While driving home for the holiday break one winter I stopped off in Ann Arbor to meet a friend for dinner. With him being new to the area and not having tried many of the local restaurants we decided to venture over to a local landmark. Zingerman’s Roadhouse is the sit-down eatery owned by the company which makes the famous artisan breads, cookies, brownies, ice cream, and cheeses. The restaurant, which opened its doors in 2003, is the seventh installment in a company that strives to not only produce but also promote the concept of really good food done right. They use only the best ingredients, making sure to educate each server and cook with a full bio of the products their using. The menu has full flavored South Carolina grits, grown-up Mac and cheese; buttermilk fried free-range chicken, and pulled pork that’s been pit-roasted for 14 hours. You can find just about anything to whet your appetite, or if you’re like me you’ll find five different entrees you just have to try.

                My favorite city is quite possibly San Francisco, and I’m a sucker for scallops and mussels, so when I came upon the San Francisco Cioppino Macaroni I knew what I had to try. Their cioppino is right in line with the traditional Italian dish, including cod, scallops, crab, mussels, and fresh tomatoes. Since I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that delicious stew I decided to make my own version at home in my new crock pot. Traditionally things like crab, clams and mussels are served in the shell with a set of crackers and a fork alongside; thankfully Zingerman’s realized that the “lazy man’s” version with already shelled seafood was more attractive to their clientele. The dish is traditionally served over spaghetti noodles or other long noodles, with bread for dipping. My meal replaced the spaghetti with Martelli’s hand-made macaroni noodles, and fresh sourdough toasts from the bake house owned by Zingerman’s.

                For the winter months I suggest making your cioppino with both pasta and bread, giving you a heartier more filling meal. However, if you wanted to enjoy the dish in the summer try making it without pasta and substituting a salad instead. Just like Zingerman’s does, I also recommend using Martelli’s pasta for the best density and flavor. The pasta is made by hand, pressed through bronze dies and dried for three days. The Martelli family makes the pasta themselves, which is why there are only four shapes to choose from, and they do it all in the tiny town of Lari, Italy. Their macaroni pasta is a small tubular shape with ridges perfect for holding flavorful tomato sauces. Check out your local bakery for some delicious bread, the best would be real San Francisco sourdough bread, which actually smells and tastes sour. San Francisco sourdough first became popular when the gold rush hit Northern California in the mid 1800’s. Each bakery has a distinctive taste to their sourdough bread; a Wikipedia article states that some San Francisco bakeries can track their sourdough starters to the gold rush days. If you can’t find good sourdough you can use farm bread with grains and seeds for tons of texture. It tomatoes are in season visit your local farmer’s market for some plump ripe tomatoes that will give you cioppino a fresh flavor. If they aren’t in season you can easily substitute canned tomatoes and will still have a delicious stew.

The really nice thing about this cioppino recipe is it’s much easier to make than the traditional method. According to Henri Bourride who wrote “A San Francisco Feast: Cioppino from Fisherman’s Wharf” the recipe for cioppino was created by Italian fisherman who settled in San Francisco in the 1800’s. The meal was created using the catch of the day, and could be recreated time and again using whatever was fresh and available. You can easily substitute clams for mussels, you don’t have to use crab in the shell, and any kind of white fish will work. Play around with the recipe; substitute the veggies you don’t like and try using white wine instead of red for a lighter broth. White wines are generally the drink choice amongst fish eaters; however a lighter pinot noir would also be nice with the rich tomato broth of this stew. If you aren’t a wine drinker try following with the San Francisco theme and sip on an Anchor Steam or Liberty Ale, both brewed in San Fran.

Easy Cioppino

Serves 4

4 garlic cloves, minced

2/3 cup chopped onion

1 bell pepper, diced

2 jalapenos, deseeded and diced

1 stalk of celery, diced

¼ cup olive oil

1 ½ cups dry red or white wine

1-28 oz. can chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons of tomato paste

2 tablespoons basil, chopped

½ tablespoons dried oregano

1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

½ lime, juiced

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

16 mussels or clams

16 large shrimp; shells, tales, and veins removed

½ pound scallops

1 cup of canned crab claw meat, picked over

1 lb. cod, halibut, or other thick white fish, cut into 2 inch cubes

1. In a large pot heat the oil and cook garlic, onion, celery, and peppers until softened.

2.  Add the wine and cook until reduced by half. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs, lime juice and salt and pepper and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3.  Add the mussels and clams and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the shells open up. Discard any un-opened shells after 7 minutes. Place opened mussels and clams in a bowl.

4. Put the remaining seafood into pot and cook for another 5-7 minutes, then stir the mussels and clams back in.