Recipe #2: "Salt Cod, Potato and Tomato" (page 138)

This recipe struck me for its simplicity and its use of salt cod, an item I have never attempted to wrangle.  There is an excellent gourmet cheese store in my neighborhood that I have shopped in many times, they too carry the famous bacala, and it sits in open air unrefrigerated in a wooden box, so rigid that it cannot be constrained by that container and the ends of the long fillets reach upwards, and out.  Fearsome no doubt to the unfamiliar; quizzical to the interested and notified.

This is the kind of 'proper eating' I enjoy, and I feel its an excellent microcosm of the book, and what I enjoy about it.  Potatoes and tomatoes are quite easy to come by of course, so I set out on a Sunday afternoon to a grocery store only a few miles from my home but one I do not frequent.  They did in fact have the salt cod, though I was shocked by its $9.99/lb price tag.  They had prepackaged amounts that led to either a ~$28 or ~$14 price tag.  I opted for the smaller 1.5 lb package and made my way out.

This is another example of Fergus' wild addiction to garlic.  The recipe calls for no less then 28 cloves of garlic: I sourced an excellent head from the same store who's produce is prime.  Its large fresh cloves only reached a summation of likely 12-14 cloves.  The thought of two entire heads of garlic is a bit much by my standards, however I am used to this by now after reviewing this log of recipes time and time again.  As I mixed likely 8 large plum tomatoes with that head of garlic (the cloves lightly smashed and peeled, but not chopped) and a shower of fresh black pepper from my new grinder (another gift from the same [my only] brother) and copious amounts of salt and rosemary it dawned on me that this concoction amounted to something that Emeril (yes, I dared to speak his name in a sentimental fashion) would say would be 'just fine stuffed into a hoagie roll' or something of that nature.

The rosemary raises an important point regarding herbs.  This amounts to another improvisation upon the standards laid upon me by Mr. Henderson.  His use of herbs is quite demure, no doubt an extension of his (quite British) personality.  I am a more brash (read: American) cook and also a student of Jamie Oliver who spoiled me long ago upon gigantic bales of herbs.  This recipe calls for a simple 'handful' of curly parsley, I made the call to use rosemary in fair amounts.  I used the rewards of two long (6") stems chopped, plus two more of the same in with the boiling potatoes.

I did a 12 hour cycle on the salt cod, likely changed the water 5 times.  I started around 6pm the evening prior to this one as I rise at approximately the same hour in the AM.  I changed the water 3 times within the next couple hours, as expected the salt osmosis was great initially.  I did wake around 2:30am (as is standard) for a variety of reasons at which point I changed it once again.  Before I left for work at 6:40am sharp, I drained the cod and left it in the fridge in its container.

Already mentioned is my preparation of the tomatoes, I carefully coached them through their bid in the oven until they appeared beaten sufficiently.  Fergus is careful to mention the rendering of tomato juice into what he refers to as 'tomatoey oil' and he was not kidding.  I was a bit liberal with the olive oil but the delicious liquid produced at the bottom of my immortal Pyrex seems suitable for either refreshment on breakfast cereal or a hot toddy.  The garlic cloves easily mashed into near total disintegration with the help of a standard metal tined fork.  I was worried early on that the concentration of tomato flavor would prove too much even for a seasoned red fruit consumer as myself.  I spent many years preparing and eating home grown tomatoes from my grandmothers garden and I eat salads usually 3 days a week with raw product amongst them.  I allowed a single segment to cool and I was knocked back (I honestly mouthed the word 'wow' after the sample) by the flavors that tasted neither like garlic nor rosemary directly, but some phenomenal sum-is-better-than-its-parts fiesta rendered by the cooking process.

Cooking the spuds was simple enough, the rosemary poached nicely and a huge waft of aroma punched me as I manipulated the lid to check and control boil level. As I removed them from the water I added my salt cod to another pot of already simmering water.  I waited until the last moment to do so as Fergus recommended only 5 minutes to poach it well.  Never having tampered with this material before I followed his advice, or at least prepared to.  I was surprised earlier on at the firmness of the cod even after 12 hours drowned -- this continued as it poached.  I prodded it gently time to time and by 5 minutes I did not feel that it was about to give way.  Edible certainly but Fergus points that it should almost easily shred when drained and cooking has completed.  In the end it took closer to 10 and as directed it did begin to flake when stirred with the other components of this dish.

At the last minute I began to spoon away the 'tomatoey oil' from the large garlic chunks then began to carefully add some that did contain my fork-mashed cloves and in the end could hardly control myself, I added nearly all of it.  This is a dish that calls out to be well seasoned in all regards.  The copious use of rosemary was a home run, unfortunately I cannot agree that simple parsley would bring this together.  A heavier hand with salt/pepper on the tomatoes as well really was the chemistry experiment in my oven that made this come alive.

Total success - though in closing I must admit that I decided to forego Fergus final garnish: hardboiled eggs.  The thought does not disgust me per se but seems wildly unnecessary and too far astray from the more sturdy, rustic flavors the dish delivers.