On 2005-03-24, Melba's Jammin' > wrote:

> The sauce looks thickish -- can I thin it
> with some red wine (Three Buck Chuck Cabernet).....

Oh absolutely!!

I used to have a serious jones for TJ's cioppino. I used to have it
every Sat night for a couple years. I'd enjoy it with a good bottle
of CA zinfandel and some SF sourdough bread w/ butter. And yes, the
sauce will definitely benefit from a little addition of wine. Not too
much, as it will change the sauce which is quite good on its own. I'd
go with the merlot as it's not as acidic as the cab.

They also sell it frozen with fish, mussels, and bay scallops already
included. Each pkg is enough for a huge single or two small servings
for a mere $5. An incredible deal considering I've paid 4 or 5 times
that for lesser quality cioppino in restaurants. The amount of fish
has gone down over the years (no more shrimp) to keep the $5 price,
but they've managed to keep the sauce as good as ever.

Yes, TJ's cioppino is one of the best deals in the whole store. It's
amazingly good. By all means, toss in some fresh or frozen seafood
and enjoy. In fact, you've got my buds a'flowin' and I'm about due.

enjoy =D
nb