Recipe

Bacala Alla Vicentina Recipe

	Jencathen / All my dishes 1 year, 6 months ago I lived in Vicenza for 3 years. This dish is famous in Northern Italy. Every Italian Mother knows this dish and has their own version, so it varies from cook to cook. I'm also including a version from a close friend that she makes when she is too bus... More Prep:60m Cook:240m Servings:12	Jencathen
	codfish onion milk olive oil

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Fans

silverquee

mamalou

tilgidh

deliathecr

sitbynelli

waterlily

Ingredients

Traditional Way:

2 lb dried cod

1 lb onions

4 cups (1 liter) extra-virgin olive oil;

3-4 anchoves

2 cups fresh milk

Flour

2 oz grated Parmesan cheese;

minced parsley

salt and pepper

Easy Way:

2 lb Codfish frozen and thawed or Fresh

1 lb onions

4 cups (1 liter) extra-virgin olive oil;

3-4 anchoves (you can leave out if you don't like)

2 cups fresh milk

Flour

2 oz grated Parmesan cheese;

minced parsley

salt and pepper

Directions

Traditional Way:

Soak the dried cod, already beaten, in cold water, changing the latter every 4 hours for 2-3 days.

Skin some of the dried cod, split the fish lengthwise, pick out fish-bone and all the bones. Cut it into square pieces, possibly the same size.

Slice the onions finely, brown them with oil in a small frying pan.

Get the salt out of boneless anchovies, chop them and add them to the onions.

Finally, after putting out the fire, add some minced parsley.

Dredge the stockfish pieces in flour, sprinkle them with a sauce made of onions - browned in oil - and lay them one by the other in a terra cotta or aluminium saucepan or in a pyrex dish ( on the bottom of which some spoonful of the afore-mentioned sauce will be poured in advance.

Cover the fish with the rest of the sauce, add the milk, the grated parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Pour the oil until all the pieces are completely covered, levelling them out. Cook on a very low flame for about four hours and a half, moving every now and then the saucepan in a circle, without ever stirring. The word in Venetian dialect that describes this phase of cooking is "pipare". Only experience will be able to define the exact cooking of dried cod, which may differ in consistency depending on the specimen.

Serve it hot with sliced polenta: baccalà alla vicentina is also delicious after a 12-24 hours rest.

Easy Method:

Follow the same directions as above except you are skipping the 2-3 day soaking of dry cod.

This version is very tasty as well and the one I make most often. The traditional way I make if we are having company because I want them to experience the traditional food that is steeped in lore.

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Comments

silverqueen 1 year, 6 months ago said:
Well this is a great post and got my 5 really quick as I am part Italian-Irish and have had this dish exactly as the traditional way I love it to but will try the easy way sometimes.

Have a great wee-end.

Queen

waterlily 1 year, 4 months ago said:
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing!

zsean 1 month, 2 weeks ago said:
Nice! A word to that "pipare" - a necessary way of cooking to avoid that the fish turns pink - cook it in an oven and put the temperature so that it boils very, very, very slowly - it will not stick and if well coverd by the broth, the fish will stay white!

Its 40 years that I'm in Italy - when it comes to traditional Veneto cuisine my Veneto wife asks me to take over ;-)

jencathen 1 month, 2 weeks ago said:
Thanks for the comment, but I've never seen cod turn pink while cooking and the stove top works great and heats up kitchen less.

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