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Cioppino

I dare you to look at this and not crave seafood.

I knew that at some point, the 22 pounds of tomatoes that I crushed and canned last summer would be gone. But when this time approached, I went into serious hoarding mode with the last few jars. It had to be a REALLY special recipe to warrant the use of one of these final jars. And then there was one.

I loved this jar of tomatoes.

It spent a couple of months of lonely existence on the shelf that used to hold all of its tomato friends. Finally, there was only about a month left until I knew I could get another 22 (or 30 or 40) pounds of tomatoes for more canning, and so I decided I could part with it. But only for the specialest of special recipes. Enter cioppino.

Tomatoes fulfilling their destiny: swimming in red wine with some veggies.

I pretty much follow this recipe from Epicurious, except for substituting whatever seafood looks good that day. I don't think the taste could possibly be improved, and it's pretty easy, especially if you have a jar of tomatoes sitting around.


The Recipe:

4 cloves garlic, minced
2 onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tsp oregano
1+ tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 tb olive oil
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 c dry red wine
32 oz crushed or pureed tomatoes
1 c clam juice
2 c chicken or veggie broth
1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped
3 tb fresh basil, chopped
Lots of seafood. I like clams, mussels, pacific snapper, and shrimp. If you end up with not enough seafood to need the full amount of broth, just freeze the extra broth and add seafood to it another day.
  • Cook onions, bay leaf, oregano, and red pepper flakes with salt and pepper in olive oil over medium heat, stirring, until onions are softened
  • Add bell pepper and garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
  • Add wine and boil 5-6 minutes.
  • Add tomatoes, clam juice, and broth.
  • Simmer 30 minutes.
  • Season with salt and pepper.
  • Cut large seafood (crab, fish fillets, etc) into smaller pieces. 
  • Add clams and mussels and cook until they open. Remove to serving bowls.
  • Add the rest of the seafood in order of most to least required cooking time. 
  • Discard the bay leaf.
  • Stir in parsley and basil.
  • Serve with sourdough bread for dipping.

The Verdict:
Overall grade: A+
Overall reason: It's spicy and rich and seafoody and healthy. The perfect food.
Time to prepare: 1 hour
Husband quote: (With much glee:) Seafood! You made me seafood.






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