ChezJJP       food. brooklyn. eat.

This is the real deal. The recipe was jotted down furiously in a Thai home kitchen amidst tear gas-like fumes given off by frying curry pastes and bottomless cups of chilled red Aussie wine. It's easy, so head on over to Chinatown to stock up on the ingredients (Mosco street has a good Thai foods supplier) and enjoy the bold flavors that you can get from such a simple assembly.

I asked my wonderful hosts about the use of any kind of broth in the soup, and was advised that this step was completely optional and according to taste. The one I sampled was perfect, and did certainly not need any broth. Why make your life more complicated. Forget the broth.

Ahhh Caldereida de Peixe, , your tales and spells have wooed me once again. Back in my days living in Montreal's plateau, amidst all the grilling and the smoking and the braising and the frying, the reigning champion of debaucherous culinary exploration remained the Seafood/Fishermans/"I need to splurge on something right now and make myself feel better" soup: The Portuguese Seafood Stew. Yeahhh.

There is a a very elementary soup base to it, after which there are no rules for adding what you like. Make a minimalist version, and do some rehydrated cod and croutons, make it a festival you will talk about for years and add Alaskan crab, Grilled Lobster, Jumbo Shrimp and Nantucket Bay scallops. I like to do a compromise and look for those 5$ mixed seafood bags. They have mussels, shrimp, squid and loads of stuff and it's dirt cheap. Just be warned that if you eat too much of this too fast, your erm, digestion might be affected in the, erm, short term.

Again, a really tasty and health restoring soup that is fullfilling, simple and makes you feel great. Superb on a winter night and served with some goat cheese and toasted bread.

Now this soup is a really old classic and can be whipped up in a matter
of minutes. Really special on those cold winter nights when you don't
feel like stuffing your face.

This one is a replica of Palo Santo's soup on Union Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Great Spot.