cioppino

Cioppino. This seafood stew is one of my friend Michelle's staple dishes, but I did not get the chance to try it until now. Dinner was hosted at Tam and George's pad, but the cooking was done my Chef Michelle. I did nothing in the kitchen. Instead, I brought butterfinger frozen custard from Stricklands and a chilled chardonnay.

Cioppino is an old fisherman's stew, originating from San Francisco, and later became a staple in Italian restaurants. The name comes from ciuppin, an Italian word meaning "to chop" or "chopped," which described the process of making the stew by chopping up various leftovers of the days catch.

We had boiled and roasted crab as the appetizer, and the guts were thrown into the stew. [use everything!] The finished product was sooo good. We toasted bread to dip, threw in the mussels, clams, fish, and crab guts, and DUG IN.

..:: roasted crab ::..

..::a place setting::..

I meant to post this with the hot pot, but I forgot to take a picture then. These hot drops are the HOTTEST drops I've ever had. I put one drop into my cioppino and it was insanely spicy. At hot pot places, they will not put this out because it is so lethal. You have to ask for it, and they will not put it in the steaming broth [will tear your eyes]. They drop it into your ponzu sauce, and then you can do as you please from there. We had to order this online because they don't sell them in the supermarkets!!