FISH STEWS FROM FOUR COUNTRIES

Cut 6 thick slices of bread from the loaf. Grill or broil the bread, turning once, until browned on both sides. Set aside.

In a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, about 8 minutes.

Add the wine and tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Add the fish, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the mussles, cover again and simmer until the mussels begin to open, about 4 minutes. Add the squid, stir and cook just until the mussels have completely opened and the squid have turned opaque and are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove any mussels that have not opened. Remove stew from the heat; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place the bread slices in large, shallow bowls. Ladle the stew over the bread and garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 531 calories; 48 gm protien; 27 gm carbs; 21 gm fat; 165 mg cholestrol; 3 gm sat fat; 688 mg sodium; 3 gm fiber.

Tomato Sauce (makes 5 cups)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, cut into small dice
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small carrot, peeled and cut into small dice
2 tbs. dried thyme
2 28-oz. cans crushed tomatoes, with juices
Salt

In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onion, garlic and carrot, stir to coat with oil, cover and cook, stirring or shaking the pan occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. May need to reduce the heat to low to prevent scorching. Add the thyme, cover and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juice, increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Season with salt to taste.

Per 1/2 cup serving: 94 calories; 1 gm protien; 11 gm carbs; 6 gm fat; 0 colesterol; 1 gm sat. fat; 378 mg sodium; 2 gm fiber.

(For the Stew)
3 tbs. olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped fine
1 green bell pepper diced small
3 tbs. finely chopped cilantro
3 tbs. finely chopped parsley
15-ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or to taste
2 cups coconut milk (preferably Brazilian)
2 tbs. dende oil (or peanut oil but it is not quite the same flavor)
Coarsely chopped fresh cilantro and parsley leaves for garnish

For the marinade: Place the fish in a shallow bowl, squeeze the lime juice over the top, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and toss gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate for no more than 1 hour while you prepare the rest of the stew.

For the Stew: In a large pot over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onions and bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are nearly translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the cilantro and parsley adn cook another minute or so. Add the tomatoes with their juice, increase the heat to medium and cook until the vegetables begin to steam. Season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper to taste. Add the marinated fish, stir, and cover the pot until the fish is just cooked through, about 12 minutes.

Remove the lid from the pot. Add the coconum milk and increase the heat to medium. Drizzle the dende oil over the top.

To serve, ladle the stew into wide, shallow bowls and garnish with cilantro and parsley. It is a creamy soup and looks like a fish curry. You can add shrimp or lobster to the stew. Serve it with white rice.

Note - Dende oil is not widely available in the US. Go to a Brazillian or AFrican grocery store such as the Brazillian Market in Bethesda or the European Foods in Arlington. or order on-line at www.Sendexnet.com.

Cut loaf into thin slices. Grill or broil the bread, turning once, unitl browned on both sides. Set aside.

In a small bowl, dissolve the saffron in the warm water. Set aside for 15 minutes. Add the wine to the saffron mixture and set aside.

Meanwhile, pour the oil into a large heavy pot or Dutch oven. Spread the onion slices evenly over the oil. Cover the onions with the potatoes, overlapping the slices to form a single layer.

In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes and their juices, garlic, bay leaves, bell peppers, cilantro and crushed red pepper flakes. Spoon 1/3 of the tomato mixture over the potatoes and season with paprika, salt and pepper to taste. Spread the fish evenly over the tomatoe misture in a single layer and top with the shrimp. Spoon the remaining tomatoe mixture over the shrimp and season with paprika, salt and pepper to taste. Pour the reserved saffron mixture over the top. Cover the pot tightly and place over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, or until you hear the wine bubbling. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes, shaking the pot occasionally. Check for doneness; the fish and vegetables should be cooked through and the clams fully opened. Discard any unopened clams.

Place the toasted bread in the bottom of large, shallow bowls. Using a ladle, reach deep into the bottom of the pot and ladle some of the stew over the bread, making sure to get part of each layer into every bowl. Try to remove and discard the bay leaves as you go or warn diners if any are missing.

Per serving: 596 calories; 51 gm. protein; 39 gm carbs; 23 gm. fat; 135 mg cholesterol; 3gm sat. fat; 1100 mg sodium; 4 gm fiber.

For the Marinade
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsb. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. sweet paprika
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. ground cummin
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 generous inch saffron, lightly toasted in oven, then ground with mortar
1 1/4 tsp. salt
About 2 1/2 lb. swordfish steaks about 1" thick

For the stew
1 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
3 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
3 large red bliss potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, thinly sliced
2 1/2 cups diced tomatoes, with juice (about
6 oz. can tomato paste, mixed with enough water to make 1 cup puree
1/2 finely chopped preserved lemons, rind and pulp (seeds removed)
   preserved lemons are from Mediterranean markets or Whole Foods
3 tbs.finely chopped fresh cilantro
3 tbs. finely chopped fresh parsley

For the marinade: In a bowl, combine all of the marinade ingredients except the fish. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to allow flavors to meld.

Pour half the marinade into a large shallow dish, baking dish or resealable plastic bag, add the fish steaks, turn to coat, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Cover and refrigerate the unused marinade.

For the stew: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a large heavy pot or Dutch oven with the oil. Arrange the onions in a single layer in the pot. Arrange the potatoes on top of the onions, overlapping the slices slightly to create a single layer and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Scrape the marinade from the fish, discarding the used marinade. Arrange the fish on top of the potatoes. Arrange the bell peppers over the top and pour the reserved unused marinade over the top and pour the reserved unused marinade over the top. Next pour the diced tomatoes with their juice and the tomato puree over the top. Sprinkle the preserved lemons, cliantro and parsley evenly over the stew.

Cover with lid or create a tight cover of aluminum foil, transfer to the oven and bake one hour, until the vegetables are softened.

Using a large metal spoon, stir the tomatoes into the top layers of the stew. Then reach down to cut through the fish steaks to get the bottom of the pot and spoon some of the stew into individual bowls, being careful to get some of each layer.

Per serving: 532 calories; 42 grm protien; 28 gm carbs; 28 gm fat; 74 mg cholesterol; 5 gm sat fat; 1202 mg sodium; 4 gm fiber.