Part Only Seafood Stock

Part Only Seafood Stock

Ingredients:
2 quarts boiling water
1 cup dry white wine
1 carrot, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 leeks, white parts only, sliced
1 celery rib, sliced
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
3 parsley sprigs, rinsed
3 thyme sprigs, rinsed, or 1 teaspoon dried
3 sprigs fresh tarragon, or 1 teaspoon dried
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 bay leaf

Directions:
1. Pull the top shell off the lobster body. Scrape off and discard feathery gills, then
break the body into small pieces. Place pieces into the slow cooker, and repeat with
remaining lobster bodies. Add shrimp shells, if used.
2. Pour boiling water and wine into the slow cooker, and add carrots, leeks, celery,
peppercorns, parsley, thyme, tarragon, garlic, and bay leaf. Cook on Low for 8 to 10
hours or on High for 4 to 5 hours, or until vegetables are soft.
3. Strain stock through a sieve into a mixing bowl. Press down on solids with the back
of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids.
4. Chill stock, and then ladle stock into containers.
Note: The stock can be refrigerated for up to 4 days, or frozen for up to 6 months.
Variation:
Substitute 11/2 pounds fish trimmings such as skin, bones, and heads from any firm-
fleshed white fish such as snapper or cod for the shellfish for Fish Stock.
Although there are now a lot of commercial fish and seafood stocks on the market, in a pinch you can
also substitute diluted bottled clam juice. Use a proportion of two-thirds clam juice to one-third water.
A
ntipasti is a term that’s now used the world over for nibbles, and antipasti—
literally “before the meal”—are part and parcel of meals in every region of Italy.
While the majority of dishes comprising the antipasti are meats, cheeses, olives, and
other foods that are purchased, some of the smaller touches are homemade, and those
are the dishes you’ll find in this chapter.
Most of these recipes are toppings for crostini, small slices of toast, and bruschetta,
thicker and larger slices of toast. When preparing an elaborate antipasti table, I
always serve crostini because the smaller amount of bread is not as filling. However,
if you’re just setting out a few dishes and platters, you may want the more substantial
look of bruschetta. At the end of the chapter are a few other vegetable dishes and
salads. I’ve noted which ones could also be served as a side dish.
Antipasti are great for all parties because they are served at room temperature and
can be left on the table for a relatively long period of time. Hosts merely have to
worry about replenishing, rather than being tied to the stove.
Crostini
Crostini (pronounced kroh-STEEN-nee) translates to “little toasts,” and comes from
the Latin word crusta, meaning crust. These slices, very popular in Tuscany, are