Jessica's Guide to Food and Entertaining

Nan's Baccalla

Nan's Baccal/B>

In Memory of Evelyn Cavaliere (May 4, 1923- January 25, 2013)

I remember every Christmas Eve when nan would make this dish. It's salted cod that would be served as a part of Feast of the Seven Fishes. According to Wikipedia, the "Feast of the Seven Fishes", a celebration of Christmas Eve with meals of fish and seafood, but there may be seven, eight, or even nine specific fishes that are considered traditional. The most famous dish Southern Italians are known for is baccal(salted cod fish). Reasons for celebrating with such a simple fish as baccalis attributed to the greatly impoverished regions of Southern Italy. Fried smelts, calamari and other types of seafood have been incorporated into the Christmas Eve dinner over the years.

Most baccaldishes require that the fish be soaked numerous times to remove excess saltiness. The word stems from the same root as Portuguese bacalhau, Spanish bacalao and Greek "????????", which are used in similar dishes. Despite its name, the baccalalla vicentina, a dish native to Vicenza, is not made from salted cod, but from dried unsalted cod (stockfish) served on or next to polenta. In Rome, baccalalla romana is a dish of deep-fried, battered salt-cod.

HOW TO PREPARE YOUR BACCAL/B>

1. When you pick out a piece of baccalremember that the color of the meat should be close to white and the skin light colored. Stay away from meat with a yellow hue.

2. If sold whole, try to buy a long, thick fish; if possible it should be a bit more than one-inch thick in the middle of the filet.

3. Prior to soaking, cut your baccalinto large pieces. Cutting the fish before soaking helps speed up the re-hydration process.

4. At least two days prior to cooking (but we recommend 3 days, if you have the time), begin soaking your salted baccalin fresh water (for at least 36-48 hours). First wash the pieces thoroughly, eliminating all the salt on the surface, and then completely submerge in any container that will hold a lot of water; change the water at least three times a day (every eight hours or even more frequently). While soaking, keep the baccalin a cool place. Refrigeration is not necessary.

5. Just before cooking, peel off the skin and eliminate any bones--a pair of small pliers will be very helpful for this.

Ingredients:

• 1 (1/4-ounce) packet dry active yeast

• 1 cup warm water

• 4 jumbo eggs

• 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 3/4 pounds prepared baccal/FONT>

• Vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs together with yeast and water. Add the flour and mix the batter with a fork by hand until it looks like the consistency of a thick pancake batter. If needed, add a couple more tablespoons of flour, one at a time. The batter should be thick enough to coat the fish.

Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 to 2 hours, or until small air bubbles form on the top of the batter. This batter takes longer to rise than most recipes that use dry active yeast because of the addition of the eggs, which weighs the batter down.

Rinse the cod for a last time; dry it well and cut into small pieces. The batter will expand and puff up when fried, so keep the baccalpieces small, about 3/4-inch.

In a deep frying pan filled with vegetable oil, heat oil to 375?F.

Drop a handful at a time of baccalpieces into the batter, allowing the excess to drip off just slightly remove them from the batter and gently drop the pieces in the oil and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes.

Remove the fish from the oil, briefly drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Serve with warmed marinara sauce, lemon wedges, or cocktail sauce.