The National Pastime

Photo courtesy Flickr

Here are my grandmother’s ca. 1956 notes about the DiMaggio family’s cioppino. She collected the recipe at their San Francisco restaurant.

Slice one large onion, a bunch of green onion tops, and one green onion itself. Mash two cloves of garlic. [Place in a chemically neutral pot, such as enameled cast iron or stainless steel.] Add a third of a cup of olive oil, half a cup of chopped parsley, a can of tomato puree, and an eight ounce can of tomato sauce. Add a cup of wine, red I presume, half a bay leaf, salt to taste, a quarter teaspoon of pepper, and an eighth of thyme and rosemary.

Warm over low heat for twenty minutes.

Pour over two cracked crab, a dozen clams, a pound of prawns, and a pound of halibut. Heat to cook if fish is added.

I would use flat-leafed Italian parsley and unsalted canned tomatoes, estimating the replacement quantity for the paste and puree that are too acid for my taste. I’d omit salt altogether, or use sea salt. I’d use fresh herbs if I had them, and I’d ask someone at an Italian deli to recommend a specific olive oil.

This is a good dish to ensure that the party is loose and fun-it’s too messy for guests to stand on ceremony.

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