Dried Salt Cod Ancoma Style (Umbria)

Fish

Ingredients

Dried salt cod, presoaked - 2 1/2 pounds

Olive oil

Onion, thinly sliced - 1

Carrot, finely chopped - 1

Celery, finely chopped - 1 stalk

Parsley, finely chopped - 2-3 sprigs

Ripe tomatoes - 3/4 pound

Marjoram - pinch

Salt and pepper

Potatoes, peeled and sliced - 4

Milk -1/2 cup

Bone the salt cod but leave it unskinned. Cut into large pieces. Heat 5 tbsps oil and saute the onion, carrot, celery, and parsley gently until the vegetables begin to soften. Peel a nd chop the tomatoes, discarding the seeds. Add the tomato pulp to pan with the marjoram, salt and pepper. Cook over a brisk heat for about 20 minutes.

Take a large heavy pn and in the bottom, put a rack. On this, arrange a layer of salt cod. Pour over some of the tomato sauce, add another layer of fish and continue in this manner until all the fish and tomato sauce are used up. Cover with a layer of potatoes, sprinkle lightly with salt, then pour over about 2 cups oil and the milk. For those less fond of olive oil, the amount can be halved and the milk increased instead. Cover and cook over a very low heat for 1 1/2 hours, carefully shaking the pan from time to time. Then uncover the pan and continue cooking for a little less than 1 hour longer.

The rack is placed in the pan to prevent the fish from sticking. Traditionally, a layer of reeds or bamboo canes was used and those with fish kettle can do the same.

Serves 6