November 28, 2009
comments 3

Dinner at the Anchovy’s

We have some company for dinner tomorrow night. Here’s what we’re planning to make.

This is a variation of the Shrimp and Redfish Courtbouillon recipe in The Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cuisine by Chef John D. Folse. It’s a variation because I don’t have redfish, or red drum as it is also known. Instead, I visited the best local fish supplier around to see what looked good. I bought my shrimps as well as some sea scallops, a big monkfish fillet and a chunk of halibut. Chef Folse says any firm-fleshed fish can be substituted so I should be OK with these choices.

Ingredients:

  • One pound of shrimp
  • 3 fish fillets
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 2 cups diced onions
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • 1/2 cup diced red bell peppers
  • 1/4 cup minced garlic
  • 1 12-oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1.5 quarts fish stock
  • 3/4 cup dry red wine
  • 2.5 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon chopped thyme
  • 1 tablespoon chopped basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
  • 1 pinch of allspice
  • salt and black pepper to taste
  • 1 cup sliced green onions
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley
  • 6 lemon slicesAdd the onions, celery, and bell peppers and garlic.Cut up the fish and set it aside. Make a dark brown roux with the flour and oil in a Dutch oven.Saute for 5 minutes then stir in tomatoes with juice.Pour in the fish stock, 1 ladle at a time until a sauce-like consistency is achieved.Add red wine, lemon juice, bay leaves, thyme, basil, marjoram and allspice. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce to simmer and cook 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Additional stock may be needed to retain sauce-like consistency. Sauce should be slightly thick. When seafood is added, liquid will be rendered and thin the sauce. Blend in shrimp and fish then bring to a low boil and cook 3-5 minutes or until firm but not falling apart. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Add green onions and parsley then adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve over steamed white rice and garnish with lemon slices.I’ve never made this one before, but I’m pretty certain it’s going to be as good as it reads.
November 27, 2009
comments 3

When the Saints

Here’s Dr. Oakroot playing the cigar box uke and the two-litre bottle kazoo.

Mr. Oakroot is a unique performer.

Here’s a blues called Slippin in Your Backdoor

Here’s one more just cause I know you’re starting to warm up to this sound.

November 27, 2009
comments 2

Garlic Speculation?

Spicecat sent me an article from the Toronto Star business section today about garlic speculation in China. The price has skyrocketed dut to a combination of poor supply and fears about H1N1. There is even garlic hoarding happening. Imagine that.

November 27, 2009
comments 4

$3.5 million painting

The Old Stump by Lawren Harris sold at auction the other day for $3.5 million at the Heffel fall art auction.  It was the second highest price ever paid for a painting in Canada. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I’m happy that a Canadian painting can command a high price in the auction market. On the other hand, it is just a painting and we have people hungry in the streets and it just seems a little hinky to me. I know a lot of artists and most of them would be very happy to move a few small works for prices measuring in the hundreds rather than the millions. The reality here in Canada though often seems to be that the broader public has little if any interest in art made in the past century or so. Many people I know outside the art community view artists with suspicion, as if we are charletons out to hoodwink them with tricky ideas.

At the same time, we have this strange and inflated market for historical Canadian paintings.

Sometimes as a painter, I feel like a dinosaur.

Filed under: Art
November 26, 2009
comments 2

Toronto Humane Society busted

OSPCA and Police raided the shelter today. Charges of cruelty to animals were apparently laid against several high-level employees and the entire board of directors.

There are some very disturbing photos published online on the Globe & Mail website and elsewhere.

It has been widely reported this afternoon that there has been a 6 month long investigation, involving undercover investigators. There has for some time been strong differences of opinion between the THS and the OSPCA about when it is appropriate to euthanize an animal. If I understand this correctly, the THS is being accused of allowing animals to suffer inappropriately in order to produce lower euthanasia stats.

I’m sure we’ll get more details on this soon.

November 23, 2009
comment 1

Got you Covered

Ring of Fire was written by June Carter and Merle Kilgore. It was first recorded in 1962 by Anita Carter. Johnny Cash recorded it the following year. It became the biggest hit of his career.

This song has been well recorded over the years. Here’s a list of just some of the performers who took a stab at it:

Roy Drusky
Kitty Wells
The Carter Family
Dave Dudley
Tom Jones
Eric Burdon
Lynn Anderson
Tommy Cash
Country Joe McDonald
The Willis Brothers
Hank Williams Jr.
Ray Charles
King Tubby
Earl Scruggs
Olivia Newton John
Blondie
Carlene Carter
Sleepy LaBeef
Dwight Yokum
The Bobs
Social Distortion
Frank Zappa
Grace Jones
David Allan Coe
Allison Moorer
Leningrad Cowboys

….and more

November 23, 2009
comments 2

Bloore Memorial

We were at the Ron Bloore memorial event Sunday night at the Royal Ontario Museum. Former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson spoke, along with a few others, including Ron’s long-time studio assistant and friend Hank Roest.  A number of Bloore’s paintings were hung, reminding me what a marvellous painter he was, throughout his career.

I found my self transported back to York University in the 80s, when Bloore raised the bar for me, and pushed me to find my own path as a painter. I remembered our many sketching trips later on. We would walk the forest paths, most of us looking for a vista to draw or paint. Bloore would sit under a tree and start a fantastic pencil drawing of the forest floor at his feet. We always brought a picnic lunch, and usually Ron would bring along a bottle of Retsina. I loved those days.

I recalled the many lunches, when several of us would meet up at the Bloore studio, then head out for a lunch peppered with lively discussion. It seems like yesterday, Bloore looking up over his lunch plate,  saying he liked painting because you could look at a painting, see it all at once and know within a fraction of a second if you wanted to invest more time in it. This he compared to film, which required a different kind of leap of faith – the willingness to invest the time, sight unseen.

Ron Bloore was a great painter, a Canadian cultural treasure and a dear friend.

November 23, 2009
comments 3

A strange thing happened at lunch….

Saturday, I took my aunt M out to lunch. It’s always a delight to see her. She’s my father’s sister, in her late 80s now. We decided to go to one of those big Chinese buffet places. I drove us over there, found a decent parking spot, helped my aunt out of the car, and in we went. Now let me say that my aunt looks pretty good for her age – not a day over 80 you might say. The greeter in the restaurant welcomes us and says, looking at me, “I see we have a senior citizen today”. She then looked at my aunt and said, “Can I see some ID please?” My aunt looked at me, clearly not understanding what was going on. I realized this was about a seniors discount on lunch, so I said, “My aunt is 89 years old, but she will not be showing you any ID”. “But we need to see ID” “Look, you know she’s a senior citizen…..just let us sit down for lunch, OK?”

So we’re seated and we enjoy lunch. My aunt likes the place, much like my dad did in his later years. There’s a certain bustle of activity going on, lots of people enjoying themselves. After lunch, we had a coffee and we’re chatting about this and that when our server comes up to the table. She leans over close to my aunt and says “Can I see some ID please?” I interrupted and said, “My aunt is 89 years old. You can see she’s a senior citizen. Leave her alone please. She’s not going to show you any ID”. The bill came, and we were charged as two adults – no seniors discount. I didn’t care about the discount. If they had never mentioned it, I would have been perfectly happy, no problem. It really bugged me to see their determination to extract some ID from my aunt though. She obviously didn’t get what they wanted or why. I would have even been fine about them asking the first time. When they asked a second time, though, I will admit I was annoyed.

I paid the bill, and wrote a love note to the manager…

My aunt loves dogs, and wanted to visit Memphis, so off we went to Anchovy World Headquarters. Memphis gave her all kinds of the type of slobbery affection she specializes in. I played a few songs for her on the accordion. M closed her eyes, swayed to the music and slid into napland. “You had a little nap.” “Did not.” “I think you did.” “I wasn’t napping. I was thinking.”