7 soups in 7 days: Volume 3 #2

BOUILLABAISSE

2 large onions

4 cloves of garlic

1 medium to large fennel bulb

3 large leeks (white parts only)

2 tbsp. flour

2 Tbsp. ghee

2 cups crushed tomatoes

2 cups water or seafood stock

8 whole cloves

1 good pinch of saffron

3 bay leaves

1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 cup sherry

hot sauce

3 pounds fish fillets*

12 clams

10-12 (or more if using smaller scallops) large scallops

1 1/2 quarts of boiling water

1/2 pound mushrooms

hot buttered toast (use a hearty bread like French or Italian with ghee)

Saute onion, garlic, fennel, leek and flour in ghee until soft. Add tomatoes, 4 cloves, bay leaves, curry powder, 1/4 cup sherry and a couple of healthy splashes of hot sauce. Simmer 1/2 hour. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add fish, remaining cloves and sherry to the boiling water. After 10-15 minutes add the mushrooms, scallops and clams. simmer 5-7 minutes until scallops are opaque and the clams shells are opened, (discard any unopened clam shells.) Place hot buttered toast on a large shallow platter and top with fish, clams, and scallops. Spoon sauce and vegetables over the entire platter and serve piping hot. Garnish with fresh parsley. Serves 10-12

* I like to use a combination of monk fish and red snapper. You can use halibut. Avoid using fish with soft textures like cod because they have a tendency to flake apart too much.