Tuscan Fish Stew

• 1½ cups onion chunks
• 1 cup celery chunks
• ½ cup carrot chunks
• 2 tablespoons sliced garlic, plus 2 whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 5 sage leaves
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ½ pound squid or cuttlefish, cut into strips
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups canned whole tomatoes, with their juice, pureed (see Notes)
• A 1-pound grouper or red snapper, cleaned and cut into 2-inch cubes
• ½ pound (12 medium) peeled shrimp
• 1¼ pounds (about 30) mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 1½ pounds (about 2 dozen) small clams, scrubbed
• 4 cups fish stock (see headnote) or vegetable stock
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 6 slices thick crusty bread

1. Put the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, crushed red pepper, parsley, and sage in a food processor and puree to a coarse paste.

2. Coat the bottom of a stockpot with the olive oil. Add the pureed vegetables and sauté over medium heat until they become soft and very aromatic, 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Add the squid and cook until it turns white, 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Add the wine and reduce by half.

5. Add the tomatoes, fish, and the stock. Season with salt and a generous grind of pepper. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add the shellfish and cook for 10 minutes more. Taste for seasoning. Discard any shellfish that did not open.

6. Toast the bread and rub it with the whole garlic cloves. Put a toast in the bottom of each soup bowl and ladle soup over it.