Fish Stew

If you're hosting a dinner party, this soup will impress. Ciopinno comes from an Italian dialect and means to chop. Fishermen would chop the day's catch to make this flavorful soup. I take this to mean I can add any kind of fish and shellfish I please. I was inspired by this recipe which calls for many types of shellfish. That can add up to an expensive dinner. I'll try it that way when I'm actually having company, but for the two of us, this version is simpler and more budget-friendly.

Ingredients & Tools

• 1 lbs. fish cubes or fish of your choice
• 2 lbs. mussels
• 1 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 14 ounce can of chicken stock
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 onion
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• Kosher salt
• olive oil
• large pot with tight-fitting lid

Do all your chopping. Chop the onion, garlic, and the fish cubes into smaller pieces, if necessary. I'm less likely to burn anything if I prepped all the chopping at the beginning of my cooking.

Add the dried herbs to several tablespoons of olive oil over low heat.

Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is translucent. Clean the mussels thoroughly and check they're all alive and closed.

Add a cup of good, dry white wine. Let the alcohol cook out for a few minutes. This smells amazing.

Add the chicken stock. What would someone on the Food Network say? "Layers and layers of flavor!"

Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes.

Season the fish with salt and pepper. Add and stir gently.

Add the cleaned mussels and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Simmer gently until the fish is cooked through and all the mussels open, about 10 minutes. Discard any mussels that do not open.

Serve this with crusty bread and the rest of that wine. Buon appetito! 

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

This is the kind of winter time comfort food that makes me ache for a snow day, endless couch time, and The West Wing episodes [pre-season 5]. Making this in the slow cooker allows the meat to be cut-with-a-spoon tender and all the flavors to infuse into the vegetables. I came home to the smell of this simmering after a long day at work and was probably too pleased with myself for prepping this the night before, when I would have preferred to watch [name of embarrassing show redacted to protect the integrity of this very serious blog].

Ingredients & Tools

• 1 lbs. beef cubes
• 5 carrots
• 4 Yukon Gold potatoes
• 2 onions
• 1 cup of frozen peas
• 1 can of crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup of Worcestershire sauce
• 3 cups of water
• 4 teaspoons of salt
• 3 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons of oregano
• 1 teaspoon of basil
• 1 teaspoon of rosemary
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
• slow cooker

This is a hefty list of spices, but you can easily adjust this to your tastes. I like the combination of the Worcestershire sauce and the less traditional rosemary and paprika. You spice this your way. I see recipes as suggestions, not rules. Of course, that kind of thinking doesn't apply to baking, but it may be quite awhile before you see a cake recipe in these parts. I digress. 

Chop the meat into smaller pieces. This will make it easier to eat and create more surface area for your spices. Add the meat and spices to the stoneware of your slower cooker. It will look like a lot of seasoning, but many vegetables and liquid will be added and all that seasoning will be distributed.

Leave the meat at the bottom and layer the vegetables on top. Peel and chop the carrots. Chop the potatoes. I didn't peel them. I don't think it's necessary for a stew. Add your chopped onion. 

Add the can of crushed tomatoes, Worcestershire, and water and stir.

Cook on low for 12 hours and add the peas about 30 minutes before serving. When you come home from work near fainting because you ate your 'lunch' at 10:30 in the morning, this will be waiting for you.