Savor the Flavor

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Who doesn't love a good soup on a cold winter night! This stew is excellent! NO, it does not have a fishy taste like a lot of stews with seafood in them have! This will make you enough to eat on for 3 nights or store the rest for another day!

Ingredients:

Croutons
1/2 (1-pound) loaf peasant bread, cubed
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Soup
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 (28-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
1 cup chopped roasted red peppers
Finely grated rind and juice of 1 orange
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch of red chile flakes
1/2 (.75-liter) bottle red wine
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds sea scallops, cut into halves (I used small sea scallops and did not have to halve them)
1 pound shrimp, peeled
¼ cup chopped fresh basil

Preperation:
1. To prepare croutons, preheat oven to 375F. Spread bread cubes on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake until toasted, about 10 minutes. In a large bowl, combine olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. To prepare soup, heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Sauté 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and red peppers and crush with a fork. Add orange rind and juice, sugar, chile flakes, wine, chicken stock, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, 30 minutes. Uncover and simmer over medium heat until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Add scallops and shrimp and cook 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chopped basil.
3. Just before serving, pour oil mixture over croutons and toss well. Divide croutons among 10 serving bowls. Top with stew. Serves 10.

Recipe by Relish Chef Jon Ashton