GUAZZETTO IN BIANCO (SEAFOOD STEW)

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil for the time indicated on the package, then drain and place them in a bowl to cool.
    

2. In the meantime, wash the peppers, then core and cut them in half lengthwise, removing the seeds and white filaments inside. Dice.
    

3. Heat a couple tbsp. of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and, once hot, add a clove of peeled garlic.
    

4. When the garlic begins to brown, add the peppers and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 or 4 minutes.
    

5. Clean the artichokes by removing the tough outer leaves and cutting off the stems and tips, then boil in a pot of salted water acidulated with lemon juice, cooking until you can easily poke them with a toothpick.
    

6. Carefully clean the mussels and clams rinsing them several times under running water and scrubbing them to remove the strings, or beard, attached to the shells and any sand deposited in them.
    

7. Cook them in two separate pans each with a tablespoon of olive oil and half a glass of white wine until they are completely open. Once cooked, let them cool and remove them from their shells.
    

8. Cook the shrimp in a large pot of boiling salted water for one minute, then drain immediately and let cool.
    

9. In a large bowl mix together the pasta, peppers, pitted olives, sliced artichokes, mussels and clams. Toss with the remaining olive oil, salt, pepper and basil. Mix thoroughly. Serve the pasta salad on a bed of baby lettuce.
    

Food History

Like many other foods that have become typical of Mediterranean cuisine, the bell pepper is native to South America. It was introduced to Europe only after Christopher Columbus landed in the New World.
 

Although there are countless Italian recipes that call for peppers, their use in the European kitchen is fairly recent. When the Spaniards arrived in the Americas, the Aztecs were already cultivating dozens of varieties of peppers to be consumed either fresh or dried. When these plants were introduced in Europe in the sixteenth century, they were initially used solely for ornamental purposes, just like tomatoes.
 

Unlike tomatoes, however, peppers became a part of the Mediterranean diet more quickly. Documents from the seventeenth century include recipes for sauces made with bell peppers.