Creamy Baked Salt Cod

Name: Creamy Baked Salt Cod
Yield: serves 6 or more
Ingredients: 2 pounds boneless baccalà (salt cod); 1 cup or more flour, for dredging; 4 tablespoons butter; 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 2 medium onions (1 pound), peeled, halved, and sliced 1/4 inch thick; 1 quart milk, or more if needed; 1 cup grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano, or more as needed; Baked Polenta, page 111 (finish and serve with baccalà per instructions below); A heavy-bottomed saucepan or high-sided sauté pan, 10-to-12-inch diameter, with a cover; A baking dish or shallow casserole, 9 by 13 inches or similar size

December 14, 2011

I love dishes made from preserved codfish, and in the Veneto they make marvelous use of cod preserved by different methods. Baccalà is codfish that has been salted, and this is made into baccalà alla trevigiana, which I share with you here. Then there is stoccafisso, codfish that has been air-dried and that is used for baccalà manteccato, whipped with olive oil and garlic. Today salted cod—baccalà—is available in many supermarkets, and your fishmonger should carry it. It comes in boneless sides, and it is best to get center cuts, which are meatier and less salty. In any case, thorough soaking, as detailed in the recipe, is vital to the success of the dish. In Treviso, baccalà alla trevigiana is always served with Baked Polenta (page 111), and the combination of flavors and textures is so delicious I never break tradition. Do the preliminary cooking of the polenta the day before you cook the baccalà, and you can finish both in the oven at the same time.

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