Salt Cod Stew – Baccalà in umido

As December begins and the Christmas festivities approach, there is a peculiar feeling that permeates every aspect of your daily life. All the Christmas lights and decorations, the Christmas carols resounding everywhere, the endless quest for the perfect gift, the Christmas wishes : let's be honest, it could be all quite stressful if it were not for the food.

There is load of mouthwatering delicacies that we typically eat during this time of the year. They are a combination of seasonal food and delicious treats that traditionally people could afford only on special occasions and festivities like Christmas.

According to the tradition, salt cod stew has to be eaten on Christmas Eve. When I was a child, we used to have dinner all together at my grandparents' house and the first course was for sure tagliatelle sauteed with the sauce my grandmother would get from the salt cod stew.

However dried and salted cod is an widely used ingredient in the Italian and Apulian culinary tradition, not only at Christmas. Deep fried salt cod or salt cod and potatoes casserole are just a couple of examples that easily come to my mind.

Apart from making me feel quite nostalgic, the salt cod stew I made was also a savory dish that I enjoyed together with my grandmother, even though it was not the Christmas Eve.

Ingredients

• 400g dried and salted cod
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
• plain flour
• 350 ml tomato sauce
• 1 tsp capers
• olives
• pepper
• chili pepper
• oregano
• chopped parsley

First of all you need to rehydrate and desalt the salt cod by soaking it in cold water for 48-72 hours and changing the water at least once a day. You will have to keep it refrigerated while you soak it. To check if it’s ready, taste a small piece.

As soon as the cod has been rehydrated and has reached a pleasant saltiness, it can be cooked.

In a large casserole over medium heat, heat the olive oil and add the garlic. Let it cook for a while to let the oil get the garlic flavor.

In the meantime, drain the cod and pat dry. Cut it in large pieces and coat them with flour. Put the cod in the casserole and let the pieces cook on all sides by carefully giving them a turn with a spatula (try not to break its flesh).

After 5-10 minutes, when they get a slightly golden color, add the capers and the olives. Then add the tomato sauce and season to taste by adding black pepper, chili pepper, oregano. Bring the stew to a simmer and let it cook for 15 minutes, or until the cod is tender. Be careful not to overcook it, otherwise the flesh will become hard and dry. Add some chopped parsley before serving.

If you want to use the sauce to sauté some pasta, you will have to add more tomato sauce, at least twice as much to serve 4.