Italian Fish Soup:

'Cacciucco alla Livornese'. Put on the fire a casserole with on the bottom the olive oil, garlic, sage and chilli. Fry slightly. Then put in octopuses and cuttle-fish (cut to pieces), sprinkle with white wine, add the tomato concentrate and cook for 20 minutes, mixing. Gradually add the fishes for soup and the cut dogfish. The heads of the fishes would better be cooked in broth with aromatic herbs, slightly minces and passed through a strainer. The result, fairly dense, poured in the casserole, would increase substance and taste to the 'Cacciucco'. Follow the cooking with medium-strength fire. When the octopus and the cuttle-fish have become tender, add the crustaceans and the shellfish. Go ahead for another 6-7 minutes until mussels and clams open their shells. The bread rubbed with garlic and toasted, will be placed on the bottom of the soup-plate. With a big ladle distribute fish and juice from the casserole in suitable portions. Serve accompanied with red wine. Notes: In the original Italian version the word 'cicale' cannot be translated, It is a kind of crustacean of medium size, (bigger than crawfish, smaller than Norway lobster). The same for the names of the different fish for soup. The result is probably not very different when using local fish suitable for soup. Regarding the translation of the word 'passate' related to the optional, but recommended treatment of the fish heads: The Italian word is related to the use of a 'tool' that maybe is not available in your country, which has a filter with rather large holes at the bottom, and a crank that pushes the solid matter towards the holes, so that the liquid and the soft parts pass through, while the hard parts are retained. A similar effect can be obtained by slightly mincing and filtering, or with equivalent methods. The bread used, is 'posato', that means 'not fresh, but cooked since some days'. The bread should not be hard, but rather soft, and this happens if you keep it in some envelope intead of in open air. Italian countryside-bread, In the Netherlands also available, it is called 'Ciabatta'. Cacciucco alla Livornese Ingredienti per 6 persone: 500 g di seppie 500 g di polpi 300 g di palombo fresco 500 g di pesce da zuppa (gallinelle, cappone, scorfano) 500 g di frutti di mare (cozze, vongole) 500 g di gamberoni, gamberi, scampi, cicale Vino bianco 1 cucchiaio di concentrato di pomodoro Olio di oliva, aglio, salvia, peperoncino 12 fette di pane posato e arrostito, pepato e agliato Mettere al fuoco una casseruola con sul fondo l'olio d'oliva, aglio e salvia, peperoncino. Soffriggere. Quindi mettere polpi e seppie tagliati a pezzi, bagnare con vino bianco, aggiungere il concentrato di pomodoro e cuocere per 20 minuti, mescolando. Mano a mano rovesciarci i pesci da zuppa e il palombo tagliati. Le teste dei pesci andrebbero cotte in brodo con le erbe aromatiche e passate. Il ricavato, abbastanza denso, versato nella casseruola, accrescerebbe sostanza e sapore al cacciucco. Seguire la cottura a fuoco lento ma energico. Quando il polpo e le seppie sono diventati teneri aggiungere i crostacei e i frutti di mare con i loro gusci. Andare avanti per altri 6-7 minuti affinche` cozze e vongole si aprano. Il pane agliato e abbrustolito va posto sul fondo delle terrine. Con un grosso ramaiolo attingere pesce e sugo dalla casseruola in parti eque. Servire accompagnato con vino rosso, meglio se giovane.