashed potatoes or frites, depending on your preferred regional variation!

Makes a tasty meal for 2.

Chunky. Satisfying. Creamy. Filling.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm oil on linen. This textural image of rolling creamy wintery hills is exactly the kind of landscape that is perfect for stuffing your belly with a warming carb-fest such as this dish. I love printmaking but often find myself wishing prints had a more textural element to them. You may detect a Japanese influence here. Think of this painting as a textural Japanesque print of winter hills.

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store.

***

The meatless meals recipe

Most pasta bakes that I've come across require you to cook all the ingredients and then bake them together in the sauce. I'm not a fan of this method. It's too fiddly for my liking, takes longer than it needs to and makes a mess of several pans. Surely it's possible to cook everything together in one go? After a flurry of experimentation, I can confirm that yes, it is indeed possible to make a wonderful pasta bake in one easy step:

400g penne or similar, uncooked

500g pumpkin, julienned

200g chard, finely sliced

1/2 cup or 55g slivered almond

3 cups stock

1/2 cup white wine

600ml cream or milk

1 cup mozzarella, grated

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 onion, chopped fine

Put all ingredients in a lidded oven dish and stir together well. 

Bake for 1 1/2 hours at 170 degrees C. 

Stir every 30 minutes.

Serve with parmesan cheese.

Fills 4.

Creamy. Delicate. Quick. Easy.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm oil on canvas. In this piece I was aiming for a modern damask style arrangement that celebrates the crazy patterns of the walnut which is the centrepiece of this dish.

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store.

***

The meatless meals recipe

Hooray, another yummy pasta dish that does not involve tomatoes! This is so easy it almost doesn't count as cooking.

pasta for 4, something like spinach and ricotta ravioli is ideal

200g shelled walnuts

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 slices bread, no crust, soaked in milk

2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup of the water used to cook the pasta (or other very hot water)

salt to taste ( this may be up to 1/2 teaspoon)

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

Cook the pasta.

Put the walnuts, olive oil, milk-soaked bread, parmesan and butter in a blender and whizz until smooth.

Taste and adjust for salt and mix thoroughly.

Pour onto cooked pasta and top with the fresh thyme.

Feeds 4.

Until I came across this intriguing post on how recipes are routinely dumbed down today, as compared to 30 years ago, I had no idea this was going on. What do I mean? Apparently, there are many people frightened off cooking by the specialist terms used, such as saute. So instead of writing, 'saute the onions until soft', food authors now write something like, 'cook the onions on a medium to high heat in melted butter or oil while continuously stirring, until soft'. Fascinating.

Creamy. Delicate. Fresh. Light.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm acrylic on paper. The paper is no ordinary paper, it is textured Hahnemuhle 300 gsm 100% alpha cellulose which is acid-free fibre of vegetable origin. 

In this piece I was aiming for a fun, quirky and modern illustrative stencil or screenprint style on layers of lush glazing. In some cultures spinach and other leafy greens symbolise money and and abundant crops. So a money tree seemed appropriate.

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store.

***

The meatless meals recipe

Hooray, a yummy pasta dish that does not involve tomatoes! I'm sure the spinach sauce here could be turned into a very respectable soup, and minus the pasta the dish would make a rather nice warm salad.

pasta for two (risoni is nice with this)

2 teaspoons butter

250g spinach, washed and chopped

1/2 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup strong stock

1/4 cup white wine

150ml cream

about 200g broccolini or broccoli, cut into small bite size strips

1 red capsicum, cut into bite size slices

1 avocado, sliced (optional)

100g bocconcini (optional)

Cook your pasta with a pinch of salt and a dash of oil.

Melt 1 teaspoon butter in a pan.

Soften the onion and garlic.

Add spinach, stock, wine and cream.

Simmer until spinach is well cooked.

Remove from heat and puree.

(Add bocconcini)

Meanwhile, put the broccolini and capsicum pieces in a frypan on high heat with the other teaspoon of butter, and basically stirfry until the capsicum has softened and the broccolini is bright green. A dash or two of water may help. If the broccolini starts to grey, STOP COOKING!! That's the sign of impending vege blandness!

To serve, pile the pasta into bowls, top with the veges (plus avocado). Then drown the lot in the spinach sauce.

Feeds 2.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm acrylic and oil on paper. The paper is no ordinary paper, it is textured Hahnemuhle 300 gsm 100% alpha cellulose which is acid-free fibre of vegetable origin. 

This design is known as a kolam. These are drawn fresh every morning in front of each house in southern parts of India with a handheld stream of rice flour. Special events call for really elaborate designs. The designs are learned, usually based around a grid of dots, and handed down in families. There are variations galore.

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store.

***

Aviyal - the vegetarian dinner recipe

Although this is a South Indian style curry, it could easily pass for a Thai green curry. Bizarre but true.

3 tablespoons desiccated coconut

3 cups stock

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 cloves garlic

1-2 green chillies, deseeded

1 cup coconut milk

6 curry leaves
6 1/2 cups mixed vegetables such as pumpkin, carrots, beans, capsicum, zucchini, cucumber, eggplant, all julienned

salt to taste

Put the cumin, garlic, chilli and desiccated coconut in a blender with a little of the stock and whizz until nice and smooth.
Put this paste along with the rest of the stock, coconut milk and curry leaves in a pot.
Add the veges one type at a time, beginning with those that take the longest to cook.
When all the veges are in the pot and cooked, simmer uncovered for five minutes.
Serve with rice.

Makes 4-6 serves.

Creamy. Easy. Light. Cheesy.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30 cm acrylic on canvas. Surreal and slightly magical childrens book interpretation involving a spinach forest on a stormy night overlooked by bright cheese stars. I did say surreal didn't I?

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store.

***

The meatless meals recipe

This is an aromatic Indian spinach and cheese dish. Many versions of palak paneer include tomatoes but this one is a tomato free zone. Although I am somewhat over Indian cuisine after ODing on it while living in the UK, this is one that I'll happily eat anytime. It does help that it's not arseburningly hot and not overstuffed with onions.

250g spinach, washed thoroughly and chopped fine

1/2 cup stock

1 large bay leaf

3 teaspoons garam masala

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder

a pinch to 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder, or just enough to give a hint of warmth for you

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

1 1/2 teaspoons cummin seeds

1 tablespoon oil or butter

1 teaspoon grated ginger

100g haloumi or paneer cheese cut into 1 or 2 cm cubes

3 tablespoons creamed cottage cheese or cream

Simmer the spinach on medium heat with HALF the garam masala, all the cinnamon, bay leaf and stock for 20 minutes or until this has all broken down into a thick sauce. Puree this if you want.

In a separate frypan, lightly fry chilli, garlic and cummin seeds in the oil/butter just until the garlic begins to golden.

Add this fried mix, the rest of the garam masala, ginger, haloumi and cottage cheese to the spinach sauce and stir through.

Salt to taste.

That's it!

Serves 2 on rice.

Filling. Quick. Easy. Creamy.

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm acrylic and oil pastel on canvas. Inspired by ancient Neolithic stone carved symbols courtesy of Marija Gimbutas and a painting I saw recently full of sculptured, ripped paint (artist unknown unfortunately). And the wonderful curls and spirals of spaghetti.
 

Allegedly, carbonara is a recently invented dish which dates from the second world war. The tale goes that foreign (ie American and English) soldiers stationed in Italy were seen eating bacon and eggs for breakfast. This new dish made an impression on the Italians who developed their own regional variation, carbonara, which is basically bacon and eggs on spaghetti, in the years after the war. I don't know if this is true or not, but the story sure stuck in my head!

spaghetti for two

1 teaspoon salt

250g mushrooms, sliced

1-2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup white wine

150-200g smoked tofu or fake bacon, cut into strips

2 eggs

3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

generous amount of cracked pepper

Cook the spaghetti in boiling water along with the salt. Yes, it is a lot of saly, but it really does work.

Melt the butter in a frypan. Then throw in the wine. Add the mushrooms and fry until all the liquid has gone.

Add the smoked tofu to the mushrooms and warm through.

In a mixing bowl, combine the (yes raw!) eggs, cheese and pepper.

Drain the spaghetti well and mix the pasta and egg & cheese mix thoroughly while the pasta is still very hot.

Serve the spaghetti mix into bowls and top with mushrooms and tofu.

Just right for 2.