Cioppino
By: Anonymous
Published: Friday, December 4, 2009 - 3:19am

Ingredients




3/4 cup olive oil
3/4 teaspoon saffron threads crushed
6 cups dry white, or 3 c. dry white wine and 3 c. dry red win
6 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
3 lbs. tomatoes, coarsely chopped
Hot pepper sauce such as Salt
2 doz. clams, scrubbed 2 doz. small mussels, scrubbed and de
1 1/2 lbs. swordfish cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
2 2 lbs. cooked crabs, cracked
1 1/2 lbs. uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
9 leeks white and pale green parts only halved lengthwise
3 lg. onions, thinly sliced
 cup chopped fresh parsley
6 bay leaves
5 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation

1 Divide oil between 2 heavy large pots. Add half of leeks, onions, parsley, bay leaves, garlic, oregano, thyme, pepper and saffron to each pot. Cook over medium heat until onions are soft, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes.     2 Add half of wine to each pot and boil 3 minutes. Add half of tomato sauce and chopped tomatoes to each pot. Reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes to blend flavors. 3 Season with hot pepper sauce and salt. Add half of clams, mussels and fish to each pot. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. 4 Add crab and shrimp and simmer until clams and mussels open and shrimp are cooked through, about 5 more minutes. Discard any mussels or clams that do not open. Ladle cioppino into wide shallow bowls and serve.

About



Cioppino   is a fish stew, popular along both coasts of the United States as well as in Italy, where the word cioppino  comes from. The Italian inspiration for cioppino is known as zuppa di pesca , or “soup of fish.” Many cioppinos are made with a regional focus, integrating ingredients like Dungeness crab in San Francisco or lobster in Maine. Cioppino is similar to bouillabaisse, a French seafood stew, although it does not usually include saffron , a vital ingredient of bouillabaisse.
Cioppino was allegedly invented in San Francisco by Italian-American fishermen creating Americanized versions of seafood stews from home. Cioppino is characterized by a wide mixture of extremely fresh seafood, which might include mussels, clams, scallops , halibut , bass , shrimp, or anything else the cook can obtain. True cioppino ingredients change from day to day, depending on which fish are available and the location of the cook.