Cioppinno...my way

Well, of course my pictures came up backwards, and I really do not have time to do this upload thing one more time so bear with me...
I make cioppino for hubby once a year on Christmas Eve, but this was his dinner request, so I made it for his birthday......







Heres how I make it:
Start by sauteeing 1/2 an onion, 1/2 a bell pepper, 4 cloves of garlic minced, in evoo......just until tender.
then add 2 big cans diced tomatos, and 1 big can of tomato sauce....
then add, and I never measure this.....about a spoonful of basil and oregano, dried, mash it up in the palm of your hand to bring out the flavor, and salt and pepper, I use kosher salt. Then, the most important thing, the WINE, use a nice red wine that you would like to drink...add about 1/2 cup (or more,lol).....simmer for as long as you want, I simmer for about 2 hours, then add about 1/2 a bunch of chopped FRESH parsley, has to be fresh.....simmer some more....
Then comes the fun part.....add a can or 2 of clams....some nice shrimp, cooked or uncooked, doesnt matter, and whatever other kind of fish is on sale or looks good. This time I added tilapia, and scallops, but sometimes I use sole, halibut, just whatever loooks good.....simmer until the fish is done. You can also add mussels in the shell, and I have added clams in the shell too, whatever suits your mood.
This is so yummy and so low cal and low fat. Sometimes we serve it over rice, sometimes not, serve a nice salad and crusty bread, and you have a great gourmet meal thats sooooooooo easy!!!!!
OH, and dont forget to drink the rest of the wine!!!!!!!