Cioppino
This recipe is an easy one from a list of Sunset
Magazine’s best recipes.
2-26 oz cans of tomatoes
1-6 oz. can of tomato paste
1 cup of dry white wine
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 teaspoons of black pepper
1 quart of coarsely chopped Swiss chard
2 large red bell peppers, seeded, stemmed and chopped
1/4 cup of chopped parsley
1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil leaf or 1 tablespoon dried
2 tablespoons each chopped fresh marjoram leaves, rosemary
leaves, thyme leaves, and sage leaves; or 2 teaspoons of
each dried herb
3 dozen small hard-shelled clams
2 large Dungeness Crabs, cooked, cleaned and cracked
3 dozen extra large shrimp (16-20 to the pound)
2 pounds of firm white-fleshed fish, rinsed and cut into
2-inch chunks
In a large saucepan coarsely mash the tomatoes. Add to it
the tomato paste, wine oil, pepper, chard, bell peppers,
parsley, basil, marjoram, rosemary, thyme and sage. Heat
this mixture to just below boiling.
Scrub the clams and arrange at the bottom of a heavy 12 to
14 quart pan. Scoop about a quarter of the tomato mixture
over the clams. Layer the shrimp over that, add 1/4 of the
tomato mixture, layer the crab next and top with 1/4 of the
tomato mixture. Finally place the fish on top and cover
with the remaining tomato mixture.
Cover the pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 to 20
minutes or until the fish is just cooked. To serve ladle
into wide bowls and make sure each gets some of each layer.
Salt to taste.
Serve with some crusty bread to help mob up the sauce.
Serves 12.
Note: To make this spicier, you can add 2 to 4 fresh
stemmed, seeded and minced chilies, a cup of chopped onion
and/or a few cloves of minced garlic to the tomato mixture.