("The Tuscan Gourmand")  
 
(Serves 6) 

1 ¼ lbs variety of bony fish (gurnard, goatfish)
1 ¾ lbs variety of firm white-fleshed fish (monkfish, sea bass)
1/2 lb cuttlefish
2/3 lb octopus
6 jumbo-sized prawns
2/3 lb mussels
1 onion
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
2 cloves of garlic + 1 extra clove
1 loose handful of flat-leaf parsley
1-2 red-hot chili peppers
½ cup red wine
6 slices of crusty Tuscan bread
12 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
3-4 cups fish stock
Salt

 

 Scale, gut, and remove all the fins from fish. Slice the white-fleshed fish into steaks (the steaks should be about 3 in. in diameter).  Leave the bony fish whole. Remove eyes and beaks from the cuttlefish and octopus and the skin and bone from the cuttlefish (leave the skin on the octopus). Cut into bite-sized chunks. Scrub clean and remove the beards from mussels. Mince the carrot, onion, 2 cloves of garlic and the parsley and sauté in the oil on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. Raise heat and add the cuttlefish and octopus. Mix in well and let cook for a few minutes. Add the wine. After 10 minutes scoop the mollusks out of the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside. If the Cacciucco has become to dense, ladle in some fish stock. Add the peeled tomatoes, break them up as you stir them in the pot. After a further 10 minutes have gone by, add the bony fish and cover pot. Again if the soup is too dense thin it with some fish stock. Let the fish stew, after about 10-15 minutes the fish should be cooked through. Remove from pot and set aside to cool. Return the cuttlefish and octopus to pot and cover and cook until just tender (15-20 min. more). Skin and flake the flesh off the bony fish you let cool. When the cuttlefish and octopus are tender add all the fish steaks, thinning your soup all the while with fish stock if it has become too dense. Salt to taste and cook for about 10 minutes. In the meantime toast the slices of Tuscan bread and rub each with garlic. After the fish steaks have cooked for 10 minutes (they should not be fully cooked yet) add the prawns and after a few minutes all the mussels. Again if the soup is too dense add some fish stock. Let cook until the mussels have just opened and gently stir in the flesh of the bony fish. To serve place a slice of the toasted garlic-scented bread in a bowl. Ladle in the soup making sure each person gets a bit of everything. Garnish with a sprinkling of minced flat-leaf parsley and your cacciucco is ready to be eaten!