Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá (Salt Cod Casserole)

We used to cook bacalao (salt cod) only during the Lent season, we went to a restaurant when we want to eat it at other times of the year. Nowadays, I prepare it whenever I feel like it. Salt cod is readily available in my area, rather cheap too, as there is a large Hispanic community here, from both South America and Europe. In Portugal, according to Tania Gomes, the author of the cookbook THE FLAVORS OF PORTUGAL bacalhau is an important part of the Portuguese Christmas Eve dinner.

This popular Portuguese salt cod dish is from my 17 year old cookbook THE FOOD OF SPAIN AND PORTUGAL by Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz.

Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá
1 pound dried salt cod
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large Spanish onion, sliced
1 pound potatoes, boiled, then sliced
16 pitted oil-cured black olives, sliced in half
½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
freshly ground black pepper
2 large hard boiled eggs, quartered

• Soak the cod in cold water for 24 hours, changing water often, if using Canadian (like mine) which is less salty, shorten the soaking time to 6 hours. Simmer the cod in water for 15 minutes, drain, cool, remove bones and skin, then flake meat. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a pan and saute the onions until soft but do not let it brown. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Grease a shallow casserole and layer potatoes, onion, cod, olives and parsley, ending in onion rings, seasoning each layer with ground pepper.
• Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 40 minutes. Serve garnished with eggs and sprinkled with more parsley. I serve mine with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Chorizo Burger

I was reading a post by wysgal last night about her recent trip to Boracay and there is a photo of a sandwich called chori-burger, that is, chorizo with a sweetish sauce in a bun. The photograph looks so good, I can almost taste the sandwich. I have a lot of homemade chorizos in my freezer which I sliced lengthwise while still half frozen, removed the casing and fried in a very hot unoiled non-stick pan. For the sauce I heated up both tomato and banana ketchup, a little vinegar, worcestershire sauce, sugar, liquid smoke, and garlic powder. I had the chori-burger with 3 slices of tomatoes, yum...

Chorizos
2 ½ pounds fatty boneless pork shoulder butt, diced
1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt (do not substitute table salt or sea salt)
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons smoked Spanish paprika, more if preferred
3 tablespoons minced garlic, more if preferred
½ tablespoon grated nutmeg, optional
6 tablespoons ice water
2 tablespoons chilled red wine vinegar
5 feet hog casings, soaked in tepid water for 30 minutes and rinsed

Before you begin, make sure the meat is well chilled, never leave at room temperature.

• Combine the pork with the ingredients except water and wine, toss to distribute the seasoning. Chill until ready to grind.
• Grind the mixture through the large die into a bowl of standing mixer set on ice. Add the water and wine vinegar to the meat mixture and mix with the paddle attachment until the liquids are incorporated and the mixture has developed a uniform appearance, about 1 minute.
• Saute a small portion of the sausage, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Stuff the sausage into the casings and twist into 6 inch links. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to cook.

Yield: About 2 ½ pounds

Dumpling Soup

One of the food items I don't bother to make are dumplings, pot stickers, gyoza, wonton, etc because they are readily available at the grocery stores with a large variety of fillings. The ones I regularly buy are the Korean vegetable gyoza that have soy protein (TVP) included with the veggies. I love them because they can be steamed, fried or added to chicken broth for soup. I added some shredded baby bokchoy for color and more vegetables.

I also got these very tiny, about ½ inch Chinese pearl rice balls that look like the Filipino bilo-bilo (sweet rice balls) but are filled with ground black sesame seeds and sugar, very similar to our mache or buchi (mochi?). They are also boiled in water like the palitaw, you know they are done when they start floating on the surface. They are so good.

Baked Rice With Chickpeas and Potatoes

Last week I was going to make paella but made fideuá instead. Today I made baked rice with some unusual ingredients: chickpeas and potatoes. Once again, I adapted this recipe Arroz al Forno from The Cuisines of Spain by Teresa Barrenechea. I did not use morcilla because I don't have them (I don't like them!). This baked rice is garlicky and delicious, with different textures and flavors, I love it!

Arroz Al Forno
½ pound chickpeas, washed, soaked in water overnight, and drained
4 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon sea salt
pinch of saffron threads
½ cup olive oil
1 head garlic, unpeeled, halved crosswise
2 small potatoes, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 3-oz chorizo, cut into ½ inch slices
1 3-oz morcilla, cut into ½ inch slices
1 green bell pepper, seeded and halved
1½ cups rice

• In a saucepan, bring the stock to a boil, add chickpeas and boil for 1 hour in medium-low heat. Strain, set chickpeas aside, reserve 3 cups of liquid and add the salt and saffron.
• In a large pan or paella pan, heat ¼ cup olive oil, add the garlic, fry for 5 minutes until golden brown. Remove and set aside. Add the potatoes to the pan and fry until golden brown, set aside. Fry the chorizo and morcilla for 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 500°F.
• Discard all the oil and add another ¼ cup oil to the pan, fry the green pepper just to flavor the oil, remove and save for another dish. Saute the tomato for 1 minute, add the potatoes, chickpeas, and sausages, stir fry for 2 minutes. On high heat, add the 3 cups liquid 1 cup at a time, stirring after each addition. When all the liquid has been added and the mixture begins to boil, add the rice and mix well. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes until the rice begins to absorb the liquid.Put the reserved garlic in the center of the pan and transfer the pan to the oven.
• Bake for about 15 minutes . Remove from oven, cover with a lid and let rest 5 minutes before serving.