Kakavia

Servings: 8
Ingredients:

1 c  Sliced onions or scallions
-OR- leeks
1/2 c  Olive oil
4    Tomatoes
-- peeled, seeded and chopped
1/2    Stalk fennel or celery
-- sliced
3    Sprigs fresh parsley
1    Bay leaf
2    Sprigs fresh thyme
1 c  Dry white wine
5 c  -Water, more if necessary
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 lb Fish (3 or 4 kinds) *
-- cleaned and sliced
1    Lobster (optional)
-- cut up and claws cracked
1 lb Shrimp; peeled and deveined
1 lb Scallops (optional)
-OR- Mussels in shells
-- (scrubbed)
8 sl Bread (thick); toasted
Croutons

* Fish for poaching: bass, cod, hake, haddock, halibut, trout, pollack,
snapper, rockfish, whiting, etc.)

In a soup pot with a wide bottom, saute the onions in the oil, without
browning, until soft. Add the tomatoes, fennel, herbs, wine, and water
and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and simmer for
45 minutes. Pour the stock into a large bowl through a sieve, squeezing
all the pulp from the vegetables before discarding the fibers remaining in
the sieve. Return the soup stock to the pot and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, lightly salt the fish and let stand for 10 minutes, then rinse
with water and lower into soup, adding water only if needed to cover the
fish. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, then add the lobster.
Cover and simmer 5 minutes longer, then add the shrimp and scallops or
mussels and simmer an additional 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the
seasonings.

Arrange the toast slices in large soup plates. Serve the varied fishes
and broth in each bowl, hot, with croutons in a separate plate.

NOTE: Kakavia is frequently made in the following variation: Cook 2 to 3
fish with the vegetables and strain with the vegetables to make a thicker
stock. Continue to cook the remaining seafood as described above.

Source: The Food of Greece, by Vilma Liacouras Chantiles
Typing errors courtesy of: Karen Mintzias

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