#23 of Italian forgotten classic: Cacciucco

#23 of Italian Forgotten Classics: Cacciucco (Toscana – Livorno)
In Livorno, when fishermen didn’t return from the sea, their wives gathered whatever seafood they could — and made Cacciucco.
Ingredients (Serves 6):
• 500 g octopus (polpo) or moscardini• 500 g mixed cephalopods (squid, seppie, totani)• 300–500 g mixed fish for broth and meat — such as: – Scorfano (scorpionfish) – Gallinella (red gurnard) – Tracina (weeverfish) – Pesce prete (stargazer) – Palombo (dogfish)• 300–500 g shellfish and crustaceans (mussels, clams, shrimp, or scampi)• 500 g ripe tomatoes or tomato passata• 1 tbsp tomato concentrate• 1 onion
• 1 carrot• 1 celery stalk• 2 cloves garlic• 1 red chili• 1 bay leaf• A few sage leaves• 1 glass (about 200 ml) red wine• White wine for deglazing the stock• Olive oil• Salt and black pepper• Chopped parsley, to finish• 8 slices rustic Tuscan bread, grilled and rubbed with garlic
Instructions:
1. Clean the fish and shellfish. Use fish scraps (heads and bones) to prepare a stock: brown in olive oil, deglaze with white wine, then add chopped carrots, celery, onion, salt, pepper, and enough water to cover. Simmer for 2 hours, then strain.
2. Soak clams in salted water for 30 minutes to purge any sand. Scrub and de-beard the mussels.
3. In a large pot, heat olive oil and prepare a soffritto with finely chopped garlic, chili, sage, bay leaf, and onion. Cook gently until fragrant.
4. Add the octopus and squid to the soffritto and brown briefly to develop flavor.
5. Stir in the tomato concentrate and passata, then pour in the red wine and strained fish stock. Bring to a gentle boil.
6. Simmer uncovered for 45–50 minutes until the sauce deepens and the seafood is tender.
7. Add the chopped fish fillets and shrimp. Let the pot return to a low boil.
8. Add the mussels and clams, cover, and cook just until the shells open.
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