The Cheater's Guide to Making Baccalà...

the easy way.

Baccalà in Italian simply means cod fish, but most people refer to salted codfish (or salt cod) as baccalà.  It is traditional to eat the dish referred to as "baccalà", as well as many other seafood dishes, on Christmas Eve in most Italian homes.

There are as many ways to make baccalà as there are Italians.  Southern Italians most often make their baccalà with salt cod, potatoes, and a red sauce.

Let's take the mystery out of this dish, and in the process, let's make it simple.  Why?  Because we can.

First off, let's take the main ingredient, salted codfish, and bury it in the back yard where it belongs.  Not only is it expensive, around $20.00 per lb for good salt cod, but before you can assemble the dish, the salt cod has to be soaked in water for about three days with frequent changes of water.   There's a reason it's called "salt" cod.  The fish has been dried and preserved in salt - as in, it's completely inedible without soaking all the salt off of it's ugly little body.

In today's modern world, where fresh or frozen cod is readily accessible, why anyone would want to go through such machinations is a question that needs some serious pondering. 

Does salt cod taste different than fresh cod?  Yes.  Since it has been dried and salted the texture is a bit chewier and the taste is a bit sweeter, while still maintaining a fish taste.  I don't care for the chewy and the difference in taste is not a big deal to me.  However, if you want to use salt cod, by all means do. 

Let's get started on the cheater's guide to baccalà.

If you're making this for 6 or fewer people purchase about three or four jars of your favorite jarred tomato sauce.  Yeah, I know.  Horrors!  Grandma would never use a jarred sauce.  Oh, yes she would.  The reason she didn't was because it was not available.  Capice??

It's perfectly okay to make your own sauce, but if you are too busy, scarf up your jarred sauce of choice.  I don't care which one you like.  My favorite available sauce is Silver Palate tomato/basil made with San Marzano tomatoes, the gold standard for paste tomatoes.  It's a bit pricier than most, so when it's on sale, I stock up.

  My usual sauce in a jar is Classico, because that's what Costco carries.  Prego is very popular, however, I find it to be one notch removed from poison, but don't let that stop you.  It's your baccalà, go with what you like.  And, like any good cook, feel free to embellish your jarred sauce with spices (can you say basil?), mushrooms, or whatever.

Cast about (couldn't resist) for some nice cod fillets.  If they're frozen allow them to thaw.  If they're thick, cut them length wise so they're only about one inch thick. Doing this while they're still a bit frozen will help to make sure you don't add a finger to your dish. Grab some paper towel and squeeze the excess moisture out of the fish, which will help ensure a flaky texture.  You should do this with all fish before cooking.

Next, buy a bunch of russet potatoes, otherwise known as Idaho potatoes, or baking potatoes.  Russets work so well because they are a mealy potato and soak up more sauce than other kinds of potatoes.

Scrub up those puppies and put them in the oven for a little precooking.  Let them cool off and slice them thinly.  Because you're using fresh fish, if the potatoes are not precooked, they'll still be raw when the fish is finished cooking. 

If you're in angst because I'm not giving you exact measurements, it's because I don't know how much baccalà you're making.  It's like making lasagna - you'll have to eyeball the whole affair. Only you are privy to how much you're making.  At the bottom of the post I'll list how much of each ingredient I used for a 9 x 13 pan of baccalà.

Open a few cans of pitted black olives. I like to use 1/2 pitted Kalamata and 1/2 plain 'ol grocery store black olives.

Assembly:

Spoon a bit of sauce in the bottom of your casserole pan. Make sure your pan is deep enough for at least three or four layers (think lasagna.)  Next make a layer of sliced potatoes slightly overlapping.  On top of the potatoes, make a layer of your fish.  Spoon on more sauce, a healthy layer of olives, and sprinkle heavily with Parmesan cheese.  Repeat until your pan is full.

I like to top the whole casserole off with lots of fresh grated mozzarella.  This is one area I don't go with the easy.  Those bags of already grated mozzarella should be buried in the back yard next to the salt cod.

Lightly cover your casserole with foil and bake for about 45 minutes at 350°.  Uncover the last 15 minutes or so to brown the top.

That's it.  No big whoop.

Oh, and before your guests arrive, ditch the empty sauce jars, the fresh cod wrappers, and the empty olive cans.  When they "oww and ahh" over all the work you must have done, just smile sweetly and say, "It was worth it."



Approximately what I used for a 9 x 13 pan:

Three large cod fillets split in half lengthwise
One jar of sauce
Two large russet potatoes precooked and thinly sliced
Two cans of black olives chopped
About a cup of kalamata olives chopped
About 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese
About 2 cups mozzarella cheese

More:

Salt Cod 101

Baccalà in White Sauce Recipe

Baccala alla Veneta

No tree - no problem and Christmas Eve Supper

When my husband brought in the boxes of decorations from the tool shed and I gazed on that stack for about half a day, I finally told him to put them back from whence they came.  I opted for a no tree Christmas and guess what?  We were just fine. We have a live evergreen on the buffet gifted to us by a friend and it was more than sufficient.

Late afternoon supper was enlivened by the presence of some home-baked French baguettes.  I used the recipe from Beth Hensperger's book, "Baking Bread - Old and New Traditions", now sadly out of print. There are plenty of used copies available at Amazon and I highly recommend this book.

There are many great recipes online and I plan to try different variations.  When adding the flour I lost count of the number of cups of flour already doled out.  Note to self:  pre-measure the flour and put in bowl.  Duh! 

I spread one of the loaves with a mixture of garlic infused olive oil, chopped olives and sun-dried tomatoes, and a sprinkle of Parmesan before rolling up.  It came out quite good and certainly looked lovely.

While the crust was quite good, I was hoping for a better appearance.  Next time I'm going to use my baking stone and remember to add some water (in the form of ice cubes or a small pan of boiling water) to the oven.

Supper:

• Crudites (around here it's called a plate of sliced vegetables) with bread and herb infused olive oil dipping sauce
• Baked Ziti
• Italian Sausage
• Candied nuts and fudge for desert

Now we look forward to the visit of the Magi on January 6 when Our Lord and Savior will be revealed to the world.


Hope your Christmas festivities were wonderful...

I don't have this book but I'm planning on ordering a used copy from Amazon...

Good Grief!!

I can't believe I haven't posted since November 2nd.  A gremlin must have stolen some of my posts.

While the weather was holding  I managed to get more work done each day.  I spent a few days butchering pruning trees and have all but 5 or 6 done.  Luckily hubby runs around with the truck and picks up the piles of limbs.  All I have to do is make a mess.  But now there is snow on the way and my outside garden days may be over for a few months. 

There have been some very interesting posts up about the coming holidays that I will be linking to in the next few days as well as adding some of my own thoughts.  For now I will leave you with some items of interest.

In case you missed it:

The lovely Fiona at How to be Chic has been doing a series called 30 Chic Days.  Do not let the fact that she is on day 17 alarm you.    All her posts are concise and informative.  You could easily read through them in no time at all.  Or you could read two a day for 15 days or 4 a day for - never mind - you get the message...

If you are not ADD and prefer to start with the first day - here it is  30 Chic Days - Day One

Debra over at Bodeci Body explains her absence in  11 Days to Fit and Fabulous, Then Life Happened.... and shares some wonderful news.

The Parisienne Farmgirl has finally unveiled her big gardening project and you can color me impressed!  Urban Homesteading - Pariesienne Farmhouse Style



And last years tips for a organized Thanksgiving:

Thanksgiving Dinner Preparation Tips


First thing tomorrow I will finish my Thanksgiving cards and letters so they can be mailed on Thursday. The envelopes were all addressed days ago.  Over the years I've discovered that doing the envelopes one day and the letters and/or short enclosure notes on two other days makes this a really fun endeavor. 

Do you eat breakfast?

During my single years breakfast was usually a bottle of Tab (are you old enough to remember Tab?  I still miss it!)  Not a great way to start the day. 

Now my husband and I always sit down to a nice breakfast.  I  like a lot of variety of things to eat for breakfast, so I have learned to cut down on the size of the portions and we never eat things like muffins or sweet rolls. The closest we get to a big sugar fix is to occasionally have homemade jam or jelly on our toast.

 Today was a fairly typical breakfast - two slices of cantaloupe, 1/2 container (4 oz each) of lite blueberry yogurt, one soft-boiled egg served in an egg cup, cracked wheat sour dough toast.

I love eating soft-boiled eggs in an egg cup.  I used to have some really ugly wooden egg cups that I finally threw away, which meant that I had to find new ones.  Since I am cheap  thrifty  the number one priority was cost.  Number two was they had to be nice - please, no plastic.  Trying to find egg cups is hard enough without all those mandates.

Last month while perusing the mark-down stuff on the end-cap of Ross, I spied a box of four white egg cups. Wow - those are not bad looking.  It was the only box there and when I flipped it over the mark-down price was $2.99.  Well, ok then!  I can do that...

The little silver spoons are demitasse spoons my great-grandma brought over from the old country. Perfect size for egg spoons.

A really fun place to visit is a site called Jennifer Causey's Simply Breakfast.   Jennifer is a professional photographer who also maintains the blog Simply Photos (there's a link on her sidebar.)  You lovers of all things French may want to add her photographic journey of all things Paris to your Christmas list.   I stole borrowed a few picture and I'm hoping she won't mind. 

Head over and check out her blog, her shop (fabulous prints for sale), her books, and her wedding portfolio. 

Other photos by Jennifer...

 I'll be doing a bit of housework this morning since it's raining again.  Yesterday I managed to get all the extra Siberian Iris planted in the wildflower/grass field (we call it the "gully") and finished cleaning the cutting garden.  Next year, in addition to bearded iris blooming in the "gully", there will also be hundreds of Siberian Iris.

The "Gully" late spring

 Have a nice day...

And...don't forget to vote tomorrow!

If you need a reminder of why, take a look at this wonderful photo journey of women's suffrage:

The Right to Vote is the Obligation to Vote

Autumn work, pricey pepper, last of the veggies, and adventures in tortilla making

Thanks to the wonderful weather we've been having, our autumn outside chores are perking right along.  The daylily dividing and the moving of two entire beds is almost complete (which is good because I can hardly bend over to plant the little rats anymore.)  I've planted about 800 daylilies so far and have about 200 to go.  Piece of cake!

 Last week I headed over to our local Kitchen Collection to see if they had a lettuce knife.  They did and I got one.  It was only about $3.00 and I managed to snag a lime green one just like the picture in my other post.

I also splurged and bought a tortilla press.  I had an antique one when I was in my early twenties and tried making corn tortillas.  It was a fiasco and I never tried again.  Last night I mixed up Masa Harina (do not substitute corn meal - it's not the same thing) with water and dash of salt, stirred it up, and made little balls of the dough.  I put heavy plastic on the press (top and bottom) and squished out 20 perfect tortillas.  After a quick cook in a dry cast iron skillet set to medium high (about 40 seconds each side), it was time to make enchiladas.  I used cooked chicken breast, which had been marinated in lime, oil, and cumin.  Mixed the chicken with cream cheese, a can of green chilies, and sauteed onions and garlic for the filling.  Baked for 30 minutes with a topping of enchilada sauce and shredded cheddar.  Fresh homemade tortillas made a huge difference.  Can't wait to try tacos. 

Saved the last of the veggies a few nights ago before our first hard frost.  I'll miss fresh tomatoes. 

The priciest pepper, evah!  Can you believe I paid $6.99 for this pepper with orange and lemon peels in it?  I can't either - but I did, and it's wonderful! 

Thought for the day:

Only about nine weeks until the winter solstice when the days will start getting longer again. Since we're having such a long autumn, this winter will just whiz by...

Plums, comments, magazines, and some linky-love

I am obviosly way behind on addressing all my fine comments, but I promise you I will get to it later or sooner (I like to put the most likely to happen in first place.)

We had some of the last of our plums for breakfast this morning.  I chopped them up, put a dollop of plain yogurt on top, and a sprinkle of cinnamon/sugar for appearance and a bit of zip.  Lovely and delicious.

Last weekend I picked up some beets at the Farmer's Market in Coeur d' Alene.  And lo and behold, what does Roz over at La Bella Vita post but some excellent beet recipes including Beet Salad with Avocados and Machego Cheese.  Thanks, Roz.  Even if you hate beets and, trust me, people either love them or hate them, you must see Roz's pictures.  All her pics are the best!

The "other" Adrienne at Rich Life on a Budget offers up Tasteful vs Tacky,  Fiona at How to be Chic gives some hints for Instant Chic , while Debra at Bodeci Body brings us Of Women, Wine and Weight Loss - three fine posts that compliment each other nicely.  I keep these ladies in my Google Reader section labeled Inspiration for good reason.

 Introducing:


The Parisienne Farmgirl

Spend some time perusing this lovely blog.  It's fun, elegant, and informative.  According to her profile she likes:  Family, Gardening, NASCAR, Fashion, Politics, Cooking, and Bordeaux Wine.  My favorite thing about PF is her ability to be real.  No playing Miss Perfect for this smart and very pretty lady.  She also has her very own on-line shop full of very cool things at super reasonable prices.  And do be sure and tour her garden while you're there.

Magazines

Last week I received one of those "subscribe to our magazine for really, really cheap and we'll send you this bonus whatever for free 'cause you know you really want to do this since it's only twelve cents or less per issue" offer.  It was Victoria, a mag I like anyway and have subscribed to before, so I sent in the postage paid envelope and am eagerly awaiting my first issue.  Ladies, show some patience when it comes to subscribing to mags.  Sooner or later you'll receive an offer you can't refuse. 

From their website:

Simple, soft, and elegant...

Lunch is served...

Love these glasses...

Beautiful simplicity

The garden awaits. See you later...

Why don't I have a plastic lettuce knife?

Probably because I never heard of one.  Duh.  The Rich Life on a Budget had a great post on keeping fresh veggies and such cut up and ready to go in the fridge so we wouldn't be so tempted to grab the chip bag when we were hungry.

In the com-box the discussion turned to salad spinners, an item that I thought was the height of silliness until a friend showed me how hers worked.  After buying a cheap one that broke posthaste, I invested in an Oxo salad spinner, which actually costs less now then when I bought mine.  It was one of the best investments I ever made.

Frequent commenter, LRS2Amanda,  gave a hearty thumbs-up to the Oxo salad spinner and then said, "I also bought this serrated plastic knife that cuts the lettuce without turning it brown if prepping ahead."

Whaaaaaaat?  A special knife for lettuce?  I must look into this.  I headed to Amazon, and there it was.  Cool.  I need one of those.  Last time I bought three heads of Romaine at Costco, I got the bright idea to cut it all up and put it in individual two serving plastic bags.  Honestly - I KNEW BETTER.  Within a very short time all the lettuce was brown and yucky.  What was I thinking?????  Generally I tear my lettuce but with Romaine, the lettuce gods demand it be chopped up with a knife - or something.

And look - it's lime green. How cool is that?

How many of you have a salad knife??

Pizza on the Grill and Homemade Sweet Cherry Tomato/Pesto Sauce and an Update on the Garden Tool Belt

 It started when I stopped in the Grocery Outlet and checked out their basket of  "fresh stuff that really needs to go away before it starts to smell" cart.  There was a whole bunch of organic cherry tomatoes that were perfectly fine as long as you planned to use them immediately.  Due to our erratic weather this year, my garden has not produced one tomato yet, so I scarfed up two packages for $1.00.

I remembered Roz over at La Bella Vita posting a recipe for sweet cherry tomato/pesto sauce.  I washed my tomatoes and popped them in a grill basket on the gas grill and ran out and picked a bunch of basil to make the sauce.  Then it hit me.  Hey - how about pizza on the grill since it's so dang hot in the house? I've always wanted to try pizza on the grill.

I pulled out my favorite pizza crust recipe and started a batch.  When the dough was ready, I cut it into four pieces, patted it out, and brushed it with extra virgin olive oil.  While it was resting on the cutting board I had the gas grill heating out on the deck.  Even though they were liberally brushed with olive oil, to be on the safe side, I sprayed the grates and threw on the small pizza rounds.  All it took was about 2 minutes per side.  Very rustic and ready for toppings.  Next time I'm going to make the crusts much thinner and make sure the edge is more raised (but they were still great!)

After just a few moments on each side they came back to the kitchen and we piled on the wonderful sauce, pepperoni, sweet onion, olives, and fresh grated whole milk mozzarella.  I turned off one side of the grill to cook with indirect heat and turned the other side to medium.  I put them back on for about 5 minutes to finish cooking the crust and melt the cheese.  Deliziosa!  

We couldn't eat more than one each so the two bare crusts pictured above are for tonight.  The left over toppings are ready to go.  Tonight we'll just pop them under the broiler for a few minutes.  Instant dinner...

Next I'm going to try making bread on the grill...

Roz also is starting something really fun called Fresh Friday.  It begins on Friday, August 27 for any blogger that has a post related to anything fresh.  

What does that include?

Roz says:

• fresh scent/s
• freshly prepared food
• non-packaged or preserved food (however canning or freezing 'fresh' food can be included)
• fresh new look/outfit/design/decor
• a fresh new quilt made, or any new hand-made treasure
• a fresh new beauty/exercise routine
• fresh cut flowers
• fresh new outlook, beginning, start, idea, experience, goal
• anything recently made or produced
• newly harvested 
• fresh, clean and pure:  water, air, make-up, rain, products you use/recommend
• anything unused and free from dirt, soil, impurities

Well that about covers it all.  

Read more at La Bella Vita  and say hi! to Roz...

Update on Garden Tool belt 

Tried out my new garden tool belt from Avon yesterday.   Wow!  It was better than expected.  Nothing fell out and it felt light as a feather when it was on.  My husband said I looked really serious while wearing it...(I think that was a compliment) 

Frittata for Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner

Frittata is an Italian version of the omelette, except way easier to make. I refer to it as my "clean out the refrigerator" breakfast since just about anything and everything can go in a frittata.

For this morning's frittata I chopped up two slices of bacon and browned them in a medium non-stick pan. Putting the bacon aside I added chopped onion, fresh asparagus (cut into small pieces), and roasted red pepper to the pan. While that was cooking, hubby was whipping up four eggs with a little milk added.

I put the bacon back in the pan and poured in the eggs. I had a bit of Jarslberg cheese so I chopped that up and sprinkled it in the eggs.  When it was almost done I popped it under the broiler where it puffed up nicely.  The last thing I did was throw some grated sharp cheddar cheese on top and gave it a minute more under the broiler. 

Hubby toasted some sourdough bread and breakfast was ready.  Hubby is great about cleaning up as I cook, so the kitchen was essentially spotless when breakfast was ready.  I'm a pepper freak, so all those little black speckles on top is fresh cracked pepper.

What can you put in a frittata?  Just about anything.  It's one of my standbys for Sunday brunches where I usually take a bit of extra time to cook sliced potatoes to use for a bottom "crust."  Almost any leftovers will work - beef roast, chicken, and almost all veggies like spinach, tomatoes, broccoli, or zucchini.  Left over pasta?  Yum - throw it in your frittata.  

You can take a wedge of frittata for a wonderful lunch. It's just a good cold as hot (sometimes better!)  And frittatas are great for dinner, too.

Have a family to cook for?  Right after dinner prepare all the veggies and whatnot and put the pan in the fridge.  In the morning whip up the eggs and cook. 

Happy eating...

Coffee Dry Rub for Steaks - Superb!!

Our local grocery store had a 12 hour meat sale.  I buy all my meat at Costco, but they had some other things that were such a great deal that I braved the crowds.   They always have lots of demo folks for these "events."  The DOMA Coffee Roasting Company, a local company, was giving away large sample bags of coffee and this recipe for a coffee dry rub for steaks.

I tried it out yesterday for our dinner (which we try to eat in the early afternoon a la "Let's Do Lunch" plan for eating.  It was superb! 

The following recipe is for 4 large steaks.  I cut the recipe in half since our steaks were not huge and we only were cooking two.  I used our favorite tri-tip steaks but would love to try it on Rib Eyes. 

This is the full recipe that serves 4

FOR THE COFFEE RUB

1/2 cup coarse ground coffee

1/4 cup Kosher salt (I used course ground Kosher)

1/4 cup coarse ground black pepper

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

FOR THE STEAKS

2 tablespoons canola oil

4 (8 ounce) New York or Rib Eye steaks

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

• To make the dry rub, place the coffee, salt, pepper and brown sugar in a small bowl and toss gently with a fork to combine. 
• Heat the canola oil in a large heavy oven-proof skillet (preferably cast-iron) over high heat until almost to the smoking point. 
• Pat steaks dry with paper towels and generously and evenly coat all sides with the coffee rub.
• Sear well to form a good crust, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Don’t panic if the steaks look a little charred, that’s what you’re going for and will ensure lots of flavor. 
• Transfer the skillet to the hot oven and cook for 7 to 9 minutes for medium rare, or until desired doneness.
• Let the meat rest for 5 to 10 minutes before devouring.

Below is all the ingredients in my "let's play TV cooking show" bowls.  I found them at the dollar store.  Three of the larger ones for $1.00 and  four of the slightly smaller ones for $1.00.  It really makes sense to measure out all your ingredients in advance.  Sometimes I get lost in the middle of a new recipe with lots of ingredients and wonder if I'd added everything.  It also seems to keep the kitchen neater and I really do feel like I'm doing a cooking show.  My hubby loves to play "audience."

 All stirred up and smashed unto the steaks...

 After being cooked and "resting" on the counter.  I put a piece of foil over them after I took the picture.

While the steaks were resting I threw the mushrooms in a hot pan and decided to sprinkle them with the dry rub.  It was a good decision.  They browned up beautifully in much less time than usual.  Mushrooms should be cooked at high heat for a short time. And unless they are absolutely filthy, just brush them with a soft brush. If you can't find a mushroom brush a  ultra soft nylon baby brush will work.

 All plated and ready to eat.  Hubby pulled out the breakfast rooster plates instead of our nicer everyday china, but in the greater scheme of things it was an "oh well" moment.  The steamed broccoli has a dusting of freshly grated imported Romano cheese.  For starters we had a very small bowl of homemade lentil soup with a splash of extra dry Sherry and a small plate of olives, carrot and celery sticks

 Saudra over at Let's Eat! and Lose Weight follows "Let's Do Lunch" plan and has lost over 60 lbs. She is a wonderful cook and has lots of great recipes and insights at her blog.