Easy Gourmet With One-Pot Cioppino

Pack some serious gourmet into your next one-pot masterpiece and let the simplicity of single-dish cuisine open new culinary avenues, without the messy cleanup.

Ever since the Middle Ages we’ve been doing it: bubbling, simmering and stewing away at a delicious hodgepodge of meats or fishes, onions and herbs, vegetables and more in a big, iron pot. Aromas fill the kitchen, rich flavors are incredibly melded together, and in the end, well... there’s just one pot to clean.

With modern hectic lifestyles, one-pot meals have made a big comeback, and are (quite thankfully) here to stay. But just because we’re trading away a sinkful of stacked dirty dishes for a single pot solution doesn’t mean we chuck culinary creativity to the door, right? Right.

Nothing against the tried and true chili (we’re partial to black bean, corn & turkey), but one-pot meals offer an amazing opportunity for passionate home chefs to branch out and explore new tastes and techniques without being overwhelmed by a daunting dish count. Be it cozy weeknight comfort food or a sophisticated weekend mélange, one-pot recipes are perfect for flexing a little more gourmet into your repertoire.

Case in point: this smoky spin on the traditional Cioppino, an Italian-American fisherman’s stew popularized in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood back in the 1800s. Now a city-by-the-bay institution, the classic cioppino combo of shellfish and the catch of the day gets some serious depth from smoked paprika and chorizo as it simmers in an Anolon 7-quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven.

The whole delicious dish comes together in just about an hour, and pairs deliciously with Pinot Noir, white Bordeaux, or a dry rosé. All classic fisherman’s stews are traditionally served with toasted crusty bread, and this recipe includes easy instructions for sourdough toasts with a spicy, savory harissa and lemon zest mayo.

The toasts are one-pan easy too, and warm to a golden brown crunch in just 10 minutes on an Anolon 11” x 17” Cookie Pan. It’s all together one-pot, one-pan easy for a gourmet step beyond the same-old, same-old.

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