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Mariners Pepper Pot with Orzo

Seafood alternatives: oysters, clams, halibut, snapper, rockfish

A medley of Mediterranean flavors--seafood, orzo, garlic and tomatoes--are found in the colorful soup. Orzo looks like rice, but actually is pasta. It's slightly longer than a grain of rice and wider in the middle. When sauteed in olive oil, it lends a silky, tender texture to the pepper pot. Make an extra batch to freeze for those inevitable cold snaps. Simply thaw overnight in the refrigerator and gently reheat. Serve with crisp garlic bread.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium-size leek, white part only
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
• 2 orange or green bell peppers, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 can (15 oz.) crushed tomatoes with juice
• 1 cup orzo or 2 1/4 cups cooked long grain rice
• 1 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups clam juice, chicken broth, or fish stock (see tip #5)
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 pound black tip shark, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1/2 pound cleaned small squid tubes, cut into 1/4-inch rings, or 3/4 pound squid tubes, cleaned, cut into rings
• 1 pound live mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cooking Instructions:

Clean and thinly slice leeks crosswise. In a 10-inch frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add leek, onion and garlic, and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add peppers and tomatoes; stir until peppers are tender and mixture is thick, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a 3 1/2 to 5-quart pan, heat remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add orzo and pepper flakes. Saute, until orzo is golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in 2 cups boiling water. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until orzo is tender and slightly soupy, about 15 minutes. (or simmer cooked rice in 1/2 cup clam juice or fish stock until tender, about 6 to 8 minutes.) To orzo, add salt, clam juice, wine, parsley and pepper and bring to a boil. Gently stir in tomato mixture, shark, squid and mussels. Simmer until fish is barely opaque and mussels open, about 2 minutes. Do not overcook as the fish will continue to cook as the soup stands. Optional; sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Makes about 8 cups, serves 6 Per serving: 295 cal./18 g prot./28 g carbo./1 g sat./4 g mono./2 g poly./.3 g om-e/55 mg chol./408 mg sdm.

Servings Per Recipe: 6 to 8 Cal. 403/Total fat 22g/Sat. 7g/Chol. 28mg/Sdm. 382mg/Carbo. 38g/Prot. 15g/ Om-3 .1g