Baccalà Mantecato: A Savory Spread of Whipped Salt Cod

Name: Baccalà Mantecato: A Savory Spread of Whipped Salt Cod
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Global
Ingredients: 454 grams boneless baccalà (salt cod), soaked to remove salt; 4 servings freshly ground black pepper to taste; 2 plump garlic cloves, finely minced; 118 milliliters half-and-half or light cream; 237 milliliters extra-virgin olive oil; 227 grams medium russet potato (about

Baccalà Mantecato: A Savory Spread of Whipped Salt Cod might be just the main course you are searching for. This recipe covers 34% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. One serving contains 463 calories, 73g of protein, and 12g of fat. This recipe serves 4. It is a good option if you're following a gluten free, whole 30, and pescatarian diet. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes roughly 45 minutes. If you have baccalà, half-and-half, olive oil, and a few other ingredients on hand, you can make it. To use up the half & half you could follow this main course with the Coconut Cream Pie Made With Half & Half as a dessert.

Instructions

When the baccalà is sufficiently soaked, cut it into small pieces—6 inches or so—and put them in a saucepan or deep skillet with at least an inch of water to cover. Bring to a boil, set the cover ajar (rest it on a wooden spoon set on the rim of the pan), and cook at a steady bubbling boil for 20 minutes or more, until the cod is easy to flake but still has body and shape. Don't let it start to break apart. Lift it out of the cooking water, and let it drain and cool in a colander. Reserve a cup of the cooking water.

Ingredients you will need

Water

Cod

Equipment you will use

Wooden Spoon

Colander

Sauce Pan

Frying Pan

Meanwhile, rinse the potato but leave it whole and unpeeled. Put it in a small pot covered with cold water. Bring to the boil, and cook steadily until you can easily pierce the potato with a knife blade.

Ingredients you will need

Potato

Water

Equipment you will use

Knife

Pot

Let it cool, and peel it.

Set up the electric mixer and flake all the fish into the bowl. Beat with the paddle at low speed to break the fish up more; drop in the minced garlic, and beat at medium speed while you pour in half the olive oil very gradually in a thin stream, then add the potato and incorporate it; continue beating at low speed as you gradually add the rest of the oil.

Ingredients you will need

Minced Garlic

Olive Oil

Potato

Fish

Cooking Oil

Equipment you will use

Hand Mixer

Bowl

Now raise the speed to high and whip the fish to lighten it.

Ingredients you will need

Fish

Reduce the speed to medium and incorporate the half-and- half gradually, then whip at high speed again. At this point the whipped cod should be smooth and fluffy, almost like mashed potatoes but with texture. If it is very dense, you can thin it with the cooking water (but be careful: too much water will make it too salty).

Ingredients you will need

Potato

Water

Cod

Finally, season with pepper and beat it in to blend. If you use a food processor instead of a mixer, follow the same order of additions, and process as needed to form a light, smooth spread.

Ingredients you will need

Pepper

Spread

Equipment you will use

Food Processor

Blender

Put the spread in containers and store sealed, in the refrigerator, for up to a week. You can also freeze baccalà mantecato; the texture will not be as creamy, but it will have good flavor and makes a delicious pasta sauce.

Ingredients you will need

Pasta Sauce

Spread

Lidia Bastianich hosts the hugely popular PBS show, "Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen" and owns restaurants in New York City, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh. Also the author of Lidia's Italian Table and Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen, she lives in Douglaston, New York.

Equipment

Ingredients

Servings:

454grams

boneless baccalà (salt cod), soaked to remove salt 4servings

freshly ground black pepper to taste 2

plump garlic cloves, finely minced 118milliliters

half-and-half or light cream 237milliliters

extra-virgin olive oil 227grams

medium russet potato (about

Recommended wine: Pinot Grigio, Gruener Veltliner, Pinot Noir

Pinot Grigio, Gruener Veltliner, and Pinot Noir are great choices for Cod. Fish is as diverse as wine, so it's hard to pick wines that go with every fish. A crisp white wine, such as a pinot grigio or Grüner Veltliner, will suit any delicately flavored white fish. Meaty, strongly flavored fish such as salmon and tuna can even handle a light red wine, such as a pinot noir. One wine you could try is Santi Sortesele Pinot Grigio. It has 4.4 out of 5 stars and a bottle costs about 17 dollars.