Friday, June 24, 2016

Ukha (Russian Fish Soup) for #FoodnFlix


Our movie this month for Food n Flix was "I am Love" chosen by my friend Evelyne of CulturEatz. You can see Evelyne's invitation post here.  Any blogger is welcome to join us in this group.


This very tragic, sad and depressing movie is set in Italy.  I watched it with English subtitles.  It is the story of the life of a very rich family whose patriarch passes away starting a landslide of tragedy, betrayal, hidden secrets and despair.  The moral of this story:  Money cannot buy happiness nor can looking for love in all the wrong places.

I wasn't crazy about the movie.  It is difficult for me to concentrate on a movie with subtitles because I feel like I am busy reading instead of watching the actors faces, mannerisms and subtleties.  I don't know that I would have liked the movie any better in English.  The movie didn't make me laugh or smile even once and I feel like there is enough sadness in the world without watching fictional sadness.

What the movie did have going for it is food.  The movie started with a feast and continued with feasts until the very end.  The first feast in the movie featured a Russian Fish Soup called Ukha, that had special meaning between the mother (who came from Russia originally) and her eldest son.  The last feast also featured this soup which resulted in the son realizing his mother's secrets.  This resulted in a tragic dispute and ended the movie on a very sad note.



The soup is very easy to prepare.  The recipes that I found all varied as to the type of fish used.  The mother, Emma, when describing the soup to her lover, said that it contained many different fish and a very clear broth.  I created my own recipe, taking bits and pieces from those I found on line, to share with you today.


My week got all topsy turvy again.  We were supposed to have this soup for dinner tonight but then we decided to take advantage of the weather and head up north to see Spencer for his birthday.  I needed to make the soup as I had defrosted the fish and couldn't refreeze it but we had dinner plans to take Frank's sister out for her birthday last night.  I made the soup and, knowing that we wouldn't have an opportunity to eat it before Sunday, decided to take it to my brother's house for them to enjoy. My brother sent me this photo with the comment "mmmm nummy keeper".  I think he liked it.


Ukha (Russian Fish Soup)

1 T. olive oil
1 leek, white and light green, washed and thinly slice into half moons
2 carrots, scraped and sliced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into small dice
1 qt. fish stock
1 1/2 lbs. assorted fish (I used salmon and cod) skinned and cut into cubes
2 T. fresh parsley, chopped
2 T. fresh dill, chopped
juice from half a lemon

Place the olive oil in a dutch oven or soup pot and place over med high heat.  Add the leek, carrots, celery and potatoes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are tender, 2 or 3 minutes.  Add the fish stock, bring just to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook until vegetables are for tender, 15-20 minutes.  Add the fish, parsley and dill.  Cook until the fish is poached, about 5-10 minutes.  Stir in lemon juice, taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed.  Print Recipe

15 comments:

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    1. It was really good Paula. We eat fish chowders so it's not that far of a reach.

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  2. I love fish soup and I was hoping someone would make this recipe. So happy it was a hit! Thanks for taking on this more challenging movie and participating.

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    1. I love this group Evelyne, exactly because it does encourage me to watch movies that I normally wouldn't. Thanks for hosting.

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  3. I was intrigued by the ukha, too, but I ended up going a different direction. I do understand what you're saying about the subtitles detracting from watching the actors themselves. I think I definitely had an advantage in that I speak Italian! I could ignore the subtitles and enjoy the movie. I found it spectacular. But definitely tragic.

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    1. I am anxious to see what you were inspired to create Cam.

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  4. Brothy fish soups are my favorite, so I'm really wishing I could reach in and grab a bowl for myself. It looks just like I imagined!

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    1. And I would venture to say that it tasted better than you imagined Heather.

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  5. Great choice, Wendy. I agree that there's too much sadness in the world, but i loved the cinematic quality the film.

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  6. I wasn't huge on the movie either, Wendy. I'm glad you made the Ukha! I was hoping someone would!

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    1. It was a very delicious and easy recipe....well maybe not delicious for you since you are not a fish lover LOL

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  7. I was hoping someone was going to make the Ukha because I dearly love light fish/seafood soups and you did an amazing job. It looks delicious--I love the color and the dill and lemon. I'd love a big bowl right now! ;-)

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