Baccalà e ceci (salt cod and chickpeas) is a well-known pairing in Jewish Roman cuisine. I decided to use Indian black chickpeas (kala chana or Bengal gram) in lieu of normal chickpeas: it was just a graphic reason, playing on the contrast between the white fish and the dark chickpeas, but then I’ve discovered that this variety of chickpeas is actually very tasty and holds up to cooking, as it retained a bite even after being soaked for 16 hours and cooked for almost 2 hours.
The cooking method for the cod was taken from the book 70 Classic Japanese Recipes by Masaki Ko.
Salt cod with black chickpeas (serves 2):
200 gr. salt cod, soaked in water for at least 24 hours (change the water every 6 hours)
250 gr. dried black chickpeas, soaked in water overnight
2 red onions, thinly sliced
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
butter
white vinegar
white pepper
Cut the salt cod into pieces, then cut a piece of aluminium foil for each piece of cod, each one large enough to completely enclose the portion of fish. Spread 1 tsp butter on each piece of foil and place the cod on top, seasoning with a few slices of red onion and white pepper. Top each with 1 tsp butter and sprinkle with 1 tsp white vinegar. Close the foil packets tightly so that the steam cannot escape. Place the packets in a frying pan; pour in water carefully, avoiding to pour it over the foil, bring to the boil, cover closely, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer the packets to a plate, open them carefully to not burn yourself, and pour the liquid from the packets in a food processor. Set aside the cod pieces.
the soul kitchenette 