Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

2 tb Unsalted butter
2 md Onions, 1/4-inch dice
1 lb Baking potatoes, peeled and
--cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 md Fennel bulb-trimmed, halved,
--cored and cut 1/4-in. dice
1 md Carrot, 1/4-inch dice
3 c Fish stock or 1 1/2 cups
--bottled clam juice mixed
--with 1 1/2 cups water
2 c Half-and-half
1/2 lb Slab bacon, 1/4-inch dice
24 Shucked oysters, with their
--liquor
Salt freshly ground pepper
2 tb Finely chopped fresh
--flat-leaf parsley

Melt the butter in a large non-reactive saucepan. Add the onions and
cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about
8 minutes. Add the potatoes, fennel, carrot, fish stock and
half-and-half, reduce heat to moderately-low and simmer gently until
the vegetables are tender, about
15 minutes.

Strain the stew into a bowl; set aside 1 1/2 cups of the vegetables.
Transfer the remaining vegetables along with 2 cups of the liquid to a
blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Return the puree to
the saucepan and stir in the reserved vegtables and liquid. (Make
ahead: The stew can be refrigerated for up to 1 day).

In a medium skillet, cook the bacon over moderately-high heat until
browned and crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Rewarm the stew over moderate heat. Add the oysters with their
liquor and the bacon and cook until the oysters are just firm, 2 to 3
minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the parsley.
Transfer to shallow soup plates and serve at once.

Reprinted from Food and Wine Magazine - January 1997

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