Bouillabaisse - Florida Style

3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 small)
2 cups large-diced small white potatoes
2 cups chopped fennel (1 large bulb)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups good white wine
1 (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes, chopped
1 quart store-bought fish stock
1 tablespoon chopped garlic (3 cloves)
3lbs of fresh fish (e.g. hog tail snapper), cut in large chunks
3 tablespoons Pernod
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
Toasted baguette slices, buttered and slathered with aioli

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or stockpot, add the onions, potatoes, fennel, salt, and pepper, and saute over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until the onions begin to brown. Add the wine and scrape up the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add the tomatoes with their juices, stock, and garlic, to the pot, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Add the fish, bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the pot to sit covered for another 5 minutes. The fish should be cooked. Stir in the Pernod, orange zest, and salt, to taste. Serve ladled over 1 or 2 slices of toasted baguette.

Recent Soup Obsession

I've become (recently) obsessed with the idea of soup. It started a few months ago with a simple fresh pea soup. Light, lovely, oniony, minty pea soup. Perfect...Then, a couple of weeks ago there was a recipe for Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho. What's not to love? Few ingredients...huge flavor! Just last week, we were invited to make bouillabaisse using freshly caught hog tail snapper. It was fantastic - none of the distractions of shrimp or mussels or crab. Just lovely white fish, spicy broth and aioli toast...I'll be posting the recipes. MmmmmmmmMmmm SOUP!