The American Favorites section is where we have placed recipes for dishes that have become American favorites; these recipes are for foods that are enjoyed by many people throughout this great country of ours. In this particular section, I won't assign a specific part of the country as being the origin of the recipe.
At the bottom of this page, you will have an opportunity to E-mail us and give us your thoughts on this page. We encourage this. After all, we will be tailoring this "Cooking Around the World" series according to the wishes of our viewers.
½ c vegetable oil Freshly ground black pepper
1 c finely chopped onion 2 live lobsters, about 1¼ pounds
1 medium green pepper, seeded and each, cut into serving pieces, or
coarsely chopped 1 large Dungeness crab, or 4 small
2 tsp finely chopped garlic blue crabs
4 medium-sized tomatoes, peeled, 2½ to 3 pounds firm white-fleshed
seeded and coarsely chopped, or fish, cut into serving pieces
an equivalent amount of canned 1 pound raw, medium-sized shrimp,
tomatoes, thoroughly drained shelled and deveined
2 T tomato paste 1½ dozen small hard-shelled clams in
2 c dry white wine their shells, well-washed and
½ c finely chopped fresh parsley, scrubbed
Italian flat-leaf if possible 1½ dozen small mussels in their shells,
1 tsp salt well-washed, scrubbed and bearded
-----------------------------
In a heavy 6- to 8-quart casserole, heat the oil over high heat until a
light haze forms above it. Then add the chopped onions, green pepper and
garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the
vegetables are wilted but not brown. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, wine,
¼ c of the chopped parsley, salt and a few grindings of pepper, and bring
to a boil. Lower the heat, half cover the casserole and simmer the sauce
for about 15 minutes.Add the lobster or crab, baste thoroughly with the sauce and cook over low heat, tightly covered, for about 10 minutes before adding the cut-up fish. Cover the casserole again and cook the fish for about 8 minutes, or until it is firm to the touch. Add the shrimp, pushing them beneath the sauce and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until they turn pink and are firm.
Mranwhile, steam open the clams and mussels by dropping them into a large skillet or casserole filled with about 1 inch of boiling water. Cover the pan tightly and cook the shellfish over moderate heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until their shells open. Steam those that do not open a little longer, finally discarding any that remain closed. Add the opened mussels and clams (shells and all) to the casserole and baste thoroughly with the sauce. If you like, strain the broth from the steamed shellfish through cheesecloth and add it to the cioppino. However, be careful not to thin the sauce too much.
Cover the pan and cook the cioppino about 2 to 3 minutes longer, then taste for seasoning. Serve either directly from the casserole or from a large tureen. In either case, sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup of chopped parsley and accompany the cioppino with hot garlic bread. Serves 6.
