Description
A traditional preparation of salt cod for the Christmas Eve celebration of The Feast of the Seven Fishes. Keep in mind that it will take between 1 and 3 days to soak the fish, so start early!
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 pounds dried salt cod, cut into 3-inch pieces, soaked
- 8 to 10 all-purpose potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 1 cup fine quality olive oil
- 1 bunch celery, trimmed, well washed, and cut into 3-inch pieces
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 cups Gaeta olives, pitted
- 4 (28-ounce) cans hand crushed San Marzano plum tomatoes, with juice
- 12 cups chicken broth
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Soak cod in water for 24 hours or until the flavor of the fish becomes more sweet than salty. To check, simply remove a little flake from the fish. Change the water frequently to insure the flavor will change–the water will be clear when the fish is ready!
- Sautee the celery with oil in a heavy bottomed casserole dish. Add onion and sautee until the vegetables become soft. Add olives and cook for another minute. Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for another ten minutes.
- Add potatoes and fish, cooking for ten minutes or until the potatoes are soft when poked with a fork.
- Salt and pepper to taste. But remember, the salt cod is quite salty and this dish might not require any extra salt!
- (recipe adapted from Uncle Vincent’s Christmas Eve Baccalà)
- Cuisine: Italian