David Rubel's

What's For Dinner?

8/31/05 

Bouillabaisse

  (serves four adults and four children)

This is a great recipe for a crowd at a beach house. Don’t be intimidated by the difficult-to-spell name or French pedigree. Just think seafood stew.

The Stew Base

3 large leeks, white part only (about 1 1/2 c chopped)

1 medium onion (about 1/2 c chopped)

6 cloves (or more) garlic

1/2 c olive oil

2 c chicken stock

1 c white wine

1 c water

2 28-oz cans diced tomatoes

a large handful of fresh parsley (about 1/2 c chopped)

rosemary or thyme (to taste)

Tabasco (to taste)

The Fish and Seafood

1 lb white steak fish (such as swordfish, shark, halibut), chunked

1 lb squid, cleaned

1 lb mussels, scrubbed and debearded

1 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined

1 small lobster, quartered

The Finish

1/2 c brandy

kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

olive oil

a small handful of fresh dill

1. Rinse the leeks well. Slice them into thin rings. Then rinse the rings in a colander and drain. Coarsely chop the onion and the garlic cloves.

2. Heat the oil in a large stew pot over a medium-low flame. Saute the leeks, onion, and garlic until the leeks and onion have wilted, about 10-15 minutes.

3. Add the chicken stock, wine, water, tomatoes, parsley, rosemary or thyme, and Tabasco. Raise the heat to medium, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Add the fish and seafood, cover, and simmer another 30 minutes.

5. Uncover. Add the brandy. Season with salt, pepper, and more olive oil, to taste. Add the dill. Serve with crusty bread.

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Tips

* It’s important to rinse the leeks after they’re chopped because dirt often gets trapped in between the layers of growth.

* You can vary the fish and seafood depending on what is available and looks good. The total weight should remain about five pounds, with at least half of the total coming from seafood.

* The best way to quarter a live lobster is to get it over with quickly. Start by cutting through the top of its body between its eyes. This kills it instantly. A good description of the process, complete with photos, can be found here.

If you have tried one of these recipes and have an improvement or tip or variation to suggest, please e-mail David at dinner@wamc.org. Also feel free to send along your own family cuisine recipes. You can even request dishes that you'd like David to present in the future.

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David Rubel is president of Agincourt Press, a book production company in Chatham, New York. He spends his days writing American history, then heads home after work to cook for his wife and two young children. His most recent book is The Story of America (DK, 2002).