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Codfish "Alla Marinaia"

A historical recipe from Simple Italian Cookery, by Antonia Isola.

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A historical recipe

Simple Italian Cookery, by Antonia Isola. Project Gutenberg eBook #6385.

From an old book: a historical recipe, not current advice. Its methods, additives and storage may be unsafe by today's standards.

Italy

Known as an Italian recipe, with similar versions prepared across other nations.

Ingredients 5 ingredients

  1. one pound of salt codfish
  2. three tablespoons of best olive-oil
  3. a pinch of allspice
  4. three tablespoons of best vinegar
  5. two tablespoons of fish broth

Cook safely

Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.

  • Hot oil. Never put water on an oil fire: turn off the heat and cover the pan with a lid or a damp tea towel. Pat food dry before it goes into hot oil, and lower it in gently, away from you.
  • Boiling water and steam. Turn pan handles inward, away from the edge of the hob. Lift lids away from you, and pour hot water away from your body: steam burns too.
  • Sharp knives. Cut on a board that doesn't slip (a damp cloth under it helps), and curl the fingers of the hand that holds the food.

Method

  1. Take one pound of salt codfish.
  2. Boil slightly until you can remove the skin and bones.
  3. Chop up fine a piece of onion, and parsley, and fry them in a saucepan with three tablespoons of best olive-oil, then put in the codfish with salt, pepper, and a pinch of allspice.
  4. While this is cooking, put into another saucepan three tablespoons of best vinegar, two tablespoons of fish broth, and one-half bay-leaf.
  5. Add a little flour to give body to the sauce, stir well, then remove the bay-leaf, and take the saucepan off the fire.
  6. Arrange the platter with pieces of fried bread in a layer on the bottom, then the codfish, and then the sauce poured over it.

Plating

Cookware for this recipe

  • Frying pan
  • Saucepan
  • Chef's knife
  • Cutting board
  • Wooden spoon
Source Public domain in the USA
Credit

From Simple Italian Cookery, by Antonia Isola. Digitised by Project Gutenberg, eBook #6385 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6385). Public domain in the USA; its status may differ elsewhere.

What was changed: As printed, from the book's text; Project Gutenberg's header and licence removed. Ingredient lines were read out of the text by a program. A historical recipe, not current advice.