TasteFood

Butternut Squash, Tomato and Chickpea Ragout with Kale and Couscous

The heat of chile, spices of North Africa and earthiness of kale beautifully complement sweet butternut squash in this hearty ragout. Bright, rich and healthy, this recipe is easily prepared in 30 minutes making it a delicious option for a weeknight. If you prefer an even richer stew, Italian sausage or chorizo may be added.  Most likely, however, you will find that the meatless version is substantial and satisfying enough to win over any carnivore. Be sure to serve the ragout with couscous to soak up the liquid.

Butternut Squash, Tomato and Chickpea Ragout with Kale and Couscous
Serves 4-6.

Extra-virgin olive oil 
1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 red jalapeno or serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded, finely chopped
1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut in 3/4 inch cubes - about 4 cups
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon  
3 1/2 cups chicken stock, divided
1 - 14 ounce can crushed plum tomatoes with juice
1 - 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Salt
3 cups kale leaves, tough stems removed, torn in pieces
2 cups couscous


Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a deep sauté pan or stock pot. Add onion and sauté until beginning to soften, 2 minutes. Add garlic and chiles and sauté until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add butternut squash and dry spices; sauté 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups chicken stock and tomatoes with juices. (The squash should be just covered with liquid. Add extra chicken stock if necessary.) Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until squash is tender but firm, 15-20 minutes. Add chickpeas and 1 teaspoon salt. Continue to simmer, 10 minutes. Stir in kale and simmer until leaves are wilted and bright green, 2 minutes.
While the ragout is simmering bring 2 cups chicken stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add couscous, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and remove from heat. Let sit 5 minutes. Fluff with fork.
To serve, spoon couscous into a bowl or shallow plate, leaving a well in the center. Ladle ragout into the center. Garnish with fresh cilantro or parsley leaves.

To prepare with sausage: As a first step, slice 8 ounces hot Italian sausage or chorizo into 1/2 inch pieces. Sauté in deep sauté pan until golden brown on all sides. Transfer sausage to a plate lined with a paper towel. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon rendered fat. Add onion and proceed with instructions above, substituting the sausage fat for the olive oil. Return sausage to the ragout with the chickpeas.

If you like this, you might like these recipes from TasteFood:

 Sriracha Marinated Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables

Beef Bourguignon

Skillet Chicken with Rice and Vegetables

and these couscous recipes from the foodblog village:

Israeli Couscous with Butternut Squash and Preserved Lemons from David Lebovitz 
Roasted Eggplant Couscous Salad from Dani Spies 
Couscous Salad with WInter Squash and Cranberries from the Kitchn
Parmesan Couscous with Roasted Garlic, Toasted Almonds and Caramelized Onions from For the Love of Cooking 

 

Carrot Soup with Coriander Seed and Cilantro

Carrots share a love affair with coriander in this rich yet light soup. Carrots are cooked with onion and dried coriander, then blitzed with fresh cilantro leaves. The sweetness of the carrot is tempered by the spice of coriander and cayenne, while the strength of fresh cilantro is mellowed as it mingles with the sweet and savory flavors of the stock. All in all, a lovely match.

Carrot Soup with Coriander Seed and Cilantro
Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound carrots, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
4 cups chicken stock 
1/2 cup cilantro sprigs
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, 3 minutes. Add carrots, ground coriander and cayenne. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until carrots are very soft, about 45 minutes. Carefully transfer soup to bowl of food processor or blender. Add cilantro sprigs. Purée until smooth. Return soup to pot. Stir in brown sugar, salt and pepper. Gently rewarm over medium heat. Serve soup warm garnished with fresh cilantro sprigs.

You might enjoy these other recipes from TasteFood:
 
Cream of Parsnip Soup

Roasted Red Beet, Blood Orange and Ginger Soup 




  

 
Curried Butternut Squash Soup

and these carrot soup recipes from the foodblogs:
Carrot Ginger Soup from Andreas' Recipes
Curried Carrot Soup from Je Mange la Ville
Mint Carrot Soup from Chocolate Zucchini
Coconut Carrot Soup from Healthy Green Kitchen

 

Roasted Red Beet, Blood Orange and Ginger Soup with Orange Crème Fraîche

 

Beets: I cannot help but be seduced by their brilliant color and their nutritional riches, yet their flavor has proven a more trying relationship. Perhaps I have been marred by unfortunate events in my past involving pickled versions in bottles that were redolent of, well, dirt.  This aversion has kept me at arm's length from the enjoyment of these visually evocative root vegetables, and, ultimately, has been my loss. So, recently I decided to take matters into my own hands and learn how to love beets.

I began by roasting them. The roasting process seems to tame the beet's unique earthiness, especially when combined with salt, olive oil and a little garlic. I then moved on to salads and found that beets work well when they are one component of many and combined with other distinctive flavors and textures: walnuts, ricotta salata, arugula and mint, for example. After some experimenting with composing salads with beets, I was emboldened. My next step was to make a soup. Looking to the salad for inspiration, I blended beets with several strong-flavored ingredients, paying attention to the balance of sweet, sour, and spice. I chose bold tastes I love, and that is how I arrived at Roasted Red Beet, Blood Orange and Ginger Soup. The beets were present in flavor, but not overpowering. Their earthiness was tamped down by the brightness of citrus and the spiciness of ginger. Chile pepper added a kick and honey sweetened and smoothed out the soup. Topped with a cooling dollop of orange infused crème fraîche, the soup was exciting and fresh, giving the sense of multi-textures, even though it was puréed. The only overpowering presentation of the beets was in the soup's intense magenta color - which is one thing I have always loved about beets.
 

Roasted Red Beet, Blood Orange and Ginger Soup with Orange Crème Fraîche

Orange juice may be substituted for the blood orange juice. The soup is best served warm (not hot) or at room temperature with a dollop of cool crème fraîche.  Serves 3-4.

4 large red beets
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 small serrano chile pepper, stemmed, seeded, chopped, about 2 tablespoons
1 cup water
1 cup blood orange juice
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves, plus additional whole leaves for garnish 

Orange Crème Fraîche (recipe below)
2 blood orange slices, cut in half
 

Preheat oven to 375 F. Trim the tops and ends of the beets. Place in a baking dish and fill water up to 1" in bottom of dish. Roast beets in oven until tender, about 1 hour. Remove and cool. Peel off skin and cut beets in chunks.

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until nearly translucent without coloring, about 3 minutes. Add ginger, garlic and serrano chile; sauté 30 seconds. Add beets and water. Cover and simmer 10 minutes; the vegetables should be very soft. Cool slightly. Transfer to food processor or blender. Add orange juice and purée until smooth. Return to saucepan. (If soup is too thick, thin to desired consistency with additional orange juice. It should not be too thin.) Stir in lime juice and honey. Add salt and pepper and taste to adjust seasoning. Serve warm or at room temperature. Before serving stir in 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves. Ladle into bowls. Top with a spoonful of Orange Crème Fraîche. Garnish with whole cilantro leaves and a slice of blood orange.

Orange Crème Fraîche:
 
1/2 cup crème fraîche (or Greek-style whole milk yogurt)
2 tablespoons orange juice

Combine crème fraîche and orange juice in small bowl. Serve with soup.

 
If you like this, you may enjoy these other veggie recipes from TasteFood:

Spiced Sweet Potato Fries

Gazpacho 

   
Fattoush Salad

 

or these recipes with beets from the foodblogs:
Caramelized Beets with Garlic from Farmgirl Fare
Beet and Fennel Salad from The Perfect Pantry
Roasted Beet Risotto from Cooking with Amy
Beet Rosti from Bitten Blog

 

 

Oyster Stew with Chorizo and Spinach

I love a good fish stew, and a favorite is fish chowder. (After all you can take the girl out of New England, but you can't take New England out of the girl.) Depending on what looks best in the market, I usually choose a firm-fleshed fish such as halibut or salmon, and combine it with a smoky component, such as bacon or smoked salmon. The smokiness is crucial to get the extra depth of flavor in the soup.  

Not so long ago, I decided to make Oyster Stew. After all, the Saints won the Superbowl, and when I think of New Orleans I immediately think of food and then oysters. It would be cream-based as all good Oyster Stews should be. For the smoky component I added chorizo. It lent a kick of spice and beautiful saffron color to the broth. To pop things out and add more substance to the soup I finished the stew with fresh spinach, just long enough for the leaves to wilt, but still maintain their vibrant green color.

Oyster Stew with Chorizo and Spinach
 
Serves 4

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
6 oz. (180 g.) chorizo sausage, cut in 1/4" slices
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup shucked oysters (about 12), liquor drained and reserved
3 cups spinach leaves, washed
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add chorizo. Cook, stirring, until golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Transfer chorizo to a plate lined with a paper towel. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from saucepan. Add onion to saucepan and saute over medium heat until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add milk, cream and reserved oyster liquor to the onions. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Add spinach and cook briefly until wilted but still bright green. Add oysters and simmer until cooked through, 2-3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately in warm bowls.

If you like this, you might also enjoy these recipes from TasteFood:

 Halibut Stew with Chorizo and Kale 





      

 Broccoli Rabe, White Bean and Parmesan Soup

 Lobster Bisque

and these oyster recipes from the foodblogs:

Oyster Rockefeller Bites from Stephen Cooks
Fried Oysters with Lemon and Balsamic Vinegar from Serious Eats
Oven-Grilled Oysters from Dianasaur Dishes
Oysters with Mignonette Granita from Umami Girl

 

Lobster Bisque - a gift that just keeps giving

reprinted from the TasteFood holiday archives

A gift box labelled "Perishable" arrived at our home earlier this week. I had a heads-up on this, because my mother, who lives on the coast of Maine, mentioned she was sending us something edible for the holidays.  When the box arrived I was on my way out the door, running late to go into the city with a friend. When the deliveryman handed me the box, I imagined a fruitcake or chocolate. I set the parcel on my kitchen table and hurriedly put on my shoes by the door.  Suddenly, the box shifted. I looked up in surprise, and my dog started growling.  I hesitated, but the box didn't move again, and my friend was outside tooting her car horn ready to go.  Figuring the contents of the box were just settling, I picked up the box and placed it on a bench outside the front door in the cold air.  After all the box said "Perishable."  I would tend to it when I came home.

An hour later my husband called me on my phone.  He had arrived home early and discovered the box.  Did I know the contents?  I paused, knowing something was coming.  He continued to tell me that we were the proud owners of 2 new family members.  As he explained further it suddenly came to me: They were lobsters. From Maine. Of course.  

So now what?  I love lobster, but I don't like to cook them.  I face this contradiction every summer when we visit Maine.  My husband is understanding and clearly not as conflicted in the lobster department, so generously offered to stun them and boil them before I came home.  And when I did I found a platter of freshly cooked lobster.  We enjoyed them for dinner, saving and freezing the shells and extra meat to make a bisque.  Several days later I cooked the shells, making a rich stock for the base of the bisque to which I added the remaining lobster meat and cream.  Served in demi-tasse cups it was a sublime and elegant addition to a holiday party, an extra treat created from the gift that keeps giving.

 

Lobster Bisque
an elegant addition to a holiday or celebratory dinner

Makes 4-6 portions

2 cooked lobsters

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup (80 ml.) brandy
1 fennel bulb, halved lengthwise, sliced thinly
3 shallots, sliced thinly
2 garlic cloves, cut in slivers
8 black peppercorns
3 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cups water

2 cups heavy cream

Prepare stock:
Working over a large bowl to catch juices, break off lobster tails and claws.  Crack tails and claws and remove meat.  Chop lobster meat in large chunks.  Cover and chill.
Coarsely chop lobster shells and bodies.  Place shells in bowl.  Reserve lobster juice from the bowl.

Heat oil in a large pot over high heat.  Add lobster shells and bodies and sear without stirring for one minute.  Stir them and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the shells begin to brown, about 5 minutes. 
Add brandy, fennel, shallots, garlic and peppercorns.  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Cook, stirring, until vegetables soften, about 3 minutes.  Add tomato paste and water.  Bring to a boil.  Boil for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes.  
Strain through a fine-meshed strainer, pressing firmly on solids.  (Can be made in advance to this point.  Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze up to one month.)

Add cream to lobster stock.  Simmer 10 minutes.  Add lobster meat.  Stir to heat through.
Serve in bowls or demi-tasse cups.

Crab and Shrimp Bisque:
If lobster is not readily available, you can substitute the lobster with crab or shrimp.  In either case, pre-cook the crab or shrimp.  Then remove the shells, saving the meat.  Cook the shells and follow the recipe as noted above.

Note: 
The bisque pictured above has lobster and shrimp meat, since we ate a good deal of the lobster when it was freshly cooked.

Holiday Timeout: Turkey Vegetable Soup with Swiss Chard

I posted this recipe last year between Christmas and New Year when I suffered a food hangover and needed a gastronomic time-out.  This soup was the perfect antidote:  simple, healthy and fortifying.  It handily uses the leftovers from a holiday turkey dinner, adding a satisfying economy to the pleasure of this meal. The broth is clean and light and packed with chunky vegetables.  Swiss chard is added at the end for extra depth.  During the ever-so-festive excesses of the holiday season, we all need a comforting and restorative dish like this in our repertoire.  Consider this recipe an early holiday gift from me to you. Happy Thanksgiving!

Turkey Vegetable Soup with Swiss Chard
Serves 4-6

Try using red Swiss chard - it adds a lovely red hue to the stock as it cooks.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, halved lengthwise, cut in thick slices
3 large carrots, sliced 1/2" thick
4 celery stalks, sliced 1/2" thick on the diagonal
8 cups turkey stock (see below)
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups thickly shredded Swiss chard leaves
2 cups cooked turkey meat, in large chunks

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pot.  Add onion, carrots and celery. Sauté over medium heat until the vegetables brighten and begin to soften, about 3 minutes.  Add turkey stock, bay leaf and thyme.  Bring to a boil and simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in Swiss chard and turkey meat.  Simmer until chard is wilted.  Discard bay leaf.  Serve immediately.  

Easy turkey stock:

Bones from turkey carcass
1 large yellow onion, quartered
3 garlic cloves, smashed
3 celery stalks, cut in 1" pieces
2 large carrots, cut in 1" pieces
2 bay leaves
2-3 thyme sprigs
1 small handful parsley sprigs
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Place all of the ingredients in a large stockpot.  Cover with water.  Bring to a boil, and simmer, partially covered, 2-3 hours, occasionally skimming any fat. Remove from heat.  Carefully drain in a colander placed over a large bowl or saucepan.  Strain again through a fine meshed sieve.  Cool.  Stock can be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 6 months.

 

Kitchen Magic: Cream of Parsnip Soup

There were four lonely parsnips in my refrigerator yesterday.  Somehow, they missed the chicken dinner I made earlier in the week, when I scattered onions, rutabagas, and potatoes around the chicken while it roasted.  The parsnips were meant to be included, but were inadvertently left behind in the vegetable crisper, minding their own business nestled between the gypsy peppers and fennel.  It was all for the best. 

Yesterday was an indisputable soup day: cold, blustery and rainy.  As I surveyed my refrigerator for inspiration, I eyed the forgotten parsnips and instantly knew what I would make - Cream of Parsnip Soup.  I found some celery hiding behind the fennel in the crisper, and reached for an onion in my onion basket. And, of course, I had a quart of chicken stock that I made from the aforementioned roasted chicken.  With a little cooking and blending, these solitary ingredients transformed themselves into a silky rich Cream of Parsnip Soup.  Kitchen magic at its best.
 

Cream of Parsnip Soup
Serves 4-6

The sweet and nutty flavor of parsnip is evened out by the celery and and chicken stock.  You can substitute 2 cups chopped celery root for the celery stalks for a softer flavor.  

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 celery stalks, diced
3 large parsnips, peeled and diced (about 3 cups)
4 cups (1 liter) chicken stock
4 sage leaves
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup (125 ml.) heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add onion and sauté until they begin to sweat.  Add celery. parsnips and garlic and sauté one minute.  Add 3 cups chicken stock, sage and bay leaf.  Simmer, covered, until vegetables are very soft, about 25 minutes.  Remove and discard bay leaf and sage leaves. Purée soup until smooth in a food processor or with an immersion blender. Return soup to pot and stir in cream. Thin soup to desired consistency with additional chicken stock. Heat gently over medium heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.  
 

You might like these other soul-satisying soups from TasteFood:

French Onion Soup au Gratin




  

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

      


Salmon and Cauliflower Chowder

 

And more delicious and hearty soups from the Foodblogs:

Potato Leek Soup from Simply Recipes
Chickpea Soup with Garlic, Sumac and Lemon from Kalyn's Kitchen
Hearty Lentil Soup with Sausage from Farmgirl Fare
Pumpkin Tortilla Soup from Apartment Therapy

 

     

 

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Sweet and spicy, warm and comforting: Curried Butternut Squash Soup is a luxuriant soup for the autumn season.  My original inspiration for this soup came from the Silver Palate Cookbook many years ago.  Since then, I have tweaked and made variations of this soup in the different countries where I have lived.  What I love about this rich soup is that there is no cream in the stock.  Sweet onion, tart apples and squash cook down in chicken stock, then puréed and thinned with apple juice.  The apples add a sharp, spicy sweetness that compliments the earthy, sweetness of the squash, while curry powder adds heat and roundness to the flavor.  As a final flourish, I like to add a dollop of cool crème fraîche as garnish with a few sprigs of cilantro.  This is a hearty, healthy and pleasing soup for a cool fall day.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup
As we moved around  Europe it was difficult to find the prolific American butternut squash, so I would improvise with small hokkaido pumpkins that were available in the fall.   You can also substitute the butternut squash with another sweet, orange fleshed squash or pumpkin.

Serves 6

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, cut in 1" chunks
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut in 1" chunks
2 tablespoons currry powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1-2 teaspoons salt, to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Crème fraîche
Fresh cilantro/coriander leaves

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add onions and stir until transluscent, about 3 minutes.  Add apple and squash and cook, stirring, one minute.  Add curry powder and ground coriander and cook, stirring, 30 seconds.  Add chicken stock.  (Stock should cover squash and apples.  If not, then add additional stock or water to cover.)  Simmer, covered, until squash and apples are very soft, about 30 minutes.  Purée soup in batches in a food processor or with an immersion blender.  Add apple juice to soup and gently cook to heat through.  (If the soup is too thick, add additional apple juice to desired consistency.)  Stir in brown sugar, salt and pepper. 
Serve soup hot, garnished with a spoonful of crème fraîche and a few cilantro leaves.

You might also enjoy these recipes with butternut squash from other foodblogs:
Butternut Squash with Lemon, Thyme and Parmesan from Kalyn's Kitchen
Butternut Squash Apple Cranberry Bake from Simply Recipes
Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Gratin from Pinch My Salt 

Gazpacho - a Hot Weather Friend

Oh my, it is hot.  How hot?  Well, I have been told it will reach 100 F. today (38C!)  I am positive that right now my kitchen is pushing 125 F. Now, for those of you who do not know me, I am not a hot-weather person. My idea of a dream existence is to own a lovely stone house in the south of France and live there year-round except in the summer, when I would head north. I don't even mind rain from time to time. It's the reverse of the natural order of things, I know, but my DNA is just not programmed to sustain the heat. I have come to expect the usual summer hot spells, but lately I have been lulled into ignorant bliss by a long stretch of clear, cool, breezy autumn-like weather.  I've been smiling ear to ear like a fleece-clad cheshire cat, enjoying wind blown hikes with rosy cheeks and watering eyes, while back home, I read sympathetically about the heat in further-flung-regions. 

So, just when I begin to believe that this will be the summer norm, I find myself facing triple digit temperatures.  I suspiciously wonder if the high heat has been lurking and gleefully rubbing it's sweaty hands all along, plotting and waiting to pounce as soon as I let my guard down.  Well I can roll with the punches.  I am now unpacking my small hot weather clothing that I have just packed for a trip to a hot futher-flung-region.  I am hiking only at the crack of dawn, and any water related locales have become the preferred destination.  And, for sure, the oven is off limits in the house, while all food I prepare comes from my repertoire of recipes that I turn to in extreme heat. 

One such recipe is my version of Gazpacho, a puréed tomato-based soup from Spain, served cold. I call it a Liquid Salad, because, if you glance at the ingredients, that is very much what it is. My version involves no puréeing, because I love the toothsome texture of the diced vegetables, fresh and satisfying to the bite. Their colors mingle with their natural juices in a cool, thirst-quenching soup of tomato, making this a festive and refreshing dish to present - one of the few un-wilted looking items in my kitchen at the moment. The selection of vegetables can be varied. I stray from the conventional gazpacho and add carrot for its color and sweetness and fennel bulb for its anise flavor and crunch. This is a perfect liquid salad for a hot summer day.

Gazpacho
Serves 4-6

1 quart or 1 liter tomato juice
1 organic cucumber with skin, seeded, diced
1 large red onion, finely chopped
3 tomatoes, diced, with juices
1 carrot, peeled, finely diced
1 fennel bulb, fronds and outer pieces removed, finely diced
1 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded, ribs removed, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Juice of one lemon and one lime
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Dash of tabasco sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 generous handful fresh cilantro/coriander chopped

Combine all of the ingredients except cilantro in a large bowl.  Adjust seasoning to taste. Cover and chill at least one hour before serving. (Can be made up to 6 hours in advance.) Stir in cilantro before serving.  Garnish with cilantro or parsley leaves.

Serving suggestions:  Top gazpacho with diced avocado and serve with tortilla chips. 

Cioppino

Cioppino - [chuh-pee-noh]
noun; derived from the Italian word ciuppin

1. An Italian-American stew of fish, shellfish, tomatoes, wine and seasonings; originated in San Francisco.
2. A go-to delicious and hearty fish stew; crowd-friendly, easy in preparation and guaranteed to please friends and family.

Spicy Cioppino with Shellfish
Serves 6

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 red bell pepper, seeded, cut in 1/4" dice
1 fennel bulb, fronds removed, cut in 1/4" dice
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 turkish bay leaf
1 1/2 cups full-bodied red wine, such as Syrah or Zinfandel/Primitivo
1 32 oz. can crushed tomatoes with juices
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste

18 littleneck clams
6 large or 12 medium sea scallops
1 lb. (500 g.) large shrimp, shelled, deveined, tails left intact
1/2 lb. (250 g.) cleaned calamari with tentacles, body cut in 1/4" thick rings
1 (1 lb./500g.) Dungeness crab, cracked and broken in pieces or king crab leg, broken in 6 pieces

1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves, chopped
Additional parsley sprigs for garnish

In a heavy stock pot, cook garlic, onion and red pepper flakes in olive oil over medium heat until onions soften and garlic is fragrant without browning, about 3 minutes.  Add red bell pepper, fennel, dried oregano and bay leaf.  Cook stirring, 1 minute. Add wine; bring to boil and reduce to a simmer, cooking 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes, chicken stock and tomato paste.  Simmer, covered, 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  (Stock can be prepared up to 6 hours in advance to this point.  Cool, cover and refrigerate.  Return to a simmer before continuing.) 

Add clams and crab to simmering stew.  Cook until clams open, about 5 minutes.  Remove and discard any unopened clams.  Add scallops, shrimp and calamari.  Simmer, covered, until scallops and shrimp are cooked through, about 5 minutes.  Discard bay leaf and stir in chopped parsely.

Serve in warm bowls with sourdough bread.

What to Drink?
Red Wine:  A fruity, full-bodied wine such as Zinfandel/Primitivo, Syrah, Sangiovese.  Avoid tannic red wine.