Baccalà con Verdure Grigliati, a traditional recipe from Venice in Italy. It takes a bit of work and time but the result is worth it if you are, like me, a salt cod aficionado.
Rather strange that a salt codfish dish has its origins in Venice, a city where fresh fish abounds. Sailing ships used to deliver salt to Norway and returned with dried and salted codfish. A great staple to use on long voyages, hence its popularity with seafaring nations before refrigeration became common.
Yield: 4 servings as a main dish, 8 as appetizer
Time: 90 minutes (requires prior 24 hours desalting of codfish)
Ingredients:
Salt Cod Purée:
- 1 lb salt cod (bacalà), desalted
- 2 cups milk
- 2 whole garlic cloves, peeled
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 Tbsp flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Grilled Vegetables:
- 2 medium-size red peppers, seeded and quartered
- 2 medium-size zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices
- 1 large onion, quartered and layers pulled apart
- 1 medium-size eggplant, sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices
- 6 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 8 oil-cured black olives for garnish
Salt Cod Purée:
- 450 g salt cod (bacalà), desalted
- 1/2 L milk
- 2 whole garlic cloves, peeled
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 Tbsp flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
- 120 ml extra virgin olive oil
Grilled Vegetables:
- 2 medium-size red peppers, seeded and quartered
- 2 medium-size zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1 cm slices
- 1 large onion, quartered and layers pulled apart
- 1 medium-size eggplant, sliced lengthwise into 1 cm slices
- 6 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 8 oil-cured black olives for garnish
Salt Cod vs Stockfish
Salt cod (bacalhau) is using a long-lived preservation method of salting. Traditionally special varieties of cod were used but due to overfishing, other firm flesh non-oily fish often serve as substitutes such as haddock, pollack, hake and striped bass. The traditional salting process takes three weeks. The fish are placed in large crates, covered with salt and turned over every 4-5 days so that they can absorb all the salt and lose excess water. The salt content absorbed by the fish during salting must exceed 18%. Modern methods, eschewed by the the slow food movement, inject the fish with a salt solution.
Stockfish, on the other hand, is cod dried in the sun on special racks for three months. It seems that its name derives from the Norwegian stokkfisk or from the Dutch stokvis, meaning “stick fish” or “fish dried on sticks”. Stockfish and bacalhau are often confused, especially in Italy where the famous Baccalà alla Vicentina dish uses stoccafisso (stockfish).
Preparation:
Grilled Vegetables:
In a bowl mix olive oil with salt and pepper. Set aside. Brush vegetables, both sides, with the olive oil mix. Heat an iron grill pan over high heat and grill the vegetables until they are nicely brown with speckles on both sides. Keep them warm on a plate. If you do not own a grill pan, use the grill in your oven, grilling vegetables on middle/upper shelf, about 6 inches (15 cm) distance from the grill for about 10 minutes, turning once.
Salt Codfish:
In the meantime simmer the desalted cod in the milk over low heat for about 10 minutes. Drain codfish over a bowl and save about 2/3 cup (about 160 ml) of cooking liquid. Let it cool a bit. Flake the cod with your hands, looking for any leftover fish bones. Warm olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and codfish. Mash codfish with the aid of a hand blender or a fork. Add just enough milk to give it a purée consistency. Taste for salt and pepper.
Assembly:
Arrange grilled vegetables on individual plates. Spoon small portions of codfish purée over it. Drizzle with olive oil, use a bit of freshly ground pepper and garnish each plate with 2 black olives.
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