Cioppino

I met an interesting man in the grocery store yesterday. He looked at box of granola and soy milk and asked: “You have such curly hair. Do you drink juice?”

Uhmmmmm. My inner voice began to run through all the possibilities of what he actually meant. I mean, I do live in a bit of a hippie town. So I went with my best answer. “Actually no, I’m allergic.”

Allergic? Come on Rhyann, is anyone allergic to juice?

He proceeded to tell me that next time I go to the club with my “pretty curly hair” I should only order juice since it’s much more nutritionally dense than alcohol.

Okay then…

This was the point where I was begging the cashier with my eyes to hurry up. I think she probably thought I was seizing.

Moral of the story? Stay away from the “juice”.

I actually don’t know what that story has to do with Cioppino.

But, what I do know is that this cioppino is super delicious. It’s like all your favorite seafood got together at a party and decided to take a dip in a hot tub full of a wine and tomato broth

Was that too much? I promise I’m not on any “juice”.

Last Year: Whole-Wheat Blueberry and Lemon Pancakes

Cioppino

Serves 4

Cioppino has a delicate tomato and wine broth loaded with lots of garlic and fresh parsley. All of the delicious seafood makes it a lovely and light summer soup. It pairs excellently with a crusty loaf of bread, a crisp glass of white wine, and a decadent dessert. If you are unable to find all of the seafood at your grocer (say the littleneck clams), you can substitute it with more of another ingredient (like the mussels or shrimp).

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 cups vertically sliced onion
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup organic vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 (35-ounce) can whole tomatoes (or diced) with basil and coarsely chopped  - save the juices!
• 1 (10-ounce) yellowtail snapper fillet, cut into 8 (1-inch) cubes
• 4 sea scallops (about 6 ounces)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 medium peeled and deveined shrimp (about 5 ounces)
• 12 littleneck clams, scrubbed
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Method

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium-high heat; swirl to coat. Add onion; sauté 1 minute. Add garlic; reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Add wine, broth, basil, oregano, red pepper, and the tomatoes with the juices; cover. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, sprinkle snapper and scallops with black pepper. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil; swirl to coat. Add snapper and scallops; cook 90 seconds on each side or until golden brown. Move aside to a plate.

4. Add snapper, scallops, shrimp, and clams to broth mixture. Cover and cook 4 minutes or until clams open; discard any unopened shells. Stir in parsley and lemon juice. Serve with crusty bread and good company.

Recipe lightly adapted from Cooking Light

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