Silvia Colloca recipes

Brodetto is a variety of names, depending on the dialect: bride to. It was created by anglers who cooked their meals at sea using a portion of their catch. These small fish were not commercially valuable or were damaged by nets. The fish stews of Tyrrhenian to the west are close relatives – Provencal buried and Tuscan cacciucco. They differ from the others because of their thicker texture. There are many variations on brodetto all along Italy’s eastern Adriatic coast from Trieste in Friuli–Venezia Giulia Giulia up to Vasto in Abruzzo.

Bartolomeo Scoppi, the first celebrity chef, declared himself a fan as early as the 16th century. He wrote that fishers from Chioggia, Venice, make better stews than any other coast area in Opera, which is one of the first Italian recipe collections. He said fishermen were better at handling fish than chefs because they could cook it right away.

Brodetti from the northern Adriatic often feature one species of fish. These fish come from the ocean, but also from the region’s rivers and lagoons. Opera’s Scappi gives a recipe to make rombo in Pottaggio, turbot stew. It is still available today as boreto a graisana (a speciality from Grado); east of Venice brodeto de gi is made with only gobies. Ravenna’s brodetto alla Ravennate is made with mantis shrimps, cuttlefish, and mantis shrimps.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/4 cup (60ml), extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 eschalots, thinly chopped
  • 1 red chilli chopped
  • 6 Flat-leaf Parsley Stamens, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
  • 2 cups (500ml), good-quality fish stock
  • 3 x 400g can cherry tomato sauce
  • 600g white fish fillets cut into four pieces
  • 12 tiger prawns, peeled, deveined, tails intact
  • 500g pot-ready mussels
  • 500g pot-ready vongole
  • 150ml white wine
  • Flat-leaf Parsley Leaves and Grilled Sourdough to Serve

METHOD

1. Over medium heat, heat the olive oil in large saucepan. Cook the olive oil, parsley stalks and chilli in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until softened. Stir occasionally. Cook the garlic for one more minute, until it is fragrant.

2. Season the dish with the tomatoes and fish stock. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 35-40 minutes to get the flavor. Season to taste.

3. Cook the fish pieces for 3 minutes. Cook the prawns for 2 minutes, or until they are cooked through.

4. Heat a saucepan on high heat. Add the wine, mussels, and vongole. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until the shells are open. Toss in the brodetto.5. Divide the sourdough into individual serving bowls and garnish with parsley leaves.