Baccala: Cod fish, Venetian style
Serve on bread or polenta
The "Fishy Baccala" that Rosemary Clooney sings about has quite a rich history. It's beginnings in Italian cuisine goes back to the adventures of a 15th century Venetian captain, Pietro Querini, whose famous shipwreck off the coast of the far-away Lofoten islands of Norway brought codfish to the Northern Italians. The Venetians created a dish with this new discovery and called it baccala.
For the Venitians, baccala is made with cured cod fish (meaning, it was salted for preservation).
I used fresh codfish in my baccala, as it easier to find than the cured codfish.
Serves two
Ingredients: half a pound fresh codfish
olive oil
Spices: I like it with salt, pepper, and hint of ground cloves. (The original recipe is also with garlic. I like it delicate.)
Toppings: Capers, olives or whatever looks and tastes good with it. (For ideas, look at the pictures I took.)
I served it on bread slices, but it is also very good also on fried polenta (cornbread) or also on fresh pasta like fettuccine.
Fill a pot with cold water and toss in the fish. Turn the heat on and wait for the water to start boiling. Once you reach a boil, turn the heat off and let it sit uncovered for half an hour.
Remove the fish from the pot and chop it very finely. Put some oil in a pan, turn the heat on low, and start adding the fish pieces and the spices. Constantly stirring, continue to add oil until the fish starts to resemble a lumpy cream.
When it looks like a sort of mousse it is ready
BACCALA VICENTINA
Baccala in Vicenza is different as it is
made from the dried codfish and not the salt preserved
one like in Venice. To make things easier I prepare the
baccala from fresh codfish, which makes it more
delicate. At your wish, if you find it, you can use the
dry one, but in that case you need to cook it much
longer. The taste of this baccala recipe is stronger
than the venetian one.
Recipe
Ingredients: half a pound fresh codfish,
one small onion, one clove garlic, one cup milk, a table
spoon butter, a teaspoon pecorino sheep cheese, salt
pepper.
Toppings: Capers, olives or whatever looks and tastes good
with it. (For ideas, look at the pictures I took.)
I served it on bread slices, but it is
also very good also on fried polenta (cornbread) or also
on fresh pasta like fettuccine.
Fill a pot with cold water and toss in the fish. Turn the
heat on and wait for the water to start boiling. Once
you reach a boil, turn the heat off and let it sit
uncovered for half an hour.
Remove the fish from the pot and chop it very finely. In the meantime you fried the onion and the garlic in the butter. Add the fish and the milk and continue stirring at low heat until it starts to resemble a lumpy cream. It should become like a mousse. Add the hint of pecorino sheep cheese at the very end.
Enjoy Tommaso
