One of the biggest achievements of the past 6 months – oh, joy! – has been getting La Chauve-souris to like baccalà.
Baccalà is salt-cured cod, and it is found in many traditional recipes in Italy. Salt cod slabs resting peacefully in plastic tubs overflowing with water (baccalà needs to be soaked in clean fresh water for at least 48 hours, changing the water every 8 hours) are a common sight at weekly markets, even in mountainous regions.
This is because, due to its long shelf life and preservation, baccalà has always been available throughout Italy and it has always been considered a poor man’s food, eaten by those who couldn’t afford to buy fish (peasants, shepherds, and lower-class people in general), but lately there has been a rediscovery and baccalà has become more popular than ever. I remember very well my maternal grandfather (a life-hardened farmer living in a remote agricultural area) complaining about how the price of baccalà had risen considerably: “We ate baccalà with polenta ’cause we were poor people”, he used to say. “And now only the rich can buy it”.
Even if it might be untrue that Italy is the second consumer of salt cod after Portugal, as Wikipedia claims, baccalà has always been a favourite food during “lean days”, the days when Catholics have to refrain from eating meat, and that’s why it is still very popular on Fridays and – above all – on Christmas Eve, when a meatless banquet is laid on and baccalà in all its many forms (roasted baccalà and peppers; baccalà fried in egg and flour batter; baccalà alla vicentina, slowly braised in milk; baccalà and potatoes; etc. …) is the undisputed star.
Basically, you either love baccalà (like my dad, who generally doesn’t eat fish) or hate it (like my brother): al-hamdu li-llah, La Chauve-souris took from the sane side of my family! 
Salt cod and potatoes with tomato sauce (2 generous servings):
300 gr. salt cod, soaked in cold water for at least 24 hours*
4 medium potatoes
100 gr. whole black olives
1 x 400 gr. can chopped tomatoes
250 gr. cherry tomatoes, quartered (optional)
1 brown onion, sliced
1/4 tsp crushed red chili
4 Tbsp XV olive oil
Put the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat, together with the onion, whole olives, and half of the chili, Peel and slice the potatoes and add them to the pan; then add the cherry tomatoes (if using). Drain the salt cod, cut it into pieces, and add it to the pan. Stir, add the chopped tomatoes and about half a cup of water. Cover and cook for 45 minutes, then remove the lid and cook for further 15 minutes. Just 5 minutes before turning off the gas, check if it needs a spicier kick and, in case, add the remaining chili.
Buon Appetito!
* In Abu Dhabi you can sometimes find salt cod at Carrefour in Marina Mall. Since this one is usually less salty and dry than the one I was used to in Italy, I soak it in water for only 24 hours, still changing the water every 8 hours or so.
the soul kitchenette 