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Leghorn Seafood Stew
(Cacciucco ala Livornese)
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| What You Need: |
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2 live 1-pound lobsters
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup finely chopped onions
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
½ teaspoon crumbled dried sage leaves
½ cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste dissolved in 1 cup water
½ cup fresh or bottled clam broth
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
½ pound squid (optional), cut into ½-inch rings
½ pound each of 2 kinds of firm white fish-such as halibut, cod, flounder, mackerel, haddock, pollack, snapper, bass or rockfish - cut into 2-inch serving pieces
½ pound whole bay scallops or sliced sea scallops
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, preferably the flat-leaf Italian type
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon peel
GARLIC TOAST
6 to 12 one-inch-thick slices Italian bread
2 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
1 to 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
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| How To Cook: |
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1. Place the lobsters one at a time on their backs on a chopping board and slice off the whole tail section. Cut the tail in half lengthwise down the center.
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2. Then cut the large claws from the body and separate the joints from the claws. Gash the flat underside of each claw with a sharp blow of a knife to make it easy to extract the meat later.
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3. Cut off the antennae and then split the body section in half lengthwise. Remove and discard the gelatinous sac (or stomach) near the head and the long intestine attached to it.
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4. Then remove and set aside the greenish-brown tomalley (or liver) and the black caviarlike eggs (or coral), if any.
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5. Heat the olive oil in a heavy 4- to 6-quart saucepan or flameproof casserole. Add the onions and cook them over moderate heat, stirring frequently, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are lightly colored. Add the garlic and sage and cook, stirring, for 1 minute longer.
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6. Pour in the wine and boil briskly over high heat, stirring constantly, until it has reduced to about ¼ cup, then add the tomato paste and water, clam broth, bay leaves and salt. Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce, partially covered, for 10 minutes.
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7. Drop the squid into the simmering sauce, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the lobster, cover and cook for another 5 minutes.
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8. Then place the firm white fish in the sauce, cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Finally, add the scallops and cook, covered again, for 5 minutes longer.
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9. With a large slotted spoon, carefully transfer the cooked fish and shellfish to a heated serving platter, arranging them as attractively on the plate as you can. Force the tomalley and coral through a fine sieve and stir them into the hot sauce.
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10. Simmer for a moment, taste for seasoning, then spoon the sauce over the fish and shellfish and sprinkle chopped parsley and grated lemon peel on top. Arrange the slices of garlic toast around the platter.
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GARLIC TOAST:
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spread the slices of bread on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake them on the middle shelf of the oven for 15 minutes.
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2. Combine the oil and garlic and brush both sides of each slice lightly with the mixture. Then turn the slices over and bake for another 15 minutes, or until they are lightly browned.
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