Cioppino

Hello? Is anybody still reading me? Probably not, and that's understandable. It has been about 15 months since my last blog entry. No, I didn't go to rehab, to prison, or stop eating, though that seems to be pretty fashionable these days. I was pregnant, we moved, and then we welcomed our little blessing into our new home. So now that I am no longer sleep deprived or wine deprived, I'm back. But I didn't want to come back and start off with just "any" blog. I wanted an "amazing" dish, and that dish would be cioppino.

I'm not sure if cioppino is my absolute favorite dinner or not, but it will definitley be involved in my last meal (when i'm 103, of course) right next to the BLT on sourdough and chocolate shake.
This is my grandma's cioppino. She makes it every Christmas and Christmas just isn't the same without it. One year I couldn't make it down to California for Christmas, and I was also on bedrest and couldn't cook, so my sister made it for us; that way we still felt like we had a little bit of Grandma on Christmas. Jon (my hubby) looks forward to this every Christmas now too, and I love seeing the excitement on everybody's faces as the cioppino is about to be served. It's not just food that ties us together, but the traditions that go with it. My grandma knows this better than anybody. She is one smart lady.

My grandma turns 70 on Groundhog's Day, but you wouldn't know it. She even text messages. Now how many people have a grandma that texts? Yep, she's that cool. My grandma is the best cook I know, she just understands flavor and even makes leftovers taste like a gourmet meal. When I think of a woman with great character that I love and admire the most, I think of my Grandma. My cousins, sister and I are all convinced that we are each her favorite, arguing over our lists of reasons why. We all fervently believe that we are the favorite, because she makes us all individually feel that way. Now that's one good grandma.

Happy 70th Birthday Grandma Londa !!
This is P & G. After 53 years, a picture of my grandma without my papa is next to impossible to find.

Now go make this cioppino. This recipe can be easily doubled, or tripled, just make sure you have a big stock pot. This recipe is also best when served to all your "favorite" people.

Cioppino (Serves 6)
Note: Use a big soup/stock pot. Use whatever fresh fish and shellfish you like. Sometimes my grandma adds clams and mussels and sometimes she just uses shrimp, fish, and crab. Lots of crab.

1/4 cup good olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 red or green pepper, finely chopped
1 28 ounce can stewed tomatoes, chopped up
2 cups tomato juice or clamato (if you like it spicy, use 1/2 tj, 1/2 spicy clamato)
2 cups dry red wine (decent)
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
16-24 clams/mussels or both in shells
1 large halibut, rockfish, or snapper steak or thick fillet (skinned and boned)
1 large dungeness crab in shell
1 lb sliced fresh musrooms

Lemon wedges for serving
Hot, buttered sourdough bread


Heat oil in pot over medium heat. Saute peppers, onions, and garlic, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, liquids and seasonings. cook covered, for one hour. Remove bay leaf. Refrigerate until shortly before serving time. (I like to do this the night before, it lets all the flavors meld.) Devein and shell shrimp (keeping tails on). Clean, clams and mussels in salt water, rinsing several times to get rid of grit.) Remove crab legs, break body into sections, save any loose body meat. Cube fish into 1-2 inch pieces. Twenty minutes before serving time bring tomato mixture to a boil and add mushrooms; simmer 10 minutes. Add Crab and shellfish, simmer 10 minutes, then add shrimp and fish. When shrimp curl up and clams all open, cioppino is done! (Discard any unopened shells) Serve with lemon wedges, and hot sourdough bread!