Cooking with wine is a way to add flavor to food. Martha makes four delicious recipes using wine: beef bourguignon, cioppino (fish stew), chicken Marsala, and wine-poached pears. Each is perfect for a party menu.
Serves 6 – 8
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 large onion (2 ½ cups), coarsely chopped
- 1 medium bulb fennel, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced (2 ½ tablespoons)
- 2 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
- 1 dried bay leaf
- Pinch of saffron
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes with juice, crushed
- 1 ¼ cups dry white wine
- 1 cup bottled clam juice
- 1 pound cockles or manila clams, scrubbed well
- 1 pound mussels, scrubbed well and debearded
- 1 pound skinless firm white fish fillets, such as halibut, cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
- 1 ¼ pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- ½ cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 3 (2-inch) pieces orange zest, coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
- Grilled bread, for serving
Method
- Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a low wide stockpot over medium heat. Add onion, fennel, and garlic. Cook until the onion is translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in thyme, oregano, red pepper, bay leaf, and saffron.
- Add tomatoes and their liquid, wine, clam juice, and 1 ¼ cups water, and bring to a simmer.
- Add clams and mussels, cover, simmering until shells open, 3 to 5 minutes. Season fish and shrimp with salt and pepper, and add to the pot. Cover, and simmer until the fish is opaque and the shrimp turn pink and begin to curl, 2 to 3
- In a small food processor, combine parsley, orange zest, orange juice, capers, and remaining ¼ cup olive oil; process until
- Remove pot from heat. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Serve with a dollop of the parsley mixture and the grilled bread.