THE BACALAO TOUR

As I was putting pieces of bacalao to soak, in preparation for my annual Holy Week visitation to salt cod, I realized that my Good Friday postings have amounted to a cod fish aficionado’s tour of Spain.

So far, the tour has touched in Catalonia, with bacalao a la llauna, baked in a wine sauce and served with tiny mongete beans; Andalusia, with cod fritters served with a drizzle of molasses; chickpeas with spinach and cod dumplings from Castilla-La Mancha; creamy cod brandada from Castilla y León, and the renowned bacalao al pil pil from the Basque Country. (Links to those recipes are at the end of this post.)

Cod, potatoes and cauliflower with tangy red ajada sauce. Garden peas add a springtime touch.

This year I’ve headed to Galicia, the far northwest corner of Spain, to sample a popular cod recipe that is ever-so-easy. Potatoes, cauliflower and cod are simmered in water, then served with a tangy ajada sauce made with  garlic, pimentón and vinegar. It’s a dish also served on Christmas Eve, so for the spring holiday, I’ve added fresh green sugar snap peas from the garden. Serve it with a crisp Albariño white wine from Galicia’s Rias Baixas.

Where to next year? I have yet to visit the bacalao dishes of Valencia, of Extremadura, or of Cantabria. After which, I can begin again, as every region of Spain has a dozen or more recipes for this season.

Crisp Albariño is the wine to serve with the Galician cod dish.

Spoon some sauce over cod and vegetables, serve the rest on the side.

Salt Cod with Cauliflower, Potatoes and Garlic Sauce
Bacalao con Coliflor y Patatas con Ajada

Traditionally, the potatoes, cauliflower and cod are all cooked in one pot of water. I’ve chosen to steam the cod separately, which gives it a nice, fluffy texture. If you prefer to cook the cod in the water, add it at the very end, letting it barely simmer for 5 minutes. Overcooking toughens the cod.

Skinless and nearly boneless pieces are cut from center of the cod. Tail is added to flavor the vegetables.

I used skinless, almost boneless pieces of lomo, center-cut “loin,” each weighing 3 to 4 ounces. They needed about 36 hours soaking time. Thicker cuts of cod need longer soaking. Change the water every 6 to 8 hours. I used a skin-on tail-end of cod to cook with the potatoes and cauliflower, adding flavor to the vegetables. (Picked off the bones, the flesh is great for croquettes or patties.)

The Galicians have dozens of varieties of potatoes. I find that waxy-red boiling potatoes are best for this dish, as they won’t disintegrate when cooked.

Traditionally the ajada sauce is made with ordinary unsmoked pimentón (paprika). You can add some smoked pimentón as well.

Start this recipe 2 or 3 days before serving in order to allow time for the cod to soak.

Serves 4.

8 (3-ounce) pieces center-cut salt cod plus another piece of cod to cook with the potatoes
8 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
Sprig of parsley
4 medium red potatoes (1 pound), peeled and cut in half
1 egg
½ onion
1 pound cauliflower, cut into sections
1 cup sugar snap peas (optional) or parsley
4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons pimentón (paprika)
½ teaspoon smoked pimentón
Pinch of hot pimentón or cayenne (optional)
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 tablespoons hot water
Salt, if necessary

Wash the pieces of salt cod to remove surface salt. Place them in a glass container and cover with cold water. Cover the container and refrigerate. Soak the cod for 36 hours, changing the water 6 times during the soaking period. Drain well and set aside.

Bring 8 cups water to a boil with 1 teaspoon salt and parsley. Add the potatoes, egg and onion. Cook until potatoes are almost tender, 10 minutes. Remove the egg and plunge it in cold water.

Add the cauliflower and extra piece of cod to the potatoes. Bring again to a boil, reduce heat and cook until cauliflower is just tender, about 5 minutes. Do not overcook. Cook the peas, if using, in the same pot for 1 minute.

Drain the potatoes and cauliflower and keep them warm.

Steaming cod over boiling water keeps it tender, prevents it from disintegrating in cooking.

Meanwhile, place a steaming rack in a pan with at least 1 inch of water. Bring the water to a boil. Place the pieces of salt cod on the rack, cover and reduce heat so the water bubbles gently. Steam the fish until it flakes easily, about 8 minutes.

Ajada sauce is olive oil, garlic and three kinds of pimentón.

Meanwhile, slice the garlic crosswise or chop coarsely. Heat the oil in a small saucepan. Add the garlic on medium heat and cook it until it begins to turn golden. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the three kinds of pimentón, the vinegar and hot water. Add salt, if needed (cod may not need extra salt).

Peel and cut the cooked egg in quarters.

Serve the potatoes, cauliflower and pieces of cod with peas, if using, and quartered egg. Spoon some of the garlic-pimentón sauce over the cod and vegetables. Pass remaining sauce at the table. If you have not used peas, garnish the plates with parsley.

More recipes with salt cod:

Cod Fritters with Molasses (Tortillitas de Bacalao con Miel de Caña) http://mykitcheninspain.blogspot.com.es/2011/04/if-its-good-friday-it-must-be-bacalao.html

Salt Cod in Garlic Pil Pil Sauce (Bacalao al Pil Pil) http://mykitcheninspain.blogspot.com.es/2016/03/bacalao-is-coming-round-again.html

Salt Cod, Catalan Style (Bacalao a la Llauna)  http://mykitcheninspain.blogspot.com.es/2010/04/if-its-good-friday-it-must-be-bacalao.html

Chickpeas and Spinach with Cod Dumplings (Potaje de Garbanzos y Espinacas con Rellenos) http://mykitcheninspain.blogspot.com.es/2012/02/updating-traditional-bacalao-dish-for.html

Garlicky Salt Cod Spread (Brandada de Bacalao) http://mykitcheninspain.blogspot.com.es/2010/10/taking-it-on-road.html 

Olive Pickers’ Cod and Potato Stew (Pote Aceitunero) http://mykitcheninspain.blogspot.com.es/2010/11/family-that-picks-together-sticks.html 

Salt Cod with Manchego and Pine Nuts (Bacalao al Ajo Arriero)  http://mykitcheninspain.blogspot.com.es/2014/10/spain-gourmetour-cant-let-them-go.html

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL.

A SWEET PUDDING FOR HOLY WEEK

Cinnamon and lemon flavor springtime rice pudding.

In Spain, the days of Holy Week leading up to Easter are marked by vigilia, abstinence, when observant Catholics abstain from eating meat. But, adding a touch of sweetness to the season are several milk puddings, such as flan (recipe ); natillas, a creamy custard, and arroz con leche, milky rice pudding.

Milk puddings are typical for the season because in the springtime dairy animals are producing plenty of milk. In Asturias (northern Spain), rice pudding is made with cow’s milk and enriched with butter or cream. It is the dessert de rigueur following fabada beans (recipe ). In Andalusia (southern Spain), where I live, rice pudding is traditionally made with goat’s milk. 

Cinnamon stick and lemon peel flavor the milk. The pudding is sprinkled with additional ground cinnamon after it is ladled into bowls.

Use medium-short grain rice—the same Valencia rice used for paella—to make the pudding. Let it cook until very tender.

Arroz con Leche
Milky Rice Pudding

Serves 4.

4 cups water
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup medium-grain rice
4 cups milk
Peel from 1 lemon
1 cinnamon stick
½ cup sugar
Ground cinnamon

Bring the water and salt to a boil in a heavy pan. Add the rice and cook for 5 minutes. Drain the rice.

Place the milk, lemon peel and cinnamon stick in the pan. When it begins to bubble (take care the milk does not boil over), stir in the par-boiled rice. Reduce heat so the rice simmers. Cook, partially covered, 12 minutes.

Stir in the sugar. Let rice simmer, uncovered, until thick and creamy, about 15 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent the milk from scorching (a heat diffusor is useful). Discard the lemon peel and cinnamon stick.

Ladle hot pudding into 4 bowls. Sprinkle liberally with ground cinnamon. Allow to cool, then refrigerate until serving time. The pudding will thicken as it cools.

IF IT'S GOOD FRIDAY, IT MUST BE BACALAO--PART 2

Tortillitas are pancake-like fritters of salt cod, drizzled with molasses.

I hear the solemn drumming. The village streets are slicked with candle wax after processions have passed. Holy Week is here again. That means it’s time again for bacalao—dry salt cod—the meal of choice for Viernes Santo, Good Friday.

Truthfully, cooking salt cod but once a year is not sufficient to really get a handle on it. Last year I prepared and photographed my salt cod recipe before tasting it. Later, I added tasting notes to the blog, saying that the cod needed additional soaking time before cooking. You can read Part 1 of “IF IT’S GOOD FRIDAY, IT MUST BE BACALAO  here   Actually, I did make salt cod another time and it wasn’t even Good Friday, as a delicious dip called brandada that is ever so easy. That recipe is here.

Bacalao--salt cod--at the Barcelona market.

Last year, having just come back from a few days in Barcelona, I was inspired to prepare a Catalan dish with salt cod, bacalao a la llauna. This year, for Bacalao Part 2, I am making a traditional Málaga dish that’s been popularized in tapa bars--tortillitas de bacalao con miel de caña, cod fritters with molasses.

If this sounds unusual, trust me, it’s absolutely brilliant. Flaked cod is combined in a saffron-tinged batter, fried in olive oil, then drizzled with just a little dark-sweet molasses. The sweetness complements the cod’s saltiness. Delicious.

Why molasses? In southern Spain, in the coastal areas of Málaga and Granada, sugar refineries, established at the end of the 1500s, thrived for several hundred years, spawning related industries such as rum distilleries. Cane syrup, a light molasses, entered the local culinary tradition.

Instead of molasses, you could use honey, corn syrup or even your favorite pancake syrup in this recipe. In fact, you need very little. It is the intriguing contrast of salty and sweet that makes this an outstanding dish, typical of Holy Week in Málaga.


Tasting notes: I used small, boneless pieces of salt cod for this recipe. Twenty-four hours of soaking was sufficient, leaving just enough salt to contrast with the batter. Taste the cod after soaking--if it's not salty enough, add salt to the batter.

To Prepare Bacalao

   
Scrape off surface salt and wash the fish in running water. Put it in a bowl and cover with water. Soak the bacalao, covered and refrigerated, 24 to 36 hours, changing the water three times. Each time you change the water, wash the fish under running water, squeeze it gently and wash out the container.

After soaking, place the pieces of bacalao on a clean towel and cover with another to soak up excess water. Remove scales and bones. The skin may be required for some dishes, as its gelatinous quality thickens the sauce. Big chunks are usually cooked whole, but scraps can be cooked, de-boned and used in fritters and fish balls.

To pre-cook bacalao, place it in enough water to cover and bring it just barely to a simmer. Hold it at a simmer for five minutes.

Saffron, garlic and parsley flavor the cod fritters.

Cod Fritters with Molasses
Tortillitas de Bacalao con Miel de Caña

Makes 30 fritters.

1/4 pound dry salt cod, soaked for 24 hours in several changes of water
pinch of crushed saffron
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 egg, separated
2/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
olive oil for frying
2 tablespoons molasses

Drain the salt cod and put it in a pan with water to cover and bring just to a simmer. Do not boil. Remove from heat. Drain and save the liquid. When the cod is cool enough to handle, remove any bones and skin and flake or chop the fish.

Measure 1 cup of the reserved liquid. Add the saffron to it and allow to infuse for 10 minutes.

Combine the parsley, garlic, saffron and egg yolk. Beat in the reserved saffron liquid, then the flour combined with the baking powder. Add the flaked cod. The batter should be the consistency of pancake batter. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes or up to 2 hours.

Beat the egg white until stiff and fold into the batter.

Heat oil in a skillet to a depth of 1/4 inch. Drop batter by tablespoons, turning to brown on both sides. Add additional oil as needed so that the bottom of skillet is always covered. Drain the fritters on absorbent paper. Serve them hot or room temperature, drizzled with molasses.

Sweet molasses complements salty cod.

SOMETHING SWEET FOR HOLY WEEK-- OR PRE-PASSOVER

Torrijas are cinnamon-scented slices of fried bread.

This week all the local bread and pastry shops display trays of sugared or honeyed slices of fried bread dusted with cinnamon called torrijas. Torrijas are somewhat like “French toast,” but in Spain they are served as dessert or snack, not breakfast.

In Andalusia and La Mancha, torrijas are absolutely essential during Holy Week and Easter holidays. I have wondered if—in these lands where 600 years ago Christians and Jews lived together as neighbors—this custom derives from the Jewish tradition of using up all of the hametz, or leavened bread, before Passover—the springtime festival that coincides with Holy Week. Possibly conversos—converts to Christianity—brought with them to a new religion some of the customs of the former.

In any case, torrijas bring such a welcome sweetness to the austerity of Lenten foods.

The basic preparation: dip or soak thick slices of stale bread in sweetened milk, wine syrup or sweet wine, then into beaten egg. No, don’t mix the milk and egg together. Fry them in olive oil until golden. Sprinkle with sugar or drizzle with honey boiled with a little water. Sprinkle with lots of cinnamon. Serve at room temperature.


Sweet Toasts
Torrijas

Serves 6.

Stale bread, eggs, milk and cinnamon

12 (3/4-inch thick) slices stale bread
2 cups + 2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 strip lemon peel
1 stick cinnamon
2 eggs
olive oil for frying
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon sugar or 2 tablespoons

   honey boiled with 1 tablespoon

    water

Place the slices of bread in one layer in a shallow pan.

In a saucepan heat 2 cups of milk with 1/2 cup sugar, lemon peel and cinnamon stick until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Strain the milk.

 Pour the milk over the bread and allow to set until liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes.

Beat the eggs with the remaining 2 tablespoons of milk. Place eggs in a shallow bowl. Heat enough oil in a large, heavy skillet to completely cover the bottom. Dip the slices of bread into the egg on both sides. Fry them until browned on both sides. Remove to a platter. Add additional oil to the skillet as needed and continue frying the remaining slices of bread.

When all the bread slices are fried, sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar or drizzle with boiled honey. Serve the toasts at room temperature.