2805 Baccalà

Have you ever noticed the dry salted cod hanging in shop windows and wondered what in heaven's name would anyone want any of that?

Well at its worst it is quite horrendous but it can be magnificent - I have eaten Baccalà cooked in dozens of different ways and not just in Italy. In Portugal they call it bacalhau and consider it the national dish alongside cozido (beef and cabbage).

By far the best recipe comes from my beloved Tuscany:

Baccalà alla Livornese(Tuscany) -Leghorn-Style Salt Cod

Leghorn (Livorno) was a small village in 1575 when the famous de' Medici family of Florence decided they needed a more reliable port than the one they were using at Pisa. They commissioned an architect to lay out a new city on a grid plan. In gastronomic terms, Leghorn was later renowned for its fish stew, red mullet, and salt cod. The cod all came from the North Atlantic and was salted on the fishing ships themselves or on nearby land in Newfoundland, Greenland, or Iceland, while some cod was air-dried in Norway.
The trade then shipped the salted cod directly to the Mediterranean or overland through France. In fact, Marseilles absorbed half of the French purchase of dried cod and reexported part of it to Italy. Salt cod is a popular food along the northern Mediterranean and after you make this recipe you will see why. All kinds of things can be done with salt cod ranging, from the salt cod with sour cherries recipe of the noted Italian cookbook writer Ada Boni to the batter-fried salt cod with skordalia sauce of Greece.

If you have any remaining sauce, it can be used with spaghetti or cooked chickpeas. If you desire, and it is quite nice, this dish can be served at room temperature.

1 cup pure or virgin or extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 large garlic clove, finely chopped

1 large ripe tomato (about 3/4 pound), peeled, seeded and chopped

5 large fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 pound salt cod, prepared for cooking and cut into 4 x 6-inch pieces

All-purpose flour for dredging

1. In a medium-size casserole, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil over medium-high heat, then cook the onion until translucent, about 4 minutes, stirring a few times. Add half the garlic, the tomato, basil, and 1 tablespoon of the parsley, season with salt (salt lightly because the salt cod might still have some remaining saltiness) and pepper, reduce the heat to low and cook until the sauce is denser, about 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, dredge the fish in the flour, patting off any excess. In a large skillet, heat the remaining 3/4 cup olive oil over medium heat, then cook the salt cod with the remaining garlic until golden, turning carefully with a fork and spatula, about 12 to 15 minutes for thick pieces, 8 to 10 minutes for thinner pieces and 4 to 6 minutes for very thin pieces. Remove the fish, transfer to the tomato sauce, and cook for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon parsley and serve.

Note: Cook the salt cod in batches so you don't crowd the pan. The recipe can easily be doubled.

Makes 2 to 4 servings