Norther Countries, where I now live.
Yes! Cod was fished by the Vikings in the cold North Atlantic
seas almost 3000 years ago and it was for centuries the center
of their trade.
In Italian it is called "baccala'" after the cod it is cured
with salt, when it is air dried its name becomes "stoccafisso".
Today it is appreciated for its versatility and as a source of
proteins, minerals, unsaturated fats and Omega 3.
It is a better source of protein than the meat and contains no fats.
When I was a child, I was often staying at my "nonni"'s house and
I still remember now, the nice smell that would announce a dinner
based on "baccalà alla napoletana".
Baccalà needs to be soaked in clean fresh water for at least 48 hours,
changing the water every eight hours or so. Once the merchants used
to do all this preparatory work for you, but today it’s much more rare.
In my childhood, it was a common scene in Venice, Naples and Rome
to see huge buckets of salted cod, with a hose stuck inside, the
water overflowing all over the street.
Here is the instruction of how my grandmother would prepare it.
BACCALA' DI NONNA CARMELA (alla napoletana)
Ingredients:
400g of baccala' fillet
1 big onion
olive oil
1 can of tomato sauce (400g)
1 tsp capers
4/5 black olives
half tsp dry origanum
1 small potato
After soaking baccala' for 2/3 days, changing water at least twice a day,
rinse it and cut it in 4cm pieces.
Add 2/3 TBS of olive oil in a frying pan, add sliced onion
(cut onion in half and then slice it thinly) and cook for 5 minutes or
until it starts being transparent.
Add cubed potato, capers and tomato sauce.
After cooking for 5 minutes add the baccala' pieces (skin down), let
it simmer for 5 minutes, then turn baccala' over and add the pitted olives.
Cook for other 5 minutes, taste if it is salty enough and check with a fork
if baccala' is tender.
Add salt if necessary (almost never), then switch off stove and let it rest.
You can serve it with toasted bread and a glass of red wine
(this is the only time I serve red wine with fish).
