DINNER CLUB RECAP: Cioppino

For this DC I made an orange poppy seed dressing salad with organic walnuts, cran-raisins and gorgonzola cheese. The entree was cioppino, inspired from last weekend's trip to Moss Landing's Phil's Fish Market (who just happened to have a throw down with Food Network Bobby Flay filmed a few days before our visit). We found out the Food Network Cioppino throwdown was going to be aired the day of my DC, so, of course, I had to do Cioppino. I bastardized a few recipes found online and from out tasting at Phil's. Started with a sans pine nut pesto to open the shellfish, cooked in the fish, calamari, shimp, scallops, and fresh crab. The sauce was tomato, thyme, garlic, onion, fennel, wine, cinnamon, an australian molasses, & a generous tasting of saffron. The wine served was chianti and a New Zealand chardonnay; the beer was a Sam Adams Winter Lager. It was served with a garlic bread and pineapple-blackberry upside down cake with vanilla ice cream dessert. Overall, I thought the cioppino was good, if not a bit labor intensive.