RECIPES: Marco Canora Shares His Favorites
Roasted cod and ragu, grilled marinated quail and papparadelle with rabbit.
March 31, 2010 — -- To read the "Nightline: Platelist" profile of Marco Canora, click HERE.
All recipes courtesy of Marco Canora.
Roasted Cod with Braised Black Cabbage, Chick Peas and Baccalau Ragu
Serves 4
Ingredients:
For the baccalau:
Preparation:
Soak the baccalou. Place the salt cod in a large container add enough water to cover the fish generously. Put a top on the container and refrigerate overnight. Change the water and continue soaking the cod until it is moist and no longer tastes unpleasantly salty (this could require another day of soaking so be prepared.) Drain the cod. Shortly before serving break the fish into generous flakes and reserve.
Prepare the soffritto and braise the cabbage. Heat the oil in a large high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery and fry, stirring occasionally until the vegetables soften and color, about 15 minutes. Season the soffritto with salt and pepper.
Add the tomatoes, crushing them with your hands. Cook, stirring frequently, until the tomato juices evaporate, about 5 minutes.
Add the cabbage a handful at a time, mixing and allowing it to wilt before adding more. Season it with salt and pepper and add 1/2 cup of water if the pan looks dry. Cover the pot and cook, stirring every 5 minutes or so and adding a tablespoon or two of water if the cabbage begins to look dry. Cook until the greens are tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas. Heat through and keep warm over low heat. (The braised cabbage can be made a day or two in advance and reheated over low heat.)
Make the chickpea puree while the cabbage cooks. Put the cooked chickpeas in a saucepan and add enough water to almost cover them. Add salt and cook covered over medium heat until the chickpeas are hot and very tender, about 10 minutes. Puree the chickpeas in a blender. Season the puree with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Return the puree to the saucepan and keep warm over very low heat.
Pan-roast the cod. Add 3 tablespoons oil to a large ovenproof skillet and warm over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper the fish filets them, skin side down, in the pan. Pan-roast until the fish skin is crisp and the flesh opaque about a fourth of the way up the filet, about 7 minutes. Flip the fish. Add the thyme to the skillet and cook over a medium flame, basting the fish with the oil in the pan and turning it so all sides come in contact with the pan. Cook until the fish is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. (The fish can alternatively be cooked in batches, wiping the pan clean in between.)
Finish the dish. Add the flaked baccalau to the cabbage and chickpeas and cook, stirring occasionally, until the salt cod is opaque, about 7 minutes. To serve, divide the chickpea puree between four warm plates, spoon the cabbage ragu onto each then top with the roasted cod.
Notes
If you want to cook your own chickpeas start with 2 cups dried peas and soak them in water to cover (by at least 3 inches) in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, drain the beans and put them in a large pot. Add enough water to cover by about 2 inches. Cut the end off a head of garlic so the cloves are exposed. Add the head of garlic to the beans along with a bunch of sage and salt. Bring the beans to a gentle simmer over moderate heat. Cook, skimming the foam the forms on the surface, until the beans are tender, about 1 hour. Remove the beans from the heat and allow them to cool in the cooking liquid. You can alternatively use canned chickpeas for this recipe.
Related Stories
ABC News Live