Hello fello food enthusiasts.
So…, I love cooking on Sunday nights. It’s kind of a ritual that I have actually. I’ve noticed that many people are eating in more frequently these days to save money, and even though the economic state of the world is WAY less than ideal to say the least…it’s at least nice to know that families are getting back to the basics of home cooking, togetherness and nourishing times together. And then there’s the simple truth that cooking at home can be healthier than eating out. You use less fats and oils and if you choose to, you can cook with organic ingredients as well.
Whether I am cooking for somebody else, or just for myself, Sunday evening is usually a regular recipe testing, food experimenting evening for me…AND, I try to make WAY too much food so that I have leftovers for the rest of the week as well. This past Sunday I happened to be cooking for some special friends of mine, and thought I would take a risk and try to perfect my Cioppino recipe with a gorgeous and tasty winter salad. For those who don’t know “Cioppino” is a seafood stew derived from Italian origins.
It was developed in the late 1800s by Italian fishermen who settled in the North Beach section of San Francisco. Originally it was made on the boats while out at sea and later became a staple as Italian restaurants proliferated in San Francisco. It was made with the catch of the day and any leftovers. On Sunday, I used a variety of seafood… scallops, shrimp, calamari, red snapper and mussels. This is a perfect Sunday meal… as you can make the base ahead and then add the seafood at the last moment. You can also make it as spicy as you’d like, and I add red chili flakes. I like spicy food so my Ciopinno was on the hotter side…very delicious in my opinion. This rich stew/soup tastes tangy and spicy and you could actually choose to serve it over pasta if you’d like.
Since it’s a one dish meal.. I simply served it with a salad, and last night.. I used soft sweet butter lettuce and spicy arugula and added sliced red onions, cherry tomatoes, radishes, walnuts, steamed haricots verts and gorgonzola dolce.My guests were very happy with the meal.
Here is the my Cioppino Recipe:
Ciopppino
Serve 6
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
6 small carrots, peeled and diced
5 stalks celery, diced
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 can whole peeled tomatoes with their juices
2 tablespoons. tomato paste
1 cup white wine
2 8 oz bottles clam juice
1 t dried oregano, crushed
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
!/2 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
½ pound mussels, cleaned and de bearded
½ pound large sea scallops cut in half
½ pound rock shrimp
½ pound regular shrimp peeled
½ pound squid. body( cut into rings) and tentacles
¾ pound red snapper or other white fish..cut into large chunks
Toasted bread for dunking
In a large casserole ( I love Le Creuset), heat 3 Tablespoons olive oil until hot and then
add onions, carrots and celery and sauté for 5-6 minutes.. Add the garlic and sauté for another 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, white wine and clam juice, oregano, thyme and red pepper flakes.. salt and pepper to taste.
Let simmer on top of the stove for about 20 minutes.
Add in all the seafood, cover and let seafood cook until just tender about 5-7 minutes.
Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve with olive oil croutons to dip into the broth.
Serve immediately.
For my list of last weeks happenings: please check out my “Happenings” page
