Baccala Recipe - The Italian Way

One of the fun things when we go shopping for the Christmas Eve Feast is seeing stacks of salted cod or baccala in Penn Mac, a legendary store in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. This is a classic/traditional Italian dish, served in many Italian American households across the country. Before you start It’s best to refrigerate and soak the fish for around 72 hours, to make sure all the salt is out.

You will need:
       1 pound of baccala/cod
       1 pound of pasta (I prefer linguine)
       Basic tomato sauce (link to recipe)
       2-3 cloves of garlic
       Olive oil
       Salt
       Fresh parsley and basil

How you do it:

1. Once the baccala/cod is fully unsalted cut it into bit-sized chunks – I prefer 1 by 1 inch squares
2. Roll in flour
3. Mince garlic and add to oil
4. Heat oil and add baccala/cod – browning on both sides
5. Add pre-heated basic tomato sauce
6. Let cook for approx 1 hour at simmer

Now you're ready to cook the pasta

1. Bring large pot of water to boil and a pinch of salt
2. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, which means slightly chewy, not soft and mushy

Finally, you're ready to serve

1. 5 Min's prior to sauce finished add chopped parsley and basil to taste
2. Add fresh ground pepper to taste
3. Pour sauce over pasta and enjoy

Buon Appetito!
Shannon

Comments

[Barbara]

This is a delicious sounding recipe, but please refrain from calling it "The" Italian Way. My parents both immigrated from Calabria and would not serve baccala over pasta dressed with sauce, thus there is at least one other way. You may name it after your family if you wish.

[giancarlo stitti]

Taking offense about somebody calling something "the italian way" is silly. We italians all understand that there is no one italian way. But objecting to somebody's recipe title as if they are trying to de-italianize YOU, for having a different view, is kind of immature. Is the little word "THE" really that important? How about simply thanking the person for the lovely simple recipe that pretty much embodies the italian way of cooking?

[Jamse Canterucci]

My Grandparents immigrated from Calabria - Alte Monde specifically and we had this dish every Christmas Eve. Your parents must not have been from the region.