Folklorama: Codfish Cakes and Italian Cheese Cake

Codfish Cakes

Benvindos ao Pavilhão Português!

The Portuguese Association of Manitoba, Inc. set up the Portuguese Pavilion in another High School - Sisler High.  

High Schools are perfect for pavilions.  

The classrooms allow for different types of displays to be set up, and the gyms and lunch rooms can hold a crowd enjoying a meal while watching the show.

The Portuguese Pavilion had displays of hand embroidery and cultural collections.

There were junior and senior dancers providing the entertainment, while the guests feasted on galinba frita, octopus and other sea dishes and enjoyed glasses of Portuguese red or white wine, as well as Canadian spirits and beer.

Across town in the Fort Rouge Leisure Centre,everyone was told to Buon divertimento! (Have fun!) at the Roma Pavilion.

In the program the Italian Canadian League of Manitoba, Inc. said Put the calorie counting aside and sample some of our mouth-watering dishes such as lasagna, ravioli, spaghetti, pizza, or panini imbotiti while you sip on some of Italy’s finest wines.

In addition to the food, there was entertainment: singer-composer Silvia De Luca, Maria Loscerbo, folk dancers, accordionist Mike Conia and the Cianfione Brothers.

There were also local bands to provide dance music between shows.

Cultural displays depicted the lifestyles of various parts of Italy.

It was perfect for those families with young children who wanted to sample a European country, while eating mostly familiar food.

Spaghetti or pizza was a safe choice for the kiddies.

In the current Folklorama50 brochure, in addition to the Pavilion of Portugal, there's also the Casa do Minho Portuguese Pavilion.

Instead of Roma Pavilion - which might have led some people to think they were going to see gypsies and get their fortunes told - we now have a more simply titled Pavilion called Italian.

No confusion there.

There’s also the Pabellon de España - Spain Pavilion.

Nice and clear in its naming and sure to be another pleaser.

Hints:

The recipe for the codfish cakes said:

Soak the cod overnight, changing the water several times to draw off the salty taste.

Right. Thought it made more sense to do this during the daytime since you have to change the water.

Then again you could buy regular frozen cod.

This is the 21st century and we do have refrigeration and freezers.

Then you won’t have to soak out all the salt our ancestors had to use to keep the fish from going bad and stinking up the whole house.

The recipe also said:

Stop adding eggs when the mixture is very smooth and will hold its shape on the spoon.

Add 3 eggs and see if that does the job. If not, add another one or two.

You’re making fish balls, not an omelet.

The Italian cheese cake had a few extremely authentic ingredients in the recipe.

Instead of the baking powder and vanilla extract, the recipe called for a package each of levito Bertolini and vanigliata.

They included the baking powder and vanilla as an option.

If you'd like to make another cheese cake - or two - check these links for recipes.

                        Codfish Cakes 

Soak for 8 hours, changing the water several times to draw off the salty taste

1 pound salt cod

Then poach the cod in fresh water until it is tender.

Remove all bones and skin.

Put the cod through the medium blade of a meat grinder.

Boil and peel

2 large potatoes

Put through a food mill or ricer, and add to the cod purée.

Add

1 large onion, chopped fine

3 - 4 Tablespoons parsley, chopped

several dashes of Tabasco sauce

Add, one at a time (see hints)

3 or 4 eggs

Beat the mixture until it is smooth and light.

Form the mixture into balls with 2 dessert-sized spoons.

Drop into 3 inches of very hot oil.

Frying a few at a time, turn the cakes with a fork until they are a deep brown.

Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

They will keep for several days and can be re-heated.

Makes about 18 cakes.

                        Italian Cheese Cake 

Grease a pie plate

Dough

Place in a large bowl

2 eggs

1/3 Cup sugar

Beat together then add

2 ounces oil

Fold in

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 Cup flour

Knead and add more flour until the dough can be rolled.

Set aside a small portion of the dough.

Roll out the dough so that it is large enough to place in the pie plate and completely covers the edges.

Roll out the reserved small portion of dough and cut it into strips long enough to criss-cross the diameter of the pie plate.

Filling

Beat in a large bowl

3 eggs

6 ounces sugar

Gradually add

16 ounces ricotta cheese

Blend until creamy.

Stir in

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pour the filling into the dough covered pie plate.

Top the filling with the dough strips in a criss-cross pattern.

Bake at 325º F for 40 minutes, or until golden.

Carmela Soprano's Baccala Pizzaiola - Salt Cod Pizzamaker's Style

Tomorrow is Friday.

Lent is over.

And there's still turkey to finish off.

Junior's recipe for Baccala Pizzaiola - Salt Cod Pizzamaker's Style - in his chapter 

The Soprano Family Tradition in Artie's The Sopranos Family Cookbook

is another of the 'I'll never make that' recipes.

The recipe itself isn't hard.

But, salt cod is pretty much a distant memory.

Junior would have remembered salt cod.

You do have to be of a certain age to have eaten it regularly.

I explained salt cod when I posted Carmela's recipe Baccala Fritta, Fried Salt Cod.

I also posted Ma's recipe for Baccala alla Marinara.

Along with Aunt Betty's recipe, Sweet and Sour Cod.

Then there's Aunt Dina's variation, Sweet and Sour Cod.

And, let's not forget, Aunt Demi's Baccala with Capers and Garlic.

Salt cod needs a bit of prep work: 

A couple of days before you want to cook it, place the baccala, cut into serving pieces, in a large bowl of cold water and refrigerate, changing the water at least 3 times a day for 2 days or more - until the water no longer tastes salty.  

Then you drain the baccala and dry it with paper towels.  

You can leave the baccala in the refrigerator for a day or two after it's desalted.

If you're using stockfish, soak the fish in the same manner for 5 to 7 days, 

until it is pliable.

Or... you can use fresh or frozen cod fillets, thawed.

I do.

If you have fresh tomatoes, substitute 

3 Cups peeled, seeded and chopped for the canned.

Don't have fresh basil leaves?

A tablespoon, more or less, will do just as well for the sauce.

About the Pizzamaker's Style...

Don't confuse the kids.

I explained what to do on Carmela's Bistecca Pizzaiola - steak Pizzamaker's style.

It works with fish, too.

                        Baccala Pizzaiola

Serves 8

In a deep skillet place

2 inches of water

Add 

2 pounds baccala or 1 1/2 pounds stockfish pretreated 

          (or 2 pounds cod fillets)

Simmer until it is tender, but not cooked through.

With a slotted spoon, remove the fish.

Let cool, then remove any bones and skin.

In a medium saucepan place

1/4 Cup olive oil

2 large cloves garlic, very finely chopped

Cook over medium heat until lightly golden.

Add

1 28 to 35-ounce can Italian tomatoes, chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.

Stir in 

6 fresh basil leaves, torn into bits

Preheat oven to 400º

Get a baking dish that is large enough to hold the fish in a single layer.

Spoon a thin layer of sauce into the dish.

Arrange the fish on top.

Spoon the remaining sauce on top.

Drizzle over the sauce

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Bake 30 minutes and serve hot.

Would I make Baccala Pizzaiola again?

Sure.

With cod fillets.

This is the twenty-first century, for crying out loud.

One recipe down.  Twenty-six more to go.