Recipe: Zuppa di Pesce alla Toscana

Zuppa di Pesce alla Toscana
Tuscan Fish Stew

Ingredients

1/4 Lb. Pancetta, cut into fine dice
Butter
2 Medium Leeks -- white part only -- cleaned and sliced into
thin rings
2 Tbs. flour
2 Tbs. fresh Rosemary
4 Medium New Potatoes, cut into bite sized cubes
1 Quart (or more) Fish Stock or Water -- see note below
Salt & Freshly ground Black pepper
2 Lb. firm, white-fleshed fish like Haddock or Cod cut into 4 or
5 large chunks
1/4 Cup Heavy Cream (Optional)
Italian Parsley, finely chopped


Preparation:

Heat a three or four quart sauce pot over medium heat. Add the
Pancetta, stirring to separate the dice. Lower the heat to just above
the 'Low' setting, and allow the Pancetta to cook long enoughto
brown and crisp slightly, and to render its fat. Stir occasionally to
ensure that the Pancetta doesn't stick or burn. Remove the Pancetta
from the pot and reserve.

Add enough butter to the pot to make about 2 Tbs. of fat. Add the
leeks and sweat them over low heat for about 10 minutes or until
they've become translucent and tender. Raise the heat to Medium
and add the flour. Stir the flour and fat together to make a roux.
When they're completely incorporated, cook for two or three
minutes to cook off the floury taste.

Begin adding stock or water, about 1/4 cup at a time, stirring
constantly. At first, each addition will nearly form a paste. Don't add
more until the previous liquid has been incorporated. Continue in this
manner, also scraping up any bits of caramelized leeks on the
bottom of the pot, until you've added about two cups,then add the
remaining liquid all at once. Bring to a boil, continuing to stir gently.

Add the Rosemary, potatoes and a few grinds of pepper. If it seems
that the potatoes don't have enough liquid to cook properly, add up
to a cup of stock or water to the pot. Cook until the potatoes are
nearly cooked through -- just keep poking them and tasting.

Add the fish, cover the pot and turn off the heat. Allow the fish to
steep in the hot liquid for ten to fifteen minutes before serving.
Finally, add up to 1/4 of heavy cream if desired, and stir very gently,
trying not to break the fish chunks.

To Serve:

Spoon 8 oz. portions into each of 4 bowls. Try not to break the fish
any further than it has already broken as you serve. Garnish with the
reserved Pancetta bits and the chopped parsley.

Serves four.

Notes:

You can arrive at a fine stock in several ways, although water is a
perfectly acceptable base for this soup. But experiment with the
following:

Fish Fumet. If you know of a good fish monger, you maybe able to
buy fish racks, heads and other scraps from time to time. If so, use
your favorite recipe for fish stock and you'll be very happy with the
outcome. I confess that any time I come into possession of a 10 or
20 Lb. rack of Haddock, it's worth the two or three hours I need to
take off from work to turn it into fumet as quickly as possible.

Mussel broth. The next time you makeZuppa di Cozze-- Mussels
in white wine -- strain the resulting broth through a couple of layers
of dampened cheesecloth and you'll have a great start for a seafood
stew.

Bottled clam broth. Julia Child's old standby. Heat some with a
little white wine (About 3 parts broth to 1 part wine),and again, you
and your diners will smile.

As always, buon appetito!