Seafood Soup
Instructions:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 tbsp. basil, sliced
- 1 tbsp. oregano, sliced
- 1 tbsp. thyme, chopped
- 1 lb. mussels
- 1 lb. Littleneck clams
- 1 red chili pepper, sliced
- 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
- 4 vine-ripened tomatoes, diced
- 2 roasted red peppers, sliced
- 1 tsp. saffron
- 3 cups white wine
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 2 squid, sliced into rings
- 1 chorizo, quartered
- 1/2 lb. cod, diced
- 4 mini white potatoes, steamed and peeled
- 12 pearl onions, steamed and peeled
- 8 cloves garlic, roasted
- 12 green olives
- To a large pot over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, sliced garlic, and diced onion. Sauté until onion is golden brown.
- Add basil, oregano, thyme, mussels, and clams. Cover and sauté for 5 minutes; the shellfish will open. Discard any unopened mussels or clams.
- With a slotted spoon, remove the mussels and clams and set aside. To the pot add chili pepper, paprika, tomatoes, one roasted pepper, and saffron. Sauté for 5 minutes then deglaze with white wine. Add vegetable stock and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Pour contents of pot into a blender or food processor and purée, then strain through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. Set aside. Pull the meat out of the cooled shellfish; set aside.
- Add a splash of olive oil to two large pans. In one pan, sauté the squid and chorizo for about 3 minutes. Toss in the shellfish meat and heat through.
- In the second pan, place the cod, potatoes, pearl onions, garlic, the remaining red pepper, and olives. Toss until warmed through.
- Have hot soup bowls ready. Divide the sausage and shellfish amongst the bowls. Do the same with the vegetables. Pour in the hot soup purée.
- Tip: Serve this soup piping hot. Adjust the heat of the spices by modifying the amount of red chili peppers you use. When working with chili peppers, be very careful not to touch your face—the pepper oil on your fingers will burn your skin.