Shellfish Stew, Italian-Style  By Sally Schneider  Photo by
Maria Robledo  On the Tuscan island of Elba, I learned a
profound fish-cooking lesson from Luciano Casini, chef of the
infamous Il Chiasso restaurant, and the island's most renowned
cook. He used the essential combination of garlic, olive oil,
and white wine to cook all manner of fish and shellfish. When
cooked in this base, seafood releases briny juices into the
garlicky wine to create a rich, brothy sauce that can be
endlessly varied.  Luciano explained that this approach is the
heart of the island's cucina povera, the cooking of local people
of modest means who have devised cheap, delicious ways to
transform the abundance of seafood into stews, soups, and pasta
dishes. It was designed to be quick, he explained, because
dishes were originally cooked over a wood fire, often right on
the fishing boats, without elaborate ingredients or even fish
broth.  The key to this ultra-quick approach is an abundance of
olive oil; it gives the wine body and richn