Seafood Cioppino

I'm back at it! Believe it or not I have been cooking. As we can all relate, life is busy! Working a 9 to 5 on top of socializing and athletics doesn't leave much time for food blogging. However, it would be short of a crime to not share some of the recipes I've come across lately. As per usual, I am challenging myself to cook food I love to eat but have never created in my own kitchen. Last week this pursuit had me cooking up Seafood Cioppino-- a beautiful mussel and fish stew featured at many high end restaurants. It is the legacy of San Francisco's Italian and Portuguese immigrants—many of them fishermen—have lived on these surprisingly easy to make North Beach favorite, with fresh parsley this stew is both hearty and fresh.  

Cioppino

                          1 medium onion, quartered
                          3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
                          3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
                          2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
                          1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
                          1/8 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
                          1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in juice
                          1 1/2 cups water
                          1 cup full-bodied red wine such as Zinfandel or Syrah
                          1 8 ounce can of tomato paste
                          1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice
                          1/2 to 1 pound skinless fillets of thick white-fleshed fish cut into 1- inch  .   chunks (I used halibut; hake or pollack can also be used)
                          1/2 to 1 pound fresh mussels
                          1 bunch fresh parsley chopped

Heat olive oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then stir in chopped  onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, red-pepper flakes, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.  | Cook, covered, over medium heat, stirring once or twice, until vegetables begin to soften (about 4 minutes).   | Add tomatoes with their juice, water, wine, clam juice, tomato paste and boil covered for 20 minutes.  | Stir in seafood and 1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh parsley and cook, uncovered, until fish is just cooked through and mussels open wide. This should take 4 to 6 minutes (discard any that remain unopened mussels after 6 minutes). Discard bay leaves.

 

And serve HOT! Preferably with a toasted bread and a nice bottle of wine :)

Linguine with Steamed Mussels in a White Wine Sauce

Like most people, I love seafood but am less than confident cooking it at home. However, I've come to learn that the only way to gain this kind of confidence is by diving in head first--even if it means failing a couple of times. Fortunately for me, I have recently moved in with my younger brother who just finished culinary school so we took on this project together.

We chose to make something with mussels because our mom had some frozen ones that were in need of some love and attention. Then we decided to make a restaurant favorite: linguine with mussels. At times steamed mussels in a white wine sauce/broth stands alone or is served as an appetizer. It is the Italian version of the famous French steamed mussels dish, Moules Marinière. For its complexity of flavor and its inherent sophistication, it is supposed to be a realitively easy thing to make. I can now attest to the fact that it is indeed easy to make and might possibly be one of the best things I've ever made. 

Linguine:

       1 lb pasta of your choice (*We used a locally made lemon pepper linguine- AMAZING)
       1 cup chopped mushrooms (We used Chanterelle and Morel)
       1-2 large tomatoes chopped
       2 large garlic cloves minced
       4 tbs butter
Boil the pasta according to package directions. Mix with olive oil when finished (so the noodles don't stick together and set aside. Saute the mushrooms and tomatoes with the garlic and butter and set aside. Move onto prepare the mussels and sauce! You will mix everything together at the end :)

Steamed Mussels and White Wine Sauce:

       1/3 cup olive oil

       4-5 shallots, chopped fine (one large white onion can work too)

       8 large garlic cloves, minced or crushed

       2.5 cups dry white wine (Pinto Grigio is great)
       1-2 pounds mussels   ***(We used frozen but I recommend using fresh)

       1-2 tsp Salt 

       1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley

       Optional: 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (for some "kick")

  

Add the olive oil, shallots, garlic, wine, and 1/4 cup parsley in a large, wide-bottomed soup pot and bring to a boil over medium heat.  If you want a bit of extra zing, add the red pepper flakes.  Add the mussels, cover, and cook for 3-5 minutes, shaking the pot periodically so that they cook evenly.

Remove the lid. If no mussels have opened, put the top back on, and continue boiling.  Check at 1-minute intervals until they open.  Once some of them open, remove them with a slotted spoon.  As more open, remove them so they don't overcook.  Discard any mussels that remain closed.  (More about how to cook mussels perfectly.) 

Add the cooked linguine, mushrooms, tomatoes and mussels back into the pot that has the white wine and shallots. Mix and serve with fresh bread and garnish with lemon wedges & parsley. Bon Appetito!