Spicy New England cioppino

Accompany this stew with toasted slices of French bread rubbed with a garlic clove and sprinkled with salt and olive oil. This amount makes generous servings. Gently reheat any leftovers the following day.

(Serves 2)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium fennel bulb, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces

Salt and black pepper, to taste

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup dry red wine

1 can (28-ounces) whole peeled tomatoes, pureed with their juices in a food processor

6 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled

3/4 pound skinless, boneless cod (about 1-inch thick), cut into 2 pieces

1/2 pound mussels, scrubbed and debearded

1. In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil and cook the fennel with salt and black pepper over medium heat for 8 minutes or until the fennel softens. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 additional minute.

2. Add the red wine and cook, stirring, until it almost evaporates -- there should only be a couple of tablespoons of wine remaining in the pan. Add the tomatoes, 4 tablespoons of parsley, and red pepper.

3. Bring the broth to a boil, lower the heat, cover the pan, and simmer the broth for 15 minutes. (If making ahead: At this point, cool and then refrigerate the broth for 1 to 2 days; reheat until hot.)

4. Sprinkle the shrimp and cod with salt and black pepper. Increase the heat to medium. Add the mussels and shrimp to the broth and cover the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the mussels open and the shrimp turn pink and firm to the touch.

5. Reduce the heat to low, add the cod to the pan, ladle broth over the fish, and cover the pan. Cook the stew for 8 minutes or until the cod turns opaque and begins to flake. Sprinkle the remaining parsley over the stew.