Recipe - Casserole Of Salt Cod And Potatoes

1 pound Dried salt cod
6 cup Boiling water
1 tablespoon Unsalted butter
3 tablespoon Olive oil
1 lg Spanish onion
peeled and cut or sliced up thin
2 pound Calif. long white potatoes
or new potatoes,
boiled until tender, then
peeled and cut or sliced up thin
1/3 cup Minced parsley
One fourth cup Freshly ground black pepper

GARNISH
1 lg Egg, hardcooked, shelled
and cut in thin wedges
12 md Oilcured black olives
(unpitted)

SOAK THE COD in the refrigerator 24 hours in several changes of cold water.
Drain, rinse, and drain well again. Place the cod in a large heavy
saucepan, pour in the boiling water, set over moderate heat, cover and
simmer 10to12 minutesjust until the cod flakes at the touch of a fork.
Drain and rinse well, then flake the cod, removing any bits of skin or
bone. Preheat the oven to 350F. In a large heavy skillet set over moderate
heat, warm the butter and 1 tablespoon of the oil 1 minute. Add the onion,
separating the slices into rings, and stirfry 8to10 minutes until limp
and golden; do not brown. Remove the onion from the skillet and set aside.
Add the remaining oil to the skillet, dump in the potatoes and stirfry
about 5 minutes until golden. Layer half the potatoes in a wellbuttered
2quart casserole or au gratin pan and sprinkle with a little of the minced
parsley and pepper. Add 1/3 of the onion, One half of the cod and another
scattering of the parsley and pepper. Repeat the layering, ending with
onion rings on top. Sprinkle with the remaining pepper and all but 1
tablespoon of the parsley. Bake the casserole, uncovered, for 35to40
minutes or until touched with brown. Garnish with wedges of hardcooked egg
and the olives, placed artfully on top of the casserole, plus a final light
scattering of minced parsley.

JEAN ANDERSON

PRODIGY GUEST CHEFS COOKBOOK

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini