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Poor Folks’ Chopped Seafood Stew
Most and maybe all rich folks’ food is just fancied-up poor folks’ food. Case in point: Cioppino, aka shellfish stew Provencale, a tomato and seafood stew that literally means “chopped up”. It first got attention in San Francisco, where Italian-American immigrants would make stew from the catch-of-the-day at the docks. There are several stories about its creation, but I favor the theory that it began in Italy as ciuppin, a soup made from fish scraps, old bread, white wine, onion, and garlic.
A friend makes a great cioppino, but her ingredients are pricey and her process is time-consuming. I took her recipe and created the quick and cheap version, which is still pretty great. Because it’s a poor folks’ dish, the ingredients are suggestions, not requirements. I like strong flavors, so where I say a dash or splash, I’d use a heavy hand.
Ingredients:
2 cans of tuna, or any seafood you have.
1 14.5 oz (411 g) can of diced or crushed tomatoes (if you like spicy, look for a can of diced tomatoes and green chilis)
1 or 2 onions, chopped
olive or other oil
several cloves of garlic or a dash of garlic powder
a dash of cayenne or paprika or any red pepper
