So there I was, scrolling through Instagram (isn't this how all good modern stories start) when I came across a new type of post by Tom Colicchio.
Colicchio is a chef, famous for his restaurants and his role as head judge on one of our family’s favorite TV shows, “Top Chef.” My children recognized his voice from across the room as I began to watch a video that he’d posted. I mean, for as long as they’ve been alive (Paul and I discovered “Top Chef” the winter that I was pregnant with Jack) they‘ve been watching and listening to him give either scathing judgment or understated praise to hopeful contestants.
And here was a video of him, gamely propping up a camera in order to invite the world in to watch him make a family meal. Well now, don't mind if I do. So I poured myself a glass and settled in to watch. Unscripted, lacking overt product placement, and in his home kitchen... what was not to love?!
A few minutes along and I started to feel an affinity for this chef. Look, he doesn’t measure stuff either! Look, he tosses scraps into the trash without much precision (though...he has a dog that helps out) too! Look, he substitutes with abandon based on the content of his pantry. We are so alike!!!!
But then he mentioned that I could pick up "whatever the catch of the day is at your local fishmonger" and I was brought back to my harsh, non-fishmonger-possessing reality : ) He went on to casually mention something about the wind being bad on the east coast so that the bay scallops (or oysters?) that day were "trash." Sooooo awful, right? I mean, I shudder at the thought of buying "trash" fresh oysters (or maybe mussels?) Also, who has fennel (re: "I just used the vegetables I had") casually on hand in one's fridge? Not me!
Anyway, it turns out that I'm not really in the same playing field as this chef. I'm not even allowed into the stadium to watch : ) BUT, that was one of the cool things about this homey little live-stream. Because, despite the fact that I'm not on a first-name-basis with my local butcher and that my dutch oven is an amazon special and his is a Le Creuset, I understood his process and I loved the idea of making the same fish stew that he made. Tom Colicchio made Ciopinno for his family, and I could make it for mine.
Awesome.
So, I followed in the food steps of the master. I made my own version of Ciopinno (I mean, Colicchio did provide a recipe on his website, but he acknowledged right away that he wasn't sticking too it due to pantry and fridge related constrains : ) and it was SO GOOD.
Here's what I had for the soup:
Halibut filets: 1.5-2lbs, I'm not sure how much it was. It was the fish that I'd caught while on a charter with my bestie this summer. I cut the filets into 2 inch cubes.
1 lb Jumbo-Lump Crab: Left over from when I made a crab soup earlier in the summer (which was also awesome)
Olive oil for the vegetables
.5 fennel bulb, diced
2 leeks, white and light green parts thinly sliced
1 sweet Onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, sliced
28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
14.5 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes
3-4 cups of good chicken broth
1/2 cup of white wine
1-2 tsp of chili flakes (how spicy do you like it?)
Salt/Pepper to taste
I tossed all the aromatic vegetables together in my dutch oven along with a few glugs of olive oil. I let them "sweat" on medium-low heat until they had become just slightly limp. Tom was very clear that under no circumstances was I to let the vegetables brown!! Obey Tom! Once they'd just cooked down I added the white wine and let it simmer until most of the white had been reduced. I added a tiny more oil (tiny) before adding the two cans of tomatoes along with the chicken broth. I kept all this on medium-low and let the soup simmer until JUST bubbling. Then I added the halibut along with the chili flakes. I monitored the fish to make sure it didn't overcook and right before I took it off the stove I added the crab meat and let it simmer for a minute or two longer. This is where you might want to add some more chicken broth if you feel that the ration of solids to liquids is off. Also add salt and pepper to taste. I served the soup immediately after topping the whole thing with half the gremolata. The rest of the that garnish stayed at the table to be added as desired (and I did desire to do so : ) I also served a salad, thick sliced sourdough bread and roasted potato wedges.
There are many recipes for this soup online. I'd encourage you to peruse them. You can use any number of sea creatures in this stew, as well as a variety of vegetables. Tom added some really spicy red pepper mixture (I used chili flakes.)You can add no wine, different wine or another type of alcohol all together. It seems to be a pretty versatile dish.
Here's what I had for the topping (a gremolata)
2 cups of finely chopped curly parsley
1 lemon, zested and about 1 tsp of juice squeezed
4 garlic cloves, finely diced
Chop the parsley - you'll need a decent amount of parsley. Mix in the lemon zest, juice and diced garlic. Tell your guests it's a garnish ("That caviar is a GARNISH!" Name that movie : ) with fancy name and sprinkle with great eclat, much like you'd imagine Tom Colicchio would if he were in your kitchen. (And might I add that this little topping was amazing on my salad as well...which I ate today in post-thanksgiving shame, having stepped off my scale that morning with a faint gasp : )
So I made my Colicchio inspired stew and happily, we had friends who were willing to come over to our house for dinner and try it too. These are things that give me joy : )
And that's all friends! Happy cooking! Happy post-thanksgiving! We miss so many of you and are hoping that you are doing well : )
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