Seafood Stew

This stew is based on that beautiful trio of aromatic veggies, onion, celery, and carrots, that are the basis of so many successful dishes. Add a little garlic, a little thyme, olive oil, and wine and Wow! This is one of my favorite dishes.

Ingredients:

• 2 LB mixed fish and seafood (this time I used a paella mix at Sams that had squid, mussels, shrimp, and some sort of generic white fish)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 small carrot, diced
• 1 rib of celery, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 dried chili
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 3/4 cup dry red wine
• 6 whole canned tomatoes, chopped with their juice

Directions:

• Heat the olive oil
• Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, chili, bay leaf, and thyme.
• Cook until soft and aromatic.
• Add the seafood and cook for 5 or 10 minutes on medium low heat, at a soft simmer--if you get much liquid off your seafood, don't boil or it may become rubbery.
• Add the wine and tomatoes.
• Season with the salt and pepper.
• Continue cooking at a soft simmer for another 30 minutes, or so, to let all the flavors bind.

This time, I served mine with Veracruz rice, but I have also reduced this to a much thicker sauce and served over pasta.