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Epicurious
House & Garden

Polenta with Salt Codfish

By James Beard

3.8

(1)

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Serves 6

Ingredients

2 pounds salted boneless codfish
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups drained, solid-pack tomatoes (or 1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped)
1 tablespoon dried basil (or a few leaves of fresh basil)
1 small can tomato paste
Salt, pepper
1 recipe polenta
Grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Soak the codfish in cold water to cover for 8 hours, changing the water once during the soaking. Drain and cover with fresh water, bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until the fish is tender.

    Step 2

    Heat the olive oil and sauté the garlic and onion. Add the tomatoes and basil and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Add the tomato paste and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. The sauce should be quite thick. If it is not, reduce it over a brisk flame, stirring constantly.

    Step 3

    Pour polenta into an oiled casserole or baking dish and top with codfish. Cover with the tomato sauce, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and put under the broiler flame for a minute or two, until the top is glazed.

  2. Variations:

    Step 4

    For a Mexican version, chop 2 canned peeled green chilis and add them to the polenta with 1/2 cup grated Gruyère cheese. Add 1 tablespoon chili powder to the tomato sauce, simmer until thick.

TagsCasserolePolentaRice & GrainsCodFishSeafoodTomatoVegetableSideMainDinnerNut FreeGluten FreeHouse & Garden
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