Whenever June came around, I used to pack up the car and head for Greece. The quickest way to get there was to drive down to Brindisi and ferry overnight to Patras. But other times, I would head up to the Marches and leave from the port of Ancona, a great town with lots to see and poke around in. Just hanging out at the piers was fun, lingering for hours over espresso at a cafe table, watching the boats coming and going. No one ever asked me to move on. Taking the boat to Greece cost more from Ancona, and I had to spend an extra night aboard, but so what? I love traveling on boats. Plus, there were many advantages to leaving from there, not the least of which was a chance to stop in any Ancona eating place for a dish of the great fish soup they're famous for. The natives call it brodetto, which means "little broth," a name that always puzzled me because the last thing it was was a "little broth." Not by a long shot.

A brodetto is an extremely rich soup, overflowing with many different residents of the sea, and served over fried or toasted slices of peasant bread. I've made a fairly good duplicate of it here but, to be honest, fish from the Adriatic taste different. Anyway, get yourself about three to four pounds of firm and slightly less than firm fish, types that won't fall apart while cooking, such as mullet (red and grey), dogfish, skate, sole, cod or angler. See if you can find cuttlefish and buy a pound; if not, substitute squid. Lastly, purchase a pound of small mixed crustaceans, such as crayfish, soft-shell crab and shrimp.

In a pan, saute 1-1/2 cups coarsely-chopped onion in 3 T olive oil. When golden, add the cuttlefish or squid which have been cut in strips. Cover with water to which you've added a good pinch of saffron and cook over low heat for 30 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Drain and reserve the stock.

Cut the fish in even-sized pieces and dust them with flour and a little salt and pepper. In a pot large enough to hold everything, layer the ingredients, starting with the crustaceans, then the cooked squid or cuttlefish strips, followed by the firm-fleshed fish, and then the more delicate fish. Mix together 1-1/4 c white wine, 1 to 2 T wine vinegar, the reserved stock and enough hot water to almost cover the fish and add it to the pot. Cook on medium-high for 15 minutes, shaking the pan every few minutes to make sure nothing's sticking. To serve, put a slice of toasted or fried peasant bread (Italian or French will do) in each bowl and ladle the fish soup over. What more can I say--it just doesn't get much better than that.

by Rosemary Torigian, Los Angeles

Pictured above: the Cathedral of San Ciriaco seen from the port of Ancona

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