cioppino

cioppino:

cioppino is a fish stew that originated in san francisco and was created by the italian- american fisherman.  cioppino originates from the phrase “chip- in” as the stew was originally made from combining all the fish that were “chipped-in” to one stewing pot for all to share.   you can use whatever fish you like for the stew but i decided to use scallops, shrimp, and littleneck clams.  the recipe is below:

cioppino:

(*serves 4 or 2 if your husband enjoys 3 bowls)

ingredients:

6 peeled and deveined shrimp (tails intact)

6 scallops

6 littleneck clams

1 ¾  cups of fish stock

½ cup of a dry chardonnay

.00425 oz crushed saffron threads

2-3 large shallots

3 cloves garlic chopped

½  fennel bulb thinly sliced

dash of tabasco

28 oz dei fratelli chopped italian tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

pinch onion powder

2 bay leaves

fresh parsley

directions:

first scrub the clams and place in a bowl with cold water and two pinches of salt, let sit while preparing the stew.  in a large dutch oven, swirl EVOO twice around the pan and heat over medium.  add the chopped shallots and fennel to the dutch oven and sauté until translucent (7-8 minutes). then, add the chopped garlic cloves, saffron, salt and pepper and sauté for 3-5 more minutes being cautious not to be burn the garlic (adjust the heat if necessary).  then, pour ½ of the chopped tomatoes into the pan and puree the other half in a food processor before adding to the pan.  add the fish stock, chardonnay, the bay leaves, 2 shakes of tabasco, one pinch of onion powder and salt and pepper to taste and bring the pot to a boil.  then, add the clams and cover the pot until the clams have started to open (about 5 -7 minutes).  then add the scallops and shrimp and continue heating for 5 minutes until the shrimp and scallops are fully cooked (the shrimp will turn pink) and the clams will fully open. once plated, sprinkle each bowl with chopped fresh parsley.   serve with a sourdough crostini (recipe listed below)

sourdough crostini

serves 4

 

ingredients:

4 slices sourdough bread

5 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon italian seasoning

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

directions:

first pre-heat the oven to 415 degrees and cut the slices of bread in half.  drizzle the bread with some EVOO and then rub it with the garlic clove. toast until just brown on the outsides, about 10 minutes.  while the bread is toasting, mix 2 tablespoons EVOO with a pinch of italian seasoning and 3 chopped cloves of garlic.  after the edges are slightly browned, flip the slices of toast over and top with the garlic/EVOO mix and return to the oven for 3 minutes. serve with cioppino.