Another Giada DeLaurentiis recipe is a hit!

I am still hanging with my family (including my niece who turns 3 weeks old today) and a few days ago I decided we needed a celebratory dinner since my dad and mom were in town at the same time.  We also needed an excuse to open the Piper Heidsieck Rose Sauvage.  YUM!  Being somewhat limited in my protein sources, (my sis doesn't eat meat but does eat fish) I decided to make Giada DeLaurentiis' Cioppino and her red pepper aioli with garlic toast.  It was a HIT!

Cioppino (recipe courtesy Giada DeLaurentiis)

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 large shallots, chopped
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
• 5 cups fish stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pound manila clams, scrubbed
• 1 pound mussels, scrubbed, debearded
• 1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 1/2 pounds assorted firm-fleshed fish fillets such as halibut or salmon, cut into 2-inch chunks

Directions

Heat the oil in a very large pot over medium heat. Add the fennel, onion, shallots, and salt and saute until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and 3/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and saute 2 minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste. Add tomatoes with their juices, wine, fish stock and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the flavors blend, about 30 minutes.

Add the clams and mussels to the cooking liquid. Cover and cook until the clams and mussels begin to open, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and fish.

Simmer gently until the fish and shrimp are just cooked through, and the clams are completely open, stirring gently, about 5 minutes longer (discard any clams and mussels that do not open). Season the soup, to taste, with more salt and red pepper flakes.

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

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I substituted vegetable broth for the fish stock which didn't make a difference in my mind because the major flavor in the broth is fennel.  It is so fragrant and licorice-y delicious. I also used 3 1/2 lbs of fish and shellfish (mussels, snapper, salmon and shrimp) instead of 4 1/2 lbs.  We had more than enough for four hungry people!

After brushing them with a little olive oil, I toasted some Italian bread in the broiler and rubbed a little raw garlic on each slice.  I roasted a red pepper on the stove top, put in a bowl to steam for a few minutes, peeled the charred bits off, and placed it in a food processor.  I added mayo, salt, pepper and garlic to the red pepper and blended until smooth.  This was A DELICIOUS topping to the bread and a nice compliment to the soup.  Thank you Giada!

Are you a fan of the Food Channel and specifically Giada DeLaurentiis?  Do you have any favorite recipes of hers that you would like to share?  I have had the best luck with her recipes...

Chow for now!  :)