Portuguese Seafood Stew

Portuguese Seafood Stew

• 5 Anaheim peppers

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1/2 pound kielbasa sausage, sliced 1/4 inch thick

• 1 sweet yellow onion, finely chopped

• 6 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 thyme sprigs

• 2 bay leaves

• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

• coarse salt and cracked black pepper

• 1/2 cup dry white wine

• 3 cups clam juice or fish stock

• 1 1/2 pounds unpeeled potatoes (we used a combination of red, white and purple)

• 4 tomatoes, halved, seeded and chopped

• 1 pound Manila or littleneck clams, scrubbed (or whatever variety is available

• 2 pounds cod fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces

• 1 pound mussels, scrubbed and debearded

• 1/2 cup cream or half n half

• chopped parsley, for garnish

• lemon wedges, for garnish

• crusty bread, for serving

Place the peppers on a baking sheet and roast under the broiler until the skin is charred. Let cool, then remove the peel, stems and seeds. Chop the peppers.

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the sausage and cook for 3 minutes. Add the peppers, onion, garlic, thyme, bay leaves and crushed red pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the clam juice or fish stock, potatoes and tomatoes. Cover and simmer over medium low heat until the potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.

Add the clams to the saucepan, cover and cook over medium low heat for 3 minutes. Gently add the cod and mussels, cover and cook until the clams and mussels have opened and the cod is cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Discard any of the shells that don't open. Stir in the cream, taste the broth and season with salt and pepper if needed.

Ladle the stew into shallow bowls, garnish with the parsley and a squeeze of lemon. Serve with the bread.

Yields about 6 servings.

Recipe adapted from Food and Wine, January 2013 Issue.