Zuppa di Pesce (Adriatic Fish Soup)

• 3 pounds fresh fish meat, heads, bones and trimmings, washed and drained. Red perch, whiting and a mixture of other flavorful, but not strong-tasting, fish should be used. (See note.)
• 1 leek (white and tender green parts), split, washed and cut in half
• 1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half
• 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
• 2 stalks celery, with leaves, cut into large pieces
• 2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1 strip lemon rind, about 1 inch by 3 inches
• 7 cups cold water
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 large bay leaf
• 6 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 heaping teaspoon dried leaves
• 2 teaspoons fresh marjoram leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 3 pounds fresh fish, boned and skinned, if desired. Ideally, use a mixture of monk, blackfish, sea bass, tile and other mild, firm-fleshed fish. Avoid strong-tasting varieties, such as blue fish or halibut, and soft, quick-cooking fish, such as sole or fl
• 5 to 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large garlic clove, peeled and minced
• 2 cups finely chopped onion
• 1 cup finely chopped carrots
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 5 cups fish stock
• 1/2 teaspoon loosely packed saffron stems or 1/4 teaspoon powdered saffron Reserved cooked fish, if any (see Stock, above)
• 5 to 6 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Salt, if desired
• Freshly ground white pepper

1. Place all ingredients in an 8-quart stockpot, preferably stainless steel.
2. Cover and bring to a boil.
3. Adjust heat so that the mixture is cooking at a medium boil.
4. Cover loosely and cook for 30 minutes, gently stirring once or twice.
5. Let the stock cool slightly.
6. Remove all solid ingredients with a slotted spoon.
7. Strain the stock carefully through two layers of dampened cheesecloth.
8. (Rinse and wring out the cheesecloth as necessary.)
9. If time permits, pick through the cooked fish and extract as many meaty bits as possible.
10. Discard all bones and skin.
11. Depending on the type and parts of fish used, this will yield 1 to 2 cups of flaked fish.
12. Reserve this for the soup.
13. Let the strained stock cool to room temperature.
14. It may then be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen in airtight containers for up to 2 months.

fish meat, onion, carrots, stalks celery, tomatoes, lemon rind, cold water, white wine, bay leaf, thyme, marjoram, fresh fish, olive oil, garlic, onion, carrots, celery, fish stock, saffron stems, butter, allpurpose, salt, freshly ground white pepper

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9894 (may not work)