Cioppino

Ingredients:

1/4 pound dried porcini mushrooms
1 sea bass or striped bass
1 pound shrimp
1 quart clams or mussels
1 West Coast crab or lobster
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 green pepper
3-4 tomatoes, chopped
3 Tablespoons parsley, chopped
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 pint red wine
Salt and pepper

Procedu

Start by soaking the mushrooms in cold water, then prepare the
seafood. Cut the raw fish in serving-sized pieces. Shell and devein
the shrimp, leaving the tails intact.

Clean and steam the mussels or clams in a quart of water or stock for
about 4-5 minutes (until the shells open) and save the liquid. Break
the crab apart or cut the lobster in pieces.

Make the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, then sauté the
onion, garlic, mushrooms and green pepper and cook for 3 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and cook down for a minute or two, then add the
tomato paste, the wine and 4 cups of the mussel or clam broth.

Salt and pepper to taste, cover and let simmer for 30 minutes.

When ready to assemble, arrange the seafood in a large kettle: first
the crab or lobster, then the fish, topped by the shrimp.

Bring the sauce to a boil, then pour into the kettle, cover and cook
on low heat for 8 minutes.

Toss in the mussels or clams and parsley (to reduce shell volume, you
can wrench off and throw away half the shell before tossing in), cover
and heat for 2 more minutes.

Bring the kettle to the table and ladle out. Make sure everyone has
big towels and nutcrackers and picks--it's a gloriously messy meal.

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