Cloudy, rainy and a week of "high brow" recipes for a change.

Good Morning Augusta

Today we have a 60% chance of rain with light rain early, then cloudy with showers in the afternoon. High will reach 49ºF. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight it will be cloudy with a shower of rain or wet snow possible. Low can drop to 37ºF or lower. Winds light and variable.

The readings from my weather instruments are:

Humidity is 96%, the dew point is 47ºF and outside it’s 51.7ºF.

The wind direction is South Southeast between 1.3 MPH and 2.5 MPH, with a heat index of 48ºF.

The Barometric pressure is 29.63 and falling with a weather graphic indicating rain.

The UV rating is 0 out of 16, Sunrise is at 5:19 a.m. Sunset is 7:51 P.M. Moon rise is at 5:40 p.m., Moon set is 4:35 a.m. and the moon phase is waxing gibbous and is 95% illuminated.

The Raw METAR reading from the airport in Augusta is:

METAR KAUG 081053Z AUTO 15004KT 8SM BKN006 OVC010 08/06 A2963 RMK AO2 CIG 004V009 SLP035 T00780061

Visibility is 8.0 miles / 12.9 Kilometers with mostly cloudy skies to 600 ft / 182 m and overcast to 1,000 ft / 304 m.

We received 0.13 inches of rain over the past 24 hours.

Space Weather for this morning is:

Today’s Solar flux is 75, the solar wind speed is 384  Kilometers per second and the chance of a solar storm is 1%.

Okay, time to shift away from the “fun” recipes to being a bit more “high brow” in what you cook.  After all, once in a while you will be called upon to make something truly good and not of the “instant meal” variety.

*BOUILLABAISE

Serves 12 to 15

2 large onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tbsp flour

2 tbsp butter

2 cups tomato pulp

2 cups water

8 cloves

3 bay leaves

1 ½ tsp curry powder

½ cup sherry

dash of tabasco sauce

1 tsp salt

4 lbs fish fillets (red snapper and redfish)

1 ½ quarts boiling water

½ lb mushrooms, sliced hot buttered toast

Sauté onions, garlic, and flour in butter; add tomato, 2 cups water, 4 cloves, bay leaves, curry powder, ¼ cup sherry and tabasco; simmer 30 minutes; add salt.  Add fish and remaining cloves and sherry to boiling water; simmer 15 minutes.  Add mushrooms and sauce; simmer 5 minutes. Place toast on large platter, add fish, and pour sauce over fish.