stew – Adeline Alley

Oh January! The air is crisp and haunted with daunting thoughts of New Year’s resolutions. I am all for pulling out my yoga mat, and of course we’re always looking to eat a little healthier, but at what cost! My goal this year is to make healthy food that I’ll actually want to eat! Flavorful food that you will look forward to cooking and eating is the key to sticking with any diet, and this cioppino really hits the spot. This warm Italian seafood stew is full of seafood, veggies, and a little wine, so it’s pretty much the best thing you’ll ever eat. I’m not exaggerating when I say this is one of the best things I’ve ever made.

Cioppino

-3 Tbsp olive oil

-5 cloves garlic, chopped

-1 yellow onion, sliced thin

-1 fennel bulb, chopped

-1/2 tsp salt

-1 tsp crushed red pepper

-1 1/2 c white wine

-2 28oz cans whole peeled tomatoes

-7 c fish stock

-1 lb mussels

-1 lb shrimp, shelled

-1 lb cod (or other firm white fish), cut into 1-2 inch pieces

-Tarragon, chopped fennel fronds, and lemon wedges to garnish

Add the olive oil, garlic, onion, fennel, salt, and red pepper to a large stock pot over medium heat. Allow these to soften and lightly brown, about 12-15 minutes. Add the wine and tomatoes, slightly crushing the tomatoes with your spoon. Let this all simmer away for about 20 minutes. Next add the fish stock and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. It can be a little tricky to find fish stock (I actually ended up making mine), but if you can’t find it, just use vegetable stock instead. Now it’s time for the seafood! Add the mussels first and cover the pot. Let this cook for about 5 minutes and then add the shrimp and cod. These should really just take about 5 minutes more to finish cooking. Absolutely feel free to use different seafood (clams, scallops, halibut, etc.) depending on what you like and what is fresh in your area. When you’re picking out your seafood, check out what’s fresh, but don’t forget about the frozen section too for all types of fish and even mussels! Finally just garnish with fennel fronds and tarragon plus a squeeze of lemon and serve with crusty bread for dipping. Enjoy!

Step 1. Chop and caramelize veggies.

Step 2. Add tomatoes and wine and let simmer.

Step 3. Add fish stock and simmer.

Step 4. Add seafood and cook through.

Step 5. Garnish and enjoy!

This is a recipe that came to be based on items I had in our fridge and pantry two years ago. Since then as soon as fall weather is upon us it is the first thing that Grant requests for dinner. It is just about as easy as they come and is hearty enough that it is a full meal… but Grant usually makes his mom’s cornbread recipe to accompany the soup – lucky me (unlucky waistline). This meal is easy to throw together, inexpensive and gluten free as long as you pay attention to the sausage and turnip greens.

Sub in black eyed peas and we call this our “New Year’s Soup.” It covers all of the bases for luck, health and prosperity… in one easy pot. Check!

White Bean, Sausage and Greens Soup

Ingredients:

1 pk Andouille/cajun sausage, chopped
1 onion, diced
2 cloves/teaspoons garlic, minced
2 cans white beans (any type, I prefer Navy Beans because of their small size)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can turnip greens
1 bunch kale in inch pieces
6 cups chicken broth (I used 4 stock, 2 water)
Several dashes of Hot Pepper Vinegar and freshly ground black pepper to season

Directions:

Brown chopped sausage (try to drain most of the grease), add onions and garlic to sausage to soften for 5-7 min
Add chicken broth, beans (rinsed), tomatoes with juice
Add turnip greens (mostly drained)
Add kale, black pepper, pepper vinegar.
Stir, cover, simmer

Simmer for at least 30-45 minutes, but will taste even better the next day.

Serve with hot pepper vinegar. Cornbread would be a treat too.

** You can make many variations to this recipe based on your preferences and things that you have at home. Use only kale (add some salt to recipe); use only turnip greens, add some shredded chicken, etc. I have done all of these things and it turns out well every single time**