Vicenza-style Cod

Name: Vicenza-style Cod
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 360 min
Total time: 380 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: Stockfish (type ragno, soaked for about 3 days) 2.2 lbs; White onions 10.6 oz; Salted sardines desalted 1.4 oz; Type 00 flour to taste; Coarse salt to taste; Whole milk ¾ cup; Grana Padano PDO cheese 0.7 oz; Black pepper to taste; Extra virgin olive oil 0.8 cup; Parsley to taste

it es br de fr

483

Calories per serving

Energy Kcal 483
Carbohydrates g 10.9
of which sugars g 4.6
Protein g 34.2
Fats g 33.7
of which saturated fat g 5.87
Fiber g 1
Cholesterol mg 78
Sodium mg 2999

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 6 h
Serving: 6 persone
Cost: Average
Note For this recipe, the stockfish must have been soaked for 3 days and dried for an entire night

PRESENTATION

Recipe by
Lorenzo Cogo

Vicenza-style cod is the symbolic recipe of the city of Vicenza. A dish known and appreciated worldwide, thanks to its simplicity and unmistakable flavor. Being a regional recipe, we wanted to avoid any mistakes and to be sure, we hosted chef Lorenzo Cogo, of Vicentian origin, who prepared this delicious main course, whose star is cod, an essential in home cooking with its variations in stew and oven. Contrary to what one might think, reading the name of the recipe, this is not made with true cod, but with stockfish as the people of Vicenza also associate the name baccalà with dried cod. The long cooking time makes the lean meat of this fish very tender, also thanks to the addition of milk which softens the strong taste typical of dried cod. Today we invite you to try our version!

Come and discover another typical recipe made with stockfish: the Ligurian Brandacujun!

INGREDIENTS: Stockfish 2.2 lbs (1 kg) - (type ragno, soaked for about 3 days); White onions 10.6 oz (300 g); Salted sardines 1.4 oz (40 g) - desalted; Type 00 flour to taste; Coarse salt to taste; Whole milk ¾ cup (180 g); Grana Padano PDO cheese 0.7 oz (20 g); Black pepper to taste; Extra virgin olive oil 0.8 cup (180 g); Parsley to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Vicenza-style Cod

To prepare Vicenza-style cod, the stockfish you use should already be soaked for about 3 days and dried for one night. First, chop the onion 1 and desalinate the anchovies by rinsing them thoroughly under water 2. Then add them to a pan along with the chopped onion 3

add a generous drizzle of oil 4, mix everything 5 and cook for about 50-60 minutes on low heat until the anchovies have melted and the onions are well wilted, forming a sort of amber-colored cream 6.

Now move on to the cod, spider variety. Take the soaked filet, deboned and opened with the skin intact. Stuff with part of the onion mixture, spreading it only on one half 7, season with coarse salt 8 and a pinch of freshly ground pepper 9.

Finally, sprinkle with flour, just a thin layer will do 10. Close the cod as if it were a sandwich 11 and cut into pieces about 2.36 inches wide 12.

Get a pot (choose one that allows you to keep the pieces of cod close together) and spread about half of the remaining onion mixture on the bottom 13. Place the pieces of stockfish vertically inside the pot 14. The pieces should be placed next to each other 15.

Cover with the remaining onion 16, sprinkle again with a bit of flour 17, add a pinch of coarse salt 18,

pepper 19, Grana Padano 20 and pour all the milk over 21.

Then add the oil in a thread until it completely covers the cod 22. At this point, let everything cook for about 4-5 hours on low heat (in jargon it should "pipare"), trying to touch it as little as possible during cooking 23. If you prefer, you can cover with a lid, leaving a part uncovered to let the steam escape. After 5 hours, the cod will be soft, white, and not too flaky (in chunks), and the aroma will be intense 34.

Finally, add the chopped parsley 25, mix everything 26 and serve with slices of polenta, as tradition dictates 27.

Storage

Vicenza-style cod can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1-2 days, well covered.

Advice

Spider stockfish is the best quality available on the market. It comes from Norway, from the Lofoten islands, and has a particular size, not too large. It has lean meat and a bright color, but its distinguishing feature is that it is dried for 3 months.

If you want to use dried stockfish, not already soaked for 3 days as indicated, you will need 28 oz.

There are two main methods for soaking. The first involves keeping the stockfish in water for 3 days, in the refrigerator, changing the water every 6-8 hours. The second involves soaking it for 3 days in a basin with a small amount of constant running water.

The traditional cooking method is on the stovetop. Alternatively, you can cook the cod in the oven, in a terracotta pot.

To make the cod creamier, you can use cream to replace half the amount of milk: this will give more creaminess and body to the recipe.

The cooking of Vicenza-style cod is slow and gentle: the pot must "pipare." This jargon term refers to the oil forming tiny bubbles inside the pot during low heat cooking.

In the traditional recipe, as indicated by the Confraternity of Vicenza-style Cod, parsley is added during cooking, but to get a fresher taste, it can be added at the end.

Once cooked, you can mix the cod. Keep in mind that the more you mix, the creamier the result will be.

Trivia

The origins of Vicenza-style cod date back to 1432 when an expedition led by the Venetian merchant Pietro Querini was shipwrecked. The crew survived by reaching the island of Røst in Norway, where some days later, the inhabitants of a nearby island came to their rescue and took care of them. They used to preserve cod in an unusual way: dried, like the current stockfish. Returning home, the merchant decided to bring some of that dry fish with him. Once back, the gastronomes of Vicenza were intrigued by the stockfish and realized it could be an alternative to the very expensive fresh fish which, moreover, was easily perishable. For this reason, they started to develop a way to make this new food unique, and it seems they found it: Vicenza-style cod was born!

In the Vicenza-style cod recipe, stockfish is used. It is always the same variety of fish, cod, but there is a difference in preservation methods. Stockfish is dried in the sun, while true cod is fresh cod salted.

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.