Seafood Stew (Crock Pot) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, diced
4 stalks celery, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon peppercorn, cracked
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon flour
3 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
1 (10 ounce) can tomatoes and green chilies (see note in description)
1 -2 cup tomato juice (see note in description)
1 lb chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
8 ounces shrimp, thawed (if frozen)
5 ounces clams (I used frozen, thawed, but the original recipe suggests canned clams, drained)
2 bell peppers, diced (I used red bell peppers, but the original recipe suggests 1 red and 1 green bell pepper)
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped (I used a lot less)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 pinch cayenne pepper
8 ounces scallops, halved
1 tablespoon butter
hot pepper sauce

Preparation

In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and celery and cook stirring for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Add garlic, oregano, peppercorns and cook stirring for another minute.
Stir in tomato paste and flour and cook another minute.
Add vegetable broth (or chicken broth), tomatoes and tomato juice and bring to a boil. Continue to cook for about 3-5 more minutes. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to crock pot.
Add chicken and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours.
Stir in shrimp, clams, peppers, and parsley. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile in a baggie combine chili powder and cayenne. Add scallops and toss to coat.
In a skillet over medium heat melt butter and add scallops and cook, stirring for 3-5 minutes or until scallops are opaque.
Add scallops to crock pot, stirring in well.
Spoon soup in bowls and serve with hot pepper sauce if desired. I thought this was spicy enough without the Tabasco sauce - but my son added a lot to his serving.