Seafood Stew

This dish was prepared in honor of Nelson’s Birthday.  Since Chris and I are a bit cash-poor these days (just bought the house), I thought it would be more economical to wine and dine him at home.  This stew was inspired from a Cioppino I had at a restaurant.  The Cioppino was a bit hearty for my taste but I thought it would be more appropriate to call it a stew.  Served with crusty bread, it really hits the spot on a cold winter night.

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Ingredients:

• 4 strips of bacon, diced
• olive oil for cooking
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 2 small carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 ribs of celery, chopped
• 1 large yukon gold potato, peeled and diced (mine was the size of a starchy potato)
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, crushed (using the tip of
  your fingers)
• salt and pepper to season
• 2/3 cup of red wine (I used Merlot)
• 1 (28-ounce) can of crushed tomatoes (I used San Marzano tomatoes)
• 1 (32-ounce) container of fish stock
• 1 pound of fresh mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 1/2 pound of fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 pound of fresh fluke (or any firm white fish that looks fresh that day), cut in small pieces
• 6 large fresh sea scallops, cut in half
• fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

Preparation:

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, add bacon and olive oil.  Cook bacon until crispy.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towel to drain.  Reserve for garnish.

In the rendered bacon fat add onions and garlic.  Cook for about 5 minutes then add carrots, celery, potato, bay leaf, thyme and red pepper flakes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook for another 5 minutes then deglaze pot with red wine.  Let it bubble and reduce.  About 1 minute.  Pour in crushed tomatoes and fish stock.  Stir to combine.  Cover and let the broth simmer over medium low heat for about 15-20 minutes or until vegetables softened.

Add mussels to the pot.  Cover and cook until mussels start to open (about 3-4 minutes).  Then add in shrimp, fluke and sea scallops.  Cover and poach until opaque (about 4-5 minutes).  Discard bay leaf and check for seasoning.  Ladle stew and garnish with fresh parsley and reserved bacon.  Serve with
crusty bread.