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167. Nisha |
This is a great hearty but healthy pasta dish. I’ve made it using a knife when my blender was packed away during a move, still good but much better as a purée. I use whatever tomatoe is best, not always cherry tomatoes. No need to measure the ingredients, I use whatever is on hand. |
168. Janet Miller |
I love most of your recipes, but will blame Giada for the fact that this one missed the mark. I had high hopes as roasted veg usually is the bomb. However, this was like pasta paste…even after adding a cup of cooking liquid. Very blah. Maybe it was the winter eggplant…don’t know but won’t repeat. Too many other gre... |
169. megsprahl |
Deb, I made this last night. What a fantastic recipe! I love the way the eggplant and pasta water add creamy element and some oomfff to the sauce. Will use this again and may add in some extra at the end like mushrooms or capers or olives. Thanks for keeping meals delicious! You are my go-to recipe woman! (And have... |
170. Jeanine S |
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! |
Even my husband, who is an avowed eggplant-hater liked it. Have you ever tried freezing the sauce? I ended up with a lot of extra. |
1. jjjeanie |
I haven’t made this (yet) myself, but see the comment from Jeany on Nov. 12. She did. (someone else did too, but I can’t remember who–sorry) |
*** If you’re want to know if anyone has commented on whatever you’re wondering about, use the Search feature on your computer. Use Ctrl + F (Windows) or ⌘ Command + F (Mac). This will open the “Find” box in virtually any browser. |
171. R |
Just fantastic. The sauce had a beautifully velvety texture to it. I would say if there are any leftovers, toss more pasta water into the dish before storing as the pasta will continue to absorb moisture and get dry. Will be making this on repeat throughout the summer! |
172. Barbara Appell |
Hi Deb! I’d love to see recipes like this one under the gluten free heading because all you have to do is add that someone could exchange pasta for gluten free pasta. It would make a search for gluten free options easier for people. Some experienced cooks, like myself, know that I can swap ingredients many times, b... |
1. deb |
I agree but then I get a lot of comments from people telling me I’m risking hurting people by not warning that they need to use GF pasta, etc. Which requires each recipe to be edited accordingly, a larger project… for one day. |
173. Theresa Brennan |
I just saw this on your instagram feed and decided to make it tonight. So easy and so delicious! It did not disappoint and who doesn’t love some slightly garlicky eggplant (mine was garlicky ..) |
Had enough sauce left over to save for the future. Yummmmmm |
174. This sounds so good! I haven’t read all of the comments , so I am wondering if I use Zucchini instead of eggplant how would it work out??? Will let you know, I’d like to try it…I have my own garden and use what I grow…this year, I regrettably, didn’t grow eggplant …what was I thinking…. |
175. Susan |
Ok, so I’m the lone eggplant-hater. This looks good though, so would substituting yellow squash or butternut squash or zucchini (or anything else really) work here, or would those be too watery? |
1. Those doesn’t take very eggplant-y but it does get a lot of its smooth texture from the eggplant. The flavor is more of the other ingredients so depending on how much you hate eggplant I’d say try making it first. Otherwise butternut squash would work I think (zucchini I imagine wouldn’t be too too watery). |
176. Sara Michael |
Loved this, and a great way to use up all the cherry tomatoes ripened at the same time in the garden. We added crumbled feta for the cheese. |
177. Stacey |
I loved this. Couldn’t persuade my eggplant skeptical fam but more for me! Perfect seasonal ingredients made it! Used Aleppo pepper for slight heat. Anyone try other veggie combos? |
178. Jeannine |
Delicious and glad it came up in my newsfeed. I will definitely dial back to slightly less than 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes next time, though. I like hot, but I think it overpowered all the other flavors, particularly the eggplant. |
179. Holly |
This makes a delicious sauce/puree, though I like my pasta a bit saucier – I reckon this quantity of puree would do for about 3 people like me! I only used half anyway, and my plan for the other half is to top some sourdough toast with it, alongside a good dollop of creamy ricotta or soft cheese with some more pine... |
180. mt |
2nd time making it. I was generous with the crushed red pepper (1/2 tsp) and added shredded mozzarella, and baked for a bit at 350 (covered then uncovered). |
Froze unbaked portions of it on a sheetpan (then transferred to a ziplock) for future dinners |
It’s very filling; 1# of pasta gives us about 7 servings, with a nice big salad on the side. |
181. M |
Just made this and it was delicious. So nice to discover a new tomato based sauce & it was enjoyed by two eggplant skeptics, myself included :) |
Used toasted breadcrumbs instead of pine nuts & we liked it. |
182. Sandra |
Deb, cannot believe Guadalupe and Rachel have their own shows. Well I can, Giada came from a money family and Rachel has Oprah backing her. Maybe we just need some new faces in cooking channel tv, like yours!!!! Wish you had your own show 😘 |
183. Jessica |
I made this yesterday and it was EASY and delicious. One problem is that I wanted to eat the puree directly with a spoon for the rest of the day because it was that good. |
I made no substitutions and made it exactly as-is (with basil). |
Even the eggplant-haters liked this dish. HIGHLY recommend!!! |
184. nygirl56 |
OMG delicious! I put some chicken thighs on the grill while these veggies cooked in the oven. I love eggplant and would never have thought to make it into a pasta sauce. The only change I made was to add a splash of balsamic vinegar because I love the stuff! I Fantastic! Thanks for another great meal. |
185. Emily |
I made this last night and I will be adding it to my rotation. Even my husband, who’s skeptical of meatless meals, loved it. I roasted a pound of mushrooms in a separate pan and added them to the pasta at the end. It was delicious and a great way to use up eggplant! |
Who is Monkey-Fish? |
Image © Paolo Viscardi, curator at the Horniman Museum and Garden |
In June 2011, the Horniman Museum offered to loan a genuine Japanese monkey-fish to the museum of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP). The RCP said ‘yes’, of course, because who wouldn’t want a genuine Japanese monkey-fish? |
The monkey-fish was not due to arrive until December, but the word of his coming spread through the corridors of the RCP like wildfire. What was monkey-fish? Who was monkey-fish? ‘It’s the missing link,’ said some, while others speculated about a chupacabra roaming 11 St Andrews Place after dark. An urban legend was bo... |
So while the bees are on their winter break, here is a post about another species, or two, sort of. |
Fakes, forgeries and quacks |
Image © Paolo Viscardi, curator at the Horniman Museum and Garden |
The RCP held two lunchtime talks on Tuesday 20 December with experts from the Horniman Museum and Wellcome Library on the subject of ‘Fakes, forgeries and quacks’, inspired by the loan of the Horniman monkey-fish. Japanese monkey-fish, or mermen, were popular attractions during the 19th century and were touted as being... |
Paolo took us on a journey of mermaid sightings from the Sirenia, or sea cows, mistaken for mer-folk by ancient mariners, to the thousand-year-old shrivelled ‘mermaids’ of Japanese Shinto shrines, to the famous Fiji Mermaid exhibited by master showman PT Barnum in the 1840s. |
This was all very well, but what I wanted to know was this: who is our monkey-fish? |
Who is monkey-fish? |
X-ray of monkey-fish. Image © Paolo Viscardi, curator at the Horniman Museum and Garden |
On Tuesday, 2 September 1919, a Japanese merman was purchased by, or on behalf of, Henry Wellcome at an auction held by Stevens London auctioneers. The auction catalogue listed the specimen as ‘Japan, Mermaid, paper-mache body, with fish-tail 20 in. long x 9 in. high’.[ref] The merman came to the Horniman Museum from t... |
What is a monkey-fish? |
CT scan of monkey-fish. Image © Paolo Viscardi, curator at the Horniman Museum and Garden |
I was curious to know, what is a monkey-fish made of? Is it the mummified head and torso of a monkey sewn onto the tail of a fish? The Horniman Museum had investigated the makings of monkey-fish through X-ray and CT scans – and the results? ‘What is a monkey-fish made of? Paper, wood, string and clay, with fish bits an... |
Monkey-fish babies and the dark sibling, Paul |
As if that were not enough excitement for one afternoon, we were told that there could be 100s of monkey-fish out there, waiting to be found. There might also be monkey-fish babies, which led to a twittering of ‘I want’ tweets. |
The Horniman monkey-fish even has a sibling on display elsewhere in the UK – a dark twin called Paul. I may have made up that last bit. |
Come and see our monkey-fish! |
Me (left) and monkey-fish (right) |
The monkey-fish will be exhibited alongside items from the RCP’s own collections, which involve an element of fakery – whether intentional or not – until 20 January 2012, and is open Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm. No booking is required and entry is free. The exhibition area is closed on public holidays and for RCP ceremonie... |
Monkey-fish will return home to the Horniman Museum at the end of January, which also looks like a pretty interesting place to visit. |
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229 thoughts on “Who is Monkey-Fish? |
1. We were originally conjoined, but I gnawed through the mess of reconstituted chicken feet tying us together, constructed a boat from a discarded bible (my Japanese origami skills serve me well) and set sail from shore to shore wreaking havoc & mayhem and bringing wonder & awe. Not for me the confines of a glass ca... |
Wishing you a prosperous new year, |
Paul |
2. What an interesting story. I’ve heard of the Horniman Museum before and now think it is definitely worth a visit. Have to feel sorry for the bits of fish and chicken used to make this strange creature. Where did the feet come from I wonder? |
3. What an odd little creature. He looks more like an alien fish than a monkey fish. He does have a very angry appearance. I’m not sure if he liked being a monkey fish at all. Lol |
4. I am Monkey Fish. Therefore I am. Fantastic. Thank you. In Australian colonial days it was quite common for similar such beasts to be constructed and sent back to England to delight the common folk. So common it was that, as I understand, the original Platypus sent back the the “mother country” was believed to be ... |
• Welcome Monkey Fish, are you perhaps related to Alan and Paul? |
Interesting that you mention the platypus. You are right, when Europeans first ‘discovered’ the platypus they did not believe IT was real: ‘Is it a mammal?’ ‘No, it’s a fish’ ‘I think it’s a duck’… It took collectors a while to prove that accounts of tortoises were real too, because sailors kept eating them on th... |
Thank you for visiting and leaving a fantastic comment, Monkey Fish! 🙂 |
• E.S.T: “It took collectors a while to prove that accounts of tortoises were real too, because sailors kept eating them on the voyage home!” |
Aww, you beat me to it. This was hilariously covered by the UK panel show “QI” |
Who knows how many undocumented, severely endangered species were lost to history due to a single man’s impulsive hunger.. Sadder that my first thought upon seeing the monkey-fish is what it’d taste like fried, buttered with a garnish of lemon. |
• Thank you for the link to QI, it’s a brilliant clip and show: Why did it take them 300 years to give the giant tortoise a scientific name? ‘They thought it was a normal tortoise, but closer’ 🙂 |
Gosh, who knows how many other species Darwin ate into extinction? I bet he never tasted anything as good as a monkey-fish fried in garlic butter. |
Thank you for visiting and leaving your excellent comment! |
5. They did a show on the “monkey fish” on the OLN show Destination Truth. It was great. While they did not find a monkey fish it was very informative on what these creatures are. Interesting! Thanks! Ha ha |
6. What the whaaaat??! Those monkey fish are freaky things…lol. However, this was the most interesting post that I’ve read today! You held my attention the entire time. Great post! 🙂 |
7. I’ve never heard about the monkey fish before but I must say that the monkey fish has a face that only a mother can love. That is one ugly little thing, just goes to show you combining body parts from other species is bad! |
• Thank you, Susie. You make a good point – what if monkey-fish were a school project for some kid thousands of years ago. Who knew where he’d end up? 🙂 |
Thank you for visiting and leaving your comment! |
8. Who couldn’t be hooked with a good fish story about a monkey. Under the right condition I would probably pay to see it. If it was a flying monkey-fish I would pay a premium. The whole story is fascinating. Well presented. |
• Thank you for your kind comment on my post. The thoughts are my own but the images and research are thanks to Paolo Viscardi of the Horniman Museum and also great information from the Wellcome Library. If you are in London, they are great places to visit! |
• Good question – it is true that the Horniman Museum lent their monkey-fish to my work to the cause of much fun and delight! There has been a lot of research, and speculation, about these strange artefacts (once thought to be actual mummified monkeys sewn to fish tails), but I suspect the true story is still out t... |
• Funny you should say, because there are more out there, somewhere… |
Ross MacFarlane of the Wellcome Library gave a really interesting talk at my work that took us on the trail of Henry Wellcome and his ‘mermaids’. This monkey-fish was originally purchased by Henry in 1919 and later went to the Horniman Museum. There are records of more monkey-fish in auction catalogues but not al... |
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