Janet’s Cioppino

Even though cioppino is a classic San Francisco dish, the tradition of eating fish stew comes to me from my mother's ancestors who originated in Riva Trigoso, a fishing town on the Italian Riviera. My nonno, Mario Canepa, who had a pleasure boat docked at Fisherman's Wharf, often came home with fresh crab; thus the family made cioppino. This recipe is my version of my mother’s, Catherine Canepa Lancelotti.  I hope you will enjoy it!

This recipe yields 8 servings. The prep time is about 50 minutes and the cooking time is 1 hour and 20 minutes. My recommendation for a good supper is to use the cioppino sauce on pasta for the first course; and then to serve the fish.  The Pellegrini Carignane or Olivet Lane Pinot Noir complements this meal well. Then, follow with a refreshing, chilled salad. – Janet Pellegrini

SAUCE PREPARATION

1/2 cup olive oil
3 large yellow onions, chopped
8 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped
Crab butter (fresh crab has yellowish matter under the shell in the center of the body
called crab butter, which adds taste)

In an 8-quart pot, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions until transparent.  Add the garlic, parsley, and crab butter, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.

1 cup Pellegrini Chardonnay
2 large (29 oz.) cans tomato puree
3 boxes Pomi chopped tomatoes
1 large (12 oz.) can tomato paste
3 small (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
2 cups of clam juice
Red pepper flakes, to taste
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Add the Pellegrini Chardonnay and reduce.  Next, add the tomato puree, chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce and clam juice.  Season with red pepper flakes, sea salt, and black pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 1 hour. (Except for the crab butter, this part can be made 1 day ahead.)

SEAFOOD PREPARATION

4 cans of chopped clams
4 fresh uncooked crabs (easiest is to have live crabs cleaned and cracked. Ask the vendor to save the crab butter for you.)
2 dozen large raw prawns
3 dozen small hard-shelled clams (scrub sand off under water)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped

In the heated sauce, put the cracked crab, prawns, and canned, chopped clams for 20 minutes.  In a smaller pot, bordelaise the clam cockles by heating the olive oil, garlic, and parsley, and add clams.  Stir and cook with a tight lid until the cockles open (about 5 minutes).  Add the clams and broth to the cioppino for the last 5 minutes of the seafood's cooking time.