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Zuppa di Mare

2/28/2015

2 Comments

 
Zuppa di Mare – literally soup of the sea – is one of my favorite ways to enjoy seafood.  It is one of those dishes that has no particular recipe.  It is more of a concept or idea – a preparation technique – and it is certainly not unique to Italy.  Anywhere in the world where there are people living near the sea there are people cooking the day’s catch in boiling water flavored with aromatic vegetables, herbs, spices, and frequently some local wine.

Italy has over 4,700 miles of saltwater coastline, and being a peninsula, most of the population lives near the sea.  With a wide variety of seafood available to just about everyone, and as we’ve come to expect, each Italian family typically has its own traditions for preparing it.  They also have a wide variety of names for what I prefer to call Zuppa di Mare.

Some Italians prefer Zuppa di Pesce (fish soup).  In Tuscany fish soup is called Cacciucco; in Abruzzo it’s Brodetto di Pesce; and in Lecce (the “Heel of Italy”) it’s known as Quatàra di Porto Cesareo.  Not to be outdone, the Catalan-speaking regions of Spain have a fish soup called Suquet Dew Peix, and in the Provence region of France it is famously known as Bouillabaisse.  The list goes on and on!

Years ago I discovered an Italian-American version of fish soup in San Francisco called Cioppino.  Cioppino dates back to the 1880s when Genoese fisherman began immigrating to the North Beach area of the city.  The word cioppino comes from the Italian word ciuppin, meaning “to chop”, or “chopped”.  It is a common word in the Ligurian Region of Italy which includes Genoa, where leftovers from the day’s catch were chopped and cooked in a tomato and wine broth.  While Cioppino has become an iconic food in San Francisco, it is virtually unknown by that name anywhere else in the U.S. 
FEATURED RECIPES
Cioppino
Zuppa di Mare
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Zuppa di Mare.

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Cioppino with crusty freshly baked ciabatta and a glass of Cappriccio, a favorite Michigan wine from Fenn Valley Vineyards.

While I cannot claim to have conducted thorough research on the subject, I have experienced Italian fish soup offerings in several cities.  Regardless of name, they all involve mixed seafood served in a light wine sauce or in a hearty (and sometimes spicy) tomato sauce.  The lighter broths are similar to the classic Bouillabaisse, while the tomato sauce versions are more like San Francisco’s Cioppino.

Unfortunately, there are no Italian seafood soup traditions in my family.  If my grandparents ever had such traditions, they were lost or forgotten when they immigrated to the United States and chose to live inland where seafood was neither readily available nor affordable.  So many years ago I decided to “create” recipes for both types of Italian fish soup.  This was well before the days of the Internet, which would have made my challenge much easier, but must less enjoyable.  I (not-so-cleverly) call them Zuppa di Mare and Cioppino!  

My approach with the Zuppa di Mare is to first prepare an Italian Fish Stock using fish bones, heads, shells and a selection of aromatic vegetables.  After cooking and straining, the stock is used to cook a selection of firm-flesh fish and shellfish.  It can be served as a soup (or stew), or it can be served over pasta (preferably linguine).  I should note that I “learned” this two-step preparation technique from Julia Child.  When preparing her version of Bouillabaisse, she first prepared what she called Poisson di Pesce.

I created my version of Cioppino by using my grandmother’s Tuna Fish and Anchovy Sauce as a base, but without the tuna fish.  I added some chopped onion, wine, and red pepper flakes.  I called this Spicy Marinara Sauce.  I’ve written about both sauces before.  I use the marinara sauce frequently with just mussels.  I also use it as the base for my Cioppino – which, after all, simply involves adding more seafood and shellfish.  Any combination of shrimp, crab, scallops, mussels, clams, calamari, and firm flesh fish work every time!

I should also note that preparing the Zuppa di Mare is somewhat time consuming.  It is worth the effort, but making it is clearly not a one-day affair.  The Cioppino, however, can be ready in well under an hour, and is equally delicious.  I hope you will discover one or both sometime soon.

Buon appetitio.

P.S.   I recently examined several online recipes for Cioppino – especially those originating in San Francisco.  I have even prepared a few.  Admitting great bias, I prefer my version!
2 Comments

Mangiare – Chicago Style

2/6/2015

4 Comments

 
Chicago has always been one of my favorite cities – ever since my first job there in 1962.  We also lived near Chicago for over twenty years – ample time to experience and enjoy much of what the Windy City offers its millions of residents and visitors.  There are many reasons why I consider Chicago special, but this web site is about food, so I will confine my comments to food – specifically, eating Chicago style!

Like most (or maybe all) large metropolitan areas, Chicago is more than a huge city surrounded by countless suburban communities.  It is also a vast collection of ethnic neighborhoods representing cultures from around the world – each neighborhood offering unique culinary experiences.  In other words, a foodie's paradise!
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Italian Beef Chicago Style served on a freshly baked hard roll with roasted red peppers and caperberries.

Also like many other large cities, Chicago has its share of what I call “iconic” foods.  Philadelphia has its eponymous Cheese Steak Sandwich (I've recently posted my version); Boston has its Cream Pie, Baked Beans, and arguably Clam Chowder (although the City graciously shares this one with all of New England – also posted); and New York has its Cheesecake, Pastrami, and many, many others.  I submit that Chicago has at least three iconic dishes:  the Chicago Style Hot Dog, Deep Dish Pizza, and the primary purpose for this blog – Italian Beef Chicago Style.

A Chicago Style Hot Dog is an all-beef frankfurter served on a poppy seed bun topped colorfully with yellow mustard, bright green sweet pickle relish, white onions, red tomato slices, a dill pickle spear, pickled sport peppers, and celery salt – but never catchup.  Interestingly, there is no apparent disagreement about this combination of condiments and consequently there is no variation across the city regardless of the vendor.  I don’t usually boast about hot dogs, but this one is extraordinary – although I always commit the cardinal sin and add catchup to mine!

Thanks to televised food shows, I suspect everyone has heard of the Chicago Deep Dish Pizza.  Again, there seems to be broad agreement as to how this rather unique creation should be prepared.  Deep Dish Pizza is made in what looks like a layer cake baking pan with sides about 1½ inches high.  The dough is first pressed across the bottom and up the sides forming a pie-like shell.  A layer of sliced mozzarella cheese is then spread across the bottom.  What would normally be called toppings (should they be called bottomings here?) are added next:  your choice of pepperoni, sausage, olives, onions, green peppers, etc.  The sauce comes next, and last, although sometimes the sauce is sprinkled with Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.  As you might guess, one slice can be a full meal for some folks; and needless to say, it’s all delicious.

My favorite iconic Chicago food is the Italian Beef, however – beef braised in stock seasoned with onions, peppers, garlic, and Italian herbs and spices – then thinly sliced and served with plenty of braising liquid on an Italian hard roll.  Since there is less consensus over how this one is prepared, and since no reliable recipe was available at the time (well before the Internet), I decided to create my own version.  I use brisket for its flavor and because it can be sliced very thin or roughly chopped to create more of a pulled-pork consistency.  Alternatively, the chopped version can be mixed with pasta and braising liquid to make another simple and tasty treat.  If I’ve inspired you to give it a try, I think you’ll be pleased.

Buon appetito.

P.S.  Last month, in my blog on Sauces, I mentioned Alfredo Sauce and noted that it was created by Chef Alfredo Di Lelio in Rome in the early twentieth century.  A few days after this posting, I received a most gracious note (in the form of a Comment to my blog) from Chef Di Lelio’s granddaughter, Chef Ines Di Lelio.  Her note provides the full story of why and when Alfredo Sauce was first prepared.  She also gives the history of her family’s restaurants in Rome, from Chef Alfredo’s mother’s Piazza Rosa to Chef Ines’ current Il Vero Alfredo.  I invite you to read her comment and visit her restaurant’s web site (click on the British/American flag icon to view the English version).  The site offers a virtual tour of the restaurant and contains a short video on how to prepare authentic Fettuccine all’Alfredo!  Mille grazie, Chef Ines.
4 Comments

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    Hobby Chef Grandpa Joe has been practicing Italian-style cooking for over 60 years.  He enjoys cooking, entertaining, and sharing culinary experiences with family and friends.

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