Cioppino

Cioppino is a fish/seafood stew, traditionally made from whatever the fresh catch of the day is. These stews are of Italian origin, but the named dish is said to have been popularized in the San Francisco wharf area restaurants, in which the name was said to have been derived from the heavily Italian-accented cry of the wharf cooks for the fishermen to "chip in" some of their catch to the collective soup pot (this according to the Wikipedia entry).

We created this recipe in an effort to duplicate our favorite dish at the Anchor Oyster Bar in San Francisco. We've come close, but of course highly recommend theirs! The flavor of fennel is fantastic in this stew.

Base
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 fennel bulb, chopped, with the leafy green stems set aside
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 orange or yellow bell pepper, chopped
2 14.5oz cans tomatoes, chopped
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup red wine
3 cups soup stock (or water)
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon sugar
red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper to taste

Seafood
We usually use 1 small fillet of a white fish, chopped into cubes, plus 1/2 lb of shrimp, 1/2 lb of scallops, and maybe some clams or mussels. Pick whatever you can get that you like.

Place the oil, onion, chopped fennel bulb, and garlic in a large pot and cook over medium-high heat until the onions are soft. Add the bell peppers and cook for a few more minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, wine, and stock (or water). Bring to a boil, then simmer on medium-low heat, covered, for about 20 minutes. Chop about 1/2 of the green 'leaves' from the fennel bulb and add them to the stew. Add the remaining spices, and simmer for about 20-30 minutes longer, covered, until all of the vegetables are tender.  For a thick stew base, puree with an immersion blender.  For a thinner base, strain the vegetables out.

Add the seafood, bring to a boil and cook for about 5-10 minutes until the seafood is cooked (clams or mussels must all open, throw out any that don't). Serve with sourdough bread.

If you've made enough for leftovers, portion out the stew prior to adding seafood.  Reserve the rest to be prepared with seafood later.