Harvey K-Tel wrote:Bacalhao!
O fiel amigo!
Harvey K-Tel wrote:Bacalhao!
the UBER ASS wrote:Jesus - what IS it with that stuff in Portugal?! You'd see mountains of the stuff standing near the door in even the smallest supermarket. I never tried it once, but I heard you were supposed to soak it in milk for a while before cooking...
Billy wrote:
I can't believe you've fallen for the charms of pollock ...
Listen to and watch this entire clip, while my good friend explains -- and then act!
echolalia wrote:the UBER ASS wrote:Jesus - what IS it with that stuff in Portugal?! You'd see mountains of the stuff standing near the door in even the smallest supermarket. I never tried it once, but I heard you were supposed to soak it in milk for a while before cooking...
I’m surprised you never tried bacalhau when you lived in Coimbra. You soak it in water or milk to rehydrate and de-salt it. Obviously water is cheaper, although some recipes demand milk. Babies!
I made this Portuguese salt cod recipe for a friend of mine when I was in London a couple of months ago. He got fresh cod instead of salted and I didn’t think it would work, but it did, more or less.
And as for the Portuguese obsession with salt cod, who knows. It’s eaten all over southern Europe, especially in the Basque country and parts of Italy, but it’s only in Portugal that it has fetish status. Historical reasons no doubt: strike west from Portugal and you eventually get to the Grand Banks, where they used to fish the cod.
the UBER ASS wrote:Yeah, I should have tried it. I know in Spain bacalao con tomate is a common tapas dish, and one of my favourites if it's done well.
the UBER ASS wrote:bacalao con tomate is easy to make at home - I'd just fry half a chopped onion and a couple of crushed cloves of garlic in some olive oil, add a tin of tomatoes, some cod (I actually used fresh fillets but you're supposed to use the dried stuff) and salt and pepper. Add a bay leaf. Reduce the sauce for a few minutes, serve with crusty bread.
echolalia wrote:
What I love is the old-fashioned designs you still get on the tinned fish and squid etc. There are some real beauties:
the UBER ASS wrote:
That stuff's fantastic. I used to put it on my Pingo Doce frozen pizzas all the time.